Why Am I Always Tired?
Why Am I Always Tired?
Being tired is normal when it is for short duration or after an exhausting event or long day of work. It is also normal to be tired after some stressor or difficulty. But chronic tiredness and low energy are more likely to be a result of an underlying medical condition.
What Could It Be?
You want to consider infectious causes, such as an undetected viral or bacterial infection, and anemia, both of which can be uncovered by routine blood tests by your doctor.
Also it is important to check your thyroid and blood sugar in case diabetes is contributing to your symptoms.
Often people ignore their medication side effects, so you want to exclude a recent medication change or new medication interaction as a cause.
Sleep apnea and sleep disorders are also highly under-diagnosed causes of fatigue. A sleep study can help rule this out.
Finally, one of the most common causes of diminished energy or fatigue that is prolonged and causing dysfunction is depression, major depressive disorder.
Rule Out Depression
Please take this survey to see if you’re having symptoms of depression:
If you score greater than a 10, you should contact a clinician, such as a doctor or therapist:
https://www.mdcalc.com/phq-9-patient-health-questionnaire-9