Winter doesn’t help with the short dark days, the cold, and the draw of a real fire, but do you feel tired more than most or even worse feel tired all the time. With low energy, lack of motivation and a general feeling of malaise? February is a tough month. Long gone is the fun of Christmas and the more recent long held promise of January and fitness!!
Do you just feel too tired, too old and ready to lie down in a dark corner? You’re not alone. A recent study suggests that many adults have said they spend two hours and 56 minutes feeling drained and low in energy – more than twenty hours each week. Scarily, this amounts to almost four days of each month, or six weeks of every year during which we feel fatigued!!!
Don’t despair!! Understanding why you’re feeling so tired all the time is half the battle, arming yourself with knowledge will allow you to take appropriate steps in the right direction.
Three main causes of tiredness and how to fight them.
- Psychological causes such as stress.
- Physical causes such as poor sleep.
- Lifestyle causes such as poor diet
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/sleep-and-tiredness/#why-you-might-be-tired-all-the-time
Let’s unpick these and see what can be done…..
Stress
this could be a deadline at work, road rage or even trolley rage!! Over time if you are exposed to the continued stress it can take its toll. Keep your body healthy by adding Magnesium rich foods and consider a Magnesium supplement to help you reduce tiredness and fatigue - giving you a little more resilience to the stress of modern living.
Enough sleep?
Longer commutes/working hours/flexible working/children and lifestage can result in late nights and early mornings.
Unfortunately, this means poor sleep for a lot of us. An adult needs 7-9 hours sleep but many of us fail at achieving this. Unable to fall asleep, intermittent waking and snoring, can have many causes. It’s difficult when we seem to need more than 24 hours in the day but promoting good sleep hygiene prior to going to bed may help you to relax. This in turn aids sleep: A few pointers if you are guilty of being a ‘scroller’...(Who isn’t!!)
- No devices an hour before bed or in the bedroom including TV.
- Spraying bed linen with Lavender
- A relaxing bath with a restful book
- No caffeine after midday (Try decaf or herbal teas)
We also know that Magnesium is proven to reduce tiredness and fatigue.I have spoken to many stressed out executives and mothers suffering from lack of sleep and have recommended taking supplements containing Magnesium.
Lifestyle Choices
Do you use caffeine and sugary drinks or snacks to keep going during the day when you feel exhausted? This is a double edged sword as the body can crash due to the release of too much insulin resulting in more cravings for sugar due to feeling tired again. Substituting with nuts, seeds and protein bars along with eating regularly every 4 hrs will help curb these cravings.
Clearly, Magnesium along with most of the B Vitamins including B6 and B12 plus Vitamin C, play a large role in combating tiredness. First and foremost I would always recommend improving your diet with nutrient dense foods and have provided really easy recipes that can be taken to work or stored in the fridge for a couple of days.
However if you’re struggling and need a little extra, Wassen have meticulously crafted a bespoke product aimed at Fatigue Reduction - Magnesium B. It incorporates 300mg of Magnesium alongside the benefits of both Vitamin C and B vitamins. Magnesium B also contains Betaine Chloride which contributes to normal digestion by production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, which helps with absorption.
References And Additional Reading:
Nielson, Johnson, Zeng 2010 Magnes Res. . 2010 Dec;23(4):158-68. doi: 10.1684/mrh.2010.0220. Epub 2011 Jan 4.Magnesium supplementation improves indicators of low Magnesium status and inflammatory stress in adults older than 51 years with poor quality sleep.
Cao Y, Zhen S, Taylor AW, Appleton S, Atlantis, E, Shi Z. 2018 Nutrients. 2018 Sep 21;10(10). pii: E1354. doi: 10.3390/nu10101354. Magnesium Intake and Sleep Disorder Symptoms: Findings from the Jiangsu Nutrition Study of Chinese Adults at Five-Year Follow-Up.
Rondanelli M, Opizzi A, Monteferrario F, Antoniello N, Manni R, Klersy C.
J Am Geriatr Soc. 2011 Jan;59(1):82-90. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2010.03232.x.The effect of melatonin, Magnesium, and Zinc on primary insomnia in long-term care facility residents in Italy: a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.