what causes tiredness and fatigue

Tiredness and fatigue are usually caused by a mix of sleep, lifestyle, stress, medicines, or an underlying health problem. Common triggers include not enough sleep, poor diet, low physical activity, alcohol or drug use, depression, and conditions like anemia, thyroid problems, diabetes, sleep apnea, infections, or chronic illness.

Common causes

• Not enough sleep or poor sleep quality.

• Stress, grief, anxiety, or depression.

• Poor diet, dehydration, too little exercise, or too much exercise.

• Medicines, including some allergy medicines, antidepressants, blood pressure medicines, and pain medicines.

• Medical conditions such as anemia, thyroid disorders, diabetes, sleep apnea, heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, and infections like COVID-19 or mononucleosis.

When it may be a problem

If tiredness is persistent, unexplained, or not improving with rest, it can be a sign of a condition that needs medical attention. Red-flag patterns include severe fatigue with shortness of breath, palpitations, weight loss, loud snoring with daytime sleepiness, or extreme fatigue lasting months.

What can help

• Keep a regular sleep schedule and aim for enough sleep each night.

• Eat a balanced diet, stay hydrated, and exercise regularly.

• Cut back on alcohol and avoid drugs that can worsen fatigue.

• Review medicines with a clinician if tiredness started after a new prescription.

When to get checked

If fatigue is lasting more than a few weeks, keeps getting worse, or comes with symptoms like chest pain, shortness of breath, fainting, fever, or unexplained weight loss, it should be evaluated by a healthcare professional.

TL;DR: tiredness is often from sleep, stress, lifestyle, or medicines, but persistent fatigue can also point to anemia, thyroid disease, diabetes, sleep apnea, infections, or other medical conditions.