Setting intentions to improve your health is no doubt a great way to start the year.

If you want to leave your tiredness in 2023, read on.

What’s the difference between feeling a bit tired versus extreme tiredness?

There are different degrees of tiredness. Most of the time if you feel tired, you can still get on with life and continue to work and play.

Sometimes though, you can feel extreme tiredness. This is when you have no energy, and your mental and physical states are impacted. You may lack the motivation to do anything, and your mood may become low.

Why do I feel tired all the time?

Lifestyle factors are obvious reasons for causing sleep deprivation (this is when you don’t get the amount of sleep you need), which can make you feel tired. Think shift work, jet lag, and drinking alcohol or playing video games just before you go to sleep.

But trying to work out the cause of your tiredness can sometimes be difficult. You’re not alone in this challenge. Tiredness and fatigue are common reasons people see their doctor in Australia.

Possible reasons for feeling tired all the time, include:

• consistently bad sleep habits
• physical conditions, such as heart problems, diabetes and endometriosis
• mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression
• sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnoea
• dietary issues, such as iron deficiency
• neurological disorders, such as narcolepsy

What can I do to help stop feeling tired all the time?

If you can’t work out why you continue to feel tired and it’s impacting your mental and physical health, see your doctor for a check-up.

It’s also a good idea to do the following to help reduce tiredness:

• Practise good sleep hygiene — stick to habits that will make you sleep well, such as going to bed and getting up at the same time each day.
• Eat healthily — choose low GI foods, eat regularly, and eat at least 5 serves of veggies and 2 of fruit a day. Incorporate iron and vitamin food sources into your diet.
• Exercise regularly — move more than you sit to increase your energy levels.
• Lose weight — being overweight or obese increases the risk of sleep problems and reduces your energy levels.
• Reduce stress — feeling stressed uses up energy. Introduce relaxing activities into your daily routine.
• Cut down on caffeine — caffeine can disturb your sleep and cause energy slumps.
• Reduce your alcohol intake — drinking alcohol before you go to bed affects your sleep and makes you tired the next day.
• Drink water — you can feel tired due to mild dehydration. As a general rule, females need 8 cups and males need 10 cups.

For more information and support

• Read about sleep disorders from the Sleep Health Foundation.
• Learn about sleep and mental health from Beyond Blue.
• Find out how shift work can cause sleep problems from SA Health.