Millions of people are chronically tired. Being tired all the time is one of the most frequent reasons for physician visits. Often, that's the only complaint the person has, but the sense of being tired all the time is so pervasive and severe that it interferes with their quality of life. People who are chronically tired find it difficult to be productive at work. Being tired keeps you from participating in social and recreational activities. A constant state of being tired can make you cranky, irritable or depressed. It is hard for doctors to figure out why a person is chronically tired because there are so many possible reasons for their fatigue.
Sleep Deprivation
Many people are chronically tired because they are sleep deprived. We tend to stay up too late and get up too early, keep irregular sleep hours and be stressed. Most of us need seven to nine hours of sleep, and few of us get it, leaving us chronically tired.
Anemia
Anemia means you do not have enough oxygen-carrying red blood cells or hemoglobin. Without enough oxygen-carrying capacity, your brain, muscles and other tissues don't get the oxygen they need to function at full capacity, and you feel tired. The more anemic you are, the more tired you feel.
Anemia can be caused by many things. Something could be interfering with your body's ability to make red blood cells. Bleeding causes anemia when red blood cells are lost faster than they can be replaced. This could be acute bleeding, like from trauma, or it could be chronic or occult bleeding, usually from your gastrointestinal tract.
Another common cause of anemia and feeling tired is vitamin B12 deficiency. Vitamin B12 is necessary for your body to make red blood cells. Many people have vitamin B12 deficiency without knowing it.
You can have symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency, especially feeling tired, before it is clinically detectable with blood tests. In fact, physicians have empirically (without laboratory evidence) given vitamin B12 shots to people who complain of feeling tired for years-and it usually helps.
If you feel tired all the time, you could be vitamin B12 deficient. Vitamin B12 is completely harmless, so it's definitely worth trying it for a while to see if it helps. You don't have to take shots for that tired feeling, either. A new B12 Patch is available that delivers it through your skin. The B12 Patch may help relieve your feelings of being tired all the time.
