Tired All the Time

Being chronically tired is more than just feeling sleepy; chronic fatigue is one of the most frequent reasons for hospital visits, as people who complain about being tired all the time also suffer debilitating symptoms that interfere with their quality of life.

Chronically tired individuals often have difficulty meeting deadlines, maintaining productivity at work, and participating in social and recreational activities, as relentless fatigue and debilitating pain symptoms use up limited energy.
 

Why am I chronically tired all the time?

 
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is an autoimmune disorder that causes constant tiredness. Other factors that make people tired include stress and vitamin deficiency.

Here are some common conditions that cause people to feel overwhelmingly tired all day:

Sleep deprivation from high stress levels can make you feel chronically tired throughout the day. Sleeping during the daytime, staying up late and spending a lot of time using high-tech devices (smartphones, laptops, and tablet readers) can corrupt your regular sleep patterns and cause fatigue, disorientation, and headaches.

Anemia is another source of chronic tiredness for many individuals, as a decrease in red blood cells results in fewer oxygen-carrying molecules of hemoglobin. This drop in oxygen to the brain causes hypoxia symptoms of dizziness, difficulty concentrating, slow thinking, and irritability.

Pernicious anemia is a common type of megaloblastic anemia that makes you feel tired all the time. Pernicious anemia inhibits absorption of vitamin B12, a crucial nutrient for brain health and red blood cell production. Vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms of pernicious anemia include chronic fatigue, depression, “brain fog,” sluggish thinking skills, and nerve cell damage.

Besides pernicious anemia, other reasons for vitamin B12 deficiency and chronic tiredness include vegan dieting, gastrointestinal disorders, gastric bypass surgery, autoimmune disorders, using medications that inhibit vitamin B12 absorption, old age, and alcoholism.
 

Vitamin B12 for fatigue

 
In order to diagnose vitamin B12 deficiency, your doctor will have to perform a blood test that measure stores of vitamin B12 in your blood. The vitamin B12 blood test isn’t always accurate, so it’s important to pay attention to symptoms. If you feel tired all day, then you might require extra doses of vitamin B12 for increased stamina.

Popular sources of vitamin B12 supplements for the chronically tired include:

  • Vitamin B12 injections
  • Sublingual vitamin B12 tablets
  • Sublingual vitamin B12 drops
  • Non-dietary forms of over-the-counter (OTC) vitamin B12 delivery systems