You feel tired much of the time and you really don't know why. Your fatigue may result from your eating habits. You may not be consuming enough calories, or your body may not be receiving enough nutrition from the calories you are consuming. Feeling more energetic may be a matter of adjusting your diet. However, you should also consult with your physician about ongoing symptoms of fatigue.
Fatigue
Fatigue is the body's signal that your energy levels are depleted. Although you can feel fatigued and sleepy at the same time, you can also be wide awake and still feel fatigued. Fatigue may also result from exhaustion after physical exertion, but you can also feel fatigue along with lethargy, apathy, depression or boredom. Emotional exhaustion and stress can also produce fatigue. If none of these factors applies to you and you still feel fatigue, check your diet. Poor nutrition or simply consuming too few calories can also cause fatigue. If you can't pinpoint a possible cause for why you feel so tired, then it's time to schedule an appointment with your doctor, according to MedlinePlus.
Insufficient Calorie Intake
Taking in fewer than 1,000 calories per day causes the body to break down its own fat and even lean muscle tissue, which often results in fatigue or other serious health problems. In developing countries around the world, malnutrition resulting from insufficient calorie intake is common. However, hunger is not unknown in the United States, especially among the very poor, seniors and homeless people. Deliberate calorie restriction also occurs with eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. Sometimes very ill people also take in too few calories because they simply don't feel up to eating, the Merck Manuals Online Medical Library states.
General Malnutrition
Malnutrition is a common cause of fatigue. Even if you are taking in enough calories, if your overall diet is lacking in nutrients, you may suffer from malnutrition. Your budget may limit your diet to cheap foods that provide little nutrition for the calories they contain. Undernutrition also occurs among alcoholics, who consume calories through drinking, but who often lack an appetite for solid food, according to Merck. Even if your diet is healthy and you consume enough calories, if you have a disease such as cystic fibrosis or celiac disease, your body may not absorb the nutrients it needs from food, TeensHealth from Nemours states.
Specific Deficiencies
Strict vegetarians may suffer from fatigue resulting from deficiencies in B-complex vitamins. Anemia resulting from vitamin deficiency or iron deficiency can produce fatigue. Carbohydrates are the main food source of energy for the body; athletes who do not consume enough carbohydrates may suffer from fatigue, according to registered dietitian and personal trainer Jan Dowell, writing for the Everyday Sports Nutrition for Women website. Young female athletes who also restrict their overall calorie intake are especially vulnerable, according to the Endocrine Society.
References
- MedlinePlus: Fatigue; updated May 2011
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Fatigue -- All Information; reviewed by David Dugale and David Zieve; August 2009
- TeensHealth from Nemours; Hunger and Malnutrition; Mary Gavin; reviewed November 2009
- Merck Manuals Online Medical Library; David Thomas; revised August 2007
- Everyday Sports for Nutrition; Marathon Training Fatigue Tip #21; Jan Dowell; 2011
- The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports; Fast Facts About Sports Nutrition; 2011
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