What’s Making You Tired? Emotional Cause of Fatigue

There are lots of things that could be making you tired including a demanding job, a new baby who keeps you up nights or an illness. Regardless of the reason, some occasional fatigue is normal and most people experience it at some point in their lives.

Prolonged fatigue, however, could indicate a more serious problem of mental or physical nature. In some cases, emotional or mental issues and stressors you may be dealing with could be making you tired. When these problems start to affect your ability to sleep or relax, it starts to have an adverse affect on you physically as well, leaving you too exhausted to do anything. Here are some of the more common emotional causes of fatigue.

Concerns Over Money

Gas prices are rising, the economy is in poor shape, unemployment rates are up and, for many people, money issues are major worries that tend to keep people up at night. Even if you are not thinking about money and how to pay your bills, if you are worrying out about finances, often that stress will spill into other areas of your life. This could end up affecting your sleep and the constant stress could take a toll on you physically as well.

If money issues have you losing sleep and are making you tired in the long run, redo your budget and look for areas where you can cut costs and save money so things aren’t so tight. In addition, if you are worried about your job, start looking for a new one or update your resume so you are prepared in case of layoffs.

Depression

Depression, or feelings of melancholy, sadness and helplessness that go on for long periods of time are known to cause fatigue. In fact, one of the main symptoms of depression is a constant feeling of fatigue and an inability to sleep.

If you feel like depression could be what’s making you tired, go to a doctor and talk about treatment options. Depression is a very treatable illness, and working to manage it can alleviate the constant feeling of fatigue.

Relationships Problems

If you are in a relationship or a marriage that is going through a rough patch, or if you are going through a divorce or dealing with infidelity, the stress that this causes can leave you sleepless, particularly if you are unsure of what is going to happen next or if you don’t have a solution for the particular problem. This type of emotional problem can drain you mentally and physically, which in turn leaves you feeling tired all the time.

Remedies

If you suspect your emotional problems are causing your fatigue, consider the following solutions:
• Pinpoint the problem and then take steps to remedy it. Whether it’s making a detailed financial plan, sitting down with a partner and talking out problems or studying more to get through a stressful test, determining what is causing your stress will help you to take steps to fix it, leaving you more relaxed and rested.
• Get help. If the emotional issues making you tired are depression or anxiety and you feel overwhelmed, it might be a good idea to seek professional help so you can get back on track and start sleeping again.