Does this sound like you?
- No matter how long you sleep, you don’t feel rested when you wake up.
- You go through the day feeling tired and low on energy.
- Even an afternoon nap doesn’t perk you up.
You’re not alone. Like many Americans, you’re suffering from fatigue.
A 2015 poll reported that 38% of Americans were poorly rested for at least four days per week. A 2022 study found that three out of five people were more tired now than they’d ever been before.
Fatigue can happen for many reasons. Often, it’s your body telling you that you’re low on essential vitamins, minerals, or hormones.
Here are some possibilities:
Vitamins and Minerals for Energy
Every day your body requires a wide variety of elements and chemical compounds to operate at its best.
Many of these elements and compounds are specifically needed to help your body generate energy. These include:
- Vitamin B-12
Your body uses vitamin B-12 to transform the food you eat into energy for your cells. It also helps to prevent some forms of anemia, with anemia being a common cause of fatigue.
Meanwhile, many adults have problems absorbing enough B-12 through the food they eat. For these individuals, B-12 injections can be a good option. - Vitamin D
Vitamin D improves muscle function and boosts energy levels.
Your body can synthesize some of the vitamin D you need from sunlight. It’s also present in fatty fish and fish liver oil. And many foods are fortified with vitamin D. Nevertheless, a significant percentage of Americans are vitamin D deficient and need to take vitamin D supplements. - Nitric Oxide
Nitric oxide helps to improve blood flow. This allows your blood to carry more oxygen and nutrients to your cells, thereby increasing energy.
Nitric oxide is available as a supplement; but also, other supplements like L-citrulline and beet root can help your body to create more nitric oxide. - Iron
Your body uses iron to make red blood cells. Red blood cells are needed to transport oxygen through your blood stream.
A lack of iron causes reduced red blood cell production, resulting in anemia. A hallmark of anemia is chronic low energy.
Hormones for Energy
Hormones are the “master controls” for every process in your body. As a result, they have a huge impact on your energy level. With age, hormone production declines, resulting in diminished energy and vitality.
Hormones that affect your energy level include:
- Testosterone
Testosterone contributes to muscle activity and metabolism for both men and women. Testosterone production in men slowly declines beginning in the late 20s to early 30s. Women also lose testosterone production as they get older. - Estrogen
Low estrogen, especially when women reach menopause, contributes to low energy and reduced metabolism. In men, estrogen that is too high or too low can cause fatigue. - Thyroid
Your thyroid hormones have everything to do with metabolism, and therefore energy. As a result, one of the most common symptoms of hypothyroidism is fatigue. - Melatonin
Your body produces melatonin to help your brain “wind down” at the end of the day. However, melatonin production decreases with age. This can reduce the amount and quality of sleep you get, resulting in fatigue during the day. - Cortisol
When you experience something stressful, your adrenal glands release cortisol. This increases your blood pressure and gives you the energy needed to handle the source of the stress.
However, chronic stress can keep your cortisol levels elevated, making it difficult to get quality sleep.
What You Can Do
Whatever the reason (or reasons) for your fatigue, solutions are available.
Appropriate lab testing can help to determine whether vitamin, mineral, or hormonal imbalances are contributing to your fatigue. Once these imbalances are identified, appropriate supplements or bioidentical hormone replacement can be prescribed.
Are you tired of being tired? Renew Youth can provide lab testing, bioidentical hormone therapy, supplements, and lifestyle counseling to put the pep back in your step. Call us at 800-859-7511 or use our convenient contact form to sign up for your free 30-minute consultation.