Why am I so tired?

A functional medicine approach to chronic fatigue - discover the root cause and natural treatment for your chronic fatigue symptoms.

Q: Why am I so tired this time of year?⠀
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A: It depends! As a functional medicine naturopathic doctor, I find that there are a number of factors that can play into your energy levels. ⠀
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If you are feeling exhausted all of the time, that is absolutely worth investigating. It’s common to be fatigued, but it’s not normal. ⠀

Here are 6 steps to figure out why you are so tired:

1. Check for underlying illnesses such as anemia, hormone imbalance (like thyroid disease), and blood sugar imbalance. Depending on your symptoms, we might also look for inflammatory conditions, infections (like mononucleosis), and sleep apnea. ⠀

2. Do you have sleep debt? Take your sleep seriously, friends! You are not functioning at your highest with 6 or less hours or sleep per night, even if you think you are one of those magical people who can exist on little sleep. It’ll catch up with you. Also, alcohol before bed isn’t doing your sleep quality any favours. ⠀

3. What about a nutrient deficiency? Iron, B12, and vitamin D deficiencies can all contribute to low energy. There are blood tests to look for all of these!⠀

4. Invest in your mental health. Depression, anxiety, and burnout can all show up as fatigue. ⠀

5. Check for HPA axis dysfunction (essentially your stress hormone response). If looking into steps 1-4 doesn’t give us any answers about your fatigue, I’ll often look at salivary cortisol levels throughout the day. Chronic stress ➡️ HPA axis dysfunction➡️ fatigue. ⠀

6. Pandemic life: need I say more?⠀
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Certain medications (like beta blockers, anti-depressants, anti-convulsants) and substances (like alcohol) can also lead to fatigue.

Need help investigating the cause of your chronic fatigue? Schedule your 15 minute complimentary consultation to see how functional medicine can help you.