Everyone feels tired from time to time. But extreme fatigue makes it hard to get up in the morning, go to work, do your usual activities and make it through your day. You may have an overwhelming urge to sleep, but you may not feel refreshed after you rest or sleep.
These feelings are very common. According to a 2023 meta-analysis (Yoon, 2023) that examined 91 studies across three continents, one in every five adults worldwide experienced general fatigue lasting up to six months, despite having no underlying medical conditions.
While a 2022 YouGov poll of nearly 1,700 people found that one in eight UK adults were tired “all the time”, with another quarter knackered “most of the time”. Women were more likely to be fatigued than men, regardless of whether they had children or not.
However, many medical conditions, medications and lifestyle factors can cause fatigue. In terms of the medical conditions (and their investigation) there is further information in the 2 articles on MyHSN below.
Tiredness can be temporary, or it can become a chronic condition (lasting three months or more). You may be able to fix fatigue by changing your diet, losing some weight, exercise, or changing medications or sleep habits.
But if symptoms persist (or you feel something is going on before you get three months), see your doctor and he/she to start investigation. If a medical condition is diagnosed and treated early, it can usually be sorted.
Note. Most people have no underlying cause and get better with no treatment, just changing lifestyle factors.
Other resources
Tired all the time: medical investigation
Tired all the time: 18 blood tests
