Why am I so exhausted?

Feeling constantly exhausted usually comes down to a combination of factors — nutrient gaps (especially magnesium, B12, and iron), cellular stress from an overloaded mitochondria, an unbalanced diet, lack of exercise, and even your caffeine habit — all of which can quietly drain your body's ability to produce and sustain energy at the cellular level.

Common factors that contribute to exhaustion

Your deficient in energy-boosting nutrients

We are what we eat, and our energy levels are closely linked to the nutrients we do (or don’t) get from our diet. There are a few nutrients in particular that are directly involved in energy production, and others that can hugely impact our ability to feel energized each day. Some of these include:

B vitamins

B vitamins are directly required for energy production, and your mitochondria cannot produce energy properly without them. Vitamin B12 in particular is essential for red blood cell production and low levels of this B vitamin are linked to low energy and fatigue. If your diet is lacking in diversity, you have poor absorption of nutrients or you’re vegan or vegetarian – your needs for vitamin B12 in the diet may be a lot higher.

Iron

Iron deficiency is directly linked to poor cognitive function. It’s been shown that low levels of iron can compromise cognitive development, attention and memory.

Magnesium

Magnesium is a key mineral for stress and energy, but unfortunately it’s one nutrient that many of us are lacking. In fact, the standard American diet only contains 50% of the RDI for magnesium, and some estimates suggest that up to 75% of Americans may be magnesium-deficient. This mineral plays an important role in energy production and any deficiency can impair the way mitochondria produce ATP, leading to fatigue and increased free radical damage.

Sodium/potassium

Electrolytes like sodium and potassium are essential for our survival, and we need them for a number of critical functions in the body. They support fluid balance, and while they don’t contain macronutrients or calories, they support the production of energy (ATP).

Your cells are stressed

If you're feeling stressed, so are your cells. When the stress response is activated, it impacts your body as a whole - and your small but mighty cells are can be affected. Despite their size, your cells generate an enormous amount of energy thanks to your mitochondria – the energy powerhouse that resides within almost every cell. Mitochondria are specialized at providing your cells with the energy to fuel your body. But if you’re constantly in a state of mental or physical stress (iI.e. overtraining, under fueling, work stress, or just the constant stress of daily life), your mitochondria may struggle to meet these increased energy demands.

On top of the stress you may be perceiving externally, there’s also the invisible stress load that your cells face on a daily basis – also known as free radicals. Much like exhaust from a car engine, free radicals are produced by your mitochondria as a by-product of generating energy for you to function. While they aren’t all bad, the accumulation of free radicals can cause cells to become damaged. Spikes in free radical production can occur through environmental factors, as well as poor diet, smoking, and intense physical activity. When the body is dealing with this type of stress at a cellular level, any additional factors that contribute to stress can impact how efficient mitochondria are at producing energy.

You’re not eating for macronutrient balance

In addition to eating enough food to fuel your everyday life, eating the right amount of macronutrients for your own unique needs can be a missing piece of the puzzle when it comes to sustaining long-lasting energy. If you don’t already pay too much attention to the portions on your plate, it might pay to think about your meals in terms of carbohydrates, protein, and fats. Are you neglecting protein in favour of extra carbohydrates? Or are you someone who eats higher in fat? We are all so different, and our individual energy requirements will also change depending on how active we are – so if you're not focused on building a balanced plate with each meal, it can impact your energy levels throughout the entire day.

Protein and healthy fats are what give us sustained, slow-releasing energy that keeps us going all day long. When you include both sources in each meal with complex carbohydrates – your energy will be noticeably steadier as you move through the day.

Your fitness routine is non-existent

It may sound counterintuitive, but exercise can actually bring more energy into your day. While rest is important (and totally necessary), staying active and being consistent with exercise has been shown to support energy and even reduce oxidative damage. People who participate in regular exercise produce more mitochondria and can therefore, generate more energy. Those who train regularly also accumulate less free radicals at any given exercise intensity, in comparison with people who don't exercise on a regular basis.