21 Jan, 2010

Apparently, the world is full of sleepyheads. Type “Why am I so tired?” into Google and you’ll get 22 million pages of suggestions. Fingers crossed the head-bobbing, heavy-eyed people contributing to this massive search aren’t operating motor vehicles...

GP Dr Ginni Mansberg says that the No.1 complaint of her patients is tiredness. “They’re so exhausted they can’t function. It’s gone on for months and they’re worried about it,” she says. If your friends and co-workers have started to call out, “Wake up, Jeff!”, whenever they see you, read the symptoms below to see where your problem lies.

Symptoms:

Your body steals sleep whenever it can – you’re guaranteed to nod off in movies, meetings, and in front of the telly. When your head does finally hit the pillow at night, you’re out in less than five minutes. You also find it more difficult than most to shake off cold and flu.

Problem: Sleep deprivation

“Lots of people are surprised when they find out they get exhausted when they don’t sleep enough,” reveals Mansberg. “An average of eight hours a night is required. Your brain provides you with a sleep account, and you can make some pretty big late-night withdrawals, but you have to top it up with early nights, siestas and sleep-ins.
If you get less than five hours a day on average, your immune system will suffer.”

Symptoms:

You feel physically exhausted by the smallest activity – the mere thought of walking up stairs leaves you puffed.

Problem: Lack of fitness

“People who are overweight are inevitably more tired, because they have more mass to carry around,” explains Mansberg. Heavy drinkers also fall into the unfit category, as do smokers. “In studies, we’ve found that if you take two women, both the same age, weight, height, and both sleeping and drinking the same amount, the smoker will always be more tired than the non-smoker,” says Mansberg.

Symptoms:

You’re shattered and craving sugary foods, especially in the afternoons and evenings.

Problem: malnutrition

“I see people with carb-starvation all the time in my practice. They’re mainly women who’ve gone on low-carbohydrate diets – my personal pet hate!” says Mansberg. “Your brain can only metabolise carbs, so, if you don’t give it any, it’ll run out of fuel and demand sugar so it can function. Then you find yourself making the worst possible food choices.”

To avoid tiredness and sugar cravings in the afternoon, Mansberg stresses that you make sure you’re eating a balanced diet. At every meal, aim to have 50 per cent fruit or vegies, 25 per cent protein and 25 per cent complex carbs (like bread or cereal).

Symptoms:

Bone-heavy exhaustion, aches and pains, and a strong desire to smash your alarm clock into tiny little pieces when it goes off every morning.

Problem: Possible medical issue

Depression, iron deficiency and thyroid disease are all common medical issues that can make you feel shattered. If you’re finding it’s a constant battle just to keep your eyes open, have a check-up with your doctor (provided you use public transport to get there, of course).