Why Are You So Tired?

Have you ever asked yourself why are you so tired but are running on a normal 6 hours of sleep and have to drink about 3 cups of coffee to get through the day but still have a mid-day slump?

Well, maybe your body hasn’t caught up on sleep and letting your body get an adequate amount of rest could be the answer. The caffeine and over-stimulants in life along with the fast-paced lifestyle are all calling for a case of burnout. Being in your early twenties shouldn’t be a cause for burnout and you should be listening to your body.

The overwork of life and every other stressor in today’s society is having burnout show up earlier in adults and burnout is due to a kidney imbalance. You always want your body to be in a more alkaline state because the more acid the more fatigued your body will be. If you switch out the coffee and introduce more water then it balances the alkaline in your blood and will also eliminate the amount of sugar your body is ingesting from these energy or coffee drinks.

I’m in my early thirties and never have a mid-day slump due to burnout or feel extremely tired throughout the day unless something is wrong such as a cold or have overworked myself. My question is why do I see this happen in younger adults so often? When your body is running on only stimulants and lacks nutrition then you realize your chi is off and you won't have that energy to get you through the day. These everyday stimulants can be from coffee, energy drinks, excess sugar, and eating an overload of carbs because your body is signaling you need energy. This will cause you to have imbalances in your body that make you crave these sugary foods and excess carbs.

Our modern-day lifestyle runs on more of a yang diet and this type of constitution that people have will lead to dampness and inflammation in the body. If there isn’t harmony in the body the only way to counteract that is the balance of healthy foods, but if there’s a lack thereof that’s where everything falls out of place. If there’s too much yang you have to balance it with yin which is where the fatigue happens. The intimate relationship you have with your body and what is normal should always be taken into consideration and reacting to it when something feels off. There are times where your body should be tired but why is there always extreme fatigue. What is causing this to happen in your body and what is this stemming from? How is it affecting you?

Not only is coffee disturbing us it is also causing other internal problems such as headaches and liver problems. Coffee and stimulants are such yang substances that they can lead to other issues. Of course, it affects your chi which is linked to the spleen and stomach because of the high diarrhetic properties. The imbalances we can see from the spikes in stimulants are stemming from the earth element and that shows up through fatigue and yin deficiency shows up in lack of sleep. At the end of the day, everything is connected and you have to get to the root cause to fully help and understand yourself.

All it takes are easy swaps such as tea instead of coffee, adequate amounts of sleep, and eating nourishing foods to help balance your body. Some herbs that are also good for you are St. John's Wort and chicory. I know most people can't just cut out coffee but there are so many other healthy alternatives to limit your coffee intake and some healthier options.

Dandelion Coffee: Tastes similar to coffee but you don't get the crash and it is found at most health foods stores.

Yerba Mate: A form of tea that has high amounts of caffeine but always opt for the lower sugar varieties.

Matcha: Caffeinated and has a sweetness without excess syrups. Make sure it's ceremonial grade organic matcha to reap all the benefits.

Black Tea Latte: Has high amounts of caffeine because black tea but limit how frequent you use alternative types of milk unless you are making it from home

Chaga Chai: Similar to a chai tea but has extra benefits from the Chaga and is a good alternative to your morning coffee

Ashwagandha: Another great herbal supplement that helps you neutralize the amount of stress you have which can come from drinking coffee

Coffee isn’t bad for your health but substituting it for the lack of sleep can be harmful to your body. Drinking coffee and limiting the number of sweeteners and syrups is a better swap. The extra powders and milk alternatives have many stabilizers, and sugar syrups are also contributing to this caffeine overload which causes you to have a crash later in the day. The lack of sleep is one thing to be tired from but where it could be stemming can be from an array of issues in your body.