The warning signs of being ‘hyper-fatigued’ – and what you can do about it

Every morning, for the last year, I have woken up exhausted. I stumble blearily to the kitchen. Only when someone places a coffee in my hand do I begin, really, to come alive. Another feels necessary by 10am, then a top up after lunch. By 9pm, my bed is exerting a powerful magnetic pull.

I’m not suffering from burnout, exactly. I’m getting everything done: meeting work deadlines, making school play costumes, staying abreast of global news – war, climate change, elections – then walking the dog. I don’t feel in imminent danger of crashing. I could go on like this indefinitely, like a phone on ‘low battery’ mode, with just enough energy for everything and everyone except myself. 

A new study from Mintel found 55 per cent of Britons are hyper-fatigued, rising to 65 per cent of 25-34 year olds. Usually, I would sneer at such marketing-speak, dismissing it as just another opportunity to sell us yoga pants and crystals. But the description does sound eerily familiar. “The pandemic, rising cost of living, energy crisis, geopolitical unrest, and climate crisis are taking their toll, leaving consumers feeling overwhelmed,” they say. It is far from a medical diagnosis, but on the other hand, I’m not sure I know anyone who would not relate.

Why are we all so exhausted?

“This kind of permanent exhaustion isn’t new,” says Dr Sandra Wheatley, a psychologist. “But talking to people – both professionally and personally – it does feel more omnipresent and prominent. One of the things that comes up a lot in conversations is this feeling of a rising tide of pressure.”

The 24-hour news cycle, exposing you to images of death and disaster across the world, can leave you with the uneasy suspicion that: “something bad is lurking just around the corner in your own life,” observes Dr Wheatley. Meanwhile, social media creates “a constant state of comparison with others. So if things are going well, there’s also a lurking feeling that if you put just 10 per cent more effort in, it could be fantastic. And doesn’t everybody want to be fantastic?”

What distinguishes my malaise from common-or-garden tiredness is that it refuses to lift when I have a duvet day, or finally finish a big project. And that’s telling, says Dr Wheatley. “Often there’s no one person or project explicitly placing undue pressure on you. Instead, it’s something that is being implied by our broader cultural and societal expectations about our roles as a mother, friend, partner, co-worker.” Social media, she suggests, is fuelling a culture of hyper-productivity. 

Testing bosses, tricky family members and neighbourhood curtain-twitchers are nothing new. But once, you could shut the door on them and walk away. Now they (and all their cousins across the world) can reach you wherever you go, at any hour, on social media, and in your pocket. “It all combines to create this constant, creeping feeling that you could and should be doing more,” says Dr Wheatley. 

So how do you know if it is getting on top of you?

What are the warning signs?

Well, says Dr Wheatley: “Do you find yourself having ridiculous thoughts like: I’ll bake this birthday cake once the kids are in bed, between the hours of midnight and 2am?” “Yes,” I say, “now you come to mention it, I do”. 

Dr Wheatley sympathises. She’s been there too: “Feeling that you’re stretched so thin that you’ll use a portion of your time and life that nobody else would realistically or reasonably ask you to devote to this task.” 

Instagram posts in which everyone’s life looks perfect, unrushed and unruffled create the impression that we should be able to handle this load, and that everyone else is managing. The truth is that we can’t, and they’re not, hence the current prevalence of hyper-fatigue. “The solution [in this case, making a cake at 2am] becomes a problem because it’s untenable,” explains Dr Wheatley. “It cannot be maintained, and ultimately ends up making everything worse.” Recognising the signs is only step one, of course. Breaking the spiral comes next. 

So what strategies do help?

Stop mindless scrolling

First, I need to clean up my phone usage. “When you’re tempted to scroll, which we usually do to seek a positive esteem-validating or funny distraction from our day, take a moment instead to think of something that really, actually happened in the last 24 hours that made you feel good,” Dr Wheatley suggests. “It need not be spectacular; simply a moment of reality that touched you and perhaps others around you that you witnessed. Connection with our world and to the people in it is available all the time for us all to share.”

Nourish your gut

Second, however, I must spring clean my fridge. “Your gut bacteria are involved in every process of your body, influencing your health, energy and brainpower,” says Dr Emily Leeming, a microbiome scientist and the author of Genius Gut: The Life-Changing Science of Eating for Your Second Brain. If these bacteria are not nurtured, these processes can be impaired, leaving you sluggish. 

So can I simply order a probiotic supplement and get back to firing on all cylinders? Some early evidence does suggest that specific probiotic strains will help to improve cognition and energy levels. In a small, randomised control trial, for example, Bifidobacterium Longum 1714 was linked to boosted vitality and reduced fatigue. You can find this strain isolated in supplements, says Dr Leeming, but a general probiotic likely won’t have the impact I’m looking for. Instead, she recommends that I rethink my diet and focus on fibre instead. “Your gut bacteria feed on the roughage from plant foods,” she says. “Whole grains, beans and nuts are particularly fibre-rich, far more so than most other fruits and vegetables. Lettuce contains 1.8g of fibre per 100g, whereas chickpeas are around 8g.” 

In the UK, daily fibre intake has dropped to 18g, compared to the recommended 30g. Dr Leeming suggests several easy swaps to take me back up to that target, including switching to making my morning toast from pumpernickel bread (just one slice contains 6g of fibre), and treating myself to two squares 85 per cent dark chocolate with a small handful of dried fruit and nuts (an extra 5g). “You can also make your own nut and seed blend to add to your breakfast in the morning or sprinkle onto lunchtime salads,” she suggests. “Include chia seeds, ground flaxseeds and wheat bran as especially high in fibre.”

Our ultra-processed diets have a lot to answer for, and not only because they are low in this roughage, says Rhian Stephenson, a nutritional therapist and the founder of wellbeing business Artah: “Studies shown that diets high in ultra-processed foods don’t even reach half the various micronutrient levels found in whole foods, including magnesium, vitamins B12, vitamin D, vitamin E, Vitamin B3...” Deficiencies in any of these can contribute to fatigue, she explains. 

Take vitamin D

Vitamin D is essential for muscle function and muscular energy, so a lack can make us feel fatigued, she says. Amongst other vital jobs, it also helps regulate inflammation and influences hormones and neurotransmitters that are involved in our energy and sleep, like melatonin, serotonin, and dopamine. The B group vitamins, meanwhile, are essential for energy production and mood while magnesium deficiency can lead to tiredness, lack of concentration, insomnia and anxiety. “When you think that most adults in the UK have insufficient levels of vitamin D, adding in a lack of magnesium, not enough fibre, and other micronutrient deficiencies, it’s not surprising that fatigue and chronic stress are on the rise,” says Stephenson.  

Check your iron and vitamin B12 levels

So should I take supplements? First, I am advised to take some tests. “If you’re experiencing unexplained fatigue, it might be helpful to identify any potential underlying health issues,” explains Dr Laura Mooney from Randox Health. Fatigue is a common symptom of many conditions, she says. I might be low in iron, or a vitamin such as B12 which could lead to anaemia. My tiredness could even indicate coeliac disease, which impairs nutrient absorption thus affecting energy levels.

There’s more. “People with undiagnosed or poorly controlled diabetes may experience fatigue due to an impaired ability to utilise blood glucose effectively,” says Dr Mooney. “Similarly, hypothyroidism, where the thyroid gland is underactive, can cause tiredness and low energy levels.”

A blood test at my local GP surgery reveals that I am, in fact, very low in Vitamin B12. I am prescribed a supplement. But as Stephenson reminds me, while supplements can be a helpful tool, they are no substitute for a healthy lifestyle. So I have another hurdle to – sluggishly – jump...

Exercise

Fitness has absolutely fallen off my to-do list but, promises Frances H Mikuriya, the founder of Frances M Fitness: “Exercise absolutely can re-energise you. It releases endorphins – hormones that help to reduce stress and increase feelings of happiness. It also improves circulation, which helps to boost energy levels and brain power.” Both strength training and cardio will work this magic, she says.

So where should I begin? “The last thing one should do is to increase cortisol levels when one is under high stress,” she says. In that state, high intensity work-outs or heavy lifting is out: “A gentle workout such as walking outdoors, an easy swim or a gentle jog would be beneficial without stressing the body too much.”

The to-do list

There remains, however, the problem of my untenable to-do list. “Identify what you want and what you need,” advises Wheatley. “Ask yourself: is this something I want to do, or am I doing this because I feel I should?”

Next, I need to figure out which of these ‘wants’ I actually have enough hours to make happen, she says. “If there are things you want to do, but can’t right now, are they realistic goals for the future?” 

Wheatley advises writing your life priorities down, as if they were a job description: “List the must haves, then the nice to haves.” The exercise is not only about chucking out unwanted, unhelpful and exhausting habits, but also about identifying and valuing those that sustain you and give you energy. 

“Sometimes life is just horrendously busy, because you have a newborn child, or have just started a new job, or are mid-renovation,” says Dr Wheatley. “So you may still end up working at midnight occasionally. But if it’s now in balance with other habits that make you fulfilled, you’re far less likely to feel overwhelmed or stretched too thinly.”

I resolutely do not want to hand-craft a school play costume, I just feel I should. On the other hand, I do want to hang out with my daughter. And I do need to earn money. So I order one online instead, use the time to get my work done, and then spend the evening slouched on the sofa, gossiping with her. Bliss.