Tiredness is a normal condition that everyone is familiar with. While tiredness is often the result of lack of sleep, stress or exertion, there are also other causes of physical weakness. We will explain here how you can differentiate between them and what you can do about tiredness.

What are the causes of fatigue?

One of the most common reasons for tiredness is lack of sleep, which is why regular and sufficient sleep is essential. Other causes include lack of exercise, stress, overwork and a possible electrolyte or iron deficiency in the body. The latter is not uncommon in women in particular due to blood loss during menstruation. Chronic illnesses or taking certain medications can also be the reason for tiredness. It is also important to know your own sleep-wake rhythm, also known as the circadian rhythm. This ensures that the body carries out various physiological functions in a 24-hour rhythm, regardless of external factors. This includes (deep) sleep, digestion, temperature and blood pressure regulation.

Sleep-wake disorders are among the most common health complaints and are caused by disruptions to the 24-hour rhythm. These include sleep disorders that not only relate to the length of sleep, but also to deviations from a normal sleep cycle, as well as problems falling asleep and staying asleep. Permanent tiredness or sleep problems can lead to serious health problems. The consequences are an increased risk of chronic diseases, heart attacks, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes mellitus, as well as a weakened immune system.

Regardless of the cause, tiredness is a sign of a lack of sleep, fluids, oxygen, exercise or other factors that the body needs to function. So if you don't feel like you're getting enough sleep, drinking enough water or can't find any other explainable reason for persistent tiredness, then we would recommend that you get it checked out by a doctor.

Is midday fatigue completely normal?

It is normal to experience a low point at midday, often after lunch - this is also related to the 24-hour rhythm. There is a physiological reason why the body becomes tired at midday. After lunch, more blood has to be pumped into the gastrointestinal tract for digestion; this blood is then lacking in the head and muscles. This means that concentration decreases and you feel generally weak.

What are the reasons for difficulty concentrating?

One of the most common reasons for concentration problems is stress. Worries, anxiety and emotional problems can also make it difficult to concentrate on the things that come up. Our attention span has also decreased drastically, especially in the age of social media. We are increasingly easily distracted by external stimuli and the flood of information from all sides and have problems concentrating for longer periods of time. The length of time we can concentrate varies from person to person and is also related to the person's age - adults have a concentration span of around an hour. Tiredness naturally also causes concentration problems.

What helps against fatigue and concentration problems

The first thing to mention here is, of course, sleep. Sleep is known to be the best medicine and the body needs it for constant regeneration and therapy.
There are many things you can do to improve or even prevent concentration problems that are not caused by illness. First and foremost, you should make sure you eat a balanced diet so that the brain is supplied with all the nutrients it needs. In addition, drinking 2-3 liters a day is recommended. And at work, take short breaks and get up from your desk every now and then - this helps you to be more productive over a longer period of time! Effective stress management is also a way to improve concentration problems - yoga, meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, exercise, writing a diary and many other things will help you to relax.

To combat acute tiredness, exercise is always a good idea. A short walk in the fresh air fills the lungs with oxygen and gets the circulation going! Coffee is often used to combat tiredness because the caffeine gives the body an energy boost. Caffeine docks onto the receptors in the body that are normally bound by adenosine. This inhibits stimulating messenger substances in the body. If the receptors for adenosine are bound by caffeine and not by adenosine, these stimulating messenger substances have free rein - all the effects of coffee unfold. You can find more information on this topic in our previous blog post . As an alternative, you can also use our Bright Awake AddOn, which is a real pick-me-up with unbound caffeine. Unbound caffeine is the active ingredient contained in normal coffee. “Unbound” is a little misleading, as it is still bound to a so-called “chlorogenic acid-potassium complex”. However, the caffeine is released directly when it comes into contact with stomach acid. The capsules without unbound caffeine also contain caffeine, but in bound form. Here the caffeine comes from plant extracts such as matcha and guarana. The caffeine is attached to polyphenols, so it is only released in the intestine. The effect is therefore later and gentler, but also lasts longer, so you don’t develop a “low” after taking it. Another advantage is that the negative aspects of coffee, such as restlessness and nervousness, do not occur. You can find out more about our Bright Awake AddOn here.