Reasons you feel tired all the time after 40

Feeling tired all the time? You're far from alone. According to the Sleep Health Foundation, 33-45% of Australians get inadequate sleep. And between work or school, family or friends, and all the other commitments we're juggling, it's easy to blame a busy lifestyle on constant fatigue.

But if you're always asking yourself, "Why am I so tired?" don't blow it off. Give yourself two or three weeks to make some lifestyle changes: trim your social schedule, scale back your workload at the office, and try to sleep more.

Excess exhaustion could be the sign of a more serious medical condition that can be treated.

Dehydration

Ever notice that when you're feeling tired or cranky, you haven't had a glass of water for a while? That's no coincidence-being dehydrated can have a real impact on your mood and energy levels. Researchers believe parts of our brain may actually shrink when they're low on liquids (yikes). And you don't need to be severely dehydrated to experience these cognitive symptoms, either. You may start feeling sluggish even if you're only a tiny bit dehydrated.

The symptoms: You don't need to feel thirsty to be dehydrated, though that is one symptom. Other symptoms (besides fatigue) include dark urine, brain fog, swollen fingers, headache, and dry skin.

Chronic Fatigue

This baffling condition causes a strong fatigue that comes on quickly. People who suffer from CFS feel too tired to carry on with their normal activities and are easily exhausted with little exertion.

The symptoms: Other signs include headache, muscle and joint pain, weakness, tender lymph nodes, and an inability to concentrate. Chronic fatigue syndrome remains puzzling, because it has no known cause.

Sleep Apnoea

You could have this sleep-disrupting problem if you wake up feeling tired no matter how much rest you think you got. Sleep apnoea symptoms include brief interruptions of breathing during sleep. In the most common type, obstructive sleep apnoea, your upper airway actually closes or collapses for a few seconds, which, in turn, alerts your brain to wake you up to begin breathing again. Someone with obstructive sleep apnoea may stop breathing dozens or even hundreds of times a night, says Dr Roseanne Barker, a leader in sleep medicine.

The symptoms: Sleep apnoea is often signaled by snoring and is generally followed by tiredness the next day. Because sleep apnoea can lead to heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke, it's important to be tested.

Thyroid disease

When your thyroid hormones are out of whack, even everyday activities will wipe you out. The thyroid gland, about the size of the knot on a man's tie, is found in the front of the neck and produces hormones that control your metabolism. Too much thyroid hormone (hyperthyroidism), and metabolism speeds up. Too little (hypothyroidism), and metabolism slows down.

The symptoms: Hyperthyroidism causes muscle fatigue and weakness, which you may notice first in the thighs. Exercises such as riding a bike or climbing stairs become more difficult. Other thyroid symptoms include unexplained weight loss, feeling warm all the time, increased heart rate, shorter and less frequent menstrual flows, and increased thirst. Hyperthyroidism is most commonly diagnosed in women in their 20s and 30s, but it can occur in older women and men too, says Dr Robert McConnell, a specialist in thyroid and parathyroid gland disorders.

Hypothyroidism causes fatigue, an inability to concentrate, and muscle soreness, even with minor activity. Other symptoms include weight gain due to water retention, feeling cold all the time (even in warmer weather), heavier and more frequent menstrual flows, and constipation. Hypothyroidism is most common in women over age 50; in fact, as many as 10% of women past 50 will have at least mild hypothyroidism.

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