If you're constantly feeling tired, we hear you. Welcome to the era of hyper fatigue. Our lives can sometimes feel like one giant hamster wheel, never catching up, never quite finishing what we need to do, always worrying about the next thing - paying bills, covering rent or a mortgage, whether we replied to that group WhatsApp about the over-priced hen party weekend. Quite understandably, many of us are feeling absolutely exhausted.
In fact, a recent YouGov study revealed that one in eight of us (13% of Britons) exist in a state of constant exhaustion. According to the NHS, feeling exhausted is so common that it has its own acronym, ‘TATT’, or ‘tired all the time.'
If this you, you actually might be experiencing something experts have dubbed ‘hyper fatigue.’
It was a trend predicted by market research company Mintel. The Huffington Post say it's “a result of a combination of the pandemic, rising cost of living, energy crises, geopolitical unrest and social media, and feeling like you’re being stretched in so many directions that you it exhausts you mentally, physically and emotionally.”
If you think about it, they aren't wrong. We don't have ‘down time’ anymore. If we go for a walk on our lunch breaks, we're looking at our phones, if we're in queue for coffee, we're probably scrolling through social media or emails. Even when we're watching telly, we can't help it but keep our phones close.
Game-changer?
A 2022 Mintel survey of internet users aged over 18 found that 49% had experienced stress in the previous 12 months, while 38% had experienced anxiety, 22% mental exhaustion, and 20% burnout, clearly revealing just how bad things have got.
So, what exactly do the experts have to say about ‘hyper fatigue?' Is it a real thing? Penny Weston, a fitness, wellness and nutrition expert, who is the director of Moddershall Oaks Country Spa Retreat and founder of MADE, a 360 degree wellness centre with an on demand wellness membership, explains: “We use the term fatigue to describe constant tiredness and lack of energy. When we are fatigued we lack motivation. We could feel mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted. These could also be the symptoms of something else, so it is important to check it out with your GP.”
Hyper fatigue is a new term used by Mintel, and is the feeling of being stretched in different directions which is worsened by the media and worries of everyday life . We are constantly surrounded by negative news, and it seems to be coming at us in all different forms. Since the pandemic, we face a whole host of new worries such as the cost of living crisis, the war in Ukraine, and the climate crisis. Social media can also make us feel worse. This is all really overwhelming, and can definitely leave us feeling wiped out, right?
So what can we do about it? Penny shares her top tips…
Our food habits can cause rapid spikes followed by rapid dips, which is what we call a sugar high. It can make us feel wired, irritable and tired. Processed meats, such as bacon and sausage, are full of sodium, preservatives and sodium nitrate, and these have all been shown to cause problems in the body and can lead to dizziness and brain fog. Ready meals and processed foods, such as baked beans, sauces and pizzas are all high in sugar and salt and can have a negative effect on the brain.
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Sugary drinks, including juices and fizzy drinks, contain huge amounts of sugar, which is detrimental for our brain health, as it causes inflammation to the brain and can contribute to memory loss.
I’m a firm believer in eating a healthy, balanced diet rich in all the essential nutrients that come from plant-based goodness, such as lots of fruit, vegetables, grains, pulses and plant-based proteins.
Keep a check on portion sizes, cut down on high fat, high salt processed and high-sugar foods, and find snacks that you enjoy that also nourish your body. Leafy greens are really good for you, especially kale, spinach and rocket, as they are full of Vitamin B, E And K, which all help brain health and improve memory and focus. Magnesium can reduce feelings of tiredness and fatigue, this can be found in dark chocolate which is also rich in magnesium.
This is helpful for dealing with low moods and fatigue. We all have hectic lifestyles and so the key to maintaining an exercise routine is often making sure we fit it into our day. So setting time aside specifically for exercise will help to ensure you actually do it. For me, I prefer to exercise in the morning, before the day becomes overloaded. Doing a workout in the morning sets me up for the day both physically and mentally and helps me get into a more positive mindset.
When we exercise the body releases chemicals such as endorphins, serotonin and dopamine which boost our sense of well-being and suppress hormones that cause anxiety. Keeping exercise fun and consistent is key: for many people, making it a part of your social life is the way to achieve this. It is always sensible to seek medical advice before making any major changes to your routine.
Any exercise has a really positive impact on your mental health but this is never more true than exercise in the great outdoors. Sunshine naturally boosts your production of the feel-good hormones and the fresh air will help you sleep better.
It's going viral.
‘Relaxing with a warm bath and a meditation practice, avoiding screens and stimulants in the hours before bedtime and ensuring your bedroom is quiet, dark and around 18°C will all help you get to sleep. Most adults should aim for at least seven hours of uninterrupted sleep per night, but the amount needed to allow you to wake up rested, refreshed and alert will vary from one person to another.’
I swear by meditation. It has been used for centuries, but in recent years it has become much more accessible to the average person. Essentially, when meditating, we are trying to control our thoughts to focus our attention on the present moment: take note of all the sensations your body is aware of from the sounds around you to the feel of your clothes against your skin. Tune into your emotions and thoughts and try to observe them like a bystander, without any judgment.
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Like any exercise, it takes practice and it’s important not to become discouraged when your mind starts to wander. With time and effort your focus will become stronger. It’s something you can do virtually anywhere at no cost, and the benefits for your mental wellbeing and overall health are so strong that I highly recommend you try.
Try breathing in deeply for 7 seconds and exhaling for 11 seconds, repeating for a couple of minutes.. It will help to relax your body and calm your nervous system,’ she says.
Downloading the contents of your brain can be very freeing as the simple act of formulating the sentences can help clarify your thoughts and position on something bothering you. Just go for it and let the thoughts flow. Don’t worry about what you are writing and don’t correct your spelling or grammar. It can be very therapeutic to look back on past worries and realise how few of them are still meaningful even a few weeks on. It can really help improve your mental health. A good place to start is by writing three amazing things that happened to you today. You might think you can’t think of any but it doesn’t have to be anything big. What about just that you walked to work instead of driving? Or you managed to finish an email you’ve been meaning to write all week? Small successes make big ones.
Penny says supplements can also help symptoms but advises people to buy a respected brand and get advice. She says: “There are a lot of supplements out there and you need to find the best ones for you. Choose a respected brand, one that you recognise. If you buy supplements at a health food shop, you should be able to ask someone for advice in there too, which is always a good idea. It’s so important to choose a supplement with the right dose for you. It can be easy to over supplement and that can actually cause health problems. Vitamin and mineral toxicity is rare and happens when a person consumes a nutrient in large amounts. Water-soluble vitamins will not cause a problem as the body gets rid of the excess in urine (but you will just be weeing out excess vitamins!) but fat-soluble vitamins dissolve in fats and oils and means that fatty tissues and liver can store them and it can build up over time.”
