My topic today is constant tiredness. Is it normal to be chronically tired? Are there people who are just naturally tired all the time?
[g_podcast id="16099076"]
The other day, a great woman I follow on Instagram said in her story that she is actually always tired. And that it's always been like that for her. She thinks it's just the way she is and dismissed it a little self-deprecatingly as a trifle and presented it as if it were simply a funny and charming characteristic of hers.
That's why I thought I really wanted to do a podcast episode about it, because constant tiredness is not so harmless!
I would rather see it as a warning sign that something is wrong with your body! It's not normal to be tired all the time!
One of the main suspects for tiredness is the metabolism and the gut, another is the liver.
So let's start with the liver before moving on to the gut and nutrition.
A teacher of mine once said "The language of the liver is fatigue". And Daniela Pfeifer, who I recently interviewed here in the podcast, said in one of her lectures: the liver suffers silently.
I highly recommend you listen to this episode with Daniela, it was episode 95.
https://arktisbiopharma.ch/darmglueck-folge-095/
The point of the interview was to recognize that the liver should not be seen in isolation but as part of a whole functional circuit and is therefore also closely connected to the gut.
In a nutshell, I can say that the liver, together with the intestine, is responsible for detoxification in the body, but it also controls the body's energy and hormone balance.
It processes and stores fats, sugar and proteins, as well as vitamins and minerals, ensuring that you have these vital building blocks available when you need them.
If the liver is overloaded or at its limit, this can have a negative effect on hormone balance and cause symptoms such as menstrual cramps, potency problems and chronic fatigue.
So if you experience chronic and unexplained fatigue, don't forget to think about your liver and perhaps even have your liver values measured.
However, in my opinion, all imbalances in the body are always related to the gut. And yes, the gut also produces hormones and neurotransmitters and provides the liver with the nutrients that it can then store!
If there are disorders in the digestive tract, this can, for example, mean that food components are not broken down sufficiently in the stomach and then cannot be utilized and absorbed in the intestine.
This can then lead to vitamin and mineral deficiencies, which, in addition to other symptoms such as Abdominal pain and diarrhea can also cause increased fatigue. In the case of diarrhea, for example, it can be a potassium deficiency that causes fatigue.
Other digestive tract complaints such as stomach ulcers, diverticula or chronic inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease, for example, often result in a vitamin B12 and folic acid deficiency, which also leads to persistent fatigue. People with the autoimmune disease coeliac disease also often feel tired and underperform. It is known that there is often an iron deficiency in people with coeliac disease.
And it doesn't help much to simply switch to a gluten-free diet and always just replenish iron, but it is important to know the cause of the iron deficiency and to support the gut accordingly.
So, this isn't 100% on topic, but when I talk about iron deficiency, I have to tell you something I heard at the "Witcher and Medicine Man" event by Dr. Simon Feldhaus and the Swiss Society for Anti-Aging and Prevention. Namely: In the past, to counteract iron deficiency, women used to drill rusty nails into an apple. This made the nails clean, i.e. rust-free, and the rust remained in the apple. Then they ate the apple and the combination of the pectin and vitamin C in the apple with the iron ensured the absorption of the iron in the body.
In addition, the iron was absorbed in small daily doses. We now know that giving large amounts of iron all at once, as is done with infusions for example, is not at all effective.
Back to the subject of tiredness. So you've seen that the liver and gut can play a major role here. And what is also very often associated with the intestines is chronic low-level smouldering inflammation. And such an inflammatory process, which is present in the body 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, naturally also makes you tired!
Before we finish with the subject of nutrition, I would also like to mention the subject of hormonal disorders. Things like hypothyroidism, adrenal insufficiency, estrogen deficiency and so on very often have persistent fatigue as a typical symptom. And if you consider that the liver and intestines are essential for hormone production, then you can also see from the side how important these two organs are for your energy.
Finally, I would like to say 2-3 words about nutrition and fatigue.
Food should actually give us energy, not take it away. But have you ever noticed or perhaps experienced it yourself: many people get really tired after eating!
Anyone who has ever looked around during a meeting after lunch or given a presentation knows this. It's not uncommon to see heads tilting forward or eyes closing again and again.
Conventional medicine even has a word for it: postprandial fatigue. And the vernacular calls it food coma. It's a tiredness that goes away, but it's not supposed to be like that and indicates that something is wrong. Because nature has actually designed it that way that the hormone leptin is released at the end of the meal and signals to us that we are full. And that also makes you want to exercise. In other words, it makes you feel more alert than tired!
If this is not the case and you feel sluggish and tired after eating, then it is likely that you have either eaten too much, something that is too difficult to digest or too many fast carbohydrates in the form of white flour, white rice or sweets. It is also very possible that your microbiome, i.e. your intestinal environment, is already out of balance and you are unable to properly digest the food you eat.
The excessive and constant work of the intestines and digestive organs can also lead to increased fatigue.
And something that many people don't even consider is that an unfavorable, inappropriate and intestine-stressing diet often leads to sleep disorders. And thus also to tiredness in the morning, which may even last throughout the day.
On the one hand, this has to do with the fact that too much sugar, sweet drinks, fruit and other fast carbohydrates are generally eaten, which leads to hypoglycaemia and a lack of energy, but on the other hand it also has to do with the fact that an intestine that is not in balance also produces less serotonin. And the happiness hormone serotonin is a precursor of the sleep hormone melatonin, which cannot be produced in sufficient quantities if there is a serotonin deficiency.
I often hear from my course participants who eat a gut-friendly diet that they are finally sleeping well again and, above all, have much more energy. They no longer fall asleep in front of the TV at night and wake up in the morning with energy and vigor.
So you see, even if tiredness sounds harmless and perhaps even cute at first, it's not normal! And should be seen as a warning sign. Of course, this doesn't just apply to tiredness, but to all kinds of symptoms. Take it seriously when your body sends you signals and look for the causes.
I hope you enjoyed the episode and if you know someone who struggles with constant fatigue, please share it!
In the next episode, I talk to Nadja Polzin about how she moved from allergies to relationships and why she says that relationships are a key issue when it comes to getting rid of allergies. I'm already looking forward to the conversation myself and look forward to you joining me again in 14 days!
Now I recommend you subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss an episode, and if you like what you hear, I'd really appreciate a review on iTunes or Apple Podcast. Because those reviews also help other people find the podcast so we can spread the knowledge about gut and health more.
[g_podcast id="16099076"]
The other day, a great woman I follow on Instagram said in her story that she is actually always tired. And that it's always been like that for her. She thinks it's just the way she is and dismissed it a little self-deprecatingly as a trifle and presented it as if it were simply a funny and charming characteristic of hers.
That's why I thought I really wanted to do a podcast episode about it, because constant tiredness is not so harmless!
Tiredness as a warning sign
I would rather see it as a warning sign that something is wrong with your body! It's not normal to be tired all the time!
One of the main suspects for tiredness is the metabolism and the gut, another is the liver.
So let's start with the liver before moving on to the gut and nutrition.
The language of the liver is fatigue
A teacher of mine once said "The language of the liver is fatigue". And Daniela Pfeifer, who I recently interviewed here in the podcast, said in one of her lectures: the liver suffers silently.
I highly recommend you listen to this episode with Daniela, it was episode 95.
https://arktisbiopharma.ch/darmglueck-folge-095/
The point of the interview was to recognize that the liver should not be seen in isolation but as part of a whole functional circuit and is therefore also closely connected to the gut.
In a nutshell, I can say that the liver, together with the intestine, is responsible for detoxification in the body, but it also controls the body's energy and hormone balance.
It processes and stores fats, sugar and proteins, as well as vitamins and minerals, ensuring that you have these vital building blocks available when you need them.
If the liver is overloaded or at its limit, this can have a negative effect on hormone balance and cause symptoms such as menstrual cramps, potency problems and chronic fatigue.
So if you experience chronic and unexplained fatigue, don't forget to think about your liver and perhaps even have your liver values measured.
The gut or an imbalanced microbiome as a source of fatigue
However, in my opinion, all imbalances in the body are always related to the gut. And yes, the gut also produces hormones and neurotransmitters and provides the liver with the nutrients that it can then store!
If there are disorders in the digestive tract, this can, for example, mean that food components are not broken down sufficiently in the stomach and then cannot be utilized and absorbed in the intestine.
This can then lead to vitamin and mineral deficiencies, which, in addition to other symptoms such as Abdominal pain and diarrhea can also cause increased fatigue. In the case of diarrhea, for example, it can be a potassium deficiency that causes fatigue.
Other digestive tract complaints such as stomach ulcers, diverticula or chronic inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease, for example, often result in a vitamin B12 and folic acid deficiency, which also leads to persistent fatigue. People with the autoimmune disease coeliac disease also often feel tired and underperform. It is known that there is often an iron deficiency in people with coeliac disease.
And it doesn't help much to simply switch to a gluten-free diet and always just replenish iron, but it is important to know the cause of the iron deficiency and to support the gut accordingly.
Interesting anecdote on the subject of iron deficiency
So, this isn't 100% on topic, but when I talk about iron deficiency, I have to tell you something I heard at the "Witcher and Medicine Man" event by Dr. Simon Feldhaus and the Swiss Society for Anti-Aging and Prevention. Namely: In the past, to counteract iron deficiency, women used to drill rusty nails into an apple. This made the nails clean, i.e. rust-free, and the rust remained in the apple. Then they ate the apple and the combination of the pectin and vitamin C in the apple with the iron ensured the absorption of the iron in the body.
In addition, the iron was absorbed in small daily doses. We now know that giving large amounts of iron all at once, as is done with infusions for example, is not at all effective.
Hormone disorders can also make you tired
Back to the subject of tiredness. So you've seen that the liver and gut can play a major role here. And what is also very often associated with the intestines is chronic low-level smouldering inflammation. And such an inflammatory process, which is present in the body 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, naturally also makes you tired!
Before we finish with the subject of nutrition, I would also like to mention the subject of hormonal disorders. Things like hypothyroidism, adrenal insufficiency, estrogen deficiency and so on very often have persistent fatigue as a typical symptom. And if you consider that the liver and intestines are essential for hormone production, then you can also see from the side how important these two organs are for your energy.
Finally, I would like to say 2-3 words about nutrition and fatigue.
Food should give us energy, not take it away
Food should actually give us energy, not take it away. But have you ever noticed or perhaps experienced it yourself: many people get really tired after eating!
Anyone who has ever looked around during a meeting after lunch or given a presentation knows this. It's not uncommon to see heads tilting forward or eyes closing again and again.
Conventional medicine even has a word for it: postprandial fatigue. And the vernacular calls it food coma. It's a tiredness that goes away, but it's not supposed to be like that and indicates that something is wrong. Because nature has actually designed it that way that the hormone leptin is released at the end of the meal and signals to us that we are full. And that also makes you want to exercise. In other words, it makes you feel more alert than tired!
If this is not the case and you feel sluggish and tired after eating, then it is likely that you have either eaten too much, something that is too difficult to digest or too many fast carbohydrates in the form of white flour, white rice or sweets. It is also very possible that your microbiome, i.e. your intestinal environment, is already out of balance and you are unable to properly digest the food you eat.
The excessive and constant work of the intestines and digestive organs can also lead to increased fatigue.
Sleep disorders due to intestinal problems
And something that many people don't even consider is that an unfavorable, inappropriate and intestine-stressing diet often leads to sleep disorders. And thus also to tiredness in the morning, which may even last throughout the day.
On the one hand, this has to do with the fact that too much sugar, sweet drinks, fruit and other fast carbohydrates are generally eaten, which leads to hypoglycaemia and a lack of energy, but on the other hand it also has to do with the fact that an intestine that is not in balance also produces less serotonin. And the happiness hormone serotonin is a precursor of the sleep hormone melatonin, which cannot be produced in sufficient quantities if there is a serotonin deficiency.
I often hear from my course participants who eat a gut-friendly diet that they are finally sleeping well again and, above all, have much more energy. They no longer fall asleep in front of the TV at night and wake up in the morning with energy and vigor.
So you see, even if tiredness sounds harmless and perhaps even cute at first, it's not normal! And should be seen as a warning sign. Of course, this doesn't just apply to tiredness, but to all kinds of symptoms. Take it seriously when your body sends you signals and look for the causes.
I hope you enjoyed the episode and if you know someone who struggles with constant fatigue, please share it!
In the next episode, I talk to Nadja Polzin about how she moved from allergies to relationships and why she says that relationships are a key issue when it comes to getting rid of allergies. I'm already looking forward to the conversation myself and look forward to you joining me again in 14 days!
Now I recommend you subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss an episode, and if you like what you hear, I'd really appreciate a review on iTunes or Apple Podcast. Because those reviews also help other people find the podcast so we can spread the knowledge about gut and health more.
