The difference between being fatigued and being tired

Ever get a good night's sleep, but for some reason you still find yourself yawning throughout the day and chugging back coffee to keep you going? It's a mystery that a lot of us know all too well. If you ever wonder why you feel so tired, you might want to keep reading (and take some notes).Sleep specialist, Colleen Carney, explains the difference between being sleepy versus tired, and shares tips for getting a good sleep.

SLEEPY VS. TIRED

The terms tired, sleepy and fatigued tend to be used interchangeably, but Colleen confirms that they are in fact entirely different things. She says that when people use the word "fatigued", they actually mean tired or depleted of energy. Fatigue can be used to describe an emotional or mental state. Fatigue is not sleepy, as sleepiness is an emergency. A major indicator of sleepiness is being able to fall asleep quickly. You would assume this is a good thing, but in all actuality if you fall asleep in under 10 minutes it means you’re sleep deprived. Though it may seem longer than people think, the ideal amount of time to fall asleep is between 10 and 30 minutes.

HOW TO MANAGE YOUR FATIGUE

For sleepiness, the signs to look out for are really easy: You catch yourself starting to fall asleep, eyes rolling to back of head during the day. Fatigue is different. A lot of people experience it like an emotion. Weariness, boredom for some, a low energy situation. It’s a thought process. When we feel tired, we scan our bodies to see how many resources we have. Then we try to think of “what is this task I’m about to do, and how much energy will that take?”. When there’s a mismatch, (ie. we don’t have enough resources that we need to accomplish the task at hand), this is when we feel fatigue.Let’s say you have to grade a stack of papers. You’ll scan your body and might think that you’re too tired for the task. But if someone comes up to you and says, I’ll give you $500 to do those papers, suddenly, you’ll have different resources. Nothing has happened, but you feel more energetic and focused. This shows how fatigue is really more of a cognitive emotion in many ways.Here are some tips on how to manage your fatigue:

DON'T UNDER-DO IT

When you’re tired the logical thing to do is taking a step back from activities to ensure you don’t overdo it, but according to Colleen, under-doing it is the problem. Although most doctors would advise you not to overexert yourself, spending all day on the couch can likely increase your fatigue. Colleen clarifies that we need to expand our energy instead of focusing on body/muscle fatigue that cannot be undone. When taking it easy, a lot of people become anxious and worrisome about their conditions worsening when in all actuality, expending more energy could make them feel better.

UNDERSTAND THE COMMON SOURCES OF FATIGUE

H.E.L.M is the acronym Colleen uses to highlight the common sources of fatigue, standing for Hydration, Eating, Lighting, and Movement. Hydration is drinking lots of water in which dehydration can drastically worsen fatigue. When eating, substituting meals with sugar for a boost can cause blood sugar to spike and plummet, leading to extreme levels of fatigue. Dim lighting can decrease alertness and increase fatigue by tricking our bodies into believing that it’s night time. Movement and expending energy by doing activities such as stretching, increase oxygen and blood flow while reducing fatigue.

TAKE BREAKS

Colleen expresses the importance of listening to your body to let you know when it’s time to take a break. She says the problem this is that when we scan our bodies for evidence of that they’re tired, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Scheduling breaks after lunch is good because our bodies take a natural dip around this time. Most people attribute the post-lunch dip to what we eat during lunch, but although there are certain foods that exacerbate fatigue the dip is innate. Scheduling breaks to move around during this time is crucial as it helps keep our energy up and combats this afternoon dip.

KNOW YOUR CAFFEINE LIMIT

When that tired feeling kicks in, the first thing that we want to do is recharge our energy with cup of coffee. Colleen says that although caffeine is a stimulant, it has a drug effect that can produce withdraws that are opposite of their initial effect. The opposite of stimulation you get from caffeine is fatigue, as it will kick in about six hours after consumption and can make you even more tired. Colleen urges everyone  to know their caffeine limits so that they don’t over compensate; caffeine isn’t a substitute for water.[video_embed id= '6133909061001']RELATED: Posture-perfect sleep positions that are right for your body[/video_embed]

COMMON MISTAKES

Common mistakes people make when trying to combat fatigue is not listening to the ques their body sends them.  For example, if you rub your eyes from staring that the computer too long, that’s your body signaling you to take a break. People shame themselves into completing tasks by working harder when they should be taking a break. Fatigue is always generated by negative emotion, yet anxiety is the bigger culprit in fatigue than insomnia is. Colleen says that most of her patients that suffer from insomnia think it’s because of the fatigue, but when the insomnia disappears the fatigue doesn’t.

GETTING OLDER

We assume that as we get older doing what we did when we were young would become more difficult as we get older. Colleen confirms this myth, but explains that a person’s lifestyle that includes things like work, hobbies parenting and play the biggest part in being middle-aged.

WHEN TO WORRY

If you’re having trouble with fatigue and there has been an attempt to change your habits, you need to talk to your doctor. Colleen recommends visiting the doctors because there are lots of benign medical conditions that are very easy to detect and fix. Getting a physical and listening your doctor with open ears is really important if your experiencing chronic fatigue. If your doctor says nothing is wrong, try to think about your stress level, anxiety or the activities in your life.[video_embed id= '6133534622001']BEFORE YOU GO: This is the best temperature for sleep, experts say[/video_embed]