Why I have no energy? Why am I so tired? You’re not alone if you often ask yourself these questions. I decided to find answers for you from reliable sources.
Why I have no energy?
I decided to check across the web what are the sources of tiredness, lack of energy and to be honest the results are absolutely overwhelming. Overall, it’s understandable because every person is different and it’s hard for you to find the exact reason that suits your lifestyle, your busy everyday schedule. However, I committed to dive deep and find answers for you from reliable sources and professionals in the field.
It might surprise you that during my research I noticed that every type and keyword search regarding tiredness and lack of energy showed only a huge range of symptoms rather than the cause. But the good news is that I found the answer and you’ll be blown away by it.
So why is it that you have no energy? hmm.. keep reading and you will find out.According to professor Michael J Armsby from Florida State University and assistant professor in Nutrition, Food, and Exercise Sciences Florida State University, Michael J Ormsbee: ‘The Field of nutrient metabolism exercise psychology body composition and performance (also known as performance nutrition) involves studying how energy is delivered from food and how this energy fuels exercise and human movements’. In other words, how your energy is generated. And this is where my focus started.
In nutshell how much you weigh, how much is your body fat, how much is your muscle mass and in general your whole body composition influences how you perform, feel and look every day. This includes your job, your family and general energy level and enthusiasm.
According to the studies I reviewed from professionals, you have full control over your energy level. Your decision comes to something called ‘energy balance’ which is content with how much energy you take and how much energy your body needs to keep you alive as well as to perform your everyday activities .
The body fat under your skin, around your organs etc. is the greatest source of energy that allows you to breathe, walk and perform. It also helps you to keep a body temperature and provides really important protection for your organs.
Before your food can be used for energy, to give you a really good boost for the day, it needs to digest and absorb the individual nutrients now for the full day ahead or it’ll keep them later.
Micronutrients that are within carbohydrates, fat and proteins are used by your body to create the energy but they are not the source of energy – that’s where the practice of maintaining a balanced diet comes into play. But don’t worry, I won’t lecture you in this post on how you should be eating. What I’m trying to share with you is that you are what you eat so if you’re worrying about your energy level look at the food you put into your body to create that energy.
It doesn’t mean you have to stop eating fast foods or that they’re bad for you – there are no bad foods in the world!
Once all the nutrients from your food are broken down to a simple form then they are taken up to your body’s cells and are transported through the entire body (this is called the absorption process).
Your body does not differentiate between good food and bad food. That is why the food balance means a balance between the amount and type of food you eat for your body energy uses every day.
To conclude, the reason you have no energy or low level of energy, as scientists found out, is that your level of energy often occurs as a result of what you eat.
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What causes excessive lack of energy?
The answer you’re seeking is vitamins, minerals and water. Why? Because they don’t provide calories or energy but they are required for many processes in your body including food (the source of energy), digestion and absorption.
Most (with the emphasis of ‘most’) of the carbohydrates, fats and proteins you consume are absorbed within 30 minutes. Overall, it can take between 12 and 70 hours for food to entirely pass through the column.
So, the deeper answer to your question about the causes of excessive lack of energy is the lack of diverse amounts and types of food (and their nutrients) you ate earlier that were required to create the energy you need now.
In a nutshell, if for a prolonged period you don’t maintain your balanced food intake and you eat excessive amounts of fat food then you definitely know by now that it will change the way you look and also how you feel. But that’s not all.
I want to emphasise that it doesn’t mean you have to eat only veggies, you can eat absolutely everything but have an eye on the type of nutrients you put into your body.
Fat moves into your lymphatic vessels and eventually into the blood where it will travel and be used for example by your muscles to produce energy or will be stored as fat. If you eat a high fat meal the transport of fat is quite slow and it takes between 30 minutes to 3 hours to reach your blood high level. After about 5 to 6 hours, from the meal you ate, blood levels return to normal. That’s why the balance of the food type you eat is very important because for different types of activities you need a different type of fuel.
Carbohydrates, fats and proteins are completely different types of energy that your body needs for a different type of job you undertake. If you’re lacking all of them when that’s your answer to what makes your energy be excessively low.
Some nutrients from the food that you eat protect your body cells from early damage and provide them with the fuel that you need to produce energy for your body.
Pro-info for you: different types of food have different colours – we know this, right? Do you know why? Here are few briefed examples:
- purple food – rich in antioxidants that prevent body cells from damage and help to repair those cells.
- red food – vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium, antioxidants.
- yellow food – beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E – very important in improving skin health from damages caused by UV rays.
What are you lacking when you have no energy?
You are lacking micronutrients because they provide the body with the energy, they’re not energy themselves (as mentioned earlier) but they are vital to make all the digestive processes alongside with hundreds of different reactions in your body.
Let me explain by sharing few examples:
- Vitamin C and B-complex vitamins are water soil soluble so they’re absorbed and transported through a blood. An excessive amount in your body is extracted in the urine. Therefore, we need to get them daily from food we eat or if you can’t meet those requirements I suggest you reach out to supplements for a top-up (remember supplements are designed for healthy people).
- Vitamin A, D, E and K are fat soluble and they are transported like fat so they are stored in the body fat for a quite good amount of time. For that reason those types of vitamin deficiency are much less common than the water soluble vitamins.
Every cell in our body has something called mitochondria, also called a ‘powerhouse’ of the cells. They’re responsible for energy production. Mitochondria uses many nutrients from the food you eat to actually produce the energy. If you don’t eat the key nutrients every day then your cells, and in fact the mitochondria, can be compromised and can’t function properly in assisting with producing energy. And for that reason you’re back in square one.
Consequently, the type of food you eat everyday impacts your energy level. The choices you make towards poor food nutrients are the reason for your energy level drop.
The very obvious nutrients that are needed for energy production are carbohydrates, fat and proteins. The essential nutrients for energy production are vitamin B, iron and sulfur – If those are not present in your body then your energy production will really suffer.
I want to clarify that this post relates to healthy people who have challenges with their energy level. It doesn’t relate to those of you who have any medical challenges. Having said that, one thing I want to share with you is that there is something called ‘anorexia of ageing’ that relates to all of us.
‘Anorexia of ageing’ is a term that refers to production, appetite and energy intake which leads to significant weight loss and muscle mass loss. It is especially observed in elderly people with or without medical conditions. Repeatedly, that’s one of the reasons why many sporty people promote exercising, especially weightlifting.
How my energy decrease?
When you look at your body, I’m sure you can easily point out areas where your body fat is stored. Yes! I know! Always not in the specific area you would want it to be 🙂 But did you know that fat is also stored in muscles? Now you know. I’ll share with you why this information is useful.
The more of one type of food you eat (for example carbohydrates or fat or protein) then more of that fuel you will burn for energy. Let’s have a look on what type of food you should eat to have energy for a particular type of activities:
- burst of energy – You get this from the first process called anaerobic, it lasts 30 seconds and doesn’t require oxygen.
- you start working hard – now your body moves into a second energy system called glycolytic, it lasts up to 2 minutes and it’s released from carbohydrates. Glucose comes from any type of carbohydrates you eat or drink (for example sport drinks or pieces of bread). This system is one you rely on during any type of activities within the mentioned time bound.
- oxidative system is the third energy system and it relies on carbohydrates, fats and sometimes proteins to produce energy. It kicks in after 90 seconds to 2 minutes of activity and can last indefinitely as it uses oxygen. You use this type of energy system for most of your days while sitting, walking around, watching telly. Proteins are not used as long as you don’t exercise for a very long time for example 2 to 3 hours and have not been eating for a very long time. If you do, then the energy is simply taken out from proteins and primarily from your muscles.
The fitter you are the better you become at using your fat as a fuel and also the fitter you are the better you are at saving your glucose until you really need it. You’ll need it for example in situations when you pick up the intensity of your exercises, when you’re doing any activities that require intensity. Interesting fact is also that if you exercise a lot then you increase the density of mitochondria in the cells of your muscles.
In summary, the more exercise you put into your lifestyle then the better you are at making energy. In everyday situations the faster or the harder you work physically then the greater percent of carbohydrates is used to make energy at that moment.
Try this: look at the type of food you eat and how they make you feel. Aim to change the food intake and carbohydrates intake based on the activity level you plan each day. Try adding some activities of weight lift to build your muscles mass.
Can I increase my energy?
Yes you can! The ‘energy currency’ actions with your mitochondria in cells. Food you eat is converted into energy, carbon dioxide and water. Heat is also produced in the process of making the energy. In other words, the total food composition you consume is used for energy and heat . Knowledge in this post related to understanding types of energy fuel you need to eat in order to support whatever you’re doing will arm you with information about food choices you must make to produce energy, limit body fat and improve success over all .
Glucose in your body is used to produce energy but there is a limit to how much glucose our body can store. If those limits are met our body responds by storing the energy in the form of body fat. Your body works best when the blood glucose remains constant. High levels of blood glucose can really influence your mood and energy level similarly to its low level .
Balancing blood glucose can be tricky at times. That’s why you must remember about nutrients and how overall they impact cells in your body and take part in producing the energy. When you’re hungry try not to seek a quick solution, try to choose the smart way instead. Best choice is to grab something that provides you with glucose and also nutrients.
I mentioned that there are no bad foods, because every food is going to be broken down and digested. However the carbohydrates in some foods (for example processed food) contain a longer carbon chain and fatty acids. Those combined are the major storage of fat in your body and the major form of fat in your diet . Saturated fats, when eating in excess, increase your blood level of the total cholesterol. And like everything in excess it leads to a risk of heart disease.
Experts now suggest that a high saturated fat with a combination of high intake of sugar and other processed carbohydrates are the real problem for your health and body composition. This mix influences your energy level and is responsible for the energy dips.
Now I’m sure you understand in depth that the food balance it’s not necessarily about the greens you eat, it’s about the balance between all types of food (fatty or not fatty), their portions you eat on a daily basis that influences your energy.
So try this: don’t be afraid of eating fast food or any other processed food as long as they don’t exceed your daily intake. If you stay within your intake balance you’ll be fine because all the food will be taking part in producing energy and will influence the way you feel every day.
Pro tip: make sure you prioritise proteins with every meal. Even if you’re very busy and have no time to eat or you struggle to maintain a balanced diet your energy will be taking off from protein. Your muscles (despite being big or small) will be on line for consumption which will inevitably lead to your poor wellbeing.
If you’re hungry at night, try to have a small protein food or beverage. It’s much better than having carbs as proteins decrease your hunger and cravings.
Your insights are always so valuable.