Why Are Americans So Tired?
Google searches about exhaustion and fatigue are soaring. What's going on? It's not just what you think.
Welcome back to your weekly dose of wellness, helping you make tomorrow a little better than today . Below you’ll find several compelling health and wellness articles as always, and this week’s five new pieces in our series about depression. But first …
Americans are searching the phrase “I am tired” more now than in the history of Google Trends, I reported this past week. Here’s the chart:
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You might assume the reason is obvious: lack of sleep. Great guess, but only partly accurate. Americans are exhausted for a variety of reasons, as I write:
No doubt the pandemic is responsible for much of the nation’s newfound exhaustion. “Pandemic burnout” is a breakout search term all on its own. Other uber-factors include stress and angst induced by political polarization and social upheaval, plus job burnout related to the always-on expectations for many modern workers coupled with fears of inflation and job loss and and and …
But when you pull back the covers, the real addressable culprit isn’t lack of sleep duration, it’s lack of sleep quality. Longtime subscribers have heard me rail on this before: Most adults need only around seven hours of sleep nightly—if that sleep is good and sound, giving the brain and body the full restoration they need. But alcohol, caffeine, stress and anxiety, lack of physical activity, chronic diseases, and a range of other factors get in the way. I offer up a suite of practical solutions for better sleep, and a lot more detail on this topic in general:
Read: Americans Ask: Why Am I Always So Tired?
YOUR FEEDBACK
“This this this!!! My whole life family and friends (and into diagnosis, me) thought I was just ‘neurotic.’ It’s so validating to have friends and people online sharing these common uncomfortable physical realities of life as a neurodivergent person.”
— Ashely L. Crouch re: The Gross Physical Symptoms of Autism That No One Wants to Talk About By Annika Hotta
“Some things should be left alone, especially if they involve a negative thought or emotion. Keep thinking positive and move forward, I say.”
— Bob Katayama, re: Have Regrets? To Move Forward, Look Backward by Kathleen Murphy
“Sleep makes a huge difference. Menopause can affect a woman’s sleep. I think that’s my issue. I wake several times during the night for no obvious reason but strangely I’m quite alert during the day as I have deep sleep during wake-up times. It could be much worse. So even though it’s been a LONG time since I slept all through the night, I wake up feeling alert and rested. All your tips are great, by the way.”
— Jenny Alexander re: Americans Ask: Why Am I Always So Tired? By Robert Roy Britt
HEALTHY READING
A selection of this week’s other informative and insightful articles:
Do You Need a Coach or a Therapist?
A psychologist must pass an exam and be licensed to practice. A personal coach can just hang a shingle and offer to help you with whatever mental or emotional challenges you struggle with. So which one do you need? Maybe both, but first you’ll want to understand what each one does and how they can complement each other.
— By Eric Kort, MD
Checking Your Blood Pressure? You Might Want to Lie Down.
New research reveals that failing to check blood pressure while in the supine position can miss risk for developing heart failure, stroke and premature death. And since a lot has changed in recent years about how blood pressure should be checked, and even what’s considered “high,” here’s everything you need to know before that next checkup is done too quickly and haphazardly.
— Annie Foley
Your Scent Can Reveal Stress, Sickness and Much More About You
Whether you can smell it or not, you are constantly giving off odors that say a lot about you. The smells that emanate from your body are so powerful they could one day be used as evidence in forensics and as diagnostic information in medicine, as these scientists explain.
— By Chantrell Frazier, Kenneth G. Furton and Vidia A. Gokool
A Better Back Without the Pain Meds
Options for treating chronic back pain are minimal, and medications either push off the problem until later or cause harmful side effects. This physician lays out all the options — pharmaceutical and otherwise — and explains the importance of seeking medical attention while also making lifestyle changes.
— By Dr. Julian Barkan
Paid ‘Fitfluencers’ Are Selling You Out
Exposed: Health influencers and registered dietitians with millions of followers lie to you on behalf of big food consortia.
— By Amy Sterling Casil
Morning Workouts are Best for Weight Loss and Good Health
Should you exercise in the morning, afternoon or evening? New research supports other studies finding that a morning workout has notable advantages for #weightloss and overall good health. Mornings can be best for promoting better sleep, too.
— By Robert Roy Britt
The United States of Depression
This week’s articles:
Insomnia and Depression: Seriously Frustrating Bedfellows (Sept. 18)
Depression can lead to serious sleep problems. And poor sleep can raise the risk of depression. There are several effective ways to avoid this vicious cycle by promoting better sleep — tactics that are also helpful on their own for preventing or treating depression.
— By Robert Roy Britt
How to Talk with Someone Who’s Depressed (Sept. 19)
You can make it better for a friend or loved one who is depressed, or you can make it worse. So what should you say — or not say? Here are the basic guidelines to consider and specific suggestions for what to utter and what to keep to yourself.
— By Gail Post, PhD
With Depression, We Get By With a Little Help From Our Friends (Sept. 20)
Nobody deep into depression can climb out of it on their own. Belongingness, building relationships, and empowering others to help are all clear research-based approaches help alleviate depression.
— By Catherine Sanderson, PhD
Ketamine and Psilocybin Give Hope For Those Running Out of It (Sept. 21)
Ketamine (a powerful sedative) and psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) have a reputation as party drugs, but they can also provide elusive relief for depressed individuals who have not responded to other therapies. But will the beneficial effects stand the test of time? And are hallucinations a side effect, or part of the cure?
— By Eric J. Kort MD
When, Where and How We Eat Can Raise (or Reduce) the Risk of Depression (Sept. 22)
Dietary recommendations for staving off or reducing symptoms of depression abound. But the way we eat — when, where, how often — can be just as impactful on mental health as what we eat.
— By Giana Porpiglia, LMHC
See the Special Report for the full list of articles, including what’s ahead.
RANDOM BIT OF WISDOM
“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
— Jane Goodall
If you like what you see, please follow Wise & Well on Medium. Meanwhile, I hope we’ve helped you make tomorrow a little better than today. — Rob