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We Are So Effing Tired: Here’s Why

By Dr. Amy Shah

Double Board Certified MD & Wellness Expert

We are all SO tired —in fact there was a 33% increase in the last year! This is true, particularly in women.

The term ‘burnout’, implies a state of emotional, mental and physical exhaustion caused due to excessive and prolonged stress. Burnout is becoming increasingly common and most of us have felt it at some point, with chronic stress being manifested as unable to meet the incessant demands, feeling overwhelmed and emotionally drained. And after 2020 this has become even more relevant.

Even as a Double board-certified medical doctor and nutritionist, I suffered from this myself. Through my journey and my work with thousands of people— I recommend that we fix our “energy trifecta”.

This energy trifecta centers around the complex interconnected relationship between the gut, immune system and hormone health. If you don’t have health in each of these areas you will consistently feel fatigued and be on the fast track to burn out.

HORMONES

Balancing your hormones is the first part of balancing your energy trifecta. Hormones are chemical messengers that are distributed to our organs and tissue from the endocrine gland via the bloodstream. They affect our emotional, physical and mental health. Your endocrine gland typically produces the exact amount needed for various functioning within the body, but when hormone imbalances occur—from stress and burnout—the gland is affected. Fortunately, there are numerous ways to naturally balance hormones over time, here are six of them.

1. Circadian Fasting. According to a study done at Harvard Medical School, fasting can play a direct role in balancing hormones. When you fast, insulin levels decrease. Fat cells can then release the stored sugar from the body, which can then be used as energy. High amounts of sugar in the body can throw your hormones off balance, so fasting is a great tool to manage insulin levels.

2. Avoid Sugar. Sugar raises insulin levels and it can cause obesity and hormone imbalance. Remove the processed sources and use natural foods as your sweetener or natural sweeteners such a Stevia.

3. Eat More Fiber. Because gut health is such an essential part of our trifecta — I recommend your intake a fiber to go from about 15 g which is a typical American to 60 g. You can get this by eating 6-8 servings of vegetables.

4. Manage Your Stress Levels. The two main hormones affected by stress are adrenaline, the “fight-or-flight” hormone and cortisol the “stress hormone”, which are released when the body is under stress. In today’s modern world, these hormones are often released too often and it creates an imbalance. Meditation, listening to relaxing music, humming, chanting and deep breathing can all help balance hormones.

5. Take Targeted (but not too many) Supplements. In our modern world, deficiency in some key vitamins and minerals is common. Vitamin D, for example vitamin B12 (for vegans), iron are a few of the vitamins to be tested. If you are low in any of them, you may experience fatigue. If you suspect you are low in a nutrient, get a blood test done (or get one done yearly regardless) and take the necessary vitamin daily to raise the levels.

6. Exercise. Dopamine, and serotonin are two of the “feel good” hormones that help keep people happy. Fortunately, exercise helps to release these hormones and is the one of the best ways to do this and keep hormones balanced.

IMMUNE SYSTEM

The immune system is responsible for protecting the body from environmental agents such as bacteria, microbes and chemicals. In order to balance your energy trifecta, you must ensure that your immune system is functioning properly. Here are several ways in which you can keep your immune system healthy.

1. Get Seven To Eight Hours Of Sleep Each Night. Studies have shown that people who do not sleep for more than five hours a day, for seven consecutive days have a 350% higher chance of contracting the common cold. Sleep is crucial to overall health and aids in restoring and repairing all functions of the body and brain.

2. Eat Vitamin C-Rich Foods. Vitamin C helps stimulate the production of white blood cells to fight off infections in the body. Because the dosage range of vitamin C is so wide, doctors recommend getting vitamin C through a healthy diet, within a range of 300mg to 5,000mg.

3. Eat Extra Fruits And Vegetables. Vegetables and fruits are rich in flavonoids, which help to decrease inflammation in the body. Besides fruits and vegetables, ingredients like green tea and turmeric—taken with black pepper to increase absorption—are rich in flavonoids.

4. Take A Vitamin D3 Supplement. Vitamin D3 is helpful for preventing a virus and boosting the immune system. To better understand the amount your body requires, get a blood test done to check your levels and then take the dosage accordingly. Not everyone needs a vitamin D but most people do.

GUT HEALTH

Gut health is directly linked to your physical and mental wellbeing. We’re now beginning to understand that good nutrition is beneficial at two levels: it lifts and boosts your mental state in the short term and can prevent longer term brain conditions such as dementia. It’s also linked with improved immunity, faster metabolism and a lower risk for heart diseases. Studies suggest that 90 percent of the body’s serotonin, the happiness hormone, is made in the gut. An imbalanced gut can trigger inflammation, cause acne, hinder your mood, impair cognition and lead to gastrointestinal problems. But, there are ways to have a happy gut, and in turn, optimize your energy trifecta.

1. Follow Your Body’s Natural Circadian Rhythms. Changes in your circadian rhythm—like switching time zones—can cause shifts in your microbiome. But a healthy diet can lessen the effects and allow the brain to function to its optimal level.

2. Get Vitamin D From The Sun. Get daylight when you wake up, even if it’s for 15 minutes. Step outside your room or get some sun through a window, but do this before 10:00 AM. This will strengthen the circadian rhythm and improve your mood.

3. Eat A Nutritious Diet. Opt for foods that create short-chain fatty acids—they help calm the brain. I recommend a plant focused diet with cruciferous vegetables, garlic, onion and anti-inflammatory spices. Pairing the right foods together—like turmeric and black pepper in a curry—improves connections between the gut, brain and the immune system.

4. Turn Off All Blue Lights Before Bed. Spend as little time as you can with technology in the evening. Turn off your phone, laptop and TV at least 30 minutes before bed.

5. Relax. Hundreds of millions of nerves that go from the brain to the gut can be soothed by vagal nerve stimulation—deep slow breathing, yoga, or a walk in nature. You calm the nerves in your gut, which, in turn, calm the nerves in your brain.

6. Sleep On Schedule. Practicing a good sleep schedule is essential. Sleeping for the recommended seven to nine hours in a cool, calming environment can do wonders for your anxiety, mood, focus and energy.

Do some of these things and then head on over to my Instagram and let me know how you feel. I have a new book out called, I'm So Effing Tired: A Proven Plan to Beat Burnout, Boost Your Energy, and Reclaim Your Life. I would love for you to check it out so you can try the exact plan with the points above.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amy Shah, M.D., is double board-certified medical doctor and wellness expert specializing in food allergies, hormones and gut health.

Dr. Shah graduated Magna Cum Laude from Cornell University's world renowned school of nutrition. She went on to receive her Medical Doctorate with Distinction. With training from Cornell, Harvard and Columbia - She helps busy people transform their health using cutting edge nutritional and medical science. Her proven techniques to heal inflammation utilize the power of the microbiome to help digestion, obtain natural hormone balance and heal food sensitivities. She is a well known expert on intermittent fasting for women.

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