What Can I Do to Manage My Tiredness?

Good Sleep Hygiene

Identify your drainers 

It can be helpful to identify activities and situations that drain you of energy. This might involve keeping a diary and recording times that you feel particularly tired. Remember that tiredness can be caused by physical, mental and emotional activities. Keeping track of these activities will allow you to identify things in your life that you may want to change in order to manage your tiredness.  

Plan, Prioritise and Pace (the 3 P’s) 

Plan: Think about your day or week ahead and try to spread out your activities evenly. Using a calendar or diary can help with this. This way, you’ll avoid doing too much in one day. 

Prioritise: Prioritising activities means making choices about what to do. Think about what you need to get done and don’t forget to include things that are enjoyable or fun. You could try asking friends or family for help with some of these tasks. Remember that some tasks can wait for another day. 

Pace: Pacing means planning to take a break during activities that usually make you feel tiredness. It’s best to take a break before you reach a point where you’re feeling exhausted. After a break, you’ll probably find that you can continue with your activity for longer.  

Manage your Mental Health  

Stress, anxiety and depression can all have an impact on tiredness, as these emotions use up a lot of energy.  It’s also frustrating and upsetting if you’re not able to manage your normal activities, so if you think your mental health is a factor, you’ll find some helpful tips in the anxiety and depression sections of this website: (Link to anxiety and depression section). 

Eat often   

Food is fuel for our bodies. Eating regular meals and having a healthy snack every 3-4 hours can reduce energy dips, rather than having large meals less often. Tips for healthy eating can be found here: (Link https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/food-and-nutrition ). 

Manage your weight  

Carrying extra weight can put a strain on your body and can make everyday tasks exhausting. A combination of healthy eating and being more active is the best way to lose weight and keep it off. Get more information on weight management.