How Low Energy Affects the Body

Low energy is something that we’ve all experienced. Whether it was hunger, sleep deprivation, a cold, serious illness, or depression holding us back from feeling like ourselves and doing what we enjoy. 

What Causes Low Energy? 

There are many reasons why we feel fatigued. It may be that in our busy lives, we’ve neglected our body’s needs, like getting too little sleep, food, or water. In these instances, low energy is easily remedied through proper self-care.

There are also harder-to-remedy medical conditions that cause fatigue. This includes thyroid conditions, vitamin B or D deficiencies, and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Low energy can also be a secondary symptom of a wide range of conditions, such as:

• Pregnancy
• Stress
• Weight gain
• Flu
• Common cold
• Cancer
• Covid 19
• Hepatitis
• Mononucleosis
• Diabetes
• Anemia
• Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS)

Since the causes of fatigue vary, the remedy could be as simple as taking a nap or visiting your physician. So, self-care is important, and seek medical help if your fatigue doesn’t subside.

The Physical Causes of Low Energy

 Depending on the source of fatigue, the experience and effects on your body are diverse. The common mechanisms behind low energy, include:

• Calorie deficiency
• Vitamin deficiency
• Respiration or circulatory system impairment
• Stress

Let’s look at each of these further.

Calorie Deficiency

If you have difficulty getting the nutrients you need, processing nutrients, or transporting them, you will experience low energy. A calorie deficit can result from not eating enough, exercising excessively, or an illness.

Vitamin Deficiency

Breakdowns in converting food into energy are often linked to vitamin deficiencies. To successfully convert food to energy, your body needs the following:

• Magnesium
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin B
• Iron
• Vitamin C 

Each deficiency impacts different steps in processing and absorbing energy into the body. 

For example, B vitamins are involved with the cellular energy cycles both in and outside the mitochondria. Vitamin C helps transport long-chain fatty acids that are energy sources into the mitochondria. Magnesium plays a major role in the production of ADP—the molecule that is processed to generate energy. Iron both brings oxygen to the cells via red blood cells and partakes in making ATP—the energy source that promotes growth and movement.

Respiration or Circulatory System Impairment

In addition to the proper nutrients, oxygen is required to support energy creation. So, if there is an issue with your lungs or circulation, you can also experience fatigue.

Red blood cells bring oxygen to cells to power the ATP cycle. People with anemia have fewer red blood cells than typical and, as a result, have a reduced ability to generate energy. 

Stress Cycle

Another way you can develop fatigue is through overexertion or a prolonged stress response. When you’re stressed, your body releases a hormone (cortisol) that accelerates your metabolism. This doesn’t cause fatigue right away, but with the speed up, there eventually comes a crash at which point your body’s energy reserves are depleted and you feel drained.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Some of the mechanisms of fatigue are more mysterious and have not yet been explained by science. People with chronic low energy may be diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (aka myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS)).

Not much is known about the causes and mechanisms of ME/CFS. ME/CFS can develop directly following an infection or physical/emotional trauma and may be partially heritable. 

Since there is no direct test for ME/CFS, it can be a very frustrating diagnosis that follows ruling out other potential causes of low energy. 

Unfortunately, there is also no known cure for ME/CFS. However, people can ensure they’re getting proper sleep, nutrition, and exercise to increase energy and manage symptoms.

Hormonal Changes

Many important hormones decline with age, and as those hormone levels decline, fatigue and low energy levels become the new normal for individuals over the age of 50. 

As our sex hormones drop, we are less able to make or maintain muscle mass. As our muscle declines, we get weaker and those weaker muscles get tired quicker with our usual activities. As a result, we do less. However, less activity results in weaker muscles and more fatigue in a vicious cycle.

Thyroid Levels

Our thyroid levels normally decline with age. This slows our metabolism, leaving us with less mental and physical energy. Our slower metabolism means we make more fat on the same diet that used to keep us at a stable weight, and carrying the extra pounds makes us increasingly fatigued, which in turn leads to a more sedentary lifestyle and more weight gain. This sets up a destructive cycle.

Pregnenolone, which is the precursor hormone for progesterone, estrogen, testosterone, and cortisol, declines with age, resulting in each hormone’s decline. This causes poor sleep, low-stress tolerance, emotional instability, and fatigue.

How Low Energy Affects the Brain

Your brain is 2% of your body weight, yet it consumes 20% of the total glucose your body uses for energy. Because of the outsized demands of the brain on your total energy use, if you’re physically having trouble getting enough energy, your body will first cut back on the resources available for your mental faculties to fuel essential tasks. In turn, low energy impacts:

• Judgment
• Mood
• Coordination
• Concentration
• Creativity
• Logic
• Endurance

As a result, you may have difficulty problem-solving at work, performing physical tasks, and paying attention and listening. Over time, this can negatively affect your performance at work and hurt your relationships.

How Low Energy Impacts the Body

While low energy can be caused by stress, it also exerts stress on the body. It leads to a broad range of hormonal, metabolic, and physiological dysregulation that can have significant health consequences, including:

• Disrupting the menstrual cycle, with fewer, irregular periods. 
• Reduced levels of estradiol, testosterone, and progesterone hormones lead to lower bone density and increased risk of osteoporosis.
• A weight gain cycle in which carrying extra body weight creates more fatigue which reduces physical activity and fosters weight gain.

Speaking of feedback loops, stress from having low energy can cause fatigue-inducing health conditions, including chronic fatigue syndrome and diabetes.

Long-Term Low Energy

Living with low energy can limit your exercise and mental stimulation. It taxes your body and means that you will lose strength and endurance that will take months of training to regain.

If you’ve tried everything to maximize your energy – eating right, getting your vitamins, and sleeping well – it’s time to take action. If it’s been two weeks since you started experiencing fatigue, consider contacting your doctor and finding out if low energy is due to an illness.

No matter your experience, it’s crucial to take good care of yourself to live your best life!