Why You’re Always Tired and How to Fix It

By Your Health Magazine

I didn’t plan on becoming the kind of person who cared about “cognitive clarity.” That term always sounded like something a Silicon Valley guy says right before pitching you some $90 mushroom powder.

But at some point, after walking into the kitchen with no clue why for the third time in as many days, I realized I was living a weird, low-resolution version of myself. I wasn’t sick, exactly. Just blurry, distracted, unmotivated, and perpetually tired.

If any of this sounds familiar, keep reading as this formerly foggy-brained human tells you about how he (mostly) got his act together without having to drink celery juice or pretend that ice baths are fun.

Not Sick But Not OK

I wasn’t unhealthy. According to my bloodwork, I was “fine.” Nothing flagged. I exercised sometimes, ate semi-decently, and slept enough-ish. But something was off.

I was the poster child for that awkward in-between zone where you’re not medically broken, but you also don’t feel sharp. If I had to give it a name, I’d call it “functional burnout.”

There’s no single test for this. It’s more like a slow leak in your energy tank that you don’t notice until you’re emotionally hydroplaning through your day. It affects your work, your memory, and your patience with small talk. It shows up in missed deadlines, snappy emails, and those weird moments when you’re just staring at your screen like a decorative plant.

So I did what any responsible adult would do: Googled the hell out of it.

Supplements and Sleep Hacks

The first trap I fell into was the Productivity Content Vortex.

If you’ve ever read more than three health blogs in a row, you know the vibe. One article tells you to try magnesium glycinate. Another wants you to cut gluten, dairy, and joy. The next says you should microdose lion’s mane and quit caffeine entirely.

Within two weeks, I had a drawer full of “natural” solutions, a new meditation app, and three unused yoga mats.

Some of it helped, to be fair. I dialed in my sleep hygiene, and that alone made a small difference. But the real turning point came when I stopped trying to chase the latest life hack and started thinking like a systems engineer.

If I wanted to fix this, I needed to look at the whole picture: my gut, my brain, my nervous system. Everything connected.

Which is when I discovered an interesting corner of the health world, quietly doing real research. SFI Health is a company focused on scientifically grounded solutions for neurodevelopmental, cognitive, and gut-brain health issues.

They weren’t selling quick fixes. No dopamine-bait marketing. Just research-backed formulas, actual medical advisors, and the kind of clinical approach that made me feel like I wasn’t being sold glitter disguised as science.

Gut-Brain Axis: More Than a Buzzword

Most people still think of the brain as this isolated organ floating in your skull, running the show. But more and more research shows that your gut and your brain are basically in a long-distance relationship, with a lot of daily texting.

It’s called the gut-brain axis, and it’s real. Your gut produces neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine. Inflammation in your gut can impact your mood, focus, and even sleep. When things go out of whack down there, your brain feels it upstairs.

I had always treated my mental clarity like a head problem: more sleep, more coffee, maybe a meditation app. But after learning about this axis, I realized I might’ve been starting in the wrong place entirely.

What Actually Helped

Here are a few of the things I tried that stuck.

1. I stopped multitasking.

You know how everyone says multitasking is a myth? Yeah, turns out they’re right. I was trying to be efficient by answering Slack messages while drafting reports and skimming Reddit. It made everything take longer and left me drained.

I switched to single-tasking with a timer. 45-minute focused blocks, no exceptions. Just that alone made me feel 20% more alive.

2. I paid attention to my gut.

I cut down on ultra-processed foods (no, I didn’t quit pizza) and started being more conscious of fiber, fermented foods, and hydration. I also tried a few supplements geared specifically toward cognitive and gut health, based on clinical research, not TikTok trends.

This was a game-changer. I wasn’t chasing a spike in energy anymore, but building a better baseline.

3. I started respecting rest.

Not sleep — rest. Like sitting on a bench for 15 minutes without a podcast. Or letting myself do absolutely nothing on a Sunday afternoon without guilt. It was hard. It felt wrong. But it restored something in me that I hadn’t realized was depleted.

4. I ditched energy drinks.

This hurt, but I can’t ignore it: once I stopped spiking my adrenals every afternoon, I stopped crashing in the evenings. My energy became more stable throughout the day. No more sugar-caffeine roller coasters.

5. I added targeted support.

I’m not saying everyone needs to take supplements, but if you’re low in key micronutrients or dealing with gut-brain axis imbalances, targeted support can help. I’m picky about what I take, so it’s all science-based and tailored to actual cognitive function support.

“Wellness” vs. Actual Health

It took me a while to unlearn a lot of the things wellness culture had taught me, like that more is always better, that biohacking is the answer, or that if something doesn’t work, it’s your fault for not trying hard enough.

Real health doesn’t look like glowing skin and a kitchen full of matcha bowls. It looks like waking up and not dreading your to-do list. It’s remembering names again. It’s being present in your conversations. It’s being able to read a book without rereading the same paragraph five times.

You don’t need to change your whole identity to reclaim that version of yourself. You just need to stop looking for silver bullets and start looking for systems. Your brain is part of a network, so treat it like one.