爲什麼我總是很累

Do you struggle to get out of bed, feel constantly drained and rely on pick-me-ups such as protein bars, coffee and sugary treats to get you through the day?
你是不是起牀困難戶、總是感到筋疲力盡，不得不依賴蛋白棒、咖啡和甜食提神、度過一整天？

If so, you're far from alone. Research by market analysts Mintel reveal that one in three of us admit we're permanently worn out because of the pace of modern life. As a result, sales of supplements such as ginseng, energy drinks and power bars have shot up more than 5% in the last year alone.
如果是這種情況，那你並不是一個人。市場分析師明特爾開展的研究揭示：三分之一的人承認，由於現代生活的節奏，我們總是感到筋疲力盡。因此，替補品的銷售量，比如人蔘、功能飲料和能量棒，僅去年就激增了5%。

So much so that doctors have even created a handy acronym - TATT (Tired All The Time) - that they jot down in their notes when a patient complains of constant fatigue. Here, experts point to some of the causes - and how to deal with them.
以至於醫生甚至創造了一個簡便的縮寫詞--TATT（總是感到很累）--當患者抱怨他們總是感到疲勞時，醫生就會在筆記中寫下TATT。專家在此指出導致疲勞的某些原因，以及該如何應對。

1. You're not exercising enough
1. 你的運動量不夠

It might be the last thing you feel like, but avoiding exercise because you're tired actually makes you feel worse. In a University of Georgia study, sedentary but otherwise healthy adults who began exercising lightly three days a week for just 20 minutes reported feeling less fatigued and more energized after six weeks.
這可能是你最不可能想到的原因，但因爲累而不鍛鍊卻會讓你更難受。在格魯吉亞大學的一項研究中，久坐但健康的成人開始每週輕度鍛鍊三次，每次只鍛鍊20分鐘。六週後，這些人表示不再那麼疲勞、也更有活力了。

This is because regular exercise makes your heart and lungs work more efficiently, delivering oxygen and vital nutrients around the body.
這是因爲定期鍛鍊能使你的心臟和肺部更有效的運作，爲身體提供氧氣和重要營養物質。

2. You don't sleep as well as you think
2. 你的睡眠質量沒你以爲的那麼好

Recent research shows many of us survive on so-called 'junk sleep' - the kind when we wake up frequently throughout the night. It doesn't replenish our energy levels as well as long stretches of continuous sleep.
最近的研究表明，很多人都在所謂的"垃圾睡眠"中倖存--也就是整個晚上會醒好多次。在這種情況下，我們的能量水平得不到補充、長時間的睡眠也得不到保證。

Junk sleep can be caused by stress, but also by over-stimulating the brain too close to bedtime. For example, by checking emails or using tablets and smartphones that emit a blue light found to disrupt sleep by tricking the brain into producing 'wake-up' hormones right when you need to wind down.
垃圾睡眠可能是由於壓力造成的，但也有可能是由於臨睡前過度刺激大腦造成的。比如，睡前看郵件或用發出藍光的平板電腦和智能手機，人們已發現：藍光會在人們需要休息的時候產生'喚醒'荷爾蒙，以此欺騙大腦、破壞睡眠。

3. Your coffee addiction is sapping your energy
3. 你的咖啡癮正在消耗你的能量

Although we think of caffeine as a pick-me-up, it actually makes us feel more tired once the initial surge wears off. Dr Chidi Ngwaba, director of The Lifestyle Medicine Clinic, explains: "This is because our brain chemistry doesn't like being interfered with by stimulants, so it releases chemicals to dampen down the alert response."
儘管我們認爲咖啡因能提神，但一旦最初的提神效果過後，我們會更累。The Lifestyle Medicine診所的主任Chidi Ngwaba博士解釋道："這是因爲我們的腦化學不喜歡被興奮劑干擾，因此會釋放化學物質抑制警覺反應。"