Why you're constantly tired: how your gut steals your energy and how to get it back.

Світлана Бурмей
3 hours ago
4 min read

Біговий захід GoMove в Ужгороді за підтримки Ediens

Do you wake up already tired, liters of coffee give only a short-term effect, and by the evening you have no strength for sports, hobbies, or communication with loved ones? We are used to writing off chronic fatigue on the frantic rhythm of life, magnetic storms or lack of vitamins. However, modern science proves: our "battery" is not in a cup of espresso at all.

The main generator of our vital energy is the gastrointestinal tract and the trillions of microorganisms that inhabit it. If your microbiome is out of balance, you can sleep 10 hours and still feel exhausted. Let's figure out how bacteria control our tone and why the way to vigor lies through the stomach.

1. Metabolic trap: why doesn't food give you energy?

It would seem that we eat to get energy. But in fact, we are not able to digest complex food on our own - our bacteria do it for us. If the microbiome is disturbed (for example, after stress, antibiotics or excess sugar), the beneficial bacteria die, and their place is taken by pathogens and fungi.

What happens next? Instead of breaking down food into useful nutrients and energy, pathogenic flora provokes processes of putrefaction and fermentation. Toxins are released, which enter the bloodstream through the inflamed intestinal walls. The body spends a huge amount of immune system resources on fighting this internal inflammation. That is why chronic fatigue, decreased immunity and a constant feeling of heaviness are the first signs of serious intestinal diseases.

In addition, Professor Nadiya Boyko notes an interesting phenomenon associated with excess weight: people with excess body weight often feel sleepy and inactive. When the microbiome is restored and a person begins to lose weight correctly (due to the breakdown of fat cells - adipocytes), a sharp release of energy occurs. A person seems to "wake up" and feels a tone that has not been seen before

2. Disrupted sleep and stress hormones

The quality of your sleep is directly related to the health of your gut. There is a direct two-way line of communication between our GI tract and our brain—the gut-brain axis, which includes the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems.

The microbiome is directly involved in regulating cortisol levels, the main stress hormone. If the balance of bacteria is disturbed, cortisol levels remain consistently high even at night. This prevents you from falling asleep, disrupts deep sleep phases, and prevents the nervous system from recovering. Renowned neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky also emphasizes that chronic stress “turns off” normal digestive functions, leading to sleep disorders and exhaustion. A healthy microbiome, on the contrary, helps reduce systemic inflammation and regulate cortisol, promoting deep, restorative sleep.

3. Depression and lack of motivation: who controls mood?

Have you ever felt like you couldn't even think about new goals or learning? Science says that the unique composition of a person's microbiome determines not only their mood, but also their desire or reluctance to engage in physical activity, and even to learn or change.

The fact is that our beneficial bacteria (for example, bifidobacteria and lactobacilli) are real biochemical factories. They produce neurotransmitters, in particular gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and short-chain fatty acids (butyrate), which affect the synthesis of serotonin - the hormone of happiness. If your microflora is depleted, the brain simply does not receive these "molecules of joy and cheerfulness". This leads to apathy, anxiety and depressive states.

4 steps to regaining vital energy

Drinking coffee or energy drinks is like taking out a loan from your own nervous system at a huge interest rate. To regain stable energy, you need to restore your "second brain."

1. Don’t take probiotics blindly

The worst thing you can do when you're feeling tired and bloated is to buy a drug with 36 strains of bacteria at the pharmacy. Your intestines are a closed ecosystem. By artificially introducing dozens of foreign strains into them, you risk destroying your own unique flora, which is already weakened. Recovery should be extremely targeted.

2. Use targeted pharmabiotics

Modern medicine offers drugs with proven clinical effects - pharmabiotics. For example, a special author's complex "Metabolic. Antistress" was created specifically to reduce the impact of chronic stress, optimize digestion, improve sleep and give the body stable energy for work and life. Also, to maintain a long-term resource, the complex "For active longevity" is used , which helps to slow down the aging process and maintain vigor.

3. Make a genetic passport of the microbiome

To understand why your body is losing energy, the best way to do this is to do an in-depth sequencing of your gut microbiome. This will allow you to see your metabolic profile and understand which microorganisms you are critically lacking for nutrient absorption.

4. Feed your bacteria

When we sit down to eat, we must remember: we are not feeding ourselves, we are feeding our microorganisms. An individualized nutrition plan based on microbiome analysis allows you to "turn on" those bacteria that produce energy and vitamins. Add more fiber (vegetables, legumes) and fermented foods (yogurt, sauerkraut) to your diet, and your microbes will thank you with an unprecedented level of activity.

Lack of energy is not the norm, it’s your body’s cry for help. Pay attention to your microbiome, support it with evidence-based methods, and you’ll be amazed at how vibrant and active your life can be!