It isn’t news to anyone that many of us struggle to get regular movement in the modern world. We spend long hours sitting at desks, in front of screens, or lounging on the couch. Despite all of this “rest,” many of us struggle with fatigue and tiredness. Is it possible that a sedentary lifestyle could cause fatigue?
A sedentary lifestyle, characterized by prolonged inactivity, can lead to muscle weakness, poor cardiovascular health, and fatigue. As the body becomes less efficient, everyday tasks become more tiring. Regular physical activity is essential for reducing fatigue and improving energy levels.
Though there could certainly be other factors at play, in this article we’ll explore why our modern lifestyles seem to be making us more tired, rather than less. Let’s explore the connection between inactivity and fatigue.
Does a Lack of Movement Cause Tiredness?
It’s important to note that when a patient mentions chronic fatigue or tiredness, there are numerous factors we want to evaluate: sleep hygiene, caffeine intake, exercise habits, or stress resulting from work, to name a few.
While not all of these factors are within the scope of expertise for a physical therapist, the one we can directly affect is the patient’s level of daily movement.
This is because our sedentary lifestyles can actually be causing the chronic fatigue we’re experiencing. Muscular deconditioning, cardiovascular deconditioning, and dysfunctional sleep patterns resulting from a lack of exercise can all cause a feeling of being chronically tired.
Below, we’ll cover the reasons that this is the case, and we’ll wrap up by providing some practical suggestions to combat this problem:
1. Muscle deconditioning and weakness
When we’re inactive, muscles can weaken and atrophy. Muscle deconditioning occurs because muscles aren’t being used or stressed enough to maintain their strength and endurance. As a result, muscles become less efficient at performing daily tasks. For example, if glutes or leg muscles aren’t used regularly, activities like walking or standing for extended periods can become tiring or uncomfortable.
2. Poor posture and joint dysfunction
Sitting for long periods can lead to poor posture, which places unnecessary strain on certain joints, muscles, and ligaments. Prolonged sitting can cause tight hip flexors, weak glutes, and poor spinal alignment. These imbalances may lead to discomfort and stiffness that is commonly perceived as pain.
3. Cardiovascular Deconditioning
A sedentary lifestyle negatively affects the cardiovascular system. The heart and lungs become less efficient at delivering oxygen to the muscles and tissues, making even low-level activities feel exhausting. This can also affect individuals who struggle with other health conditions.
4. Reduced Range of Motion and Flexibility
Many people experience stiff muscles and joints, which results in a reduced range of motion. This limitation can make physical activity more difficult, making simple movements like bending over to tie your shoes or lifting a bag feel tiring. Joint stiffness and muscle tightness can also contribute to discomfort or pain.
While stiffness and immobility aren’t necessarily direct causes of fatigue, they certainly contribute to a perception of fatigue by making movement more difficult.
How to incorporate movement to combat chronic fatigue
If you’re looking to address chronic fatigue naturally, there are a number of suggestions we could make, and we recommend that you follow all of them for best results:
- Examine your sleep hygeine and make basic corrections
- Stop drinking caffeine at least 8 hours before bed
- Work to improve your posture
- Incorporate daily movement to improve your cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, and mobility (details below)
A daily movement routine doesn’t need to be complicated or difficult. As we explored in our article on how much exercise we need, there are a few components to account for:
1. Incorporate basic resistance training into your routine 2+ times per week
Progressive resistance training using resistance bands, weights, or bodyweight exercises is also effective in gradually increasing muscle strength, making everyday tasks easier and reducing tiredness.
If you’re looking for low-effort ways to do this, see our micro-workout series:
2. Improve your cardiovascular health with a basic walking routine
To experience basic improvements in cardiovascular health, we need not become triathletes. Simply starting with a 10 minute walk, once per day, can have a big effect.
We recommend incorporating this routine for at least a few weeks before advancing. If you’ve completed this task for a few weeks, and are looking to move up to the recommended 150 minutes per week of low-impact cardio, try walking for 12 minutes, twice per day (once in the morning, and once in the evening).
3. Work to improve your posture and mobility
We mention posture and mobility in the same breath because find that often, it’s beneficial to incorporate small mobility sessions into our daily routine as a “reset.”
We often help our patients assess their posture and help them improve it through core strengthening, stretching tight muscles, and using ergonomic positioning at workstations.
Better posture can reduce strain on the body, help combat fatigue, and assist in relieving pain. Manual therapy techniques, such as joint mobilizations, can also be used to address stiffness in the joints, improving mobility and reducing discomfort.
