You are fatigued when you have slept very little, or have not slept well for an extended period of time. Depending on your age, you need a certain amount of sleep per night. If you sleep less than that, it can be so that you become fatigued.

How can being fatigued affect you?

You will notice that you perform more poorly than you used t. Furthermore, it will be difficult to focus on anything, and your memory will also suffer. Sleep has a large influence on our daily functioning. Everyone has at some point noticed the difference between doing tasks when you have slept well or doing tasks when you are fatigued.

Sleep thus has a very important function in our daily functioning. Furthermore, sleep can also protect us from illnesses, both physical and psychological. During your sleep, your immune system recovers so that you are as good as new. For example, when you sport intensively, it is useful to sleep a lot. Your body namely repairs itself during sleep. If you train intensively again after a short night, chances of getting injuries are larger. Sleep protects you and helps you to recover.

If you are fatigued, you also have a larger chance of experiencing stress. Sleep will make it so that our body recovers from stress, meaning we can take on more again. So, when you are fatigued, stress has larger chances of damaging you. You can deal with less negative influence.

When does being fatigued become harmful?

It of course is not so that you are damaged a lot after not sleeping well for one night. Yet, one night of poor sleep can have a negative influence. However, this influence will not be large. For example, you might notice that you cannot focus so well and that you are not productive during that day.

As you grow more fatigued or have been fatigued for a longer time, this can damage you more. What this damage entails, depends on the person who experiences the damage. Furthermore, influences such as environment also play an important role.. For example, you will become ill more easily during winter when you are fatigued. People with allergies, for example, will be more vulnerable during spring.

It thus is useful to treat being fatigued as quickly as possible. If you often feel fatigued, it can be useful to check what causes this.

Would you like to gain more insight into what it is that fatigues you? Or where your fatigued feeling comes from? Then take our free fatigue test here. You will also learn if your fatigued feeling is linked to psychological causes such as stress and depression.