Having anxiety can make you more tired, and being exhausted can make it harder to manage anxiety.
Chronic anxiety can cause an imbalance in stress hormones and sleep disturbance that can make it hard to get good rest. Some anti-anxiety medications may also cause fatigue.
Creating a consistent sleep routine, listening to your mind and body, and prioritizing rest in your schedule can help you manage fatigue and anxiety. If you need additional support, talking to a therapist and/or psychiatric provider can help.
Whether due to a poor night’s sleep, physical exertion, or illness, our energy levels can fluctuate for all sorts of reasons. Tiredness or fatigue can affect anyone. But it’s more common among people who live with anxiety [1]. Constant worry and hypervigilance can be physically and emotionally exhausting. So if you have an anxiety disorder, you might be more likely to experience low energy.
The good news is that the relationship between sleep and mental health goes the opposite way as well. This means that getting more rest may help reduce anxiety. At the same time, managing your anxiety may help you get better rest. Learning more about the relationship between fatigue and anxiety can help you take steps to restore your energy levels and know when to ask for help.
How can anxiety cause fatigue?
Experts are yet to understand the connection between anxiety and fatigue. But they’ve identified a few factors that may help explain why people with anxiety disorders and other common mental health conditions [1] might be more prone to tiredness.
Sleep disturbance
You’re probably familiar with what it feels like to toss and turn all night, unable to sleep because something is weighing heavily on your mind. If this happens once in a while, it’s not necessarily cause for concern.
However, if you’re experiencing constant worry that’s keeping you from getting good rest, you’re more likely to feel tired all the time. A lack of sleep can zap your motivation and make it harder to get through the day. It can also make your anxiety symptoms [2] worse.
Stress hormones
Occasional anxiety is an adaptive stress response. It’s how our internal threat-detection system alerts us to potential danger. This response evolved to help keep us out of harm’s way.
But when a person has an anxiety disorder, it can disrupt how their minds and bodies respond to perceived threats. When you’re anxious, your brain releases stress hormones [3] (like cortisol) into your bloodstream. This typically leads to a fight, flight, or freeze response.
For example, if you’re crossing the road and see a car coming around the corner, stress hormones are what tell your body to sprint out of the way. But if you have an anxiety disorder, you might have elevated stress hormones all the time, which can deplete your energy levels. This experience is sometimes referred to as adrenal fatigue [4].
Medication side effects
Many people find relief from anxiety with medication and other supports, like therapy. If you’re interested in taking anti-anxiety medication, be sure to talk to your provider about potential side effects.
Some medications used to treat anxiety [5] may cause fatigue or tiredness. While this side effect may be temporary, it can negatively affect your life. Always let your provider know if you’re experiencing unwanted side effects after starting an anti-anxiety medication, as they may be able to recommend some alternatives.
What it feels like when anxiety drains you
Many people associate fatigue with physical exhaustion. But anxiety-induced tiredness can show up in other ways too. Here are some examples of what it might feel like:
Zoning out: Driving home from work, you arrive at your house and can’t remember how you got there. You’re so tired that it feels like you’re moving through life on autopilot.
Lack of energy: While at the gym, you find yourself unable to do your usual routine. Even easier workouts feel too difficult, and it takes your muscles a long time to recover.
Self-isolation: Lately, any time you receive a social invitation, you decline. You’re just too exhausted and anxious to talk to anyone and would rather stay at home in bed.
Fatigue: No matter what time you go to bed or how many hours of sleep you get, you wake up feeling exhausted. At night, you feel like you ran a marathon even when you did little to no physical activity during the day.
Lack of motivation: You have little to no motivation for things that used to excite you. These days, you feel like you’re just going through the motions, pretending to be happy and doing the bare minimum. Sometimes it’s like you can’t feel anything at all.
Long-term effects of being anxious and tired
Anxiety and fatigue are both stressors that can take a toll on your mind and body. Without support, they can lead to serious long-term consequences, like:
Not taking care of your basic needs (like hygiene, sleep, nutrition)
Difficulty keeping your job or attending school
Withdrawing socially or isolating yourself
Trouble maintaining your important relationships
Turning to unhealthy coping mechanisms (like harmful substance use [6])
Ways to overcome fatigue and anxiety
If your anxiety is severe, doesn’t go away, and makes you feel tired most of the time, don’t hesitate to ask for help. One of the best things you can do for yourself is connect with a therapist and/or psychiatric provider for an evaluation. They can review your symptoms, listen to your concerns, and provide an accurate diagnosis.
From there, they can help you find ways to manage your anxiety. This may include a combination of therapy, medication, and self-management strategies, like:
Maintaining a consistent bedtime routine: Go to sleep and wake up at the same time each day (even on your days off), limit screen time before bed, and make your bedroom as cool, quiet, and comfortable as possible.
Letting yourself rest when you’re tired: For example, if you’re feeling groggy or unmotivated, lie down for an afternoon nap, swap a high-intensity exercise class for a gentle walk, or go to bed earlier than usual. Listen to your mind and body, and don’t feel guilty if you need to take it easy.
Establishing a restful schedule: Look at your to-do list, and be realistic about what you have the energy for, what you absolutely need to do, and what you can skip or delegate to someone else. Try to prioritize rest and schedule time to recover from events or interactions that might feel draining or bring on extra anxiety.
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I remind clients that rest and recovery aren’t always the same thing. If anxiety is keeping your mind and body on high alert, you may still feel drained after sleeping or taking time off. Addressing the anxiety itself can be an important part of getting your energy back.
Brandy Chalmers, LPC
Clinical reviewer
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Anyone can experience exhaustion. But stress hormones, sleep disturbances, and medication side effects can increase fatigue in people with anxiety. Carrying a heavy burden of worry can take a toll on your energy level. At the same time, not getting enough rest can increase anxiety.
Left unchecked, anxiety and fatigue can interrupt your daily functioning, strain relationships, and make it harder to attend to responsibilities at work, home, and school. Fortunately, you can balance your mood and restore your energy levels with the right support. With self-care, therapy, and medication (if needed), you can learn to manage your anxiety, increase your healthy habits, and find relief from fatigue.
At Rula, we’re here to help you feel better. Rula makes it easy to find a licensed therapist or psychiatric provider who takes your insurance. That way, you don’t have to choose between great care and a price you can afford.
Rula patients pay about $15 per session with insurance, and 93% say they feel better after getting care through Rula. We have 21,000+ providers, and appointments are available as soon as tomorrow. We’re here to help you take the next step — wherever you are in your mental health journey.
References
- Subjective fatigue in individuals with anxiety and mood disorders correlates with specific traits of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772408524001133
- Sleep and anxiety: From mechanisms to interventions https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1087079221001684
- Physiology, Stress Reaction https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK541120/
- Clinical perspective on stress, cortisol and adrenal fatigue https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2212962614000054
- Escitalopram https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a603005.html
- Prevalence of anxiety disorders and its co-occurrence with substance use disorder: a clinical study https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s43045-022-00197-x
Liz Talago
Liz Talago, M.ed. is a mental health professional turned content writer and strategist based in the Detroit metro area. As an independent consultant for mental health organizations, Liz creates meaningful connections between brands and their audiences through strategic storytelling. Liz is known for championing diverse perspectives within the mental health industry and translating bold ideas into inspiring, affirming digital experiences.
In her free time, you can find her hiking with her two German Shepherds, puttering around her dahlia garden, or spending time with her family.
Brandy Chalmers, LPC
Having faced challenges like childhood abuse, neglect, and the loss of her father to suicide, Brandy Chalmers is deeply passionate about providing compassionate care. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Nationally Certified Counselor, and Registered Play Therapist with a Master’s Degree in Clinical Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy.
Brandy also teaches at a university, sharing her expertise with future mental health professionals. With over a decade of experience in settings like inpatient care and private practice, she specializes in helping clients with perfectionism, trauma, personality disorders, eating disorders, and life changes.
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