I am exhausted

"I'm spent." And you don't know why. It’s so relatable; I used to say it myself. And I’m not talking about the fatigue from a busy week. Not the kind that goes away after a good weekend. No. The other kind. The one that’s there when you wake up. The one that’s underneath absolutely everything.
You eat mindfully. You sleep. You take your supplements. And yet, by three in the afternoon, you’re completely out of energy. You have to read your emails three times and you start canceling appointments.

I know that feeling of being "spent." I was literally sitting in a bus shelter because I just couldn't go any further. I threw my bike against a lamppost and took the bus. At first, I thought there was something wrong with the bike. The pedals were so heavy. As if something was stuck. That bike really needed to go to the repair shop.

Five hundred meters. A stone's throw, right?

I felt so ashamed sitting there. Who on earth waits for a bus to go 500 meters?

That was the turning point. Because I soon realized: it wasn't the bike. Unfortunately. It was in perfect condition. It was me. Not the busyness. Not a bad day. Not my age.

I did everything right. Ate well. Slept well. Took supplements. I knew a lot. I did a lot. I was active enough. And yet, there I was in that bus shelter. I was spent.

A kitchen cupboard full of good intentions

Your kitchen cupboard is full of good intentions. B12, iron, a multivitamin for women, magnesium for the night, omega-3 from algae, vitamin D for the winter, that one vital C supplement you saw on Instagram. You know which ones you take faithfully and which ones you forget. You also know which ones you bought "just in case" and never touched again.

In between, you scroll. Another expert. Another protocol. A before-and-after. She looks radiant, says she has her life together, and that it’s all thanks to this one powder. Maybe you should try that? Or that morning routine? Or that one blood test you really should get done?

Honestly, you’re just exhausted by yourself.

Because how many times have you considered something new this year?
A protocol that was recommended somewhere. How many times have you thought, "This time, I’m really going to stick with it for six weeks." Not that it ever really changed anything. Because in the evening on the couch, you feel just as tired as before. And all you want to do is go to bed at 9 o'clock.

If you’re truly honest, the energy you had left drains away halfway through the day. Somewhere around three o'clock. Just when you still have hours to go.
And the doctor couldn't find anything. Your blood work was fine.

Ten years on half-power. And she thought it was normal.

Women sometimes function on half-power for years without even realizing it. Especially when they are "strong"—they just keep going. And it happens so gradually that you get used to it. Used to having less energy. To those concentration problems. To hair that’s getting thinner. To nails that break. To athletic performance that’s dropping. To that dizziness when you stand up too quickly.

You compare yourself to yesterday. Yesterday was the same, so it must be fine, right? But compare yourself to three months ago. Or a year. Could you do more then than you can now? Was your head clearer? Did you walk up stairs without thinking about it?

Oncological surgeon Marjolein Smidt was a fanatical triathlete. For years, her athletic performance declined, until she eventually fainted. As she told NRC, she turned out to have severe anemia. Looking back, she said: "If I look back, this was probably going on for ten years. I lived on a low battery for years."

Ten years. Running on half power. And she thought it was normal!

She is no exception. In fact, researchers and doctors now state that this pattern affects a large proportion of women without them even realizing it. 20% of women experience symptoms. The symptoms are there, but they are rarely linked to what is actually going on.
Stress. A bad night's sleep. A busy period. Age. So they are rationalized away. Not just by doctors, but especially by women themselves.

A woman who spoke to her GP about her symptoms described it this way: "I noticed that it isn't really taken seriously. Even when test results show a low value, it's quickly dismissed as 'good enough'."

What should you look out for if you eat healthily but still feel "drained"?

There are a few things that are under pressure more often than you might think. Even if you eat healthily. Even if you take supplements.

Iron is not always absorbed well. Your body only absorbs 2 to 20 percent of plant-based iron, so if you are a vegetarian, you need to be more careful. Your body absorbs 15 to 35 percent of iron from meat. Grain products, which most of us eat daily, further inhibit that absorption. Anyone who is vegetarian and menstruates is at a structurally higher risk. And crucially, the symptoms begin long before a doctor gives it a name.
Read here what to look out for if you have an iron deficiency.

On paper, zinc is found in legumes and grains. In practice, certain substances in those products, known as phytates, bind the zinc before it can be absorbed.

Magnesium is found in leafy green vegetables and nuts. However, its absorption depends on the quality of the soil in which those crops are grown. And that soil has become significantly depleted over the past few decades.

Selenium is almost absent in European plant-based foods, as the Health Council has also noted. They are currently conducting research. A structural plant-based source barely exists. Many people have a selenium deficiency, as Prof. Muskiet has also explained in detail. Otherwise, listen to this podcast for a moment.

These are not minor issues. Food contains less. And what is in it is not absorbed as well.

It is not about what you consume. It is about what actually reaches your cells.

This is perhaps the most overlooked point in the entire discussion surrounding fatigue and supplements. You can take all sorts of things. You can eat consciously. You might even eat well. You can do everything right, on paper. But if the pathway to the cell isn't functioning properly, the question remains: is it actually getting there? Simply adding more isn't always the answer. The question shifts.

From: what should I add? To: what does my body actually achieve? Only what actually reaches your cells, makes sense.

Frequently asked questions about fatigue

Why do I wake up tired after 8 hours of sleep?
Waking up tired after a full night's sleep is one of the most common complaints. And also one of the most underestimated. It is a signal that your body is not recovering as it should, not that you are sleeping too little. Possible causes lie in mineral deficiencies that develop so gradually that you no longer notice them yourself. Do not compare yourself to yesterday, but to a year ago. That difference tells you more than your blood test results.

What should I do if I am very tired?
First: don't add anything yet. Most people who are chronically tired have already tried everything. The question is not what else you can take, but whether what you are already taking is actually being absorbed. Start by measuring. Ask your GP for a measurement of both hemoglobin and ferritin, not just Hb. Or first take the free Absorption Check via form.typeform.com/to/jbeydPHl to get an initial idea of where your potential deficiencies might lie.

Brain fog: what can you do?
Brain fog—that feeling of mental cotton wool, being unable to think clearly, forgetting what you were just about to say—is rarely an isolated issue. It almost always goes hand in hand with other signals: fatigue, concentration problems, headaches. It is often dismissed as stress or lack of sleep. But it can also point to a deficiency that your body has been carrying for some time. A fatigue test or absorption check can provide more clarity than you might expect.

I am tired, have headaches, and am forgetful. What could that be?
The combination of fatigue, headaches, and forgetfulness, sometimes accompanied by hair loss or concentration problems, is a pattern that many women recognize but rarely take seriously. Because each signal seems explainable on its own. Stress. A bad night's sleep. A busy period. But together, they tell a different story. This is precisely the pattern where it is worth looking beyond standard blood test results.

Do supplements help with concentration and fatigue?
Supplements can help, but only if they are actually absorbed. That sounds logical, but it is the stumbling block that most people skip. You can take B12, iron, or magnesium, but if the carrier required to transport those minerals to the cell is missing, they will not reach their destination. Concentration supplements only work if the foundation is right.

What is a fatigue test?
A fatigue test provides insight into where your fatigue might be coming from. Our free Absorption Check is not a medical diagnosis, but an initial orientation: in a few minutes, you will get an idea of how your absorption is doing and which minerals might be under pressure.

Take the absorption check (in Dutch only)

Read more about mineral deficiency? Read on here

And read here what you should look out for when taking a combination of minerals.

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