Why are there people who seem to be in a permanent lethargic state?

Introduction

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It has probably happened to everyone of us, that sometimes, we find ourselves with an extreme laziness that makes it hard to get through the day. It usually happens after a period of intense work that last for a few days or weeks, and we can see this as a sign from our body telling us that we have probably reach the maximum of the performance it can give us. So, whether we like it or not, we can be in a situation in which we need to slow down a little bit, so our energy can be recharged. But once this period is over, we get back to being proactive as usual.

Nonetheless, there are many people who instead of wanting to get out of bed to start doing something, they just want to sleep and spend the day like this, just lied down on the bed, they can even see the bed as the ideal refuge to escape from everything. This lethargic state and lack of will to do any activity, as well as always being sleepy during the day, can in most cases, be a clear indication that this person is going through a depressive phase, and even though it is true that each individual is different and that depression can affect each of them in a particular way, there is a series of common and frequent symptoms, and having a chronic lack of energy is certainly one of them.

Understanding the issue

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When people are healthy having motivation seem to be something that comes spontaneously, this can make us believe that it is something natural, and if an individual has no issues, we can believe he should have some kind of motivation that is always present, no matter what. But this things aren't really like that, and any normal person goes through moments of emptiness and reluctance that can be caused by a lot of reasons, this is why being capable of developing the conviction to move forward in life is essential in order to overcome these periods of fatigue that we experience as a result of the typical obstacles we can find from time to time.

If we do not feel motivated to do things, and we resign ourselves to do nothing and remain inactive, we will start to wait for the return of our motivation and our desire to do something, but in the meantime, this inactivity can turn into despair as we eventually get tired of waiting and frustrated by the situation in which we are in.

Lethargy creates a slowing of your cognitive functions, creating impairments in your memory and concentration. It becomes difficult for you to retrieve learn information. Your thinking becomes slower and mental task which were once simple become extremely difficult or impossible to perform. | Source

This mental state can at many times make the person believe he doesn’t have enough strength to continue, and sometimes he will feel resentment for something that has gone wrong in the past, which can shape how he sees and interpret things later on in life.

A lethargic state consists in 2 aspects, a permanent need to rest and a chronic lack of energy:

The first one, hypersomnia or hypersomnolence is defined as:

... recurrent episodes of excessive daytime sleepiness or prolonged nighttime sleep that is not restorative. This excessive sleepiness is present despite a main sleep period lasting at least seven hours. | Source

... episodes of recurrent excessive sleepiness daytime or prolongation of night sleep. Patients have other problems including lack of clear thinking, interrupted night sleep and energy. People experiencing hypersomnia can sleep anytime at work or while driving. | Source

This excess of sleep during the day and the fact of wanting to continue sleeping can be a result of suffering from depression for several reasons. First, depressive disorders can lead to nightmares that might make it difficult to have proper rest, this leads to fatigue and the already mentioned daytime sleepiness, and on the other hand, there can be people with depression who find in their bed and in the act of sleeping a safe place to stop worrying about what is currently affecting them at the emotional level, this way they can try to liberate themselves of the deep sadness, anguish and other depressive symptoms they might be experiencing.

Regarding a chronic lack of energy, there is a condition called abulia that has the following definition:

Abulia is the loss of the ability to make decisions and the desire to do something. It is characterized by a loss of volition and being unable to act independently. Sufferers will have a lack of motivation and seem to be unable to perform tasks or initiate normal behaviors. | Source

People suffering from this won’t have enough motivation to do things that they once enjoyed, and will try to remain alone as much as they can because interacting with other people and being spontaneous with them can consume a lot of the little energy they have left, especially if they also chose to pretend everything is good to avoid uncomfortable questions about their current situation.

Since achieving our goals, will always require a certain discipline on our part, having this condition can make it much more difficult because due to their lack of energy these people won’t be able to do what it takes in order to fulfill their wishes and their personal plans, and as time goes by and they realize they aren’t getting close to their goals, their frustration can therefore worsen their already difficult condition, even to the point of ending up developing heart problems.

Specifically, ventricular tachycardia, which is “a pulse of more than 100 beats per minute with at least three irregular heartbeats in a row. It is caused by a malfunction in the heart’s electrical system” | Source, this is linked with high levels of depression especially in people who already suffered from a heart attack. | Source

This is one of many examples that proves how our emotional state has a real impact in our physical well being, which is why we must always take care of these issues as soon as possible to protect our overall health.

Overcoming the lethargic state

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Antidepressant medications can be helpful for reducing depression symptoms in some people, especially in people with severe depression. Psychotherapy is also an effective treatment, either alone or in combination with medications. The benefits of psychotherapy may have an enduring effect that protects against symptoms returning even after treatment is ended. | Source

Depending on the intensity, getting rid of these problems is never an easy task and will always take some time for this to be accomplished, but it can always be done. People could start to progressively start to do whatever they enjoyed doing before, even if they don’t feel like it, they can force themselves for a while until positive emotions can emerge and they start to link these particular activities with feelings of fun and enjoyment. Sooner or later, their old excitement will return.

Another useful thing people could do, is instead of feeling frustrated because of their lack of results when it comes to their goals, they could focus their attention on short term and very simply goals that are easy to accomplish, this way, it will be easier for them to feel like they are doing something productive and this can help leave their negative thoughts behind. Since their lack of energy is mainly a mental issue, fixing their mentality is all that is needed.

It is also important for them to not become isolated, and to avoid entering a loop of pessimism and negative emotions, it is important that they continue interacting with the people they have around, because spending some quality time with close people is always healthy, besides it can also serve as a comforting moment to receive emotional support.

Conclusion

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When people find themselves in a lethargic state that doesn’t seem to go away, it can mean they are currently suffering from depression, in which case getting out of that state will require some effort and patience from the person in question.

Even though it is clearly not easy to get out of a condition like that one, it is always possible to do it, especially when there is all kind of support coming from other people, however, it is important for the person to always remain emotionally independent, this means that his emotional state should not be heavily influenced by other people, our interaction with others can be seen as something that complements how we feel, but it should never be the defining factor, our happiness or sadness always rely on how we feel with ourselves, so developing and maintaining a positive self image is always useful in circumstances like this one.

Have you ever found yourself in a lethargic state at some point in your life?