Ever feel like your anxiety just zaps all your energy, even if you didn’t do anything physical? You’re not imagining it. So, does anxiety make you tired? Yes, it absolutely does. And not just in the way you’d expect.
A recent study published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research found that people with chronic anxiety were more likely to experience extreme fatigue, even after full nights of sleep. Their nervous systems were in a near-constant state of overactivation, leaving them emotionally and physically drained.
Anxiety affects more than your mind, it impacts your entire body. It affects your hormones, your sleep, your digestion, your ability to think straight, and your motivation. Over time, all that pressure adds up and wears you down.
This article breaks down what causes this specific kind of exhaustion and gives you 10 practical, proven ways to treat it.
Why Does Anxiety Make You Tired?
Feeling tired all the time? Anxiety might be the reason, and your body’s stress response plays a big role. Anxiety isn’t just worry. It’s a full-body experience. Your heart beats faster, muscles tighten, breathing becomes shallow, and your brain is on high alert.
But your body can’t stay in fight-or-flight mode forever without consequences. Over time, this constant internal pressure starts to show up as tiredness, burnout, or even physical weakness. Let’s unpack the most common causes of anxiety-related fatigue before moving to treatment.
1. Your Nervous System Stays Stuck in Overdrive
Anxiety activates your sympathetic nervous system, the one responsible for your fight-or-flight response. While this is helpful in an actual emergency, staying in this heightened state day after day uses up more energy than your body can restore.
You may notice racing thoughts, tight muscles, or restlessness that never seems to stop. Over time, this overstimulation can lead to burnout. That’s one reason why anxiety can make you feel weak, even if you haven’t physically exerted yourself.
2. Chronic Muscle Tension Drains Physical Energy
When you’re anxious, your body often holds tension in your jaw, neck, shoulders, and back. You might not even notice it happening, but this low-grade tension throughout the day takes a toll. Your muscles are working overtime, and it tires you out.
Add poor posture or lack of movement into the mix, and this constant tension leads to soreness, fatigue, and even chronic pain. That’s another way anxiety causes tiredness you can physically feel.
3. Poor Sleep Quality (Or Too Much Sleep)
Anxiety can make it hard to fall asleep, stay asleep, or get restful sleep. But it can also do the opposite, leave you sleepy and low-energy during the day. This is why many people wonder: can anxiety make you sleepy? Yes, especially if your mind is so overstimulated that it starts to shut down during the day to protect itself.
It’s a frustrating loop: anxiety keeps you from sleeping well, which leads to exhaustion, which increases your anxiety.
4. Emotional and Mental Burnout
Worrying is exhausting. When you spend hours overthinking, your brain starts to lag. You may find yourself forgetting things, zoning out, or struggling to focus.
That mental fog is another form of fatigue. Can anxiety cause fatigue? Definitely, especially when it’s chronic. And when mental exhaustion is paired with emotional overwhelm, you feel completely spent, even if you’ve done “nothing.”
What Are the Best Ways to Treat Anxiety Fatigue Without Making It Worse?
Anxiety fatigue isn’t something you just “push through.” It needs real recovery, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Here are 10 ways to manage your anxiety-related tiredness, restore your energy, and stop the cycle.
1. Improve Your Sleep Hygiene (Not Just Sleep More)
A huge reason anxiety makes you tired is because it messes with your sleep. You might lie awake overthinking, wake up constantly, or feel unrested even after a full night in bed.
To fix this, don’t focus on just more hours, focus on better quality. Go to bed and wake up at the same time daily. Avoid caffeine after 2 p.m. Keep your room dark and quiet. If your mind is busy, try journaling or a simple breathing technique before bed.
Over time, this tells your brain it’s safe to power down. Better sleep directly improves energy and helps calm an overstimulated nervous system.
2. Move Your Body Daily, Even If You’re Exhausted
When you’re dealing with anxiety fatigue, exercise might be the last thing you feel like doing. But gentle movement helps release built-up tension, regulate your mood, and reset your energy.
You don’t need an intense workout. A short walk, light yoga, or even stretching for 10 minutes is enough to activate your parasympathetic nervous system, the one that helps you relax. It’s a natural way to reduce stress and improve energy without caffeine or naps.
3. Eat Regularly and Stabilize Blood Sugar
Anxiety often kills your appetite, or makes you crave sugar and carbs. That blood sugar rollercoaster can leave you even more tired, moody, and foggy. To avoid this, eat small, balanced meals with protein, fat, and fiber throughout the day.
Drink plenty of water too. Dehydration often mimics tiredness. Stabilizing your nutrition helps reduce both anxiety and fatigue. It’s not about dieting, it’s about fuel.
4. Break the All-or-Nothing Mentality
People with anxiety often push themselves too hard or freeze under pressure. You might feel like you have to do everything perfectly, or not at all. That’s mentally exhausting.
Start small. Break tasks into steps. Give yourself permission to rest or make mistakes. Even half-finished progress is still progress. This mindset shift helps prevent burnout and gives your brain a much-needed breather.
5. Learn to Calm Your System on Command
Techniques like box breathing (inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4) or progressive muscle relaxation help lower your heart rate and quiet your thoughts. Doing them regularly trains your body to switch off fight-or-flight mode more quickly.
These practices don’t just feel good, they change your nervous system over time. That means less stress, better sleep, and fewer days where anxiety makes you tired for no clear reason.
6. Limit Overstimulation
Our modern world is noisy, social media, news alerts, notifications, bright lights, constant multitasking. All of it adds up. And for an anxious brain, overstimulation leads to shutdown.
Turn off unnecessary alerts. Use blue light filters. Take screen breaks. Even reducing clutter in your space helps. Simplifying your environment gives your nervous system room to breathe, and boosts mental clarity.
7. Talk It Out, Therapy Can Rewire Patterns
You don’t have to do this alone. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the most effective tools for treating both anxiety and fatigue. It helps you spot distorted thinking patterns that feed worry and emotional exhaustion.
A therapist can also help you set boundaries, build emotional resilience, and feel less overwhelmed by everyday stressors. Talking to someone gives your brain an outlet, and reduces that invisible pressure you carry.
8. Build a Recovery Routine (Not Just Rest Days)
Waiting until you’re burned out to rest is too late. Build in micro-recovery moments throughout your day. This might mean stepping outside for five minutes, closing your eyes for a short break, or having a real lunch without multitasking.
Think of it as energy budgeting. The more you recover throughout the day, the less likely you are to crash at night.
9. Track Energy and Anxiety Patterns
Keep a simple journal: What did you eat today? How much did you sleep? What made your anxiety spike? What gave you energy?
You’ll start to notice patterns. Maybe you feel wiped out after social events, or extra alert after a protein-rich breakfast. Understanding your triggers (and what helps) gives you more control over both your anxiety and your energy.
10. Drop the Guilt About Being Tired
One of the most exhausting parts of anxiety is the guilt you carry about not being “productive” or “strong enough.” But let’s be clear: Can anxiety cause tiredness? Absolutely. And you’re not lazy or weak for needing rest.
Your body is working hard to stay regulated. That’s a full-time job on its own. Let go of the guilt. Recovery isn’t optional, it’s necessary.
Yes, Anxiety Really Does Make You Tired, But You Can Reclaim Your Energy
If anxiety has you feeling weak, tired, or worn out all the time, know that it’s a common and very real experience, one many people deal with every day.
Anxiety is exhausting. It affects your sleep, your thinking, your body, and your emotions. But it’s also treatable. You can take your energy back, bit by bit, with small changes that support your nervous system and rebuild your stamina.
Start where you are. Don’t wait for a “good day” to begin. Rest is part of healing—and you deserve it.