Why So Many Americans Feel Constantly Tired: CDC Report Reveals Who's Hardest Hit

Economic strain, rising healthcare costs and fast-paced social and technological change have left many Americans feeling worn out. A new analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) spotlights how common general fatigue is and which groups report it most often.

Study Overview

The NCHS survey asked about 27,000 U.S. adults (ages 18+) in 2024 about their health and daily lives. About 71.5% reported feeling fatigue on multiple days over the previous three months. The agency's analysis is its first broad look at general fatigue—distinct from ordinary sleepiness and different from chronic fatigue syndrome.

How Fatigue Was Defined

General fatigue in the report refers to physical or mental tiredness or exhaustion that does not improve with additional sleep or rest. It can be a symptom of medical conditions or a side effect of medications, and it often coincides with other problems such as difficulty concentrating, anxiety and depression.

Key Findings

• Nearly three in four adults (71.5%) felt very tired or exhausted on multiple days in the prior three months.
• About one in six adults (≈16.7%) experienced frequent fatigue—feeling very tired most days or every day.
• Frequent fatigue was highest among adults aged 18–34 (19.5%) and lowest among adults 65+ (12.9%).
• Women reported higher rates of frequent fatigue than men (20% vs. 13%).
• By race and ethnicity: American Indian and Alaska Native adults had the highest rate (25.5%), followed by White (18%), Black (17.3%), Hispanic (12.9%) and Asian adults (9.1%).
• Regionally, frequent fatigue was more common in the South (17.7%) and Midwest (17.5%) than in the West (15.6%) or Northeast (14.5%).

Links To Mental And Cognitive Health

The report found people with frequent fatigue were more than three times as likely to have symptoms of depression and about twice as likely to report cognitive difficulties or symptoms of anxiety compared with those who did not report fatigue. As sociologist Natalie A.E. Young, the study's lead author, put it:

"Fatigue is one of the most frequently reported health concerns in primary care visits in the U.S., and those with fatigue are facing limitations in their daily lives."

What Experts Say

Cardiologist Dr. Alana A. Lewis of Northwestern Medicine said the findings "were not unexpected," adding that fatigue is a common part of living in the U.S. Jennifer Caspari, a clinical psychologist, noted that chronic stress depletes energy through sustained hormonal shifts and contributes to sleep disruption, anxiety and depression.

Experts identify three broad triggers of fatigue: mental health, lifestyle and physical health. Common medical contributors include heart disease, obstructive sleep apnea, anemia and thyroid disorders.

Practical Steps And Clinical Approach

When patients report fatigue, Dr. Lewis recommends starting with basic lifestyle questions: Are you getting enough sleep? Are you eating well? Are you exercising? Are you spending long hours on screens? She encourages following the American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 cardiovascular health checklist as a starting point.

Caspari recommends both passive rest (e.g., sitting and relaxing) and "active rest"—gentle activities such as breathing exercises and stretching—which can be more restorative than passive screen time. Tracking sleep and stress patterns can help determine whether fatigue is temporary or a sign of an underlying medical issue that warrants evaluation.

Limitations

The CDC survey did not investigate causes of fatigue or whether fatigue prevalence has changed over time. The findings show correlations with mental and cognitive difficulties, but do not establish direct causation.

Originally published on NBCNews.com.