MAIDENHEAD, UK, November 18, 2019 – People across the UK are suffering from relentless ‘tiredness’ with 10.5 million2 unable to keep up with the pace and demands of modern life. And, these feelings of exhaustion are most common among those aged 35-50 years, according to a new survey1 from Abbott.
The consequences of the nation’s Tiredness Epidemic are far-reaching:
- 1 in 4 people give up exercise due to tiredness
- 1 in 5 stop spending time with friends
- Two thirds (66%) of mums and dads surveyed wish they had more energy to play with their children
- Among 35-50 year olds, 1 in 5 are too tired to eat healthily
- Up to 7 million Brits3 (22%) would call in sick to work when tired
And while most people (73%) recognise the importance of healthy muscles as they age, today’s survey exposes that few understand the role of muscle health in day-to day-tiredness – or what to do about it.
“We are experiencing unprecedented tiredness in Britain because our bodies are struggling to keep up with our restless lifestyles, characterised by high flexibility, constant availability and the trend towards self-optimisation”, says Imogen Watson, dietitian and medical & scientific affairs manager for Abbott. “However, human biology plays a crucial role too. We lose 8% of our muscles every decade from the age of 40. Muscle strength, energy balance and feelings of exhaustion are strongly dependent on each other, so the combination of lifestyle and biology can create a lasting feeling of fatigue that makes it difficult to complete our many tasks, especially as we age.”
According to the survey1, only 1 in 3 people know how to keep their muscles healthy. And while half can identify that protein is good for muscle health, many do not know which foods are high in protein (46%) and only just over 1 in 3 understand that protein gives them energy. Only 17% of those surveyed understood the role of protein in combating tiredness.
Imogen Watson continues, “Protein supplies the energy we need in the form of amino acids and acts as the building blocks of our muscles. If muscles become less efficient, we can become fatigued, so ensuring we have the right nutrition – particularly protein and vitamins to protect and improve our muscle health – is critical to support wellbeing, to boost energy and reduce tiredness. However, for many people this can be tricky to achieve with such busy lifestyles.”
Today’s survey1 shows that it has become ‘normal’ and ‘acceptable’ to live with everyday tiredness. Nearly half (44%) of people believe it is just part of modern-day life and something to put up with and 2 in 5 say their body can’t keep up with their busy lifestyle, but that doesn’t look set to change. Money worries, not having enough time to unwind, fatigue, lack of sleep, long commutes and working too late, are all cited as contributing to Britain’s tiredness epidemic.
In response, Abbott has launched a free, online Tiredness Assessment tool which allows people to self-assess their level of tiredness, the likely causes and to identify steps they can take to improve muscle health and boost energy levels. The tool can be accessed at the following link: www.tryensuremax.co.uk
Imogen Watson adds: “Understanding our personal levels of tiredness is the first step to identifying how to boost our energy; but feeding our muscles with the right nutrition has an immediate and tangible positive effect on our ability to cope with the fast pace of today’s modern life by helping our muscles stay strong, so we have more energy and feel less tired – and ultimately live our best and healthiest lives.”
Abbott’s science-led nutritional products include a specialist range, targeting muscle health. The latest addition, Ensure Max Protein, was developed to support better muscle health in otherwise-well adults (over 35 years) specifically to give them strength and energy to combat everyday tiredness.