Women really are more fatigued more than men — and now there’s federal data to prove it.
More than half of women said they feel fatigued “some days,” with nearly 20% saying that they experienced it “most days or every day,” a recent Centers for Disease Control study revealed, according to NBC.
Jennifer Caspari, a clinical psychologist, said the male-female imbalance stems from women facing a greater amount of responsibilities compared to men, as well as hormonal fluctuations.
But the amount of people experiencing stress may also be a part of the way life is for many.
“People are incredibly busy,” Caspari told the outlet. “They’re stressed. They’re feeling spread thin. They have a lot on their plates and only so many hours in the day. They’re trying to cram in so much.”
Younger adults between the ages of 18-34 are also more likely to report experiencing frequent fatigue, according to the study, while men and people 65 and older are less likely to report fatigue.
Frequent fatigue, where one feels tired “most days or every day,” was experienced in one of every six adults, according to the study.
General fatigue – which is more intense than plain old sleepiness – includes “physical or mental tiredness or exhaustion that does not improve with additional sleep or rest,” according to the researchers.
People with frequent fatigue symptoms are more likely to experience other symptoms which make functioning difficult, including cognitive difficulties, depression and anxiety, sociologist Natalie A.E. Young, lead author on the report, told the outlet.
“So it’s not just that fatigue is common,” Young said. “It’s that fatigue is common and those with fatigue are facing limitations in their daily lives.”
The study, which surveyed nearly 27,000 adults aged 18 and older in 2024, found that nearly 18% of Americans in both the South and Midwest experienced frequent fatigue, while about 15% in both the West and Northeast were frequently winded.
The study doesn’t go into the causes of the frequent fatigue rates, and it doesn’t indicate if the rates are better or worse compared to previous years.
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