There Are 4 Types of Tired—Discover Yours To Get Your Energy Back

The Liz Moody Podcast

Liz Moody

Self-improvement, Education, Mental Health, Health & Fitness

4.9 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 23 March 2026

⏱️ 37 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Ever sleep in on a Saturday and still wake up exhausted? Or finally take that vacation you’ve been dreaming about, only to come back feeling like you need another one? Or maybe you cancel all your plans to stay home and rest, and somehow end up feeling even worse. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. So I got curious (as I do) and dove into the research. Turns out, there are actually four totally different types of tired: Input Tired, Emotionally Tired, Physiologically Tired, and Existentially Tired. If we don’t know what kind of tired we’re dealing with, we end up throwing the wrong solutions at it—and then wonder why nothing actually helps. In this episode, I’m breaking down how to figure out exactly what kind of tired you are, so you can finally get the kind of rest that makes you feel energized again. Because you deserve to feel GOOD, not just a little less tired. 🎧 What you’ll learn: Why you still feel exhausted after a full night's sleep and exactly what to do about it The 4 different types of tired, plus how to identify which one you’re experiencing How to know if the type of rest you’re reaching for won’t make you feel better Research-supported fixes for each type of tired and my favorite ways to feel rested and recharged How to re-balance your dopamine without going cold-turkey on screens Why existential exhaustion is valid and increasingly common—plus two evidence-backed antidotes A simple daily practice that makes life feel richer and more energizing To find out what type of tired you are, take the full quiz at lizmoody.com/tired. It’ll give you a more detailed breakdown and some personalized recommendations, too. Check out the previous episode of The Liz Moody Podcast discussed today: The Novelty Rule: How To Use My Neuroscience Hack That’s Changing Millions Of Lives Ready to uplevel every part of your life? Order Liz’s book 100 Ways to Change Your Life: The Science of Leveling Up Health, Happiness, Relationships & Success now! Connect with Liz on Instagram @lizmoody or online at www.lizmoody.com. Subscribe to the substack by visiting https://lizmoody.substack.com/welcome. Buy our cute sweatshirts, conversation cards, and more at https://shop.lizmoody.com/. To join The Liz Moody Podcast Club Facebook group, go to www.facebook.com/groups/thelizmoodypodcast. Use our discount codes from our highly vetted and tested brand partners by visiting https://www.lizmoody.com/codes. This episode is brought to you completely free thanks to the following podcast sponsors: Lumebox: go to TheLumeBox.com/Liz for 40% off anytime. Pique: head to PiqueLife.com/LizMoody for 20% off. NOCD: to learn more about OCD therapy with NOCD, go to NOCD.com and book a free call. Masterclass: head to MasterClass.com/LizMoody for an additional 15% off. The Liz Moody Podcast cover art by Zack. The Liz Moody Podcast music by Alex Ruimy. Formerly the Healthier Together Podcast. This podcast and website represents the opinions of Liz Moody and her guests to the show. The content here should not be taken as medical advice. The content here is for information purposes only, and because each person is so unique, please consult your healthcare professional for any medical questions. The Liz Moody Podcast Episode 415. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Last month, I canceled plans with friends three times in one week, and I wasn't too busy. I didn't have
0:05.4	too much going on. I physically could not make myself go. I was literally just too tired. It felt so
0:12.3	overwhelming. But the thing is, I was sleeping well, I was exercising, I was eating well, and I was
0:18.0	still exhausted all of the time. No matter what I did, I was struggling to have
0:23.5	the energy to do both what I needed to do every day at my job, in my chores, all of that stuff,
0:28.6	and to do the stuff that I want to do, like go out with my friends and do fun stuff with Zach
0:33.7	and learn new hobbies. So, as always, I was like, what does the science say about this?
0:39.6	So I dove into the research and I realized something crazy. There is not just one type of tired.
0:45.9	There are actually four distinct types and we really only talk about one of them, the type of
0:50.2	tired that you are when you need more sleep. And we ignore the other three types. And if we don't
0:55.8	know what type of tired we are, we cannot do the right thing to fix it. That is the reason that you
1:01.9	still feel like garbage after sleeping in on Saturday or after taking that vacation that you've been
1:07.2	counting down to for months or after canceling all of your plans to stay in for the
1:11.9	night. You are not addressing the right type of tired. You're not addressing the type of tired that you are.
1:17.7	So today I'm going to try my absolute best to consolidate all of that research to help you identify
1:23.2	what type of tired you are so you can get the right type of rest and you can feel so much better.
1:29.6	Welcome to the Liz Moody podcast where we share real doable solutions to your trickiest problem
1:34.6	so you can feel as good as possible every single day. I'm your host, Liz. I've been a journalist
1:39.3	for over two decades. I have spent my entire career learning how to ask the right questions, even if they
1:45.8	are taboo, even if they're uncomfortable, so that you can get the answers that will actually
1:50.6	change your life. Okay, I'm going to describe four scenarios. I want you to pick the one that feels
1:55.6	most like your current state. Do not overthink it. Just go with your gut. And also, if you feel like more than
	...

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