Are you feeling stressed, fatigued, and burned out? Discover the top 10 ways to put a stopper in your personal energy drains

Consider this simple question: How are you?
We answer it 10 times a day, often rejoining with a clipped "Fine" or "Busy!" accompanied by a glazed smile. But when your best friend or spouse asks, perhaps you tell the deeper truth: You're stressed out and tired. Really tired.

"Busy," "stressed," and "tired" are intimately connected. They describe the ethos of our times -- and its inevitable aftermath. We balance work, family, friends, and our various self-improvement programs. We take in a steady stream of information from the people, screens, phones, and sounds that surround us. We don't sleep enough. We multitask like crazy, striving to get more done in less time.

For a while, maybe even years, it's easy to feel like you can handle this frantic pace -- or even thrive at it. But ultimately, it works against you. "Stress is pervasive in our society, and it's only getting worse," says integrative-medicine expert Woodson Merrell, M.D., author of "The Source: Unleash Your Natural Energy, Power Up Your Health, and Feel 10 Years Younger." "And people do not necessarily have the coping skills to deal with it, even when they think they do." We often don't realize how much of our days are spent dealing with stressful situations, and on a physiological level, the effects of stress add up. "You don't start every day with a clean slate," he says. "You start the day with all the stress you've accumulated in your life, and you add to that."

No wonder we're so tired. In fact, many experts contend that chronic stress and our inability to cope with it are the biggest factors in fatigue. "I hear it all the time. People tell me, 'I have no energy, I can't sleep, I'm exhausted,'" says Andrew Weil, M.D., director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona and author of "Healthy Aging." 

This "tired-wired" state has become a cultural condition, he adds. And for those that struggle with it, fatigue can also become a significant crisis. "Your personal energy level should meet the demands of the day. Your sense of well-being should be good most of the time," says Weil. "When it's not, you have a real quality-of-life shortage."

As is always the case, however, in crisis lies opportunity. Fatigue, it turns out, can be a terrific teacher, giving you a chance to slow down and examine your life, learn more about yourself, and consider what's really important. 

For starters, you want to cover your bases by eating a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, maintaining good sleep habits, and following other steps toward sound overall energy hygiene. But many of our most potent energy drains fly under the radar. By taking careful stock of your daily habits, work life, and relationships, you can begin to see patterns that cause your vitality to slip away unnoticed; make some simple changes, and you'll plug these leaks and start feeling better.

Here, Merrell, Weil, and other experts highlight 10 surprising causes of fatigue and offer thought-provoking solutions to help you energize your mind, body, and spirit -- and your life.