Fatigue? Chronic fatigue? Low energy?
- Martyna Bajer
- Jan 1
- 4 min read
Fatigue is one of those symptoms that can quietly take over your life.
Low energy that follows you from morning to evening, brain fog that makes simple tasks feel heavy, and no matter what you do you never truly recharge.
In Ayurveda, chronic fatigue is never seen as “one thing.” It's signal that your system is spending more energy than it is able to create, absorb, or circulate. And here’s what makes it tricky: two people can use the same words (tired, drained, exhausted) while having completely different root patterns underneath.
That is why the Ayurvedic approach always begins with this question: What is your constitution (prakriti), and what is currently out of balance (vikriti)?
Over the past few years, I’ve been working with a client whose main challenge was chronic fatigue. Our collaboration extended beyond Ayurveda into biohacking and lifestyle optimization, and it gave me a very real, first-hand view of fatigue from multiple angles: physical, mental, emotional, and energetic. And if there’s one thing I’m certain of now, it’s this:
Fatigue is rarely “just low energy.” It’s often the body asking for a new strategy.
Why chronic fatigue feels like a “modern” condition
Ayurveda is ancient, but it is very honest about modern life. Many cases of chronic fatigue today are shaped by:
overstimulation (constant input, constant urgency)
irregular routines (sleep, meals, work patterns)
nervous system depletion
chronic inflammation, sometimes silent
digestion that looks “fine” on the outside but is not producing real nourishment
In the Western approach, long-term fatigue is sometimes misunderstood and labelled too quickly as depression, with recommendations that can actually exhaust the body further (for example: pushing intense exercise, forcing productivity, “just get outside more,” “power through”). For some people, those suggestions are helpful. For others, it’s like whipping an already tired horse.
My first instinct is different: Before we push the system, we assess whether the system can hold the push.
Which doshas are involved?
When people hear “fatigue,” they often assume it’s Kapha (heavy, sluggish). And yes, sometimes it is. But chronic fatigue frequently includes Vata disturbance, even when the person looks “Kapha-ish” or “Pitta-driven” on the outside. That's because modern fatigue often has a nervous-system signature:
wired but tired
light sleep or unrefreshing sleep
racing mind
anxiety under the surface
crash cycles (productive highs, depleted lows)
From an Ayurvedic perspective, this can look like Vata pulling energy upward, scattering it, drying it out, and making it harder for the body to rebuild stable reserves. This is why “more stimulation” is rarely the answer.
The Ama piece
One of the most interesting Ayurvedic concepts in fatigue is Ama. Ama is often described as toxic residue, but practically, think of it as metabolic leftovers. Material that was not fully digested, transformed, or cleared.
Ayurveda teaches that Ama is a root cause of many diseases, because it blocks channels and disrupts tissue nourishment.
And yes, Ama can absolutely feel like:
fatigue
heaviness
brain fog
lack of motivation
dullness after eating
feeling “slow” in the body and mind
Ama carries Kapha-like qualities (heavy, sticky, cold, dense). So even when the fatigue includes Vata (irregularity, nervous depletion), there can still be an Ama component making everything feel harder.
This is one reason why chronic fatigue can look confusing: You can have depletion and congestion at the same time!
The digestion and liver angle most people miss
Ayurveda is very direct about this: if digestion is not strong, tissues do not get nourished properly. And without nourishment, energy is unstable.
Fatigue may be related to things like:
low gastric fire (weak agni)
weakness in the liver’s function (processing, metabolism, blood quality)
low adrenal energy (stress response depleted)
anemia (low oxygenation, poor tissue nourishment)
This doesn’t mean everyone with fatigue has these issues. It means Ayurveda considers them as possible links in the chain, depending on the person.
And there’s a specific, fascinating pattern Ayurveda points to: Chronic fatigue syndrome related to high, stagnant Pitta in the liver, sometimes discussed in relation to viral patterns such as Epstein–Barr virus (EBV).
In plain language: Sometimes fatigue is not “lack.”Sometimes it’s the body being busy. Busy processing inflammation, immune activation, heat, or metabolic backlog.
Why “rejuvenation” is not step one (and why this matters)
A lot of people want the magic herb, the perfect supplement stack, or the one protocol that finally gives them energy.
Ayurveda does have a profound concept for rebuilding: Rasayana, the science of rejuvenation.
But here’s the part most people skip: Rasayana is typically the last step, not the first. If the channels are blocked (Ama), if digestion is weak (Agni), if the nervous system is scattered (Vata), then “rejuvenation” can be like pouring premium oil into a dirty engine.
This is why two people can take the same “energy support” remedies and have completely different results!
The real question is not “How do I get energy?” It’s: "What is stealing my energy, and what is preventing my system from generating it naturally?"
Chronic fatigue is not a personality trait.
It’s not laziness.
It's s not a moral failing.
It’s information.
And it deserves to be approached with nuance, not generic advice.
If you’re ready for a personalized approach, that’s exactly what my work is built around: decoding your pattern, your constitution, and the specific reasons your body is not recharging!
