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December 29, 2025
Dr Ahmed Kamal
Low energy is one of the most common reasons men start questioning their health. It’s rarely dramatic. More often, it’s a gradual sense of running on empty — getting through the day, but without the drive, focus, or resilience that once felt normal. For many men, the first step is a blood test. And when results come back “normal”, the assumption is that nothing medical is going on. Clinically, that conclusion is far too simple.
Feeling persistently low in energy is not a diagnosis. It’s a signal — and signals need interpretation.
Energy is not controlled by a single system in the body. It’s influenced by sleep quality, mental load, physical health, hormones, nutrition, and stress — often all at once. This is why fatigue can look very different from one person to another. Some men feel physically drained. Others describe mental exhaustion, reduced motivation, or a sense that effort feels heavier than it should. Many experience a mix of all three. Online, fatigue is often framed as something that blood tests should “pick up”. In reality, tests can rule certain things out, but they rarely explain everything on their own.
Blood tests are useful, but they are snapshots. They show what is happening at a single point in time, under specific conditions. Many of the factors that affect energy fluctuate day to day. Sleep debt, stress, recent illness, changes in workload, or training intensity may not be reflected clearly in standard results. Reference ranges are also broad, designed for populations rather than individuals. It’s also important to understand that “normal” does not always mean “optimal for you”. Clinically, the question is not whether a number sits inside a range, but whether it makes sense alongside symptoms, history, and context. This is where fatigue is often missed — not because tests are wrong, but because they’re asked to answer questions they can’t answer alone.
Testosterone is frequently discussed when men experience low energy. It can play a role, but it is rarely the sole explanation. Hormone levels are sensitive to sleep, stress, illness, weight changes, and medication. A single result — high or low — does not automatically explain how someone feels. Equally, many men with low energy have hormone levels that are clinically unremarkable. Good clinicians treat hormones as part of a wider picture, not a shortcut to an answer. Fatigue caused by psychological stress, poor sleep, or lifestyle imbalance will not resolve simply by correcting a number on a blood test.
When energy levels are persistently low, clinicians look for patterns rather than single data points. That includes how symptoms developed, what makes them better or worse, and whether they align with life events, work pressure, sleep disruption, or changes in routine. Medical history and medication use also matter more than many people realise. This pattern-based approach helps distinguish between fatigue that reflects a medical issue and fatigue that reflects how the body is responding to sustained demands. Often, the most valuable outcome of a clinical review is reassurance — understanding that symptoms are real, but not dangerous, and knowing where attention is best directed.
If low energy is persistent, progressive, or affecting daily function, it’s reasonable to explore it further — even if initial tests appear normal. That doesn’t mean something serious is being missed. More often, it means the explanation sits outside what routine testing can show. A clinical conversation can help clarify what’s likely, what’s unlikely, and what — if anything — needs follow-up. Understanding why energy is low is often more helpful than chasing a single cause.
"Blood tests are tools, not answers. Fatigue is usually explained by context, not one abnormal result."
— Dr Ahmed Kamal Abdoun, Menvate
This reflects how clinicians use investigations to support judgement, rather than replace it.
Low energy is one of the most human symptoms there is. It reflects how the body and mind are coping with the demands placed on them. When tests don’t provide clear answers, it doesn’t mean symptoms aren’t valid. It means they need to be understood differently — through patterns, perspective, and context rather than numbers alone. For many men, that shift in understanding is the first step toward feeling better.
