What causes burnout?

Common contributors include excessive workload, long or unpredictable hours, unclear expectations, little control over decisions, poor support, conflict, and repeated exposure to emotionally difficult situations. Burnout can also follow sustained caregiving, financial or family pressure, or trying to meet competing demands without enough rest.

Poor sleep can intensify irritability, low concentration, and exhaustion. Ongoing stress and sleep disruption can reinforce each other; [Insomnia](/conditions/insomnia/) may therefore appear alongside burnout, but sleep difficulty is not the only possible cause of feeling depleted. Burnout is different from a single busy day: the pattern persists and may include emotional distance or reduced sense of effectiveness.

Write down the demands that are draining you and identify one change that would reduce load, such as clearer priorities, protected breaks, shared caring tasks, or a realistic boundary around messages. Speak with a manager, trusted person, or clinician about adjustments before exhaustion becomes a crisis. Keep regular sleep and meals where possible, and use gentle activity or time outdoors as support rather than another performance target. Learn more about [Burnout](/conditions/burnout/).

Arrange a clinical appointment if exhaustion, detachment, poor concentration, or sleep problems are affecting daily life or continuing despite rest. Seek urgent help if you feel unable to keep yourself safe, have thoughts of self-harm, or cannot care for yourself. A clinician can also check for depression, anxiety, thyroid problems, anaemia, medication effects, or another condition that can resemble burnout.

Ask: Could another health problem be contributing to my exhaustion? How should we distinguish burnout from depression or an anxiety disorder? What support or work adjustments would be reasonable, and how can we monitor sleep and recovery?