7 Subtle Signs Your Metabolism Is Slowing and How To Change It

Metabolism refers to the bodily process of turning food into energy. It’s essential for multiple functions, including digestion, breathing, blood circulation, and temperature regulation.

Several factors, including genetics, health conditions, and lifestyle determine the speed of your metabolism. Having a slow metabolism means your body doesn’t burn as many calories—which can lead to subtle symptoms like food cravings, dry skin, fatigue, and mood swings.

Feeling tired all the time without a clear explanation may be a sign that you have a slow metabolism.

When your metabolism is running slowly, the process of breaking down food into energy will also be slow-moving—leading to low energy levels. As a result, you may feel groggy or get tired easily during the day.

Changes in your food intake or body composition (the measurement of body fat and lean mass) may also heighten your perception of feeling fatigued.

Dry or dull skin is common in colder months, but if you’re noticing it regularly, this could be a symptom of having a slow metabolism.

The thyroid hormones that help regulate the speed of your metabolism are also involved in maintaining skin hydration levels. So, when there’s a thyroid function imbalance and metabolic slowdown, you may experience abnormally dehydrated skin.

If you’re attempting to lose weight by consuming a nutritious diet and exercising regularly but are still gaining weight, the problem might be a slow metabolism.

When your metabolism is slower, the body can’t convert food into energy as quickly, so it burns fewer calories. In turn, more calories get stored as fat in the body, making it difficult to lose weight.

Feeling chilly—even when the temperatures haven’t dropped—is often a symptom of a metabolism dysfunction.

Body heat is generated through metabolic processes, and having a cooler body temperature is linked to a slower metabolism.

For example, some studies have suggested that people with hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid) and people with obesity may have lower body temperatures than usual due to a slowed metabolism. In these cases, an imbalance in thyroid hormone levels can prevent the body from generating heat properly.

Craving certain foods, especially foods high in sugar and fat, could be due to a slower metabolism.

Studies have shown that food cravings are linked to your metabolic health—particularly diets low in nutritious foods, harmful eating patterns, and unbalanced body composition (such as low muscle mass and high fat mass).

These cravings may also be a sign that your metabolism isn’t successfully converting food into the energy and nutrition it needs, prompting your body to seek more energy through food.

An occasional mood swing isn’t a cause for concern. However, frequent mood fluctuations can be the result of a slower metabolism.

Low energy levels and hormone imbalances that come along with a slowed metabolism can contribute to feelings like irritability and frustration. Older research also shows a potential link between having mental health issues and experiencing a slow metabolism.

The digestive process and your metabolic rate are closely connected, as digestion refers to the process of breaking down food and metabolism refers to converting food into energy.

A change to your metabolism—like a slowdown—can affect digestion. A less active metabolism may result in unusual digestive symptoms like constipation, bloating, or diarrhea.

A variety of factors help determine how slow (or fast) your metabolism is, including:

Genetics: Your metabolism is partly determined by your genetics. Some people might have a naturally slower metabolism rate, while others may have inherited a quicker metabolism. 
Age: Metabolism naturally slows as you age—but potentially not until your 60s. Researchers theorize this could be partly due to age-related changes in your body’s cells and decreased muscle mass.
Sex: Whether you were assigned male or female at birth can influence the speed of your metabolism due to differences in body size, body composition, and hormone levels. For example, females are more likely to experience a slower metabolism as their bodies tend to have more body fat and less muscle mass than males.
Diet: Dietary factors like not getting enough nutrients or consuming a low-calorie or high-fat diet can affect metabolism speed. Your metabolism may slow down if the body needs to conserve energy as a result.
Lifestyle: A slow metabolism may result from factors like living a sedentary lifestyle, which leads to less calorie burning. Another factor is not getting enough sleep, which disrupts levels of hormones that help regulate metabolism. Experiencing chronic stress can also trigger your body to release hormones that cause your metabolism to slow down.
Certain health conditions: Health conditions like diabetes can lead to high blood sugar levels that interfere with metabolism speed. Hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid gland) means that your body doesn’t produce enough of the thyroid hormone that’s key for metabolism.
Environment: Research suggests that exposure to certain chemicals and toxins in your environment can disrupt metabolism speed and may be linked to obesity.

While there’s no quick fix for speeding up your metabolism, there are several research-backed ways to gradually boost your metabolism naturally. For example:

Follow a nutritious diet: Research shows that eating a diet rich in whole foods, especially protein-rich foods, is an effective way to improve and maintain your metabolic rate. It takes your body more time to break down protein, so you feel fuller for longer.
Eat enough calories: Make sure you’re eating enough calories each day. While it may seem counterintuitive, eating too few calories signals the body to adapt to that amount—which can manifest in a slower metabolism.
Stay physically active: If practiced consistently, interval training—like high-intensity interval training (HIIT)—and resistance training are both ways to boost metabolism because they strengthen muscle mass and improve endurance.
Prioritize sleep: Getting enough sleep regularly helps regulate your metabolism. Some research shows that people who are sleep-deprived feel less full after eating and metabolize the fat in their food differently.
Stress less: Your metabolism may stall when you’re stressed out. Experts theorize that chronic stress interferes with the body’s process of breaking down fat. Try to incorporate de-stressing techniques like reading a book, taking a bath, or meditating.

Your metabolism is the bodily process of turning food into energy for functions like digestion, circulation, and breathing. Several factors can affect the speed of your metabolism, including genetics, age, physical activity levels, diet, and more.

Signs that your metabolism may be slowing down include fatigue, coldness, mood swings, food cravings, weight gain, and dry skin. Try consuming a nutritious diet, getting enough sleep, de-stressing, and exercising daily—and see a healthcare provider if you’re feeling stuck, especially if you have an underlying health condition.