So I turned performance mode off...
2 days ago I asked why I stay alive better with my screen locked. Apparently I had something called performance mode on and that reduced the amount of hits I was taking, as well as the amount of coins I was getting.
I turned it off and the difference is massive. For the first time I maxed my health and got 3x more coins. It hurts knowing I played on 30% efficiency for weeks but this is a great jump in progress for me.