Activeness is the key for a successful and active mind. Let us talk about a very common symptom of being tired all the time, or feeling tired all the time which is commonly known as fatigue. So, what does feeling tired all the time mean?
Fatigue is a very pervasive and unpleasant feeling, and it has a very negative impact on your life, moods, and on your ability to function in terms of work, exercise, looking after your children, and also being in a healthy, happy, functioning relationship. So, it’s a very broad symptom, and it can also have a very negative impact on your life.
What fatigue actually is? Fatigue is a term used to describe a feeling of tiredness or lack of energy. Fatigue is a normal response to stress or physical exertion, but can also be a symptom of an underlying condition that requires medical attention. Fatigue may reduce the quality of life, as affected individuals may be unable to function at work, be productive at home, or be too exhausted even to manage daily affairs.
Some of the symptoms of fatigue are:
exhaustion with physical or mental activity, daytime drowsiness, headache, irritability, aching or sore muscles vision problems such as blurriness, moodiness, difficulty in concentrating, apathy and lack of motivation
One should seek immediate medical attention if your fatigue is accompanied by chest pain, shortness of breath, irregular or fast heartbeat, severe abdominal, back, or pelvic pain.
Now the question arises in our mind that, what are the causes of being tired all the time? Well, probably you can guess, it’s quite a general term, “tired all the time,” so there are many causes.
Causes: A few possible causes of fatigue include:
Lack of sleep
Jet lag disorder
Unhealthy eating habits
Lack of physical activity
Use of alcohol or drugs
Excess physical activity
Medications such as cough medicines, antihistamines
Boredom
Fatigue could be physical or mental. Physical fatigue is characterized by a transient inability of muscles to maintain physical performance and can worsen by intense physical exercise or exertion. A person may find it physically hard to engage in a normal activity for example, climbing stairs. Mental fatigue is characterized by a transient reduction in cognitive performance resulting from prolonged periods of cognitive activity. Mental fatigue has been shown to reduce physical appearance. The person may feel sleepy or have difficulty in staying awake while working. Although different, physical and mental fatigue often occur together.
Factors responsible for fatigue are dividing this into two ways: we can look at external factors and internal factors. External factors for feeling tired all the time include great amount of stress. This could be work stress, relationship stress, financial stress. This can leads to you having low mood, which will also leads to you feeling tired all the time. So, these could be external reasons for feeling tired all the time.
From an internal point of view, there are many diseases, disorders and many internal reasons why one might feel tired all the time.
Here are some PATHOLOGICAL reasons for Fatigue-
If a person is suffering from anemia, which is a low blood count, might be your hemoglobin or your blood count is low, this may lead to feeling tired all the time. There are many different reasons for having a low blood count, including dietary reasons, lack of iron in your diet, lack of red meat, or loss of blood. For example, having very heavy periods may lead to a low blood count. So, that’s one physical reason for feeling tired all the time: having a low blood count. Other reasons would include having low vitamin levels, for example, having low vitamin B12 levels or low folate levels. This can again be due to a lack of dietary intake in B12 or folate.
If you have a decrease in vitamin D levels, depending on what country you live in and how much sunlight you’re exposed to, you may be suffering from and having low vitamin D levels. This can also lead to you feeling tired all the time. Then, there are hormonal imbalances, which might be reasons for feeling tired all the time,for example, thyroid gland, which is a powerhouse, the metabolic center of the body. And if the thyroid gland isn’t producing enough thyroxine hormone, then your body is slowed down, and you very commonly feel sluggish and tired all the time. So, that would be a hormonal reason for feeling tired all the time. Another very common hormonal reason would be if you’re suffering from diabetes and your blood sugars, aren’t under control, and this relieves you feeling very tired or sluggish.
Diagnosis and Treatment:
To make a diagnosis, the doctor will review your medical history and consider symptoms that are present. This may help to rule out any underlying condition. The doctor may ask questions relating to the pattern of fatigue, such as being tired at certain times during the day, whether fatigue reduces after taking a nap or increases throughout the day, the quality of sleep including your emotional state, sleep pattern as in the amount of sleep, the number of times that a person awakens during the night, and stress level. To rule out a sleep disorder, a sleep study may be conducted. Screening for depression and other psychological conditions, along with drug abuse, poor diet, and lack of physical exercise.
Blood tests to check for infections or anemia.
Urinalysis to look for signs of liver disease or diabetes.
Tests to check for liver or kidney function.
Treatment:
If fatigue is related to any underlying medical condition, treating it may help alleviate fatigue. Yoga and mindfulness may both improve symptoms of fatigue. Cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT.
Other tips that may help improve symptoms are:
Practicing good sleeping habits
Eating a moderate and well-balanced diet
Engaging in regular physical activity
So, here we discussed certain crucial reasons as well as common manifestations of fatigue in our body.
