Fatigue is a feeling of constant tiredness or weakness and can be physical, mental or a combination of both. It can affect anyone, and most adults will experience fatigue at some point in their life.
Each year, around 1.5 million Australians see their doctor about fatigue. Fatigue is a symptom, not a condition. For many people, fatigue is caused by a combination of lifestyle, social, psychological and general wellbeing issues rather than an underlying medical condition.
Although fatigue is sometimes described as tiredness, it is different to just feeling tired or sleepy. Everyone feels tired at some point, but this is usually resolved with a nap or a few nights of good sleep. Someone who is sleepy may also feel temporarily refreshed after exercising.
If you are getting enough sleep, good nutrition and exercising regularly but still find it hard to perform everyday activities, concentrate or be motivated at your normal levels, you may be experiencing fatigue that needs further investigation.
Fatigue can cause a vast range of other physical, mental and emotional symptoms including:
The wide range of causes that can trigger fatigue include:
Fatigue can also be caused by a number of factors working in combination.
There are a number of diseases and disorders which trigger fatigue. If you experience prolonged bouts of fatigue, consult your doctor.
Common lifestyle factors that can cause fatigue include:
Some people try to get by on fewer hours of sleep.
Quick fix foods, such as chocolate bars or caffeinated drinks, only offer a temporary energy boost that quickly wears off and worsens fatigue.Common workplace issues that can cause fatigue include:
Studies suggest that psychological factors are present in at least 50 per cent of fatigue cases. These may include:
People who are depressed commonly experience chronic fatigue.As fatigue can present a vast range of symptoms and be caused by many different factors working in combination, diagnosis can be difficult. Your doctor may diagnose fatigue using a number of tests including:
The idea is to rule out any physical causes, for example anaemia, infection or hormonal problems.Fatigue is a symptom –something you can feel and describe – not a condition or disease. To reduce your fatigue you first need to understand what the underlying reasons for your fatigue are.
If fatigue is having a negative effect on your quality of life, or causing you distress, then consider speaking with a health professional. By asking questions, they will help you work out why you are experiencing fatigue, and offer some suggestions on how to find relief.
If necessary, your doctor might suggest certain medical tests if there is a reasonable chance the cause of your fatigue may be an undiagnosed medical issue (for example, anaemia or thyroid dysfunction).
Fortunately, for most people fatigue will get better over time on its own or with some simple and practical lifestyle changes.
2014, Fatigue – a rational approach to investigation, Australian Family Physician, vol. 43, no. 7, pp. 457-461, The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. More information here.This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:
Department of Health State Government of Victoria
This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:
Department of Health State Government of Victoria
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Reviewed on: 30-06-2015
Our bodies handle a lot of stress on a daily basis.
Between work, relationships, lack of sleep, and physical exercise, life's challenges and expectations can take a toll on our minds and limbs and lead to chronic fatigue or burnout. Thus, it's important to look for signs that signal that the body is tired and make lifestyle changes to ease soreness and start feeling better.
As a certified health coach, I work with people on becoming in tune with their bodies. By listening to the body and uncovering what its needs are in order to tackle life's tasks, they are able to give it the proper nutrients, activity and rest that it needs to heal. If we exercise too much or are struggling with too much stress, our bodies can feel warn down and tense, and that weighted feeling causes us to drag during the the day. Feeling exhausted can make us less productive at work and more irritable regarding our relationships. It can be hard to get ourselves out of bed each morning or take the stairs throughout the day if our bodies feel sluggish, so by getting enough sleep, varying workouts and managing stress, our muscles can start feeling more relaxed and less inflamed.
Here are eleven signs to look out for in knowing that your body is tired and needs some time to heal.
If you find yourself unable to control all the tasks you are juggling each day, you might start to skip meals, stress out and feel physically run down. "I lost control of my schedule and would bounce back and forth between coaching, emailing, training, commuting, training, coaching, etc. — all while barely eating throughout the day and while under a pretty significant amount of both psychological stress from the business and training stress," says personal trainer and owner of South Loop Strength & Conditioning, Todd Nief, over interview with Bustle. Yet, by paying more attention to eating schedules and training, he was able to gain energy and appetite back.
If your body is struggling through workouts without an increase in intensity or change in workout routine, it might mean that your body is tired and needs some extra rest days or lower intensity exercises.
"I just felt like my body would shut down before I could even get to the point of pushing myself or doing anything challenging," says Nief, regarding his period of chronic fatigue and stress. "I noticed that my performances in the gym were pretty wildly variable. Everyone has 'good days' and 'bad days' - but there was much more fluctuation than is reasonable," he adds. Rest more, vary workouts and invest in a foam roller to ease sore muscles.
When your body feels abnormally tired, it also affects the mind. It's hard to stay mentally alert and to retain knowledge when you feel physically drained. "I was having a hard time focusing and getting anything done while working," says Nief. Lack of concentration and brain fog can hinder productivity and physical performance, in both the gym and in day-to-day activities, such as walking on the street or moving boxes.
Chronic fatigue in the body can weaken our immune systems, causing us to get sick more frequently, says personal trainer and certified holistic health coach, Jen Bruno with J.
B. Fitness and Nutrition, over email with Bustle. If you find your body compromised and experience coughs, stuffy or runny nose or nausea or abdominal pain, it can occur due to bodily fatigue. "Take a break from your workload, commitments, training regimen, get a massage, spend some time on a hobby that brings you joy, try yoga, or meditate," suggests Bruno. This will boost your immune system so you get sick less often.
Along with lack of concentration can come a slew of pounding headaches and migraines if your body is under chronic stress, says Bruno. Pain in the head can also extend throughout the rest of the body, resulting in joint pain that only exacerbates fatigued limbs. Snack on ginger, rub capsaicin lotion on your temples or sniff peppermint when you feel a headache approaching.
If your body is tired, you'd imagine that it'd be pretty easy to fall asleep, right? Well, not necessarily. If your body is constantly tired, it becomes actually too tired to sleep, and if this goes on for too long, it can be hazardous for your health.
"If you only wake up to an alarm clock and then need to 'sleep in' on the weekend, you are running on tired," says inner vitality health coach, Karen Grosz over email with Bustle. Try some yoga or meditation before bed, and do some light stretching to increase blood flow to your legs and away from your brain. "Take naps and make sure you are getting a solid night of sleep," advises Bruno.
If you find yourself jumping between emotions or feeling overly sensitive or irritable, it might be due to your body's energy levels, advises Bruno. When too much stress is present, it can hinder our bodies and minds from functioning properly and can mess with our emotional states. To prevent this from happening, take a few deep breaths before reacting to the situation in order to compile thoughts and lower your heart rate.
Even though your body is regularly tired, your heart rate can still pound away frenetically, says Bruno. A racing heart at rest can be scary, as it can lead to increased risk for cardiovascular disease and can enhance feelings of stress.
Calm the body down with meditation, yoga or a calming activity that you enjoy, and check with a doctor for further treatments.
If you are experiencing intense food cravings, for foods that are sweet, fattening and salty, it is due to an imbalanced appetite and lack of sleep. The best way to heal is to try and resist temptation and "clean up your diet to include plenty of veggies and some fruit and whole grains," suggests Bruno. Before giving in to a craving, ask yourself to eat an apple instead, and see how you react. If you can't, it's not hunger.
Apart from excelling in workouts, mere strength for daily tasks, such as opening the doors and carrying grocery bags, can be diminished, says personal trainer and muscles activation technique specialist Martin Kimpston, over email correspondence with Bustle. If you notice strength loss, it means you should work on decreasing stress and getting more sleep each night.
"Resting is on the list of possible options to help recover from this body fatigue. Another option is to maintain activity but decrease the effort, time, and frequency of exercise," says Kimpston.
If you notice dry, chapped lips, it's not necessarily plain dehydration. While you should grab a cup of water, anyway, it could be a larger issue, resulting from sleep deprivation, chronic stress and bodily fatigue. Experts say that dry and discolored lips can occur due to adrenal fatigue, and so it's important to note when there's a difference between plain dehydration (have I had something to drink not long ago?) and overall bodily symptoms (am I tired in other areas of my body).
If you feel overly stressed, experience cravings for junk foods and sugar, and feel joint and bodily pain and fatigue on a regular basis, then something is up. Make an appointment with a doctor if these remedies don't work for you, as being too tired to function can be debilitating for work, relationships and mental wellbeing.
Images: Pexels (12)
Health
Constant weakness, muscle pain and apathy - all this can be not just a consequence of your blockage at work, but chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). The disease is not so rare, but it is still difficult to identify and even harder to treat. Let's take a closer look at what science knows about CFS.
Many people get out of bed in the morning tired and exhausted, even if they have slept 9-10 hours. They complain of incomprehensibly where the pain in the muscles and joints came from, it is difficult for them to concentrate, think clearly and clearly. At first, they attribute everything to stress and work. They go on vacation, but rest does not help for long. They start going to doctors, they prescribe a bunch of studies and find nothing. It seems that all indicators are normal.
Often doctors claim that patients are healthy and all these problems are far-fetched, “only in their heads.” nine0003
The American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that nearly one million people in the United States suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome, and up to 80 percent of cases go undiagnosed. The National Health Service of Great Britain estimates the number of patients with CFS in the country at 250 thousand people. There are no data on the prevalence of the disease in Russia.
According to statistics, women aged 25 to 40 are most susceptible to chronic fatigue syndrome. In 2017, a documentary film "Unrest" was released about one of the patients with CFS. The director, scriptwriter and protagonist of the film was Jennifer Brea, a girl who faced chronic fatigue syndrome. nine0003
Doctors distinguish between "major" and "minor" signs of chronic fatigue syndrome.
Large - this is the presence of unexplained chronic fatigue that is not associated with mental or physical stress, does not go away with rest and leads to a significant decrease in previously achieved levels of activity and ability to work. However, these symptoms should be observed for six months or more.
Minor signs include headache, pain in the muscles, joints, chest, soreness of the cervical or axillary lymph nodes, sore throat (not associated with colds). There are also signs of inflammation of the mucous membrane of the throat, periodic dizziness, anxiety, insecurity, a general decrease in efficiency, apathy, emotional depression, drowsiness during the day and insomnia at night, memory impairment, subfebrile temperature, prolonged discomfort after physical or neuropsychic stress. nine0003
A person can be diagnosed with CFS if there are two “major” signs and a sufficient number (at least 75%) of “small” ones. It is important to know that squeezed orange syndrome is often accompanied by fibromyalgia.
It is with her that incomprehensible pains in muscles, joints and ligaments are associated.
Fibromyalgia is a disease characterized by widespread and symmetrical musculoskeletal pain of a chronic, long-term nature. A vicious circle of health problems is formed, since fibromyalgia itself can cause depression and poor sleep. Statistically, 9out of 10 patients with this diagnosis are women.
Faced with CFS, someone obediently goes to "treat his head" and look for the roots of his illness in "childhood traumas". However, in 2015, data from a study were published in the United States, the authors of which analyzed about 10,000 studies on CFS. And we came to the conclusion that we are not dealing with a purely psychological problem, but with a complex systemic chronic disease affecting a variety of body systems. nine0003
The problem is that there is still no single standard of examination for this condition, just as there is no single, universal method of treatment. These diseases are the consequences of a whole set of failures in the body. In order for the treatment to be effective, diagnostics must reveal exactly which regulatory mechanisms are impaired in this particular patient. After that, doctors can correct them as a whole.
Mitochondrial dysfunction
Every cell in the human body has tiny components called organelles called mitochondria. They are sometimes called cell generators because their job is to generate energy. Mitochondria can be poisoned by toxins such as pesticides, affected by chronic bacterial, viral and fungal infections, or due to nutritional and hormone deficiencies. Parts of the brain such as the hypothalamus and pituitary gland can be especially sensitive to any such malfunction, and chronic fatigue can be one of the symptoms of hypothalamus and pituitary function decline. nine0003
Hormonal imbalances
Deficiency of thyroid and adrenal hormones, particularly cortisol, is the most common cause of squeezed orange syndrome. Chronic stress leads to adrenal exhaustion - this is adrenal insufficiency, in which the body is no longer able to produce enough cortisol (the stress hormone). Low cortisol levels are a sign of chronic fatigue syndrome. The level of thyroid hormones decreases under the influence of toxins and disorders occurring in the hypothalamus or pituitary gland. nine0003
Infectious diseases
Infections can cause or contribute to chronic fatigue syndrome and/or fibromyalgia. Provoking can be, for example, the Epstein-Barr virus, the herpes virus or bacterial infections.
Other causes
In response to chronic infection, the immune system can cause a special type of blood clotting disorder called "coagulation." Instead of dissolving blood clots, it forms deposits on the inner wall of blood vessels. These deposits prevent the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to all parts of the body, which also contributes to the development of chronic fatigue syndrome.
Neurotoxic compounds such as salts of heavy metals (mercury, lead) that have entered the brain can also contribute to the development of chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. nine0003
Patients faced with a diagnosis say that it is extremely difficult to find a therapy. To date, there are no registered drugs specifically for the treatment of this syndrome. Doctors of anti-aging medicine say that the treatment program can include normalization of rest and physical activity, unloading and dietary therapy, general or segmental massage in conjunction with physiotherapy exercises, autogenic training or other active methods of normalizing the psycho-emotional background, psychotherapy. Individually selected drug therapy is also taken depending on the results of the examination of a particular patient, daytime tranquilizers, enterosorbents, antihistamines in the presence of allergies. An endocrinologist often joins the treatment: he draws up a comprehensive treatment plan, prescribes the necessary medications, anti-stress therapy, physiotherapy and supervises the patient until complete recovery.
It is often important to eliminate chronic diseases associated with insufficient oxygen supply to the body (chronic runny nose or nasal congestion). nine0003
We would like to thank Vladlen Babkin, specialist in anti-aging medicine and innovation director of the NACFF medical clinic, for his help in preparing the material.
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Katerina Reznikova,
If you notice this symptom, experts recommend that you see a doctor
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Every day we can feel tired and we often say that it is chronic. Fatigue is one of the symptoms of many diseases, including coronavirus. Often people who get sick or recover from COVID-19 talk about some very, very severe fatigue that cannot be confused with anything else.
NHS medical observer Maria Tishchenko found out from experts whether fatigue with coronavirus is very different from any other and what you should pay attention to. nine0084
Anna Pastukhova, an obstetrician-gynecologist at the Zdravitsa Family Medicine Center, says that normally, a feeling of fatigue, overwork, loss of strength occurs in all people due to insufficient sleep, after heavy physical exertion, stressful situations, and prolonged mental overstrain. Fatigue due to lack of energy requires a good long rest and, as a rule, goes away, but if after that fatigue, decreased energy, weakness persist, you should pay attention to this. nine0085
— If you go to bed at the right time, get enough sleep, eat well, you may still need to eliminate all deficiencies, normalize the level of vitamins and microelements, according to your analyzes, but here you need the help of a specialist. If the feeling of fatigue persists after a good rest, this may already be a symptom of various diseases, for example, anemia of various origins, oncological and chronic inflammatory diseases, diseases of the cardiovascular and endocrine systems, hormonal ones, Pastukhova notes.
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It is important to monitor the level of vitamins and microelements in the body
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Pulmonologist, toast therapist Olga Filonenko also notes that general weakness is a symptom of many diseases, a sign of systemic disorders in the body.
- More often this symptom attracts attention when you seem to have slept well, and in the morning you are tired, lethargic, apathetic. Or there were so many hopes for a vacation - to take a break from work, the vacation is over, but the strength has not increased. I want not to move on the weekend, but to lie at home, there is no strength and desire even for simple homework. Moreover, in terms of the speed of development, this is usually not sudden, but with an increase in symptoms. A month ago, he fluttered and did everything and even more, but today - "a broken trough." nine0085
As a rule, the doctor adds, it can be a deficiency of vitamins and minerals, anemia, hypothyroidism, diabetes, advanced heart disease, oncology, taking certain medications (eg antihistamines, antihypertensives), depression.
- Always consult a doctor if you feel weak or tired. Pay attention to what other symptoms accompany fatigue: loss of appetite, weight loss, deterioration of the skin, hair, headaches, dizziness, and so on. Only after a thorough history taking and examination can a preliminary diagnosis be made and a series of examinations carried out, which together will help to establish the true cause of fatigue and fatigue, advises Olga Filonenko. nine0003
An infectious disease specialist notices that fatigue often occurs after the coronavirus, but patients often mention fatigue as a symptom during the course of the disease
Photo: Maria Tishchenko
fatigue is neither basic nor pathognomonic0117 ) symptom for coronavirus infection:
- If we are talking about COVID-19 and the "symptomatic" form, then there are always other symptoms that are noticed much faster than fatigue. For example, an almost pathognomonic symptom in this disease is a sharp loss of smell and taste.
Therefore, if a person has only isolated fatigue and nothing more, it is unlikely that this is COVID-19, it is very difficult to separate fatigue from it and other diseases. It is always necessary to evaluate all the symptoms of a particular individual in the aggregate. What diseases cause fatigue? It is easier to say - under which it does not happen. Any disease is stress, any stress sooner or later causes fatigue. nine0085
Olga Filonenko explains how to distinguish fatigue and weakness during coronavirus from other diseases: in her opinion, with COVID-19 it feels like sudden: its manifestation is the desire to lie down, there is no strength to watch TV, let alone read. The suddenness and severity of symptoms distinguish coronavirus weakness from other diseases.
Dmitry Kapustin recommends paying attention to other symptoms to distinguish fatigue after COVID-19from other diseases
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Dmitry Kapustin, an infectious disease specialist and head of a structural unit of the Infectious Diseases Hospital No.
1, notes that patients mostly focus on fatigue and fatigue after suffering a coronavirus infection. This is called asthenic syndrome, with COVID-19 it is especially pronounced and lasts from several days to a month. And in the midst of the disease, the leading symptoms of the disease come to the fore - cough, fever, shortness of breath, loss of smell. nine0085
— To understand whether fatigue is a manifestation of asthenia after COVID-19 or a manifestation of another disease, it is necessary to pay attention to the presence of other symptoms. For example, weakness and pallor of the skin may be a sign of anemia; weakness and retrosternal pain - angina pectoris and so on. If a person has been feeling weak for more than one month and there are no other symptoms, this is a mandatory reason to see a doctor and undergo an examination, Kapustin is sure.
Psychiatrist, psychotherapist Irina Klimova recalls that fatigue is a physiological and psychological state of a person, and chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by prolonged fatigue that does not disappear even after a long rest.
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— The occurrence of chronic fatigue syndrome is associated with the development of neurosis of the central regulatory centers of the autonomic nervous system, due to the inhibition of the activity of the zone responsible for inhibitory processes. Factors provoking the development of chronic fatigue syndrome are: unbalanced emotional and intellectual load to the detriment of physical activity. Predisposing factors are unfavorable sanitary and environmental conditions, chronic diseases, including viral infections. nine0003
Some patients have chronic fatigue syndrome — it can “accumulate” for half a year or more
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Residents of large cities, entrepreneurs, people with increased responsibility when performing work activities are at risk of this disease ( medical workers, air traffic controllers, railway transport operators).
Irina Klimova says that in the etiology and pathogenesis of chronic fatigue syndrome, a large role is played by macro- and micronutrient deficiencies, food allergies, excessive physical and mental stress, and viral infection:
— According to the "viral theory", Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, herpesvirus type 6, Coxsackie virus, hepatitis C, enteroviruses and retroviruses can serve as trigger factors for chronic fatigue syndrome.
The onset of the disease is often associated with an acute flu-like illness. The data on the high frequency of detection of herpesviruses and signs of their reactivation are also convincing.
Chronic fatigue has a complex of symptoms - increased daytime sleepiness, unmotivated irritation, lack of feeling of rest after a good night's sleep, often recurring headaches for no apparent reason. In addition, it is the inability to fall asleep quickly, even after intense physical labor, a bad mood for which there is no reason, frequent infectious diseases, allergic reactions, as well as a decrease in memory and the ability to concentrate. nine0003
In order to cure chronic fatigue syndrome, it is necessary to eliminate the causes that cause it
Photo: Olga Burlakova
symptoms.
For the treatment of this disease, it is necessary to normalize the regime of rest and physical activity, general or segmental massage together with hydroprocedures, active methods of normalizing the psycho-emotional background and physical therapy, and so on.
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Anna Pastukhova believes that it is important to take care of your lifestyle and follow the rules:
1. Sleep
Full sleep lasting seven to eight hours, considering that going to bed should occur at 22:00–23:00 . So you get into natural biorhythms, the body functions correctly.
2. Physical activity
The presence of physical activity in daily life (non-exhausting exercise). For starters, at least start walking 10,000 steps a day. nine0003
3. Nutrition
It is very important to review your diet, which should be complete, with the maximum exclusion of easily digestible carbohydrates. Include healthy fats in your daily diet (unrefined oils, avocados, sea fish, etc.). If it is difficult to get omega-3s from food, then include them in your diet in the form of nutraceuticals (a type of dietary supplement. - Note ed. ).
4. Drinking regimen
Pure water is important for the proper functioning of the cardiovascular system, the muscular system, for every cell of the body.
