Many cases of tiredness are due to stress, not enough sleep, poor diet and other lifestyle factors. Try these self-help tips to restore your energy levels.
If you feel you're suffering from fatigue, which is an overwhelming tiredness that isn't relieved by rest and sleep, you may have an underlying medical condition. Consult a GP for advice.
A good way to keep up your energy through the day is to eat regular meals and healthy snacks every 3 to 4 hours, rather than a large meal less often.
Read more about healthy eating.
You might feel that exercise is the last thing on your mind. But, in fact, regular exercise will make you feel less tired in the long run, so you'll have more energy.
Even a single 15-minute walk can give you an energy boost, and the benefits increase with more frequent physical activity.
Start with a small amount of exercise. Build it up gradually over weeks and months until you reach the recommended goal of 2 hours 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, such as cycling or fast walking, every week.
Read more about starting exercise.
Find out the physical activity guidelines for adults.
If your body is carrying excess weight, it can be exhausting. It also puts extra strain on your heart, which can make you tired. Lose weight and you'll feel much more energetic.
Apart from eating healthily, the best way to lose weight and keep it off is to be more active and do more exercise.
Read more about how to lose weight.
Many people don't get the sleep they need to stay alert through the day.
The website of the Royal College of Psychiatrists has information on sleeping well.
Tips for sleeping well include:
Stress uses up a lot of energy. Try to introduce relaxing activities into your day. This could be:
Whatever relaxes you will improve your energy.
Read more about how to relieve stress.
There's some evidence that talking therapies such as counselling or cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) might help to fight fatigue, or tiredness caused by stress, anxiety or low mood.
See a GP for a referral for talking treatment on the NHS, or for advice on seeing a private therapist.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists recommends that anyone feeling tired should cut out caffeine. It says the best way to do this is to gradually stop having all caffeine drinks over a 3-week period.
Caffeine is found in:
Try to stay off caffeine completely for a month to see if you feel less tired without it.
You may find that not consuming caffeine gives you headaches. If this happens, cut down more slowly on the amount of caffeine that you drink.
Although a couple of glasses of wine in the evening can help you fall asleep, you sleep less deeply after drinking alcohol. The next day you'll be tired, even if you sleep a full 8 hours.
Cut down on alcohol before bedtime. You'll get a better night's rest and have more energy.
The NHS recommends that men and women should not regularly drink more than 14 units a week, which is equivalent to 6 pints of average-strength beer or 10 small glasses of low-strength wine.
Try to have several alcohol-free days each week.
Read more about how to cut down on alcohol.
Sometimes you feel tired simply because you're mildly dehydrated.
A glass of water will do the trick, especially after exercise.
Read about healthy drinks.
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Fatigue is a feeling that you're chronically tired - mentally and physically.
It can be caused by a number of factors, including unhealthy lifestyle choices, workplace problems and stress.
There are many different ways you can boost your energy, but see your health practitioner first to make sure you don't have an underlying medical problem.
Food, which gives us energy, is broken down by the digestive system. Some elements, such as water, are absorbed through the stomach. The rest are absorbed through the small intestine.
The body's preferred energy source is glucose, from carbohydrates , but it can also use fatty acids (from fats) and amino acids (from proteins). Glucose is delivered to virtually every cell in the body by the bloodstream, and is then burned with oxygen to produce energy.
Hormones control every step in this process; for example, the pancreas makes the hormone insulin, which helps to control blood sugar levels.
If you want more energy, look at your diet and make sure you're following these basic guidelines:
Low calorie diets or diets that severely restrict carbohydrates don't contain enough energy for your body's needs. The typical crash diet also deprives the body of nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and trace elements.A common cause of fatigue is not enough sleep, or poor quality sleep. Suggestions include:
Adults need about 8 hours per night.
Take steps to address your work problems. A good place to start is to talk with your human resources officer.Studies suggest that between 50 and 80% of fatigue cases are mainly due to psychological factors. Suggestions include:
Are you so preoccupied with commitments and pressures that you don't give yourself enough time for fun? Laughter is one of the best energy boosters around.Most people feel drowsy after lunch. This mid-afternoon drop in energy levels is linked to the brain's circadian rhythm and is 'hard wired' into the human body. Preventing this drop in energy may be impossible, but there are ways to reduce the slump, including:
**This information was adapted from the 'Go for your life' campaign with permission by the Victorian Government, Melbourne, Australia
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Last Updated: November 4, 2013
July 26, 2021 09:07
Number of views: 12302
With the modern rhythm of life and negative information background, it is very difficult to avoid stress and emotional overwork. Even worse, if fatigue accumulates, and then begins to occur not only at the end of the working day or week, but almost constantly. This means that it is time to finally hear the "signals for help" that the body sends.
Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease of civilized countries. Residents of megacities are at risk, especially people whose work is associated with increased responsibility.
These include teachers, doctors, firefighters, entrepreneurs, people in high positions. However, chronic fatigue syndrome can also appear in people of other professions - no one is immune from this unpleasant disease. Poor sanitary and environmental conditions, chronic diseases, viral infections and an unbalanced emotional and intellectual load - all this increases the chances of earning chronic fatigue syndrome even at a young age.
The occurrence of chronic fatigue syndrome is associated with the development of a specific neurosis of the central regulatory centers of the autonomic nervous system. If left untreated, this syndrome can develop into depression, as well as cause infectious and allergic diseases.
Normally, any severe fatigue disappears after proper sleep and rest. If a person slept well and ate well, but continues to feel sluggish and tired, which prevents him from doing his usual things, this is rather a pathological condition.
The main symptom of chronic fatigue is unreasonable constant fatigue, which reduces performance by several times. However, this is also reflected in the psycho-emotional well-being of a person: it significantly limits everyday life and interferes with communication, since moral resources are no longer enough even for loved ones. In addition, with chronic fatigue, there is a headache, memory impairment, insomnia, nausea, and much more. Due to the variety of symptoms, the disease is quite difficult to diagnose.
Chronic weakness and fatigue appear gradually, and a person may not realize for a long time how many opportunities have been lost until he tries to compare his performance in the past with what is now. Unfortunately, people often attribute their lack of energy to age or life circumstances, thereby ignoring the symptoms and making the situation worse.
It is important to pay attention to the following signs of chronic fatigue in time:
Of clinical significance is the deterioration of health on these grounds by more than 50% of the norm for six or more months. 
The first of these symptoms is the key, while the rest complete the picture. In advanced cases, chronic fatigue not only reduces the quality of life, but can also provoke life-threatening situations. For example, a sharp deterioration in concentration or drowsiness is a common cause of accidents. That is why with chronic fatigue syndrome it is important to start treatment on time.
Chronic fatigue syndrome can and should be treated, but do not self-medicate. Only doctors who can prescribe outpatient treatment or send them to a health center are able to correctly determine the diagnosis. People at risk and those who have noticed alarming symptoms should pay attention to their lifestyle.
To improve the general condition of the body with overwork and chronic fatigue syndrome, it is worth doing a course of massage and other wellness and relaxation procedures.
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How to distinguish ordinary fatigue from chronic fatigue syndrome and what to do about it - in the doctor's recommendations.
Our frantic rhythm of life, unbalanced diet, insufficient physical activity, stress lead to disruption of sleep and rest. There is a constant feeling of fatigue, emotional burnout and drowsiness. But if even after a full and high-quality rest, the condition does not improve, your strength does not return, you continue to fall asleep sitting at the table, irritable and lethargic, perhaps it’s not just work stress - the reason for such chronic fatigue is associated with a disease and there is a reason to visit a doctor .
Chronic fatigue syndrome is manifested by severe weakness and fatigue, lasting at least 6 months, accompanied by memory loss, muscle pain, often - sore throat and swollen lymph nodes.
According to statistics, chronic fatigue syndrome occurs four times more often in women than in men, and in people aged 40 to 59 years. Working in a position that involves increased responsibility can provoke the appearance of chronic fatigue syndrome. In addition, studies conducted by geneticists indicate a hereditary predisposition to chronic fatigue syndrome.
How to determine whether it is overwork or symptoms of a disease? If the duration of the symptoms is more than six months, if during this time the condition does not improve, or maybe even fatigue increases, if you do not feel good spirits and a burst of energy after a good rest, you should seek the advice of a general practitioner or other specialist.
What symptoms of chronic fatigue you should pay attention to first of all - in the Forbes Life tips.
Photo Philips Home Clinical FlickrIron deficiency anemia - a decrease in the concentration of hemoglobin (oxygen carrier protein) in the blood. Our red cells - erythrocytes - carry oxygen to all organs and tissues. With a deficiency of hemoglobin, less oxygen enters the organs and tissues, there is a feeling of constant drowsiness, loss of strength, weakness. Even after minimal physical exertion, there is a feeling of heaviness in the whole body, a desire to lie down and relax. First of all, the risk groups for developing anemia include women with prolonged or heavy menstruation, as well as people with chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
How to detect: a clinical blood test
What to do: the doctor will prescribe iron supplements, diet and treatment for a disease that leads to iron loss
Interesting fact: desire to eat chalk, paper, chew ice, clay or other a change in taste is one of the symptoms of anemia.
Hypothyroidism is a state of reduced thyroid function. Drowsiness, lethargy, decreased memory and performance, apathy are more often the main complaints in patients with a decrease in thyroid function, while edema, weight gain despite diet, decrease in body temperature, hair loss, brittle nails, constipation, menstrual irregularities may also be present. among women. At risk are women, people with a hereditary predisposition to thyroid diseases, as well as those living in regions that are deficient in iodine. Most regions of Russia have some degree of iodine deficiency. According to the Endocrinological Research Center, pronounced iodine deficiency has been found in many regions of Western and Eastern Siberia (Tyumen region, Krasnoyarsk Territory, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Tyva, Buryatia), in the Tambov and Voronezh regions, near the coast of the White Sea, as well as in a number of regions (Bryansk, Tula, Kaluga, Orel) affected by the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
How to detect: blood serum hormones (TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone), T4 free (thyroxine), ATKTPO (antibodies to thyroperoxidase))
What to do: endocrinologist will prescribe L-thyroxine preparations
41 interesting factual 9 : for the prevention of insufficient thyroid function, it is necessary to consume foods rich not only in iodine, but also in selenium. Iodized salt, seafood, spinach, feijoa, kiwi will help fill the need for iodine, and fish, meat, mushrooms, sunflower and sesame seeds, wheat bran, corn grains, tomatoes, yeast, and wholemeal flour products - in selenium. The most dangerous "enemy" of selenium is simple carbohydrates (cakes, pastries and other flour products). They can completely or partially destroy selenium.
Photo by Camilo Rueda Lopez Flickr Most often, these are infections caused by herpes viruses, as well as bacteria - mycoplasmas, chlamydia and mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Numerous clinical studies have established the relationship between chronic fatigue syndrome and the presence in the blood of specific antibodies to the Epstein-Barr virus, herpes viruses types 6 and 7, Coxsackie virus, HIV. But you should not self-diagnose or donate blood for all these infections.
How to detect: blood test for specific antibodies
What to do: consult a general practitioner in case of recurring sore throat, tonsillitis, stomatitis, with a significant increase in cervical lymph nodes.
Interesting fact: Epstein-Barr virus is one of the most common herpes viruses. Once infected, it remains in the human body for life. Interestingly, a malignant tumor of the lymph nodes - Burkitt's lymphoma in carriers of the Epstein-Barr virus - occurs mainly in people living in humid tropical climates, in those regions where people suffer from malaria.
In diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, the absorption from food of microelements necessary for our body (iron, magnesium, potassium and others) and vitamins, especially fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, K. For example, vitamin D deficiency in adults can lead to impaired appetite, changes in body weight, sweating, impaired phosphorus-calcium metabolism (dental caries, brittle hair and nails, fractures), weakness and fatigue, irritability. We remember to give vitamin D to children, but we think that it is not so important for adults. This is fundamentally not true! With liver diseases, especially hepatitis, there is also a toxic effect on the nervous system.
How to detect: a blood chemistry test, in case of liver diseases a blood test for hepatitis
What to do: if you have frequent abdominal pain, belching, hiccups, feeling of heaviness after eating, diarrhea or constipation, bloating, flatulence, consult a gastroenterologist.
Interesting fact : According to the American Urological Association*, men need vitamin D for testosterone synthesis. Clinical studies have shown a relationship with overweight, increased cholesterol levels in men with vitamin D deficiency.
*American Urological Association (AUA) 2015 Annual Meeting: Abstract MP51-04. Presented May 17, 2015.
Photo by William Brawley FlickrResidents of megacities are most prone to chronic rhinosinusitis, especially allergic ones. A constantly stuffy nose is the cause of oxygen deficiency, the level of which greatly affects the performance and daily activities of a person.
How to detect: x-ray or computed tomography.
With hay fever (reaction to flowering plants) - IgE total in the blood, eosinophilic cationic protein, allergy tests outside the period of exacerbation of the disease. With a prolonged runny nose with purulent discharge - sowing on the flora.
What to do: ENT consultation.
Photo by William Brawley FlickrSleep apnea syndrome is a sleep apnea that occurs against the background of loud snoring, frequent unconscious nocturnal awakenings.
Cause - intermittent episodes of airway collapse occurring during deep sleep. This is one of the most common causes of chronic fatigue in adults.
How to recognize: intense snoring during sleep.
