8 common causes of fatigue.
Everyone feels tired sometimes, maybe after a poor night sleep, a rough week at work or an intense workout, but if you are experiencing feelings of exhaustion or fatigue that does not go away after plenty of sleep and rest, you may have an underlying medical condition that requires treatment.
Fatigue is an unexplained feeling of persistent tiredness and with periods of exhaustion. Symptoms of fatigue include:
- Chronic sleepiness
- Inability to focus or impaired decision making
- Slow reflexes and responses
- Sore muscles or all over body ache
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Irritability
Common causes of fatigue
- A poor diet
What you eat or don’t eat can dramatically affect your level of energy as well as your ability to sleep. Skipping meals can cause your blood sugar to drop, leaving you tired. Eating foods with a high sugar content can cause your blood sugar to spike and then drop again, which will leave you feeling tired. It is important to maintain even blood sugar levels by eating a well-balanced diet at regular intervals. Avoid skipping meals and refrain from eating foods high in sugar.
If you need help developing a healthy meal plan the nutritional experts at the Anti-Aging and Wellness Clinic can help.
- Lack of sleep or poor-quality sleep
Not getting enough sleep can leave you feeling fatigued and can have a serious negative impact on your overall health. Most healthy people need 7-9 hours of sleep a night. If you are having difficulty getting a full night of restful sleep, try the following recommendations:
- Go to be at the same time every night.
- Get up at the same time every morning.
- Make sure your mattress and pillows are comfortable.
- Increase your exposure to bright light during the day.
- Keep the room dark and cool.
- Reduce your exposure to blue light in the evening by avoiding the use of your cell phone, tablet, pc and television two hours prior to going to bed.
- Install an app on your electronic devices that blocks blue light
- Don’t consume caffeine after 2:00 in the afternoon.
- Avoid long naps in the afternoon. Thirty-minute naps can be beneficial to your health, but longer nap times or irregular naps, can disrupt your sleep at night.
- Avoid eating late at night and avoid eating a heavy dinner.
- Try relaxing before you go to bed by enjoying a relaxing bath, or trying yoga or mediation.
- Exercise regularly but avoid over exercising.
- Make sure your hormones are in balance. If you are over 40 years of age, you may be experiencing a decline in hormone levels which can impact the quality of sleep. The experts at the Anti-Aging and Wellness Clinic can evaluate your hormone levels to ensure you are functioning at your optimum.
If you are still not able to enjoy a restful night of sleep, go to a sleep clinic for a full medical evaluation.
- Physical activity
Exercise directly impacts the central nervous system and can increase energy and reduce fatigue. It is also one of the best ways to reduce anxiety, improve your sleep and reduce insomnia. However, too much physical activity or performing exercise late at night can disrupt sleep and increase feelings of fatigue. At the Anti-Aging and Wellness Clinic we can help you develop an exercise plan tailored to your specific needs.
- Allergies
Food allergies can cause fatigue and contribute to chronic fatigue. The Anti-Aging and Wellness Clinic offers food intolerance testing.
- Underactive or overactive thyroid (hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism)
The thyroid gland regulates how fast or slow your body converts fuel into energy. Both an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) or an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) can cause fatigue and weakness. The Anti-Aging and Wellness Clinic will order a blood test to evaluate how well your thyroid gland is functioning.
- Hormone imbalance
An imbalance of critical hormones such as cortisol, testosterone, progesterone, DHEA or estrogen, can cause you to have difficulty sleeping, low energy, or chronic fatigue. At the Anti-Aging and Wellness Clinic we evaluate your hormone levels and if necessary, will develop a customized, medically supervised, bio-identical hormone replacement treatment plan to restore your levels to ensure your peak performance.
- Adrenal fatigue or chronic fatigue syndrome
Adrenal fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome can cause persistent fatigue that interferes with your daily activities. At the Anti-Aging and Wellness Clinic we will conduct comprehensive medical history and blood work to evaluate all of your hormone levels to identify adrenal fatigue or chronic fatigue syndrome. We will then develop a customized treatment plan that will include daily strategies, a healthy diet and bio-identical hormone therapy to help you rest and heal your body.
- Obesity
Obesity increases the risk of fatigue due to carrying additional weight, joint and muscle pain, and an increased risk of chronic conditions such as diabetes. The professionals at the Anti-Aging and Wellness Clinic will help you develop a customized health plan that may include diet, exercise and bio-identical hormone therapy to help you lose weight, improve you overall health and increase your energy levels.
If you are experiencing unexplained fatigue, contact us at the Anti-Aging and Wellness Clinic today to learn more about our services.
Other medical causes of fatigue:
- Anemia
- Sleep apnea
- Depression
- Fibromyalgia
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Type 2 diabetes
- Restless leg syndrome
- Heart disease
- Chronic kidney disease
- COPD
- Acute liver failure
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Multiple sclerosis
- Persistent pain