Have you ever felt extremely drained and tired? Fatigue causes can be many and it is a very common condition which cannot be in your control sometimes. This actually differs from what is tiredness. Tiredness is a condition which is short term and comes and goes. It happens when you over-exert and is not very extreme.

However when talking about fatigue, it is definitely more than just feeling very drowsy or sleepy. For this you don’t have renewed energy easily and it can linger on for a longer period of time. Being sleepy and tired is a sign and a major symptom but this condition can become chronic.

You will also feel fatigue as part of other medical conditions. These can range from being something very mild or turning into something very drastically serious. In some cases, it can simply be due to your lifestyle choices. Whichever the reason, in this article, we will be covering in complete detail what does fatigue mean and ways to combat it.

So let’s begin:

What is Fatigue?

onset of fatigue

This term relates to the overall condition. You feel like you are completely drained and there is no energy left in your body. You will feel complete drowsiness and even sleepy in the process. It is a state in which you feel you are lacking motivation to do anything.

Despite resting, you will feel that you are having no energy in the body at all. In some cases you will sleepy all the time. In cases where even if you are getting a good nutrition and are also working out, yet your condition is not improving, then that means that your fatigue is severe and you will need to get a proper diagnosis to ensure the treatment commences.

Understand that the onset of your fatigue is due to certain conditions. But when we talk about fatigue, we can actually divide it into three major types and triggers. This will include your lifestyle habits which make a major difference. Whether you are suffering from certain physical health conditions can also be a leading cause, as well as if you are suffering from any mental health issues in life.

Diagnosis of Fatigue

Before talking about the various causes of this condition and how you can adapt ways to combat it, I want to touch about the diagnosis mechanism on the same.

Your doctor will create a treatment plan only when he/she has properly held a diagnosis to determine what is causing it in the first place. When creating a diagnosis chart, the most likely things which the doctor will determine include:

  • How did the fatigue take form? When did it begin and how has it been progressing through the years
  • If you are experiencing different kinds of symptoms relating to this condition
  • What kind of medical conditions are you suffering from
  • If your lifestyle is actually leading to your fatigue causes
  • Whether you are on certain medications which are actually accelerating the condition

All these factors relate to this condition and play a major role in boosting it further. When your doctor makes a proper diagnosis, he can suggest treatment which will actually work.

Major Fatigue Causes

Now let’s talk about in detail the major fatigue causes and ways in which you can combat it effectively.

Lack of Sleep

lack of sleep

One of the major one is definitely having not enough sleep. This may seem like an obvious reason but it turns out that when you have too little of sleep, you will be drastically impacted and will feel extremely drained and tired all the time. When this happens, it will impact your concentration too and with time, the condition will continue to worsen till when you will completely feel irritated. And this will start to show in your mood swings too. You will start to feel completely isolated and would want to withdraw from any kind of gatherings and social get-togethers.

How to Fix It

This kind of concern can easily be taken care of when you decide to create a proper sleeping pattern and schedule. It will definitely be hard for you in the start but when you make a commitment to adhere to your sleeping pattern, you will then be able to get into a proper framework which allows you to get a healthy routine in order. How you can do so is by banning laptops, cell phones as well as televisions in your bedrooms. If this is still not working, it means you have a severe sleeping disorder. This means you will need some professional help and guidance for the same.

Sleep Apnea

sleep apnea and its applications

In certain cases you might be suffering from a condition in which you might be feeling that you are getting enough sleep, however sleep apnea may set in. This means you will not be sleeping enough. It relates to how you will have moments in which you will stop breathing and this happens on and off. Whenever it happens, you will wake up and you may not even be aware of it. This is a very frustrating situation in which despite being in bed for 8 hours, you still feel completely drained and sleep deprived.

How to Fix It

The best way to fix this condition is that you should lose weight if you are obese. If you are overweight, you will be having more breathing issues for the same. Also smokers are more prone to sleep apnea. If you are doing so, you should try to quit smoking. In some cases, you will require a CPAP device which is very effective in keeping your airway passages completely clean.

Eat Well

You should be eating well to ensure you don’t suffer from the conditions of sleep apnea. This means your diet should be wholesome and healthy. Make a habit of eating a well-balanced diet. This will help in controlling your blood sugar levels. When you eat junk food, it makes a negative impact.

How to Fix It

The best way to combat this kind of fatigue is by eating a proper breakfast. This means you should be eating protein and complex carbs . This includes eggs, whole grain toast as well having small meals which are healthy. This will make you healthy and fit throughout the day.

Anemia Issues

This is one of the leading causes of fatigue in women. One of the leading causes of anemia is that when you are on your period, you may suffer from heavy menstrual blood loss, it can lead to certain issues like having iron deficiency. This will be putting women at risk even more. This relates to how the red blood cells will be needing more oxygen so that they can pump into your tissues and organs.

How to Fix It

When it comes to suffering from iron deficiency, there are ways in which you can combat this condition. One way is by taking iron supplements and also eating iron-rich foods. This includes food like lean meat, liver, beans as well as enriched cereal.

Depression

depression is one of the causes of fatigue

You might also be suffering from depression which is a major cause of concern. It is also said to a leading emotional disorder. When you are feeling low, you will not just be suffering from fatigue, but might also have severe headaches. You will also be suffering from loss of appetite and this relates to you being tired and feeling even more down.

How to Fix It

Depression is something that you can combat with therapy as well as medication. It allows you to combat the condition in a proper manner. It allows you to remain fresh and become effective. You will be able to combat the condition in which you are feeling extremely tired and down. When you take on certain medications, you will be able to combat the condition in a much more better way.

Hypothyroidism

This relates to one of the fatigue causes which relates to a condition relating to a small gland in the back of your neck. This is called thyroid and it is effective as it controls the metabolism as well as the way in which you are able to change the way the food converts into energy. The impact this has is that when your gland will be underactive and this will make your metabolism function even slowly. You will be feeling sluggish and may even put on weight.

How to Fix It

The only way in which you can combat this condition is by taking a blood test. This will be confirming whether there are some issues with how your thyroid hormones are working . It also means you will have to make use of synthetic hormones which will allow you to remain up to speed.

Caffeine Addiction

Another leading cause of fatigue cause is having caffeine addiction. Caffeine is one of the major things which anyone needs in the morning to give you a major boost. This element leads to an improvement in alertness as well as concentration levels. However the issue is when you have too much of caffeine, it can have a negative impact too on your health.

How to Fix It

The only way to manage this is by cutting out coffee as well as tea and anything which will impacts your caffeine levels. You should also control the amount of soft drinks and medications you are taking in which contain high concentration levels of caffeine. Also when you suddenly stop the caffeine intake, it can also impact your fatigue levels. So it is best that you make this move slowly and gradually.