Fatigue is when you are feeling overtired or exhausted, lack of energy, and a strong feeling of sleep. It is a common symptom for many for change in lifestyle and many other reasons for fatigue. This symptom severity range might be mild to serious.
Feeling tired, with low energy, and a strong desire to sleep that interferes with normal daily activities. Fatigue can have causes that are unrelated to an underlying disease. Examples include lack of sleep, strenuous exertion, jet lag, a heavy meal, or aging
There are two major types of fatigue: physical and mental fatigue:
A person suffering from muscle fatigue may have physical difficulties doing the things they usually do, such as climbing stairs. Symptoms include muscle weakness and the diagnosis may involve performing a strength test.
With mental fatigue, a person may have a harder time concentrating on things and staying focused. They may feel drowsy or have difficulty staying awake while working.
What Causes Fatigue?
Fatigue causes are mainly divided into 3 categories:
Lifestyle factors : Not taking adequate nutritious food, taking certain medications, emotional stress, lack of sleep, lack of physical activities, boredom, consuming alcohol regularly, drug addiction
Physical or medical health conditions : Physical or medical health conditions: Malaria, tuberculosis, infectious mononucleosis, cytomegalovirus, HIV, flu, hepatitis, anemia, high blood pressure, chronic fatigue syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, massive blood loss, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, kidney disease, pregnancy, thyroid conditions.
Mental health issues : Anxiety, depression, and seasonal affective disorder.
Diagnosis
To diagnose the underlying cause of fatigue, your doctor or licensed health care professional will ask you several questions related to your symptoms. You can better help your healthcare professional diagnose the underlying cause of fatigue by providing complete answers to these questions:
Describe fatigue. Is it constant or intermittent? Is it mild, moderate, or severe? Does it happen with or after certain activities or events, such as stress, exercise, or just before menstruation?
How long have you had fatigue?
Ask about other symptoms, such as a cough, digestive problems, rashes, or other concerns
What other symptoms do you have with fatigue?
Strategies for Managing Fatigue
If the cause is a medical condition, treating the condition will often resolve the tiredness. For example, if you have anemia, iron supplements can treat this and the tiredness resolves as your blood count improves. Even supplementing iron levels in a low range of normal is believed to help with fatigue.
If you are found to have hypothyroidism, a pill to replace the missing thyroid hormone is usually very effective and you will find that you have more energy.
If the cause is a side effect of the medication, it may be possible to switch to something that works better for you.
If you are found to have failure of fatigue syndrome, you may be referred to a chronic fatigue specialist for help through psychological therapy, gradual exercise therapy, or medications.
If you have anxiety or depression, this can be relieved with talk therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), medication, or several other possible treatments.
It may seem strange, but physical exercise can actually be very effective in treating fatigue. Any moderate exercise, like walking, swimming, or biking, can help you feel less tired. Regular workouts are a great way to stay healthy.
If you don't get a good night's sleep, it's tempting to try to "make up" by taking naps during the day when possible. This really won't help; in fact, it can get your body clock out of sync, so you may end up sleeping less well at night. There are many ways you can try to improve your sleep if you have insomnia, and this, in turn, can improve your tiredness.
When to see a Doctor?
When fatigue continues for a week or more, then immediately consult a doctor or seek a medical emergency. In some cases, fatigue is caused by serious physical or medical health conditions along with any of the following:
Effective home remedies to relieve itchy skin encompass a variety of methods, including:
Drink more fluids to stay hydrated
Healthy eating habits
Exercise regularly
Get enough sleep
Avoid stress
Avoid work or social schedule that is stressful
Do relaxing activities, such as yoga, meditation
Avoid alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs
Consume less caffeine
These lifestyle changes may help you reduce fatigue. It is also important to consult your doctors to make recommendations for any medical health conditions.
Fatigue can cause a wide range of other physical, mental, and emotional signs, including:
Chronic fatigue or drowsiness
Headache
Dizziness
Sore or sore muscles
Muscular weakness
Slowed reflexes and responses
Impaired decision making and judgment
Mood swings, such as irritability
Hand-eye coordination disorders
Loss of appetite
Reduced immune system function
2. When should you worry about fatigue?
Call for an appointment with your physician if your fatigue has continued for two weeks or more despite trying to rest, reduce stress, choose healthy food, and drink plenty of fluids.
3. What happens to your body when you're exhausted?
The more exhausted you are, the more you crave foods high in fat and carbohydrates. When you are exhausted, your body produces more of the stress hormone cortisol. Its natural response is to crave the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is a calming hormone. One easy way to access it is to ingest comfort foods that are high in carbohydrates and fat.
4. What is the difference between tiredness and fatigue?
Medically, fatigue happens to everyone - it's an expected sensation after certain activities or at the end of the day. Usually, you know why you are tired and a good night's sleep helps to solve the problem. Fatigue is a lack of daily energy; unusual or excessive fatigue of the whole body is not relieved by sleep.
5. What is the best medicine for fatigue?
The following list of medications are related to or used in the treatment of fatigue condition:
