Fight Fatigue to Feel Fine

Are there days when you drag yourself around because of a complete lack of energy? And you feel tired all the time? Then your problem may be that you are suffering from fatigue. Fatigue is a daily lack of energy, a kind of tiredness that seems to have seeped right into your bones. And it can be acute or sometimes even chronic. And as a result, the quality of your life gets affected.

Expert doctors say, “When fatigue is the only symptom a person experiences, common conditions like diabetes, hypertension, anemia, sub clinical hypothyroidism etc need to be ruled out.” Fatigue is also common in post menopausal women due to hormonal changes. Along with ruling out the common medical causes, an understanding of the patient as a whole is needed. The social, emotional, financial and personal aspects of the patient have to be assessed and a psychiatrist’s evaluation may also be necessary.

Causes of Fatigue:

1. Sleep disturbances and working in shifts.
2. Too much exercise or even a total lack of it.
3. Chronic Infections like Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS etc.
4. Chronic diseases like heart failure, asthma, hypertension etc.
5. Endocrine problems like diabetes, hypothyroidism, menopause
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   etc.

6. Psychological causes like depression, anxiety, stress an
   grief.
7. Some medications like antidepressants, anti-psychotics, anti hypertensives can give a feeling of tiredness.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Is it a medical condition in which the patient has severe fatigue lasting for more than six months with other causes being ruled out. How can you tell if you are just tired or fatigued?
You know it if you have at least four of the following symptoms:

1. Tiredness that lingers for more than a week.
2. Inability to concentrate.
3. Reduced productivity, lack of motivation, anxiety and
   memory
   impairment.
4. Sore throat, muscle and joint pains, headaches,
5. Unrefreshing sleep, stress, nervousness etc.

Treatment for this condition is holistic with relaxation techniques and relief of symptoms with painkillers and muscle relaxants.

Fatigue Prevention Tips

• Iron supplements for anemia, antibiotics for infections, multi vitamin tablets, exercise and diet modifications and drugs to control diabetes and high blood pressure are commonly prescribed by doctors.
• Certain undiagnosed medical conditions which present as fatigue such as Sleep apnea syndrome, Cancer, Cardiac diseases, Thyroid disorders etc need specialist advice and treatment.
• A holistic approach to the patient is needed to understand, diagnose and treat the cause of fatigue. A good exercise regimen, plenty of fruits and vegetables in your daily diet , avoiding caffeine in the evenings and going to sleep at the same time daily are simple prevention tips that help you relieve your everyday tiredness.

If you have fatigue which lasts longer than a week with any of the symptoms listed above, visit your doctor.