If you’ve been feeling like less than yourself lately, and are suffering from an inordinate amount of fatigue, you may be left a bit confused. Why don’t you have the energy that you once had? How can you return to your usual energized self?
There are a lot of possible reasons that you may be feeling an increased fatigue throughout your day. It may be due to a lack of awareness about your health. Chances are, you’re not taking care of yourself as well as you should be.
It’s also possible that you may be suffering from any number of underlying conditions, which we’ll talk about below.
Luckily, there are also some great ways to manage fatigue and have more energy, so read on to find out about some great home remedies for fatigue.
Reasons you may feel fatigue
If you’re feeling regular fatigue, it is possible that you have an underlying condition that is making you feel an extra amount of temporary fatigue.
While some people who feel fatigue may just need an improvement in diet or should make a few small lifestyle tweaks, others may be facing a more severe condition and have a large underlying problem.
It’s important to find out what’s wrong with you and if you are suffering from one of the below conditions. The following issues may be what is leading to your increased fatigue feelings, so read on to find out about some possibilities that might be making you tired.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
If you find yourself feeling chronically tired, you may be suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). If you have this condition, you likely become short winded and extremely tired after normal and simple body activities. You may feel exhausted after an inordinate amount of time, relative to the activity you’re doing.
Sufferers of CFS may also find themselves with splitting headaches, sore throats, and muscle or joint pain.
While no definite cause has been determined for CFS yet, some researchers have linked the syndrome to low blood pressure, viruses, and hormonal imbalances.
Treatments for this ailment that have been used are rehabilitation methods such as cognitive behavioral therapy and graded exercise therapy. Patients are also taught to practice better self-care throughout their week.
Anemia
Another possible cause of your fatigue is anemia, a condition which relates to the deficiency of red blood cells, or hemoglobin, in the body. This deficiency also leads to a lack of oxygen in the body, causing many anemia sufferers to feel excessive fatigue.
Anemia is also marked by other characteristics such as shortness of breath, headaches, vertigo, pale skin, or pain in the chest.
To determine whether or not you’re anemic you’ll need to get a blood checkup. Anemia can be a serious condition, but if discovered early on it can be managed well.
Underactive Thyroid
An underactive thyroid, or hypothyroidism, is another common cause of fatigue. The condition is characterized by a lack of thyroid hormone production and causes those with the condition to feel increasingly weary.
The condition can become serious, so it’s important to treat it as soon as possible to manage the condition properly.
An underactive thyroid can also make you overweight and lead to sore muscles, hair loss, stronger sensitivity to the cold, and unhealthy skin.
Diabetes
Diabetes has also been known to cause fatigue. Type 1 diabetes, in particular, is the most commonly one linked with feeling extra fatigue. The changes in the blood and sugar level variations can cause people with diabetes to feel fatigued often.
Diabetes can cause other difficulties as well including dry mouth, frequent urination, loss of weight, and increased feelings of thirst and hunger.
Early diagnosis is ideal, so make sure to discover the disease as quickly as possible.
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is particularly prevalent in women and can be a reason that a person is feeling tired and fatigued more often.
The condition is a disorder of the joints, muscles, and fibrous tissues, but people who have it are typically suffering more mentally. The disease can include depression, anxiety and a tendency to withdraw socially.
Physical aspects of fibromyalgia can include sleep problems, deep-seated muscle pain, and painful and tender points in the body.
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is a condition that affects the central nervous system. The condition affects the brain and the spinal cord, and with it, myelin, the coating around nerve cells are wrongfully attacked by the body’s immune system. Similarly to fibromyalgia, the condition is especially common in women.
The disease can include restless leg syndrome and obstructive sleep apnea, in addition to feelings of fatigue. It also may include numbness in the hands and feet tingling in various areas of the body, a woozy feeling, and the slurring of speech.
The disease is incurable, but quick diagnosis and treatment can help to slow down the progression of illness and decrease symptoms.
Depression
Another cause of these feelings of fatigue can be clinical depression. The disorder is misunderstood by many, but it is a common ailment, that is in fact, quite serious. If you’re feeling depression, you are not alone. Many people in the world suffer from the condition.
The state of depression has effects in the brain and triggers a lower amount of neurotransmitter production. The condition is packaged with a feeling of fatigue for many depression sufferers and has shown a marked decrease in energy levels.
Glandular Fever
Also known as mononucleosis, glandular fever is a viral infection that includes a range of symptoms, including a feeling of chronic fatigue.
Other symptoms of the ailment include aching muscles, low appetite, fever, swollen glands, and an aching throat. Fatigue is an underlying symptom of glandular fever and has been known to persist for months after the other symptoms have faded.
Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a disorder which causes breathing problems in those who experience it. During sleep, the breath pathways can be blocked or narrowed and causes people to experience interrupts in breathing or even complete stops.
In addition to that tired feeling, the condition is also characterized by a headache upon waking up, and a tendency to snore while asleep.
Menopause
Another ailment that is experienced by women is menopause. Menopause causes many fluctuations in hormone levels and can cause many overwhelming sensations including fatigue, hot flashes, and poor sleep quality.
Thyroid hormones and adrenal hormones can be affected with the condition. The condition can also affect estrogen levels and progesterone levels and can lead to persistent fatigue.
How to help fatigue
While many of the above disorders and health ailments will require specific treatments based on their particular characteristics, there are several actions that anyone can take to help improve their energy and fight fatigue.
When you take care of our body better, you will find that you are having more energy throughout your days and weeks. If you’ve been neglecting to focus on yourself and your own well-being, then now is the time to do it.
While you may believe you’re being selfish by giving yourself some extra focus, it is important to keep our bodies maintained. Only then should we do all of the extra things that we do and take care of the people around us.
Exercise Regularly
One of the most important things that someone who is suffering from constant fatigue can do is make sure that they are exercising regularly. Exercise has been shown to offer numerous health benefits, both mentally and physically, and is an excellent way to get more energy.
Exercise also releases helpful endorphins, helping us to feel better and happier all around.
Although it may seem difficult to think about exercising when feeling especially fatigued, the truth is that energy flow works both ways. Sometimes you have to spend energy to get energy.
Of course, be sure to create an exercise schedule that is right for you, your body, and your specific brand of fatigue and underlying causes.
Avoid long naps
Another thing you can do to help with your energy deficiency is to avoid taking long naps. Make sure that you have a good sleep schedule and that you’re getting all the sleep you need at night, but keep things short when napping during the day.
Day naps can cause you to feel extra grogginess if they’re too long, and your body will want more and more sleep. Your body may try to convince you to not get back up after a long daytime nap.
Feeling fatigue can be stressful, and it is possible that feeling tired causes you a lot of frustration if you’re used to feeling wonderful and energized every day. There are many possible causes to the changes you’ve experienced, but luckily there are solutions if you seek them out.
Be sure to use some of these natural remedies to help yourself feel more energized. Improve your diet and make sure you are eating well. With a few simple changes, you may find that your fatigue is once again a thing of the past.
Get on a Sleep Schedule
One of the best natural things you can do for your body when you are suffering from fatigue is to get on a consistent sleeping schedule. If you don’t, you may always feel tired. For me, I try to be in bed by 11pm and awake around 8am. I notice that when I am off this schedule even by a few hours, fatigue has a much easier time catching up with me. Now, of course there are tons of reasons why you may end up being away later and getting up earlier than you wish. Kids, work, weekend outings with friends are all things that add up to an inconsistent schedule. Do the best you can to get on a consistent one!
Drink Your Liquids
Being thirsty is a main cause of fatigue, and rightfully so. Our body needs hydration to thrive, so depleting it of water is the worst thing we can do. It doesn’t take huge experiment to figure out that the less hydrated we are, the more quickly we become tired, and that many times, a cup of water is the solution to fatigue and weariness. Use tiredness as a reminder to drink water.
Respect Your Internal Clock
Each and every one of us has an internal body clock. Most of us don’t know this or choose not to listen to it. Why is it that some people are night owls or are morning people? Why is it that some thrive on a few hours of sleep and other need more than the suggested 8? It’s simple- we are each built differently. If you know your bodies clock and have the ability to adjust your schedule to it, then make the changes! Your body definitely will thank you for the energy given.