Tired of Being Tired? 10 Solutions to Combat Your Chronic Fatigue
Everyone knows what it’s like to be tired. This can make it hard for you to explain to your friends and family what chronic fatigue feels like. The constant exhaustion can limit productivity and your ability to physically or mentally exert yourself. Some patients compare the feeling to having a lingering flu or working long hours on little sleep, even when they’ve had a full night’s sleep and should feel rested.
Sound familiar? If you’re tired of being tired, find out what might be the cause of your chronic fatigue so you can begin the process of treating your ailment.
Spreading Yourself Too Thin
- Problem: For many people with fatigue, the condition is self-inflicted. If you’re trying to juggle a job, kids and endless commitments on only a few hours of sleep each night, your busy schedule will eventually catch up with you.
- Solution: Try delegating some of your responsibilities and getting more sleep to see if your exhaustion improves.
Caffeine Abuse
- Problem: The caffeine in coffee, tea and some soft drinks is a stimulant, but if you overdo it, it can have the opposite effect. If this is the cause of your fatigue, attempting to dispel your exhaustion with more caffeine will only make matters worse.
- Solution: Eliminate as much caffeine from your diet as possible. You’ll need to acclimate to life without your morning espresso, but your fatigue could drastically improve.
Anemia
- Problem: This condition is characterized by a hemoglobin deficiency. Hemoglobin is vital for carrying oxygen to tissues and organs throughout your body. Without enough oxygen circulating in your blood, you feel exhausted.
- Solution: You need a blood test to confirm an anemia diagnosis. Treatment usually consists of taking iron supplements and eating iron-rich foods such as red meat, broccoli and spinach. The proper treatment should lift your symptoms within 30 days.
Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)
- Problem: Most often, UTIs are identified by burning during urination. However, the infection can sometimes go undiagnosed if fatigue is the only symptom.
- Solution: Have your urine tested and start taking antibiotics to clear up the infection. If a UTI is indeed the cause, your symptoms should lift in seven days or less.
Fibromyalgia
- Problem: This condition is one of the most common causes of chronic fatigue, especially in women.
- Solution: Exercise can help fibromyalgia patients sleep better and lessen feelings of fatigue. Swimming in particular is helpful to ease anxiety and stress, resulting in a more restful sleep.
Hypothyroidism
- Problem: An underactive thyroid means your metabolism works slowly, giving your body less energy to work with.
- Solution: Blood tests can determine if you have a thyroid disorder. Synthetic hormone medications can get at the root of your chronic fatigue and help your thyroid act normally again.
Food Allergies
- Problem: Food is the body’s fuel, but if you have an allergy – or even a mild intolerance – you could be unknowingly causing your fatigue by eating the wrong things.
- Solution: Keep a food journal and record what you eat. Cut out certain food groups such as dairy and gluten, and record how you feel in the hours and days following each dietary change. Through the process of elimination, you should be able to narrow down which foods are causing your fatigue. Spinal Healthcare & Physical Medicine can also perform allergy tests to speed up the process.
Sleep Apnea
- Problem: This sleeping disorder interrupts your sleep cycle without waking you up, resulting in un-restful nights no matter how long you sleep.
- Solution: Consider participating in a sleep study to discover if you have sleep apnea. Then take steps to reduce your sleep apnea, including quitting smoking, losing weight and sleeping on your side instead of your back. Your doctor may prescribe a CPAP, a medical device that helps keep your airways open while you sleep.
Depression
- Problem: Fatigue is one symptom of depression, which runs in families and usually starts between ages 15 and 30.
- Solution: Your doctor can diagnose your condition. Depression is highly treatable with antidepressants and/or psychotherapy. By treating this underlying cause, your fatigue should improve.
Heart Disease
- Problem: If your fatigue stems from ordinary physical activities such as shopping or doing household chores, you could have heart disease.
- Solution: If no other reason comes to mind as to why simple activities would make you feel fatigued, consult with your doctor. Medication can usually help your condition and therefore reduce your symptoms.
If you always feel exhausted, don’t let your chronic fatigue get in the way of enjoying life. Turn to the experts at Spinal Healthcare & Physical Medicine for treatment. Please contact us or call (260) 493-6565 today for a free consultation.
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