How To Overcome Extreme Fatigue

Symptoms Of Mental Exhaustion

Combatting COVID-19 fatigue: What experts suggest you do

Although mental exhaustion is primarily associated with your mental health, it can also be detrimental to your physical and emotional wellbeing.

Emotionally, you can experience:

Chronic physical fatigue, weakness, tiredness
Trouble sleeping, including insomnia
Greater susceptibility to illness

Chronic mental fatigue will heighten physical and emotional symptoms. What may otherwise be a minor headache can become a crushing pain when mentally exhausted. A fleeting bout of anxiety in normal circumstances can result in uncontrolled worry.

When Should I Call My Doctor About Fatigue

Itâs normal to feel tired now and then. Everyone experiences occasional, brief fatigue due to illness, sleep disturbances, travel or changes in diet or medication. But you should talk to your healthcare provider if youâre tired all the time. Call your provider if:

Your fatigue lasts longer than a few days

Youâre having a hard time going to work or performing daily activities.
There isnât a clear reason for your fatigue.
It comes on suddenly.

Youâre older .
Youâve also been losing weight.

Fatigue can be a sign of a serious health condition. You should seek immediate medical attention if you have fatigue along with other symptoms, such as:

Shortness of breath or pain in your chest, arm or upper back.
Fast, pounding, fluttering or irregular heartbeat.
Headache or vision problems .

Nausea, vomiting or abdominal pain.
Muscle weakness.

How Does A Doctor Diagnose Fatigue

Your doctor may diagnose fatigue using a number of medical tests. These include:

Confirmation of your medical history
Physical examination to check for signs of illness or disease
Tests such as blood tests, urine tests, or X-rays

Your doctor may also ask detailed questions about your diet, lifestyle and life events.

Also Check: Supplements To Help With Fatigue

Tips And Techniques On How To Overcome Fatigue

Fatigue is something that often holds you back to enjoy your life to the fullest. It greatly affects your quality of life and hinders you from doing the things that you love to do freely. In this article, we are going to share some tips and techniques on how to overcome fatigue. You can also check with specialized doctors on the internet about some methods to restore your energy.

Can Boredom Cause Fatigue

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Remedies: 4 Steps to Overcome

Being bored can make you feel tired. That may sound strange, but it’s true. If you were very busy during your working years, you may feel lost about how to spend your time when you retire. When you wake up in the morning, you may see long days stretching before you with nothing planned. It doesn’t have to be that way.

Engaging in social and productive activities that you enjoy, like volunteering in your community, may help maintain your well-being. Think about what interests you and what skills or knowledge you have to offer and look for places to volunteer. Read Participating in Activities You Enjoy for ways to find volunteer opportunities.

Recommended Reading: What Causes Fatigue In Diabetes

How To Cope With Fatigue

Managing fatigue requires a well-rounded approach. This may entail changes to your medication regimen, trying supplements in addition to your medication, managing stress and mental health, and making other healthy lifestyle changes.We asked doctors and chronic illness patients for their best tips on coping with chronic fatigue and exhaustion.

Consider Injections Instead Of Pills

Sometimes the same drug can affect you in different ways depending on the method in which it is administered, Dr. Cohen says. Take methotrexate, for instance with pills you may have to use more medication to get the therapeutic dose because it has to pass through the entire gastrointestinal tract, she explains. Using an intramuscular injection often allows us to use less medication as it goes directly to your bloodstream. This may help lessen side effects such as fatigue for some patients. Read more common questions about methotrexate.

Also Check: Doctors Specializing In Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Is Pots More Common In Certain People

There are no established risk factors for POTS. However, it is known to run in families, so it could have a genetic component. Researchers have also established a link between POTS and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome . So if you have one of these conditions, you might also have the other.

A big group of those diagnosed with POTS is young women and teens. However, this doesnt mean they are more likely to develop this condition.

Scientifically Proven Ways To Beat Mental Fatigue

HOW TO COMBAT PREGNANCY FATIGUE || How to Boost Energy During Pregnancy

Are you dealing with mental fatigue?

Picture this scenario: You head to work, feeling as though youre well-rested, and midway through your morning, youre already tired. Youre drained and worn out, even though your day is barely started.

Or, through the course of a relatively light day of work no meetings, no taxing decisions, no major fires to put out you feel mentally and emotionally exhausted.

Or, you get these same feelings mental tiredness, lack of brainpower to process even the simplest thoughts on a Saturday, when things are at their least stressful.

If any of the above sounds familiar or youve had bouts with exhaustion, decreased motivation, lack of sleep or loss of appetite, or sustained irritability, youre most likely suffering from mental fatigue.

Without proper care and attention to your mental health, mental fatigue can turn into far more severe conditions, including:

Fluctuations in weight
Increased susceptibility to illness

In this guide, were going to break down what mental fatigue is, what causes it, and how you can overcome it.

Also Check: What Can Cause Extreme Fatigue

How Is Fatigue Treated

To find out what is causing your fatigue, your doctor will ask you about any other symptoms and do a full examination. They may order blood tests or imaging tests, depending on what they think your condition might be.

Treatment will depend on the condition that is causing your fatigue. Sometimes, after treatment, you will feel better almost straight away. However, it might take several weeks for your fatigue to lessen.

Mindfulness, meditation, yoga and cognitive behavioural therapy are non-medical treatments that may be effective for some people to treat fatigue.

Home Remedies And Lifestyle Changes

Making some lifestyle changes may help reduce your symptoms.

Limiting or eliminating your caffeine intake can help you sleep better and ease your insomnia. You should limit or avoid nicotine and alcohol too.

Try to avoid napping during the day if its hurting your ability to sleep at night.

Create a sleep routine. Go to bed at the same time every night and aim to wake up around the same time every day.

Don’t Miss: How To Treat Depression Fatigue

Support Your Immune System

Chronic infections may be an underlying cause of chronic fatigue, but they are widely undiagnosed.

What to do: In addition to getting tested for underlying infections, consider blends of Siberian ginseng, samento, sarsaparilla, guaiacum, astragalus, resveratrol, and cat’s claw for their immune-strengthening properties.

Ways Of Boosting Energy Levels And Reducing Fatigue

How to Overcome Extreme Fatigue During Menstruation : notdisneyvacation

Having energy has never been as important as it is today with the rise of the online rat-race. Stress is at an all-time high in todays generation and both men and women experience it daily.

Balancing a career, a healthy lifestyle, kids, a family, and an online social media presence has become the norm for a large portion of the western world. Our body, however, is not designed to be in a constant state of stress and has not caught up to this new way of living.

For this reason, fatigue is something a lot of us experience. It causes us to feel unmotivated, tired, and left with no energy to pursue the things we love.

The goal of this article is to analyze the role that fatigue plays in our daily lives and our overall health and to underline the best ways to get our energy back ASAP.

Contents

What Is Fatigue Vs Being Tired

Fatigue is a symptom you need to pay attention to because it is a red flag for so many underlying diseases. Its often the driving symptom that leads patients to come in and eventually get diagnosed, says Aly Cohen, MD, a rheumatologist at Integrative Rheumatology Associates in Princeton, New Jersey, and founder of The Smart Human. Patients will tell me, Im just tired all the time and shrug it off but its not normal and there are ways to treat fatigue.First things first: How do you know if you have ordinary Im exhausted after a long day of work tiredness or if its actual clinical fatigue?Medically speaking, fatigue is characterized by a feeling of weakness and a chronic lack of energy, says Stuart Kaplan, MD, a rheumatologist with Rheumatology Consultants, LLP, and chief of rheumatology at South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside, New York. Sound kinda vague? Because tiredness is a subjective feeling, your doctor should ask you more questions and you should be as detailed as possible about how your exhaustion symptoms are affecting your life, he says. Questions about your fatigue may include:

Do you wake up tired even after a full nights sleep?
Do you find it difficult to muster energy for activities you enjoy and are excited about?

Do you forego important daily activities, like showering or work, because youre just too exhausted to do them?
Do you sleep more than seven to eight hours a night ?
Has the exhaustion lasted more than a week?

How To Stop Feeling Tired All The Time

Fatigue is a feeling that you’re chronically tired – mentally and physically.

It can be caused by a number of factors, including unhealthy lifestyle choices, workplace problems and stress.

There are many different ways you can boost your energy, but see your health practitioner first to make sure you don’t have an underlying medical problem.

Also Check: How Do Anti Fatigue Mats Work

Modifying Behavioural Components To Fatigue

Significant central fatigue warrants lifestyle changes, which may include rest periods and reduced workloads . However, the maintenance of physical activity is of paramount importance. The natural inclination of patients with central fatigue is to decrease physical activity. However, decreased physical activity over time will lead to cardiovascular and muscular deconditioning, which then makes physical activity even more difficult . Therefore, all patients need to be counselled with regard to maintaining an appropriate level of activity. In addition, an increase in activity should be attempted through the institution of a graded exercise program .

Step 4: Build Peace and Relax

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a chronic illness characterized by extreme fatigue that lasts for more than six months. This fatigue cannot be explained away by an underlying medical condition. In fact, one of the diseases principle challenges is that its impossible to diagnose with laboratory tests. However, some professionals believe it is closely related to adrenal fatigue or system wide inflammation of the body.

The process for diagnosis usually begins with ruling out possible underlying diseases and chronic conditions until the only choice left is chronic fatigue syndrome. Left untreated, it decreases stamina, memory and concentration.

When To See A Doctor For Your Fatigue

Many experience shortness of breath, fatigue after Covid-19

If youre still feeling tired all the time despite doing all you can to improve your diet, sleep and exercise habits, its time to see a doctor. Your doctor will talk to you about your symptoms and lifestyle and see if you have any other medical issues or are taking any medications. Your doctor may ask you to have various tests to see if you have another medical condition that is causing your extreme fatigue. If this is the case, you will get the answer to why you feel exhausted and be on your way to being treated and feeling better.

Recommended Reading: Does Adrenal Fatigue Cause Hair Loss

Tips For Feeling Less Tired

Many of the lifestyle reasons for being always tired are interrelated and once you improve on one, youll find it easier to tackle other areas. For example, if you start getting sufficient quality sleep, youll have more energy to exercise and prepare healthy meals. Similarly, if you improve your diet, youre more likely to have the energy to exercise and consequently get better sleep, and so on.

What Is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome , also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis or ME/CFS, is a condition in which fatigue lasts six months or longer and is not related to other diseases or conditions. People with CFS experience symptoms that make it hard to do daily tasks like dressing or bathing. Along with severe fatigue that doesnt get better with rest, CFS symptoms can include problems with sleep, memory and concentrating, pain, dizziness, sore throat, and tender lymph nodes. Learn more about CFS.

Don’t Miss: Emeril Lagasse Anti Fatigue Cushion Mat

Pots: A Little Known Cause Of Extreme Fatigue

Everyone knows what being tired feels like at the end of a long day. But some people experience fatigue so severe and so seemingly random that its hard to describe. If that sounds familiar, there could be more going on than daily stress.

While there are many causes of fatigue, one of them is frequently missed and misdiagnosed: postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome . Physical medicine and neuromuscular specialist Tae Chung, M.D., answers questions about POTS and extreme fatigue as one of its symptoms.

Natural Ways To Fight Chronic Fatigue

More than 1 million Americans live with chronic fatigue syndrome , according to the Centers for Disease Control . Chronic fatigue is a medical condition characterized by extreme fatigue after physical or mental exertion that is unrelated to an underlying condition. There are several theories on what leads to this syndrome, but the exact cause still remains unknown.

If you have chronic fatigue syndrome you know that on some days, even brushing your teeth can feel like a marathon. You may have tried every approved pharmacologic treatment out there. If youre searching for an alternative, here are four ways to boost your energy without popping pills.

Recommended Reading: Kidney Disease And Fatigue Shortness Of Breath

You May Like: What Is Rheumatoid Arthritis Fatigue

Fatigue And Insufficient Exercise

Being a couch potato can actually be the root cause of your tiredness and low energy. Sitting down for long periods of time can sap your energy, even if youre watching TV, or on your computer.

Medical research has shown that exercising gives you more energy and reduces fatigue. It helps to start off gradually, so that youre more likely to stick to an exercise routine. In fact, studies have shown that even minimal increases in physical activity, particularly for someone who has been mostly sedentary, can significantly reduce your fatigue.

What Is Pots And Why Does It Cause Fatigue

POTS is a group of symptoms resulting from dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system. This branch of the nervous system regulates functions we dont consciously control like sweating and blood circulation.

In people with POTS, more blood collects in the lower body when standing upright. The heart beats faster to pump it up to the brain, but with little success. The causes of POTS are unknown, but the problem is thought to lie in the communication breakdown between the brain and the cardiovascular system.

POTS-related fatigue is physical in nature and the mechanism behind it is not fully understood. It may have several causes, including your body working harder to move the blood.

Don’t Miss: Best Anti Fatigue Eye Cream

What Is Chronic Fatigue

Chronic Fatigue is the constant feeling of weariness or overwhelming tiredness that doesnt seem to improve or change regardless of the amount of rest or sleep received. Patients may receive an adequate amount of sleep each night and still feel fatigued during the day.

Fatigue affects people physically, mentally and emotionally. When people experience fatigue they feel as though their energy has been depleted and they dont have the strength to perform daily activities.

Fatigue may come and go or worsen during certain times. The onset of the fatigue may be unpredictable and occur without warning signs or symptoms. Fatigue may not be preceded by physical activity or exertion, and it may occur in between or during flare-up episodes of RA.

Dont Miss: Does Rheumatoid Arthritis Cause Fatigue

How Long Does Covid

Spotlight on COVID: Coping with fatigue in the pandemic

According to data gathered in the ZOE COVID Study, fatigue commonly occurs within the first week of the illness and lasts for an average of five to eight days, though some people may have COVID-related fatigue for two weeks or longer.

The severity of fatigue is often correlated to the severity of illness. Typically, the worse the illness, the longer the fatigue is likely to last. For people who had to be admitted to intensive care for COVID-19, it might be a few months before they get back to where they were before they got sick, says McClelland.

For people who feel bad but are able to ride out COVID-19 at home, it might take just a week or two for the fatigue to abate, says McClelland.

Recommended Reading: Hot Flashes Night Sweats Fatigue

Dont Overdo It On Good Days

On days when your illness is bad, it can feel impossible to do the simplest tasks. So when you feel better, its tempting to try and cram in all those things you didnt get done.Although the docs tell you not to overdo it on good days, I cant help it. I have so many bad days and Im so far behind, Elizabeth F. told us on Facebook. Last Saturday was a good day. I vacuumed and mopped the whole house, cleaned two bathrooms, did all of the laundry, went grocery shopping at 9 PM, and cleaned out the closet to get a bag together for donation. Then on Sunday the pain was 225 on a scale of 1-10. She feels pressure to get things done when shes feeling well because of that what-if feeling that the pain could get worse.Not overdoing it on good days is a hard habit to adopt, but you have to try. Even though you may be feeling better, your body is still working hard because of your disease and your energy is in short supply. Overdoing it will only make your fatigue worse in the future, he says.