Random Fatigue During The Day

What Helps Me Manage My Fatigue

Expect you or a loved one may develop post-COVID fatigue, regardless of how unwell you or they were during the actual infection.

Vaccines help reduce the risk of post-COVID fatigue by lowering the chance of catching COVID in the first place. Vaccinated people who do catch COVID are less likely to report fatigue and are less likely to develop long COVID.

However, vaccination is not 100% protective and there are plenty of fully vaccinated people who go on to develop longer term fatigue.

The evidence for what helps you recover from post-COVID fatigue is in its infancy. However, a few things do help:

1. pace yourself: adjust the return to normal activities to your energy levels. Choose your priorities and focus on what you can do rather than what you cant

2. return to exercise gradually: a gradual return to exercise may help your recovery, but you may need some support about how to manage or avoid fatigue afterwards. Some therapists occupational therapists, physiotherapists and exercise physiologists specialise in this. So ask your GP for a recommendation

3. prioritise sleep: rather than feeling guilty about sleeping so much, remind yourself that while you sleep, your body conserves energy and heals. Disrupted sleep patterns are an unfortunate COVID symptom. Having a strict bedtime, while also resting when you feel tired during the day, is important

What Should I Know About Fatigue

What is the Definition of Fatigue?

Fatigue is generally defined as a feeling of lack of energy and motivation that can be physical, mental or both. Fatigue is not the same as drowsiness, but the desire to sleep may accompany fatigue. Apathy is a feeling of indifference that may accompany fatigue or exist independently. In addition, individuals often describe fatigue using a variety of terms including weary, tired, exhausted, malaise, listless, lack of energy and feeling run down.

How Common is Fatigue?

Fatigue is common. About 20% of Americans claim to have fatigue intense enough to interfere with living a normal life. A physical cause has been estimated to be responsible 20% to 60% of the time, while emotional or mental causes comprise the other 40% to 80% of cases of fatigue. Unfortunately, fatigue can occur in normal individuals that experience intense physical or mental activity .

However, in contrast to fatigue that occurs with some diseases and syndromes, normal fatigue in healthy individuals is quickly relieved in a few hours to about a day when the physical or mental activity is reduced. Also, people occasionally experience fatigue after eating , which can be a normal response to food, especially after large meals and this may last about 30 minutes to several hours.

1. Have severe chronic fatigue for at least six months or longer with other known medical conditions excluded by clinical diagnosis and

Types Of Mental Health Professionals

Your doctor might refer you to any of the following mental health professionals:

Psychiatrist. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who specializes in preventing, diagnosing, and treating mental illness. A psychiatrist’s training starts with four years of medical school and is followed by a one-year internship and at least three years of specialized training as a psychiatric resident. A psychiatrist is trained to differentiate mental health problems from other underlying medical conditions that could present with psychiatric symptoms. They also monitor the effects of mental illness on other physical conditions , and the effects of medicines on the body .

As a medical doctor, a psychiatrist is licensed to write prescriptions. Many mental disorders — such as depression, anxiety, ADHD, or bipolar disorder — can be treated effectively with specific drugs. If you are working with a psychiatrist, a lot of the treatment may be focused on medication management. Sometimes medication alone is enough to treat the mental illness. Sometimes a combination of medication and psychotherapy or counseling is needed. If that is the case, the psychiatrist may provide the psychotherapy, or the psychiatrist may refer you to a counselor or other type of mental health professional.

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What Are The Symptoms Of Fatigue

Fatigue can cause a wide range of symptoms.

• Physical: feeling tired all the time, headaches, lightheadedness, sore, aching or weak muscles, loss of appetite, prone to getting sick.
• Mental: slowed reflexes and responses, poor decision making and judgement, short-term memory problems, poor concentration.
• Emotional: moodiness, irritability, low motivation, feeling depressed and hopeless.

High Or Low Blood Sugar Levels

Changes in blood sugar levels can impact sleep. When these levels are too high, a person may become irritable and too warm. They may also need to wake up to urinate multiple times as they sleep. Additionally, high blood sugar levels can make someone feel very sleepy during the day.

Having low blood sugar levels during sleep can also cause disruptions, making it difficult to wake up and causing excessive daytime drowsiness.

Diabetes can often lead to variations in blood sugar, metabolic syndrome, or other metabolic diseases. Most people can control their blood sugar levels with lifestyle modifications and medications.

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Why Does My Energy Slump In The Afternoon

There are many reasons that people feel less energetic in the afternoon. And its easier to overcome when you understand what causes it.

Your body naturally experiences a circadian rhythm, which is responsible for you feeling alert and tired throughout a 24-hour period. Just as this rhythm makes you tired at night, it also makes you sleepy with decreased alertness in the afternoon, especially between 1PM and 4PM.

However, your circadian rhythm isnt the only thing responsible for that shift in energy. Many things can worsen an afternoon slump, including:

• Not getting enough sleep: If you dont get enough sleep regularly, this will worsen the afternoon slump. When you dont sleep enough, you build up sleep debt, making it harder to stay awake for the whole day.

• Excessive stress: When youre stressed, a hormone called cortisol works overtime, leaving you feeling depleted. To add to the cycle, when you dont get enough sleep, you are more prone to stress.

• Eating poorly: A breakfast or lunch rich in carb- and sugar-heavy processed foods can cause energy levels to spike and rapidly decrease. This decrease leaves you tired shortly after you finish your meal.

• Dehydration: When youre dehydrated, your body loses fluid and electrolytes more quickly than it can replace them. Research shows that even mild dehydration causes cells in the body to shrink, including brain cells. This can result in fatigue, reduced short-term memory, headaches, and poor concentration.

Why Am I Always Tired And Hungry

If youre feeling tired and hungry all the time, the cause could be a combination of factors collectively known as adrenal fatigue. Adrenal fatigue is not a true medical condition but rather refers to a group of symptoms that may be related to adrenal gland function. Adrenal fatigue may result from chronic stress, which causes hormonal imbalances in the adrenals leading to adrenal insufficiency.

The function of the adrenal glands, which are located on the top of each kidney, is to produce hormones that:

Long-term stress can cause the adrenal glands to become fatigued and unable to keep up with the demands of the body. True adrenal insufficiency can be diagnosed with blood tests. Some symptoms that you may experience include:

• Trouble getting to sleep and difficulty waking up.
• Loss of body hair.

Many people do not think about the symptoms and chalk it up to just being exhausted after a long day. Feelings of stress and exhaustion should not be your daily mantra. It may mean that your adrenal glands are struggling.

Heres how to break the cycle:

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What Exams Procedures And Tests Diagnose The Cause Of Fatigue

For the evaluation of fatigue, the health care practitioner will take a complete history of the patients fatigue, along with questions in regard to associated symptoms. The health care practitioner may inquire about the following activities and symptoms to determine the probable cause of the fatigue:

Quality of Life

Does the level of fatigue remain constant throughout the day? Does the fatigue get worse as the day goes on, or does the fatigue begin at the start of the day? Is there a pattern to the fatigue ? Does the fatigue occur at regular cycles? How is the persons emotional state? Does the person feel unhappiness or disappointment in life? Sleep pattern determination. How much sleep is the person getting? During what hours does the person sleep? Does the person awake rested or fatigued? How many times does the person awake during sleep? Are they able to fall back asleep? Does the person get regular exercise? Any exercise? Has the person had any new stressors in their life? Change in relationships, jobs, school, or living arrangements? What is the persons diet? Is there a high intake of coffee, sugar, or excessive amounts of food?

The definitive diagnosis depends on discovering the underlying cause of the fatigue this is determined by evaluating the history, the physical exam and the appropriate test results.

When To Call Your Doctor

If your fatigue prevents you from engaging in work or school, social or personal activities, then you should see your doctor, Dr. Patane says.

“When in doubt, it never hurts to speak to your doctor about this. It can be a simple evaluation, and we may be able to say there’s nothing seriously wrong and suggest lifestyle modifications,” he says. “One of the best ways to get better from fatigue is with good sleep hygiene and by slowly increasing daily exercise.”

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What Is The Treatment For Fatigue

The treatment for fatigue depends upon the cause. Some treatments for conditions that cause fatigue include medications, antibiotics, vitamins, and exercise. Medical treatment of fatigue depends on the treatment of its underlying cause. Fortunately, many causes of fatigue may be treated with medications, for example, iron supplements for anemia, medications and machines to help sleep apnea, medications to control blood sugar, medications to regulate thyroid function, antibiotics to treat infection, vitamins, and/or recommendations for dietary changes and a sensible exercise program. Again, treatment of the underlying cause is the key to treatment of the symptom of fatigue.

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Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome

Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome is a group of symptoms that occur when your blood doesn’t circulate properly, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Doctors don’t totally understand the condition or why it happens, but they know that when a person with POTS stands upright, more blood collects in their lower body, causing the heart to beat faster to pump blood up to the brain.

Some people with POTS describe it as having sudden fatigue attacks, while others say it’s like having waves of sudden extreme fatigue and nausea or extreme fatigue “out of nowhere.” It can present differently depending on the person, but other symptoms might include:

• Feeling lightheaded or dizzy when standing, or fainting
• Nausea and vomiting
• Muscle cramps or muscle pain

POTS tends to run in families, and there’s a link between POTS and having highly mobile joints , per Johns Hopkins Medicine. If you think you have it, see your doctor, who can run a test and make a diagnosis.

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Viral Or Bacterial Infection And Fatigue

Symptoms: Fatigue, fever, head or body aches.

Fatigue can be a symptom of infections ranging from the flu to HIV. If you have an infection, you’ll probably have other symptoms like fever, head or body aches, shortness of breath, or appetite loss.

Infections that may cause fatigue include:

Treating the infection often relieves your fatigue. But some infections, including mononucleosis and COVID-19, can lead to long-lasting tiredness.

What Causes Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Despite a vigorous search, the cause for CFS remain unknown. One possibility may be that CFS represents an endpoint of disease resulting from multiple precipitating causes. Some conditions that have been proposed to trigger the development of CFS include viral infections or other transient traumatic conditions, stress and toxins.

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How To Feel Less Tired And More Alert During The Day

Caiaimage / Tom Merton / Getty Images

• Manage Negative Emotions

Its normal to have an occasional sluggish day, but if youre staggering through life longing for a nap or looking for a bottomless coffee pot, its time to evaluate your habits and change those that are making you more tired during the day.

If your fatigue is new, accompanied by other symptoms, or so severe you cant function normally, start with a visit to your doctor. You don’t need to accept exhaustion as normal, especially if you have a clean bill of health. You can make changes that will increase your energy level and help you to stop feeling tired all of the time.

Physical Causes Of Tiredness

There are several health conditions that can make you feel tired or exhausted.

These include:

Tiredness can also be the result of:

• pregnancy particularly in the first 12 weeks
• being overweight or obese your body has to work harder to do everyday activities
• being underweight poor muscle strength can make you tire more easily
• cancer treatments, such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy
• carbon monoxide poisoning especially if your gas boiler has not been serviced regularly
• side effects of medicines and some herbal remedies

If you have been feeling constantly tired for more than 4 weeks, it’s a good idea to see your GP so they can confirm or rule out a medical condition that could be causing your tiredness.

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What Are The Signs & Symptoms Of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Someone with chronic fatigue syndrome can have many possible symptoms. The most common ones include:

• severe fatigue, which can make it hard to get out of bed and do normal daily activities
• sleep problems, such as trouble falling or staying asleep, or not having a refreshing sleep
• symptoms getting worse after physical or mental effort
• symptoms or dizziness that get worse after standing up or sitting upright from a lying down position
• problems with concentration and memory
• headaches and stomachaches

How Can I Feel Less Tired

Some changes to your lifestyle can make you feel less tired. Here are some suggestions:

• Keep a fatigue diary to help you find patterns throughout the day when you feel more or less tired.
• Exercise regularly. Almost anyone, at any age, can do some type of physical activity. If you have concerns about starting an exercise program, ask your doctor if there are any activities you should avoid. Moderate exercise may improve your appetite, energy, and outlook. Some people find that exercises combining balance and breathing improve their energy.
• Try to avoid long naps late in the day. Long naps can leave you feeling groggy and may make it harder to fall asleep at night. Read A Good Nights Sleep for tips on getting better rest at night.
• Stop smoking.Smoking is linked to many diseases and disorders, such as cancer, heart disease, and breathing problems, which can drain your energy.
• Ask for help if you feel swamped. Some people have so much to do that just thinking about their schedules can make them feel tired. Working with others may help a job go faster and be more fun.

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Sleep Disorder Diagnosis And Treatment

Sleep disorders come in many forms, and have a negative impact on your daily life. If you suspect a sleep disorder or combination of sleep disorders, its best to seek a diagnosis and possible treatment at a sleep center with qualified professionals.

Sleep Centers of Middle Tennessee is leading the way to better sleep care we are researchers who continuously strive to understand better sleep and the challenges that our clients face. Were leaders in the field of sleep medicine and have a team of experts who are qualified and dedicated to helping people get good sleep.

We have three convenient sleep center locations in MURFREESBORO, FRANKLIN, and CLARKSVILLE, Tennessee. If you suspect your excessive sleepiness is related to obstructive sleep apnea, we can help you get tested in the comfort of your home through our OSAinHome program which provides telemedicine visits for residents outside of Middle Tennessee.

Get in contact with us now because everyone deserves to wake and feel well rested throughout the day.

Why Am I So Tired What Am I Lacking

If your tiredness isnt caused by something obvious such as a lack of sleep and you dont suspect an underlying condition such as diabetes or an underactive thyroid, its sometimes worth looking at what youre eating and what nutrients you may be lacking.

There are a handful of vitamin deficiencies that might be the cause of your fatigue. If youre deficient in iron , vitamin B12 , or vitamin D , tiredness and consistent fatigue can occur.

Think this may be the case for you? You can check in on your vitamin levels from the comfort of home with LetsGetCheckeds range of at-home vitamin and mineral tests which test for some of the most common vitamin deficiencies.

Fatigue can be a result of a number of different health conditions or illnesses. If you feel as if youre always tired and its not a result of any lifestyle changes such as an increase in physical activity, its important to find out more. You can do this by visiting your doctor and keeping a close eye on your health and wellbeing with LetsGetCheckeds range of at-home health tests.

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