Sudden Episodes Of Extreme Fatigue

Unexpected Reasons For Your Fatigue

With todays 24/7 schedules, feeling tired is a given. Sure, it seems obvious that lack of sleep is the most common reason for fatigue. But if youre consistently logging 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night and still feeling exhausted, everything from an untreated infection to a poor diet could be to blame.

In many cases, patients just arent getting enough sleep6 hours or less on most days, says Nessreen Rizvi, M.D., an internal medicine physician at Henry Ford Health. But there are a number of other things that may be at play, including nutrient deficiencies, undiagnosed infections, even your smartphone.

So to help you regain your energy and get the most out of your waking hours, Dr. Rizvi highlights 10 unexpected causes of fatigue and what you can do about them:

1. You have an undiagnosed thyroid problem. When your thyroid is sluggish, all of your bodys processes slow down. The end result: You feel tired and rundown. Unfortunately, many people who have hypothyroidism dont know it.

Do this: Ask your doctor if you could have a thyroid issue. A simple blood test will help identify whether you have the condition.

2. You have a sleep disorder. If you wake up exhausted or slog through the day in a fog, you could have an undiagnosed sleep disorder. For example, sleep apnea, a condition that interrupts your breathing during sleep, affects up to 18 million Americans, according to the National Sleep Foundation.

Do this: Talk to your doctor about getting a sleep evaluation.

Food Allergies Food Intolerance And Fatigue

Symptoms: Fatigue, sleepiness, continued exhaustion

Although food is supposed to give you energy, medical research suggests that hidden food intolerances — or allergies — can do the opposite. In fact, fatigue may be an early warning sign of food intolerance or food allergy. Celiac disease, which happens when you canââ¬â¢t digest gluten, may also cause fatigue.

Ask your doctor about the elimination diet. This is a diet in which you cut out certain foods linked to a variety of symptoms, including sleepiness within 10 to 30 minutes of eating them, for a certain period of time to see if that makes a difference. You can also talk to your doctor about a food allergy test — or invest in a home test such as ALCAT — which may help you identify the offending foods.

What Is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is not the normal ups and downs experienced in everyday life. The early sign of this illness is a strong and noticeable fatigue that comes on suddenly and often comes and goes or never stops. It is not improved by bed rest and may be worsened by physical or mental activity. Persons with CFS most often function at a substantially lower level of activity than they were capable of before the onset of the illness. CFS is diagnosed two to four times more often in women than in men possibly because of biological, psychological and social influences.

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Chronic Fatigue Syndrome And Fibromyalgia

Chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia are conditions that can cause persistent, unexplained fatigue that interferes with daily activities for more than six months.

Both conditions are chronic and there is no one-size-fits-all treatment, but lifestyle changes can often help ease some symptoms of fatigue. Strategies include good sleep habits , relaxation techniques, light exercise, pacing yourself, and eating a balanced diet.

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Common Causes Of Fatigue

Many different things can also cause fatigue, but some common causes include:

• Lack of sleep or rest
• Physical activity such as running a marathon or working out at the gym for long periods of time
• Pregnancy if your body is not used to the extra work
• Mental activity such as working or studying for long periods of time

Just like brain fog, fatigue can also lead to a decrease in cognitive function and make it difficult to do everyday activities.

Now that we know some of the most common causes for brain fog and fatigue, lets take a look at some tips on how you can get relief from these conditions.

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How Is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Diagnosed

Right now, theres no test to tell if someone has chronic fatigue syndrome. Doctors ask a lot of questions . They also will do a thorough physical exam.

Doctors also usually order blood, urine , or other tests to check for conditions that cause similar symptoms. They may send a person to see other specialists to help with the diagnosis.

A doctor may suggest meeting with a psychologist or a therapist who can see whether mental health disorders might contribute to or mask CFS.

by Phaedra McDonough

Have you noticed your energy level is lower and you are more short of breath even when performing the normal activities in your daily life? Dont ignore these feelings, or chalk them up to getting old. This is not a normal part of the aging process. It is your body telling you that it is struggling, maybe even with something as serious as a heart attack.

Shortness of breath and fatigue are frequently experienced by patients prior to having a heart attack. But you may not be aware just how far in advance these symptoms start to show. Its not necessarily a matter of minutes or hours. Many people who survive a heart attack start feeling as if something is not right several weeks, or even months, prior to the episode.

Phaedra McDonough is a Nurse Practitioner with The Center for Cardiovascular Health at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital. She can be reached at 802-275-3699.

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How Fatigue Is Evaluated

If you experience a lot of fatigue, its important to see your healthcare provider so they can determine the source of it. For instance, is your fatigue related to your headache disorder? Another medical or psychiatric condition? Or idiopathic, meaning no known cause?

Your healthcare provider will ask you questions to better understand what fatigue means to you, including:

• How would you describe your fatigue?
• When did your fatigue start?
• With the treatment of your headaches, is your fatigue improving?
• How long does your fatigue last? Does it occur daily?
• What makes your fatigue better or worse?
• How does your fatigue affect your job or your interpersonal relationships?

Your healthcare provider will also inquire about sleep hygiene and any medications or supplements you are taking, as they could be causing or exacerbating your fatigue.

To rule out an underlying medical cause for your fatigue, like cancer or an autoimmune disease, your healthcare provider will perform a thorough physical examination and order laboratory studies.

Finally, to examine the potential role of psychiatric illness in your fatigue, your healthcare provider will screen you for disorders like depression, anxiety, and substance abuse.

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Causes Of Fatigue In Arthritis

Inflammation, pain, inactivity and lifestyle factors can cause extreme tiredness when living with arthritis.

Everyone gets worn out from time to time. But exhaustion that disrupts your daily life and doesnt get better after a good nights sleep has its own medical term: fatigue. Fatigue significantly affects the quality of life for people with many forms of arthritis-related diseases, includingrheumatoid arthritis,psoriatic arthritis, spondyloarthritis, lupus, fibromyalgia andosteoarthritis. Your lack of energy may be caused by your inflammatory disease and other health conditions you have, as well asmedications side effectsand lifestyle habits.

What Causes Your Fatigue

Many physical and mental illnesses, as well as lifestyle factors, can cause your fatigue, and that can make it hard to diagnose. In some cases, it might be something simple and easy to fix, like having caffeine at bedtime. But other causes, like heart disease or COPD, are serious, and you may need to start long-term treatment right away.

Your doctor can help you sift through your health issues, as well as diet, exercise, and other lifestyle habits, in order to zero in on the cause and help you on the road to recovery.

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Pacing Activity For People With Me/cfs

Pacing, or keeping within your available energy, is a self-management strategy to help people with ME/CFS make sure that they dont overdo activity or exercise. It reduces the likelihood of triggering PEM and can help reduce symptoms. Pacing is not a cure for ME/CFS and does not treat the underlying, physical cause of the disease.

The goal of pacing is for activity to be sustainable, so that the person can have some stability in their symptoms and what they can do each day. Pacing should be used in conjunction with rest.

The most challenging aspect of pacing is that PEM is very often delayed by as much as 24-48 hours, which can make it difficult to recognise when youve done too much. Using tools like an activity diary or heart rate monitor help you learn about your body and how much activity you can safely tolerate.

Suggestions on how to pace yourself include:

Sjogrens Syndrome As A Cause Of Joint Pain And Fatigue

Those diagnosed with Sjogrens Syndrome result in the immune cells attacking the glands that help in producing saliva and tears.

The disorder has an adverse effect on the kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas and brain. It also results in arthritis and fatigue. Lymph nodes could swell and one may be at a higher risk of lymphoma. Sometimes, the disorder accompanies autoimmune diseases like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.

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Arthritis As A Cause Of Joint Pain And Fatigue

The breakdown of fluids between the joints is responsible for rheumatoid arthritis . In the initial stages, the condition tends to be more severe during the morning hours. However, the pain gradually worsens and makes the patient feel uncomfortable for the most part of the day. This is also accompanied by exacerbating fatigue. Rheumatoid arthritis will affect the joints in the wrists, hands and elbows as well as the neck and shoulders. It should also be noted that in the lower extremities, the condition tends to affect the hips, ankles and knees in addition to the joints in the toes. The irritation that tends to affect the joints is responsible for the release of cytokines into the system. This is one of the common causes of fatigue which a person undergoes. This apart, a poor appetite which is common among those suffering with arthritis pain adds to the level of fatigue. Due to a massive loss of stamina, a lot of people tend to feel more fatigued. This is one of the reasons why they restrict the amount of activities they engage in.

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 psychiatrists 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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Tips To Help Avoid Extreme Fatigue After Lunch

As you can see, adrenal fatigue can cause extreme fatigue after lunch. However, post-meal fatigue is more likely to occur as a result of certain factors, such as the type of food or size of the portion. Fortunately, there are ways to help you avoid experiencing fatigue after a meal.

Remember though, its always best to consult with your physician or a qualified healthcare professional first before trying any remedy on your own. Speaking to an expert is highly recommended if you are currently taking any medication or supplements for an existing condition or if you have any allergies to certain ingredients.

That being said, here are some easy ways to avoid experiencing extreme fatigue after lunch.

Never skip lunch

Skipping lunch is never a good idea. In fact, going for hours with nothing to eat will only make your condition worse. Hunger creates stress inside your body, so make sure you eat on time no matter how busy your day is.

Avoid fast food

Fast food is typically high in fat, sugar, and preservatives that are extremely difficult for your body to breakdown and digest. At the same time, a poor diet can affect the inflammatory, metabolic, and detoxification circuits of the NEM stress response system.

When food is hard to digest, your body also becomes unable to detoxify itself effectively. Toxins gradually accumulate and may cause inflammation. This means that by consuming unhealthy food you are only making your adrenal fatigue symptoms worse.

Load up on probiotics

Lifestyle Suggestions For Fighting Fatigue

Suggestions include:

• Dont smoke cigarette smoke contains many harmful substances. There are many reasons why smokers typically have lower energy levels than non-smokers for example, for the body to make energy it needs to combine glucose with oxygen, but the carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke reduces the amount of oxygen available in the blood.
• Increase physical activity physical activity boosts energy levels, while a sedentary lifestyle is a known cause of fatigue. Physical activity has many good effects on the body and mind. A good bout of exercise also helps you sleep better at night. Seek advice and encouragement regarding the steps you can take toward a more active lifestyle and talk to your doctor if you havent exercised in a long time, are obese, are aged over 40 years or have a chronic medical condition.
• Move more, sit less reduce sedentary behaviours such as watching television and using computers, and break up long bouts of sitting.
• Seek treatment for substance abuse excessive alcohol consumption or recreational drug use contribute to fatigue, and are unhealthy and potentially dangerous.
• Workplace issues demanding jobs, conflicts at work and burnout are common causes of fatigue. Take steps to address your work problems. A good place to start is to talk with your human resources officer.

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I Have Muscle Weakness

If you have muscle weakness and visit your doctor, they will first need to know the following:

• How it began and how long you have had it for.
• Whether it is getting worse, getting better or staying the same.
• Whether you are otherwise well, are losing weight or have travelled abroad recently.
• What medicines or other drugs you have been taking and whether there are any muscle problems in your family.

Your doctor will need to examine you to see which muscles are affected and whether you have true or perceived muscle weakness. They will check to see whether your muscles are tender to touch or unusually fatigable. They may want to watch you walk.

They will then need to test your nerves to see whether the muscles are getting the right signals to act. Your doctor may need to test your central nervous system, including your balance and co-ordination. They may need to perform blood tests to look for abnormalities of hormones, salts and blood cells.

Depending on the results of these tests your doctor may also order the following:

• Nerve studies to make sure the nerves are conducting properly.
• A muscle biopsy to see whether the muscles themselves show signs of inflammation or damage. A biopsy is a procedure where a small sample is taken to look at under the microscope.
• Body scans such as CT or MRI to look for conditions elsewhere in the body which may affect muscle power and function.

Causes Of Sudden Extreme Fatigue Or Exhaustion

• When to Call Your Doctor

You know what fatigue feels like. You might feel low. Or tired. Or a bit mopey. You might want to lay down and chill for a bit on the couch. But what causes extreme fatigue, like when you feel as if you’re weighed down by bags of sand? Or it’s too hard to get out of bed?

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As a symptom, fatigue is a tough one. “Fatigue is defined as tiredness, exhaustion or lack of energy precipitated by exertion or a stress. It’s a subjective symptom and, unfortunately, we don’t have objective measures on an exam, making fatigue one of the easiest or most difficult diagnoses I see during the say,” Andrew Patane, MD, internal medicine doctor with NYU Langone Health, tells LIVESTRONG.com.

If you see your doctor for fatigue, be prepared to answer a lot of questions. Dr. Patane might ask a patient how long they’ve had the fatigue, what brought it on and what other signs and symptoms they’re experiencing . How you answer will guide the doc in deciding what diagnostic tests they might run.

Lifestyle factors, medications and medical conditions can all cause extreme fatigue. Here’s are some things that may be going on below the surface.

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