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What Is Fatigue?
Fatigue is a symptom, rather than a specific disease or disorder. People who are fatigued feel tired all the time - in both body and mind. Estimates vary, but it is thought that between three and ten percent of patients visit their doctors annually because of fatigue complaints.
A person suffering from fatigue has slowed reflexes and reduced function in daily life. Excessive tiredness is also a known risk factor in motor vehicle and workplace accidents. Always see your doctor for diagnosis if you are suffering from chronic tiredness - that is, fatigue persisting over a long period of time.
Symptoms
Fatigue can cause a vast range of other physical, mental and emotional symptoms including:
- Chronic tiredness or sleepiness
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Sore or aching muscles
- Muscle weakness
- Slowed reflexes and responses
- Impaired decision making and judgment
- Moodiness, such as irritability
- Impaired hand to eye coordination
- Loss of Appetite
- Reduced immune system function
- Blurry vision
- Short term memory problems
- Poor concentration
- Hallucinations
- Reduced ability to pay attention to the situation at hand
- Low motivation.
A range of causes
The wide range of causes that can trigger fatigue include:
- Undiagnosed medical conditions
- Unhealthy lifestyle choices
- Workplace issues
- Emotional concerns and stress.
Fatigue can be caused by a number of factors working in combination.
Medical causes
Many diseases and disorders can trigger fatigue, including:
- The flu
- Glandular fever
- Anemia
- Sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea or restless leg syndrome
- CFS/ME
- Hypothyroidism
- Hepatitis
- Hormonal Imbalance
- Tuberculosis
- Chronic pain
- Celiac disease
- Addison’s disease
- Parkinson’s disease
- Heart problems
- HIV
- Cancer
- Certain medications.
Lifestyle related causes
Common lifestyle choices that can cause fatigue include:
- Lack of sleep - adults need about eight hours of sleep per night. Because of work, family, social commitments and other reasons, some people ‘burn the candle at both ends’ and try to get by on fewer hours of sleep. New parents are commonly sleep deprived, since babies wake often for food or comfort.
- Too much sleep - adults sleeping more than 11 hours per day can lead to excessive daytime sleepiness.
- Alcohol and drugs - alcohol is a depressant drug that slows the nervous system and disturbs normal sleep patterns. Other drugs, such as cigarettes and caffeine, stimulate the nervous system and make insomnia more likely.
- Sleep disturbances - disturbed sleep may occur for a number of reasons, for example, noisy neighbors, young children who wake in the night, a snoring partner, or an uncomfortable sleeping environment such as a stuffy bedroom.
- Lack of regular exercise and sedentary behavior - physical activity is known to improve fitness, health and wellbeing, reduce stress, and boost energy levels. It also helps you sleep. Regular exercise is also an effective treatment for anxiety and depression.
- Poor diet - low carbohydrate diets or high energy foods that are nutritionally poor don’t provide the body with enough fuel or nutrients to function at its best. Quick fix foods, such as chocolate bars or caffeinated drinks, only offer a temporary energy boost that quickly wears off and worsens fatigue.
- Individual factors - events that impact on the individual can cause fatigue. These may include personal illness or injury, illnesses or injuries in the family, too many commitments (for example, working two jobs) or financial problems.
Workplace related causes
Common workplace issues that can cause fatigue include:
- Shift work - the human body is designed to sleep during the night. This pattern is set by a small part of the brain known as the circadian clock. A shift worker confuses their circadian clock by working when their body is programmed to be asleep. Sleeping during the day is usually difficult, because the person’s brain chemicals (neurotransmitters) are naturally set to ‘wakefulness’ mode.
- Poor workplace practices - can add to a person’s level of fatigue. These may include long work hours, hard physical labor, irregular working hours (such as rotating shifts), stressful work environment (such as excessive noise or temperature extremes), boredom, working alone with little or no interaction with others, or fixed concentration on a repetitive task.
- Workplace stress - can be caused by a wide range of factors including job dissatisfaction, heavy workload, conflicts with bosses or colleagues, bullying, constant change, or threats to job security.
- Burnout - can be described as striving too hard in one area of life while neglecting everything else. ‘Workaholics’, for example, put all their energies into their career, which puts their family life, social life and personal interests out of balance.
- Unemployment - financial pressures, feelings of failure or guilt, and the emotional exhaustion of prolonged job hunting can lead to stress, anxiety, depression and fatigue.
Psychological causes
Studies suggest that psychological factors are present in at least 50 per cent of fatigue cases. These may include:
- Depression - this illness is described as severe and prolonged feelings of sadness, dejection and hopelessness. People who are depressed commonly experience chronic tiredness.
- Anxiety and stress - a person who is chronically anxious or stressed keeps their body in overdrive. The constant flooding of adrenaline exhausts the body, and fatigue sets in.
- Grief - losing a loved one causes a wide range of emotions including shock, guilt, depression, despair and loneliness.
Diagnosis can be difficult
Since fatigue can present a vast range of symptoms and be caused by many different factors working in combination, diagnosis can be difficult. Your doctor may diagnose fatigue using a number of tests including:
- Medical history - recent events such as childbirth, medication, surgery or bereavement may contribute to fatigue.
- Physical examination - to check for signs of illness or disease. The doctor may also ask detailed questions about diet, lifestyle and life events.
Tests - this may include blood tests, saliva tests, urine tests, x-rays and other investigations. The idea is to rule out any physical causes, such as anemia, infection or hormonal problems. |
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