Fatigue can impact almost every aspect of your life, including your social life and work performance. Feeling exhausted regularly is extremely common.
At any given time, one in five people feels unusually tired. Recent researchers have found that one out of every ten people suffers from Tired All The Time (TATT) syndrome and the percentage of women affected by this syndrome are more than men because they have to do multi-tasking which leaves them feeling tired all the time.
TATT is not about the feeling of tiredness. It is a mix of symptoms that leads to chronic fatigue syndrome: feeling sleepy/tired throughout the day, lack of energy to do work, loss of motivation, poor concentration on things to do, having difficulty in making decisions, facing difficulty in carrying out daily work and feeling sad/low without any sense.
What is fatigue?
Fatigue may be difficult for the patient to describe and words like lethargic, exhausted and tired may be used. Fatigue can be a symptom of many illnesses, such as infections or psychological disorders.
It is often described as a lack of energy and motivation, both physically and mentally.
Fatigue can be a normal response to physical and mental activity; in most normal inpiduals it is quickly relieved (usually in hours to about a day, depending on the intensity of the activity) by reducing the activity.
Inpiduals with fatigue may have three primary complaints; however, it can vary in each person. There may be lack of motivation or the ability to begin an activity; the person tires easily once the activity has begun, and the person has mental fatigue or difficulty with concentration and memory to start or complete an activity.
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Feeling of fatigue all the day[/caption]
Causes of TATT
Many illnesses can result in the complaint of fatigue and they can be physical, psychological, or a combination of the two.
Examples of some treatable causes of fatigue include anemia, diabetes, thyroid diseases, and sleep disorders.
Improper dietary habits can lead to TATT syndrome, like not drinking enough water, consuming very little protein, too much or less of carbohydrates, relying on caffeine, irregular timing meals and not having a balanced diet.
A sedentary lifestyle, working for the whole day in front of the computers and hardly get no time to sleep. Sleeplessness, more than anything else which contributes to exhaustion.
Too much stress will release adrenaline, which in turn keeps you awake and leads to restlessness. Stress sucks energy and raid mental peace and ultimately leads to TATT syndrome.
Physical Causes of Fatigue
Several health conditions can make you feel tired or exhausted. Tiredness can also be the result of pregnancy – particularly in the first 12 weeks, being overweight or obese, being underweight due to poor muscle strength, cancer treatments, carbon monoxide poisoning, side effects of medicines and some herbal remedies.
Anemia: The mechanism behind anemia causing tiredness is due to lack of red blood cells, which brings oxygen from lungs to tissues and cells in the body.
One of the most common medical reasons for feeling constantly run down is iron deficiency anemia.
The Connection Between Fatigue and Thyroid Disease
Fatigue is a common symptom of thyroid disease. It's often debilitating, relentless exhaustion that impairs daily functioning.
Hypothyroidism tends to make people feel tired, sluggish, and depressed. It causes muscle soreness, fatigue even with minor activity.
Hyperthyroidism can cause anxiety, problems sleeping, restlessness, irritability, fatigue, and weakness in the muscles of the body.
Fatigue and severe exhaustion can be key indications of undiagnosed or insufficiently treated thyroid conditions.
Adjusting the thyroid medication dose, refining sleep habits, and searching for another cause of fatigue that may be compounding the issue can all improve this common thyroid disease symptom.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a complicated disorder characterized by extreme fatigue that can't be explained by any underlying medical condition.
The fatigue may worsen with physical or mental activity but doesn't improve with rest.
The cause of chronic fatigue syndrome is unknown, although there are many theories — ranging from viral infections to psychological stress.
Some experts believe chronic fatigue syndrome might be triggered by a combination of factors. Post-viral fatigue refers to lingering feelings of extreme tiredness after a viral illness.
People who have chronic fatigue syndrome appear to be hypersensitive to even normal amounts of exercise and activity. Some people may be born with a predisposition for the disorder, which is then triggered by a combination of factors.
The immune systems of people who have chronic fatigue syndrome appear to be impaired slightly.
People who have chronic fatigue syndrome also sometimes experience abnormal blood levels of hormones produced in the hypothalamus, pituitary glands or adrenal glands.
Possible complications of CFS include depression, social isolation, lifestyle restrictions, and increased work absences.
Risk factors for CFS are age, sex, and stress.
CFS can occur at any age, but it most commonly affects people in their 40s and 50s.
Women are diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome much more often than men. Difficulty managing stress may contribute to the development of chronic fatigue syndrome.
Psychological Causes of Fatigue
Psychological causes of tiredness are much more common than physical causes. Most psychological causes lead to poor sleep or insomnia, both of which cause daytime tiredness.
Psychological causes include stress, emotional shock, depression, and anxiety.
Emotional shock: a bereavement, redundancy or a relationship break-up can make you feel tired and exhausted.
Anxiety: In the generalized anxiety disorder there is a constant uncontrollable feeling of anxiety as well as feeling worried and irritability and fatigue.
Depression
People with depression are more likely to experience fatigue, and people with chronic fatigue are more likely to become depressed, creating a cycle that can be hard to break.
Potential causes of depression fatigue include sleep problems, diet, stress, and even the medications used to treat depression. The quality of sleep is often with depression.
Obstructive sleep apnea is another sleep disorder that has links with depression. Depression is common in people with sleep apnea and that it affects the severity of sleep apnea.
Stress can cause inflammation in the body, which can lead to hypersomnia and fatigue.
Lifestyle Causes of Tiredness
In today's 24/7 "always-on" world, we often try to cram too much into our daily lives. And to try to stay on top of things, we sometimes consume too much caffeine, or eat sugary and high-fat snacks on the go rather than sitting down for a proper meal.
Too much or too little exercise can affect how tired you feel.
Too much caffeine found in tea, coffee, colas, and energy drinks, can upset sleep and make you feel wound-up as well as tired.
Insufficient sleep is one of the major causes of TATT syndrome. Night workers often find they get tired more easily.
Sleep Apnoea
Sleep apnoea is a condition where your throat narrows or closes during sleep and repeatedly interrupts your breathing.
Symptoms of fatigue related to sleep apnea include chronic fatigue, feeling exhausted upon awakening, and snoring.
The difficulty in breathing means that the patient wakes up often in the night, and feels exhausted the next day.
It’s most common in overweight, middle-aged men. Drinking alcohol and smoking makes it worse.
Low Vitamin D
It has been suggested that vitamin D deficiency and fatigue are closely related. Some researchers think that fatigue is a symptom of vitamin D deficiency.
There is a link between low levels of this vitamin, low energy and depression. In vitamin D deficiency muscle weakness is a common symptom and can lead to fatigue.
The prevalence of low vitamin D is high in patients who present with fatigue and stable chronic medical conditions. Normalization of vitamin D levels significantly improves the severity of their fatigue symptoms.
Tips to Avoid Fatigue
If you have been feeling constantly tired for more than 4 weeks, it's a good idea to see your physician so he can confirm or rule out a medical condition that could be causing your tiredness.
Make sure you eat the right amount for your activity level. The average man needs around 2,500 calories a day, and the average woman needs 2,000 calories.
Eat often to beat tiredness. A good way to keep up your energy through the day is to eat regular meals and healthy snacks every 3 to 4 hours, rather than a large meal less often.
The main source of vitamin D is sunlight. Good food sources of vitamin D are oily fish (for example salmon, mackerel and sardines), eggs and meat.
Vitamin D is also added to all margarine, and some breakfast cereals, soy products, and dairy products.
Get moving, regular exercise will make you feel less tired in the long run, so you'll have more energy.
If your body is carrying excess weight, it can be exhausting. It also puts extra strain on your heart, which can make you tired. Lose weight and you'll feel much more energetic.
Many people don't get the sleep they need to stay alert through the day.
Tips for a good night's sleep include having the right pillow, mattress, and covers, keeping to the same sleeping and waking times, including at weekends, listening to relaxing music, using nasal strips to reduce snoring and drinking chamomile tea. Use your bed only for sleep. Try to avoid tension before sleeping.
Stress uses up a lot of energy. Try to introduce relaxing activities into your day. This could be working out at the gym, listening to music, reading or spending time with friends.
Anyone feeling tired should cut out caffeine. The best way to do this is to gradually stop having all caffeine drinks over three weeks.
Drink more water for better energy. Sometimes you feel tired simply because you're mildly dehydrated. A glass of water will do the trick, especially after exercise.
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