Fatigue means extreme tiredness. While everyone feels tired from time to time, fatigue is the feeling of being severely overtired; severe fatigue makes it difficult for people to get up in the morning and make it through the day without stress. There are many conditions and lifestyle factors that can cause fatigue and this means the situation can be turned around with simple change in habits, routine or lifestyle. But if it is caused by an underlying condition, medical attention is required.
Fatigue can be temporary or chronic, that is, lasting six months or more and can be caused by factors like disorders, medications and lifestyle issues. Lifestyle factors can contribute to fatigue include excessive alcohol use, poor diet, burnout, illegal drug use, stress, inactive or sedentary lifestyle, jet lag and certain sleep disorders like shift work, sleep disorder, insomnia, sleep apnea or narcolepsy.
Also, certain medications like opioids, sedative-hypnotics, antipsychotics, beta-blockers and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, including antihistamines, bone marrow transplants, chemotherapy and anticonvulsants among others can cause fatigue.
Fatigue is, however, a symptom of a wide range of diseases, disorders and deficiencies affecting various parts of your body and hundreds of conditions and disorders can lead to fatigue. The most common causes of fatigue include infections like influenza, pneumonia, lyme disease, mononucleosis, HIV and COVID-19.
Also, fatigue is a common symptom of cardiovascular and lung conditions such as congestive heart failure, heart diseases, emphysema, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), while certain mental health conditions like depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), may make it difficult or impossible to perform daily activities.
Fatigue may also be a symptom of hormonal imbalance conditions like problems with the endocrine system which can lead to exhaustion and hypothyroidism or a symptom of autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, sjögren’s syndrome, Type 1 diabetes, lupus, multiple sclerosis (MS) or myasthenia gravis as well as deficiencies like anemia and other vitamin deficiencies such as vitamin D or vitamin B12), and dehydration or weight issues and eating disorders anorexia, bulimia, overweight or obesity and being underweight.
Some chronic conditions that can cause severe, long-lasting fatigue include cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, also called CFS or myalgic encephalomyelitis, fibromyalgia, kidney disease or Type 2 diabetes.
To treat fatigue, a physical examination will be carried out to determine the cause in order to manage the condition responsible. Also, fatigue can be relieved at home if it isn’t caused by a medical condition by practicing good sleep habits, avoiding alcohol and substance use, eating a healthy diet, managing stress through yoga, mindfulness, meditation and engaging in regular exercise as well as maintain a healthy weight.
It’s normal to feel tired now and then but when your fatigue lasts longer than a few days, you are having a hard time going to work or performing daily activities, there isn’t a clear reason such as a recent illness for fatigue, you have been losing weight, it comes on suddenly or you are over the age of 65, you need medical attention.
Fatigue occasioned with symptoms like shortness of breath, pain in the chest, arm or upper back; fast heartbeat or too slow heartbeat, headache or vision problems, nausea, vomiting or abdominal pain, muscle weakness or thoughts of harming yourself or others is a sign of a more serious condition and need immediate medical attention.
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