Fatigue
Tiredness is actually a completely normal condition that everyone is familiar with, for example if you have partied all night and can’t get out of bed the next morning. Fatigue can be triggered by a variety of causes. For example, chronic lack of sleep is often a reason for lack of drive, exhaustion, exhaustion and tiredness during the day.
When is fatigue a disease?
The term tiredness is also used for a lack of energy, listlessness and physical and mental overstrain. But even these symptoms are not cause for concern if they are only observed every now and then.
Tiredness is considered to be pathological if it becomes a permanent condition without there being a lack of sleep. Constant exhaustion and the need to crawl into bed at all times are also indicators of pathological fatigue.
causes
The causes of fatigue are very varied. If we disregard insufficient sleep at night, being overwhelmed by work or physical activity, we encounter a whole range of fatigue syndromes that require a medical diagnosis and appropriate treatment.Fatigue can be present when the person suffers from certain diseases. For example, pathological sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, in which breathing stops for a short time during sleep, cause chronic tiredness during the day.
Serious diseases such as hypothyroidism, in which the body works on the back burner, chronic diabetes mellitus or hepatitis and heart disease can be the cause of fatigue.
Mental illnesses such as depression or excessive alcohol consumption can also lead to an unnatural need for sleep. Harmful environmental influences are also blamed for this. But certain medications such as antidepressants or antihistamines that are taken for allergies can also cause unusual tiredness.
No one should take unusual signs of fatigue or pathological exhaustion lightly. If you are chronically tired, you should definitely consult a doctor.
Diseases
When to the doctor?Fatigue often occurs when there is insufficient or interrupted sleep at night. In most cases, it is not necessary to consult a doctor. Sleep conditions should be reviewed and necessary changes made. Depending on age, there should be at least 6-8 hours of sleep per night. It is also helpful to take small breaks throughout the day, during which the person concerned can lie down for a few minutes. In many cases, fatigue is due to irregularities in sleeping conditions. A wrong mattress, the room temperature or a lack of oxygen can lead to fatigue.
If the tiredness persists for a longer period of several weeks or months, a doctor should be consulted. There may be a deficiency in the organism that needs to be examined more closely and compensated for. Tiredness is common in people with low blood pressure . If other symptoms occur, such as a reduced ability to react or a lack of attention, the person concerned can stimulate their blood pressure with caffeine-containing substances and additional exercise. If these measures are not sufficient, a doctor should be consulted.
In times of emotional tension, fatigue often occurs. Stress , professional pressure and a feeling of being overwhelmed all contribute to the symptoms. A doctor’s visit is necessary if this condition persists or the sufferer needs support.
diagnosis and course
Almost any illness can make you tired. This is how the body signals that it needs special support and, above all, rest. However, the concomitant symptom of fatigue is particularly common in various diseases.
First and foremost, fatigue indicates that something is wrong in the body and that it is fighting an irregularity. This can be, for example, an incipient infection. However, feelings of tiredness as a general symptom of illness accompany very different health problems. Those affected often complain of fatigue with certain diseases. Inflammation, acute and chronic infections and anemia are often associated with great tiredness.
The same applies to people who often suffer from low blood pressure or lung diseases. Fatigue is the pain of the liver, according to a guiding principle in medicine. Accordingly, people often complain of tiredness whose liver or kidneys are affected. Certain autoimmune diseases, metabolic and hormonal disorders can also cause fatigue as an accompanying symptom. Mental illnesses, such as burnout or depression, can also be the reason for great tiredness.
If fatigue persists for a longer period of time, a doctor should be consulted in any case. Finding the cause of fatigue is the key to recovery. In many cases there is nothing left but to examine the person concerned for various possible diseases. After the process of elimination, the cause behind the tiredness can be diagnosed.
complications
The complications of fatigue vary greatly and depend very much on the person affected by the fatigue. Lifestyle also influences the effects of fatigue on your body. In most cases, the symptom has a negative effect on the psyche. Many people also become sluggish in everyday life due to tiredness and appear listless. This can lead to social problems and social exclusion. Persistent fatigue can also be very stressful in marriages and lead to marital problems. It also causes people to have less sex. At work, fatigue can lead to a loss of concentration and mistakes. In such cases, there may be a risk to the work. From a medical point of view, fatigue poses only a limited threat to the body. Often, the people affected do not do any sport because of the symptom, which has a negative impact on their lifestyle. Fatigue in itself is unhealthy because the body cannot recover enough. Treatment by a doctor is hardly possible and is not carried out.
treatment and therapy
Uncomfortable tiredness during the day is often the cause of abnormal sleep patterns. Every person is subject to an individual biorhythm. Not everyone needs a night’s sleep of seven to eight hours.
Older people in particular get by with less sleep. Five hours or less is often enough for them to be fit during the day. Everyone should find out their own healthy sleeping habits. Too much sleep – that’s the paradox – can also lead to tiredness during the day.However, there are a variety of sleep disorders that should be treated. In this case, it makes sense to stay in a sleep laboratory. The causes of chronic fatigue are identified here. The doctor can then initiate appropriate treatment.
If there is a chronic disease that is the cause of the tiredness, the doctor will of course treat it. After successful treatment, the unnatural tiredness will also disappear.
A cure works wonders for chronic exhaustion. Extensive relaxation, but also sporting stress such as jogging or cycling and relaxing treatments often conjure up tiredness.
prevention
Simple and effective behaviors prevent fatigue. The first condition is sufficient but not too long sleep. Eating meals before bedtime should be avoided. Staying in the fresh air, exercising and going for an evening walk help you to get a good night’s sleep. The alternating shower in the morning stimulates the circulation and you feel fit afterwards. Consuming alcohol, strong coffee , black tea before bed – all of these are sleep killers. However , the chronic fatigue caused by an illness can hardly be treated preventively. This is where the doctor comes in.
↳ Further information: Home remedies for tiredness
Spring fatigue – causes and tips
As soon as the first warm days of the year begin, many people suffer from what is known as “spring fatigue”. While the first flowers are springing up outside and the animals are waking up from hibernation, about every second person feels like going to bed. Experts have not yet been able to conclusively clarify the reason for this. However, it has been proven that from mid-March many people experience a significant drop in blood pressure. In addition, scientists have increasingly registered complaints such as headaches, dizziness and listlessness. According to estimates, about 70 percent of all Germans suffer from irritability, dizziness, circulatory problems, weather sensitivity and exhaustion in spring.
causes
Spring fatigue is widely attributed to a hormonal problem: the body releases more testosterone, estrogen and endorphin, especially at this time of the year. This messes up the hormonal balance and makes us limp.
Another reason could be the weather. In winter, the body temperature drops by an average of a few tenths of a degree. When it gets warmer, the blood vessels dilate, blood pressure drops as a result – and tiredness sets in.
In addition, the sleep hormone melatonin is increasingly produced during the long winter nights. If it stays light longer, there is an excess of the hormone. At the same time, the body produces more serotonin, a mood-enhancing hormone, in spring due to the increasing daylight. The two substances interact with each other and also influence our feeling of tiredness.
People who are sensitive to the weather and people who have low blood pressure to begin with are particularly susceptible. In addition, women are more affected by the phenomenon than men.
Tips against spring fatigue
The body needs up to four weeks to adapt to the warmer temperatures. This can be even longer if the weather changes frequently. A few simple tricks can already help to get spring fatigue under control.
Align your sleep-wake cycle with daylight. More serotonin is released, melatonin is broken down more quickly and the body can change its hormone balance more quickly.
Start the day with a little gymnastics in bed. Meanwhile, breathe deeply in and out. When you wake up, straighten your arms and legs, and then cycle in the air for about 10 seconds. Then clench your hands and feet together and relax again.
Affected people should make sure to consume enough proteins (e.g. in eggs, milk, chicken), legumes , whole grain products, sprouts and vitamins . Eating a high-carbohydrate breakfast is important to fuel you up for the rest of the day. Also: It is better to eat many small portions than a few large ones. Heavy food can increase the feeling of sluggishness.
A liter of herbal tea with nettles , dandelion and birch leaves daily can also help. The ingredients stimulate the intestinal and kidney function and get the metabolism going.
Alternating showers with warm and cold water also strengthen the immune system and get the circulation going. Caution: Finish your shower with cold water.
As tempting as it is, don’t rest during the day. When you’re tired, exercise can get your circulation going again. Endurance sports such as jogging or cycling three times a week are particularly suitable. But it doesn’t always have to be sport. Even a half-hour walk in the fresh air can work wonders. In general, you should be outside as much as possible. This allows the body to get used to the warmer temperatures.
Hello and welcome to my Health Guide & Encyclopedia! My name is Dorothy Farrar, and I'm the founder and main author of this platform.
My passion for health and wellness started at a young age when I became interested in the connection between the food we eat and the way we feel. This fascination led me to study nutrition and dietetics in college, where I learned about the importance of a balanced diet and the impact of various nutrients on the body.