There’s a world of difference between being tired and being fatigued. Everyone feels tired after a hard day’s work, and watching a good movie, listening to good music or even getting a good night’s sleep is enough to relieve this tiredness. However, fatigue refers to tiredness that just doesn’t go away. It makes your life a challenge, and it’s difficult for your mind to find motivation without the support of your body. It can occur due to many reasons and in this post, we’ll talk about the top ten causes of constant fatigue.
1. Nutritional deficiencies
Fatigue can occur due to diseases caused due to nutritional deficiencies. For example, anaemia is a common disease among women that is caused due to iron deficiency and can be treated using iron supplements. In fact, some studies have shown that taking iron supplements can reduce fatigue even in women who don’t have anaemia.
2. Mental health conditions
Mental disorders like depression can also cause fatigue. Nobody feels energetic when they are sad, and in case of depressed people, this sadness seems never ending. Thankfully, depression can be cured in many ways and if you doubt that you are depressed, you should see a therapist or a counsellor as soon as possible.
3. Sleep disorders
Sleep is a time when your body rests and your mind recovers from all the activity that it has done through the day. Getting inadequate sleep, working in erratic shifts as well as having sleep disorders like sleep apnoea can also lead to you feeling fatigued. There are several ways to beat insomnia and healthy eating habits coupled with some exercise can keep most cases of fatigue due to sleep disorders at bay.
4. Junk food
You may find junk food incredibly tasty and get the feeling that it is making you happy. However, such foods don’t always contain protein and carbohydrates that are so essential for keeping your body energized and healthy. If you eat it too much, then it is likely that you will feel so fatigued that you won’t be able to perform basic functions.
5. Anti-depressants
Anti-depressants can really help depressed people and keep their sadness in check. However, they have certain side-effects (probably more than other drugs) that can impact your life in many ways. Feeling fatigued and lacking motivation to do much work is one such side-effect.
6. Working out too much
Exercising is a way to increase your productivity and it should leave you feeling refreshed and energetic. However, if it isn’t supplemented with proper diet and adequate rest, it can leave you feeling tired and demotivated. Some people even work out too much in the gym thinking it’ll get them quicker results, but what it gives them instead is fatigue, sore body and exhaustion.
7. Smoking
Quite a lot of damage gets done to your body every time you smoke a cigarette. Smoking leads to build-up of tar within the bronchioles and this coupled with thickening of its walls leads to smokers feeling very fatigued
8. Life stress
Grief from a loss of a loved one or extreme financial stress can also lead to fatigue. One may feel that there is nothing left to live for in life, and such thoughts can seriously impair a person’s ability to perform daily tasks.
9. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a condition that is not related to any other diseases or conditions. The fatigue should last for more than 6 months. People suffering from this disease just can’t seem to get rid of their tiredness, and have difficulty doing any activity. Psychotherapies like cognitive behavioural therapy, alternative therapies like acupuncture and ayurveda, etc. are some of the ways in which it can be treated. Along with these therapies, patients are also advised to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
10. Undiagnosed heart disease
Feeling constantly tired may make you think of yourself as lazy, but you should take it more seriously. It could signal an undiagnosed heart disease and you must see your doctor to put rest to your doubts.
These are some of the causes of constant fatigue. Life is short, and you should spend as much time as possible feeling energetic. If any of the above causes are making you feel fatigued, then you should address the problem as soon as possible.
