Fatigue & Tiredness

You may not consider fatigue and tiredness to be anything to worry about, especially since it can come on gradually and over long periods of time. Usually, feeling tired is directly connected with needing more sleep or having done overly strenuous exercise. However, tiredness can work itself gradually into a more complex state of fatigue or severe exhaustion and be indicative of a serious medical condition.

If you feel constant fatigue or find that you need more and more sleep, this can be related to a variety of different illnesses. Fatigue can upset your entire life. It can make your performance at work drop significantly, reduce your desire to experiment and try new things or simply bring your life to a virtual standstill. In this way, chronic fatigue and tiredness can be very crippling and should be taken seriously.

How much sleep do you actually need? Children require significantly more sleep than adults. In fact, a toddler will usually need between 14 to 16 hours of sleep a day. Children and adolescents require between 10 to 12 hours and an adult between 6 and 8 hours. Getting the right amount of sleep is essential in improving concentration and mental performance in general as well as strengthening the immune system against illness.

What causes fatigue and tiredness? Probably the most significant
(and invisible) cause of fatigue is caused by to an emotional or psychological state. Stress at home or work, an advanced or mild state of depression, moving or intense emotional circumstances can all affect energy levels. This inevitably works on your immune system which is why you become more susceptible to illness.

Physical causes can include infections, viruses, ulcers, diabetes, low metabolism, cancer and a variety of other diseases. If you are sick, your first experience of something being wrong will probably be a sense of exhaustion. Also, women normally feel more tired during pregnancy than when they are not pregnant. And if you have anaemia, due to a lack of iron, fatigue will be a definite indicator of this state. Anaemia is common in menstruating women due to the loss of blood (which contains iron) each month.

How can you combat tiredness, fatigue and general lethargy? Take vitamins and eat healthily. If your body is receiving the minerals and vitamins it needs, you'll experience less fatigue. Exercise, paradoxically enough, will help enormously with tiredness. It may sound counter-intuitive, but if your body gets a good work out everyday, you'll sleep better at night, circulate your blood better, strengthen your bones and muscles and boost your immune system. Stay away from caffeine and other drugs that disrupt your sleep patterns. Learn methods of relaxation like yoga or meditation. Decreasing stress in your life will help relax your body and you will sleep better at night.

Fatigue and tiredness, if constant and prolonged, can be a debilitating condition. If you experience problems sleeping or feel constantly tired although you get plenty of sleep, you should either visit a physician or make the necessary lifestyle changes. Underestimating the importance of fatigue and general lethargy may only lead to more complicated problems.