We all live suReasons Why You Feel Tired All The Time
We all live such busy lives these days that it is easy to ignore, or write off, feeling tired as a product of being over extended. And lots of the time, this is the case but it isn’t always so. Give yourself 2-3 weeks to make lifestyle changes: get more sleep, quiet your social life, eat better, drink more water, cut back on caffeine and alcohol and take a multivitamin. “If you’re still feeling the symptoms of fatigue after those changes, then you need professional help,” says Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, MD, an internal medicine doctor in Atlanta. Being constantly exhausted could be a sign of something else.
Here are a few things it could be:
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Anemia
The fatigue that accompanies anemia is due to the lack of red blood cells, which carry oxygen from your lungs to your other tissues. Anemia may be caused by an iron or vitamin deficiency, blood loss, internal bleeding, or a chronic disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, or kidney failure. Women in their childbearing years are particularly susceptible to iron deficiency anemia due to the blood loss each month during menstruation.
The Symptoms: Fatigue is a big one. Other symptoms include, extreme weakness, difficulty sleeping, lack of concentration, rapid heartbeat, chest pains, and headache.
The Tests: Physical exams and blood tests, including a complete blood count, to check red blood cell levels are often conducted. It is also not unusual to test the stool for blood loss.
2. Thyroid Disease
When thyroid hormones are not working properly, it is easy to feel exhausted by everyday life. The thyroid produces hormones that are crucial to the functioning of your metabolism. Too much and your metabolism speeds up (hyperthyroidism), too little and it slows to a crawl (hypothyroidism).
The Symptoms: Hyperthyroidism causes muscle fatigue and weakness. Other symptoms include unexplained weightloss, feeling warm all the time, increased heart rate, shorter and less frequent menstrual flows, and increased thirst. This is most commonly diagnosed in women in their 20s and 30s. Hypothyroidism causes fatigue, n inability to concentrate, and muscle soreness, even with minor activity. Other symptoms include weight gain due to water retention, feeling cold all the time (even in warmer weather), heavier and more frequent menstrual flows, and constipation. This is most common in women over 50.
The Tests: Thyroid disease can be detected in a blood test. “Thyroid disorders are so treatable that a thyroid test should be done in all people who complain of fatigue and/or muscle weakness,” says Robert J. McConnell, MD, codirector of the New York Thyroid Center at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City.
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Diabetes
Over a million people are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes annually and countless others don’t even know they have it. People with type 2 diabetes are not able to use glucose properly and since that is the main fuel for the body, they often report fatigue as their first symptom.
The Symptoms: Outside of fatigue, symptoms include increased thirst, frequent urination, hunger, weight loss, irritability, yeast infections and blurred vision.
The Tests: There are two main tests for diabetes. The fasting plasma glucose test, which is more common, measures your blood glucose level after fasting for 8 hours. With the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), blood is drawn twice: just before drinking a glucose syrup, then 2 hours later.
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Depression
Depression is a major illness that affects the way we function in life from how we eat to how we sleep. Left untreated, it could continue for years.
The Symptoms: The symptoms are not the same for everyone but they commonly include, decreased energy, changes in sleeping and eating patterns, problems with memory and concentration, and feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness, and negativity.
The Tests: There isn’t a simple blood test or anything for depression but your doctor may be able to diagnose it by asking a series of questions.
