What kind of fatigue do you have?

In our modern, busy lives it’s not surprising that approximately 1.5 million Australians visit their health care practitioner each year complaining of feeling constantly tired and/or weak.

Fatigue is a symptom that may be caused by a combination of factors, including poor lifestyle choices, workplace demands, medical conditions and stress.

Symptoms of Fatigue

Symptoms can be mental, physical or a combination of both, and include:

chronic tiredness or sleepiness
dizziness
headaches
moodiness, such as irritability
slowed reflexes and responses
sore or aching muscles
muscle weakness
impaired decision-making and judgement
short-term memory problems
impaired hand-to-eye coordination
reduced immune system function
appetite loss
blurry vision
poor concentration
reduced ability to pay attention to the situation at hand
low motivation
hallucinations

Causes of Fatigue

In the busyness of life we don’t always make the best choices when it comes to looking after ourselves. These choices can dramatically affect our energy levels and how we feel.

Common causes of fatigue include:

Sleep Habits

Lack of, too much or a disturbed sleep all contribute to feelings of fatigue. Your partner may be a champion snorer, your kids may wake you during the night or maybe you couldn’t resist watching just one more episode of Netflix before bed.

Most people will experience a lack of sleep at some point in their life, but not enough sleep or poor sleep habits, over a prolonged period, has detrimental affects to our health. There’s a reason it was once used as a torture method!

What you can do:

Aim for 6-8 hours per night (everyone’s different so work out how many hours you need to wake up feeling refreshed)
Make a habit of going to bed and getting up at the same time every day
If you think you (or your partner) has sleep apnoea, consult your doctor
Create a wind down habit that will help you get into a relaxed state before bed – for me it’s reading for ½ an hour before bed
Check your sleeping environment – is your bedding comfortable (warm/cool enough), is it dark enough (any little light can trigger the pineal gland which is responsible for telling our brain when it’s time to sleep and wake up) and do you have fresh air to breathe?

Drugs and Alcohol

Drugs, such as caffeine and cigarettes, stimulate the nervous system which can lead to insomnia. Alcohol on the other hand depresses and slows down the nervous system, disturbing normal sleep patterns.

Sedentary Lifestyle

Regular exercise improves health, fitness and general wellbeing, boosts energy, reduces stress and helps you to sleep better.

Diet

For your body to function at its best you need to provide it with wholesome, nourishing foods. Convenience foods, such as chocolate bars or caffeinated drinks, provide a temporary (and addictive) energy boost that eventually crashes, making you feel more depleted.

Specific vitamin deficiencies that can contribute to fatigue include:

Iron deficiency anaemia
B12 anaemia
General B deficiency
CoQ10 deficiency
Iron deficiency anaemia
B12 anaemia
General B deficiency
CoQ10 deficiency

Dehydration – a leading cause of general fatigue

You can have all the vitamins you want but without adequate water intake they will be wasted, as water is the carrier that transports the vitamins into your cells for your body to use.

water is important to the brain for focus and mental clarity
water is imperative for the proper functioning of all of your organs
good electrolyte balance is key for proper hydration

HOT TIP: drinking coconut water or mineral water, as opposed to plain spring water, as these beverages contain electrolyte minerals

Maintain balanced blood sugar levels

eat protein with every meal
don’t load up on carbohydrates as this can spike your blood sugar levels (what goes up must come down)
ear regular meals
eating nourishing foods rather than empty calories

Chronic / Adrenal Fatigue

If you are exercising regularly, eating well and getting enough sleep but are still finding it hard to concentrate, perform everyday tasks or be motivated, then you may be experiencing Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Adrenal Fatigue.

These specific types of fatigue can be triggered by:

exposure to the Epstein Barr or Ross River viruses
heavy metal toxicity
stress / overworked
food intolerances
inflammation

If you can relate to this information, and you feel that ongoing fatigue is negatively impacting your life, we are here to help!

Call our clinic on (07) 4946 7910, or book online, to make an appointment with one of our qualified practitioners who will help get your health and vitality back on track!

What kind of fatigue do you have?