Tips For Overcoming Fatigue

While it’s normal to feel tired after a busy day or week, chronic fatigue is not something that you should be experiencing for long periods of time. Fatigue often presents itself after an injury, infection or illness, but sometimes sticks around if it’s caused by a chronic condition, such as Lyme disease or thyroid problems. To determine what is triggering your fatigue, it’s important that you are evaluated by a medical professional so that a proper treatment plan can be created for your needs. Learn how to recognize the signs of fatigue and what to do about them with these tips!

Signs & Symptoms of Fatigue

All of us feel tired from exercising hard or having a long week at work, and it’s normal that you sometimes feel sleepy or tired at some point during the day. However, the acute need for us to rest after a long day is not the same as fatigue, which is a general, and oftentimes chronic, lack of energy that many people suffer from. In fact, those with fatigue often struggle even finding the energy to start tasks or work, making day-to-day life very difficult. Doing simple things, like bathing or feeding yourself, can be strenuous and exhausting and cause people to just give up. While extreme tiredness and lack of energy are the most common signs of fatigue, some patients will experience mental fogginess, anxiety, depression, headaches, joint pain and lack of restfulness even after getting a good night’s rest. Many times, people will treat their symptoms of fatigue with caffeine or drinking alcohol to keep them awake, but these habits can worsen your symptoms and be dangerous for your health. Before you ever begin some form of treatment, it’s important that you learn where your fatigue is stemming from so that the correct treatment plan can be tailored to your needs. Working with a medical professional to figure out your fatigue is the best way to identify your triggers and start on the road towards a healthier and more restful life.

What Causes Fatigue In The First Place?

Fatigue can develop from numerous sources, including lack of exercise, depression and personal lifestyle habits like alcohol or drug consumption. However, certain medications, unhealthy eating habits and exercising too much can heighten your risk of fatigue, as well. Excessive stress is another reason why patients experience fatigue, whether from overworking and not taking enough time off to rest or living a hectic life that increases their stress levels. Fatigue can also develop if you suffer from medical conditions like anemia, kidney disease, liver failure, diabetes, COPD, emphysema, hypo/hyperthyroidism and fibromyalgia. Sleep apnea is another cause for fatigue as your airways are obstructed while you sleep at night, causing fitful sleep patterns. Being obese also increases your likely of experiencing fatigue since the body has to carry more weight. Having a poor diet that consists of excessive drinking and consuming foods that aren’t nutritious can cause blood sugar spikes that leaves you fatigued when those sugars drop in your system. Whatever the cause of your fatigue, there are ways to treat it so that you can feel better again. You will need to be prepared to make lifestyle and diet changes to get the best results possible, plus work with your physician to treat underlying medical conditions that could be the root of your problem. Taking control of your symptoms now rather than hiding them behind caffeine or other stimulants to get you by will improve your rest cycles and get you back on your feet again.

What You Can Do To Feel More Rested

For natural ways to beat fatigue, make sure that you’re eating a healthy diet full of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy and protein each day. Exercise regularly, even if you’re feeling tired, to give you a boost of energy that can get you through the rest of the day. If you can reduce the amount of stress in your life, you’ll be amazed at how quickly you’ll start to feel rested again. Try spending time with friends or family, doing yoga, reading a book, meditating before bed or whatever thing you love to do to unwind. Reducing stress will induce relaxation and help you sleep better at night. Sometimes it’s things in your diet that are causing your body to have bad reactions, like fatigue, so consider allergy testing to determine what foods could be making you sensitive to these reactions. Depending on your results, your physician may recommend a diet or supplementation plan to counteract imbalances and get your body on the right track again. Chiropractic adjustments and spinal care are other great ways that you can treat fatigue if it’s caused by back problems, and your chiropractor may recommend massage therapy to release muscle tension that is draining your energy. Your treatment plan will depend on the triggers behind your symptoms and could be a combination of exercise plans with chiropractic adjustments or allergy testing with diet recommendations, to name a few. Make sure to schedule a consultation with your doctor to discuss your symptoms and begin a personalized treatment plan that will get you feeling better in no time.

Eliminate Your Fatigue With Our Help!

If you’re suffering from fatigue and want to make a change, call Texas Spine & Sports Therapy Center at (512) 806-0015! Dr. Shaner and his team are experienced with helping patients eliminate their fatigue symptoms and find their energy again. Call today to find out how to change your life for the better!