Fatigue or tiredness is most often associated with extreme work or physical strain. But did you know that even lack of sleep and certain medical conditions too can make you tired? Here are some important reasons that lead to fatigue and how you can avoid them,
Lack of sleep
If you are not getting your 8 hours of sleep in the night every night, that may be leading you to feeling tired in the morning. The best solution is to fix a night time routine and stick to it. Ban all kinds of televisions, cell phones, laptops from the bedroom and try to make that area of the home most secure from outside noise.
Sleep Apnoea
Some people may be sleeping the recommended hours and still waking up tired. The reason behind this may be sleep apnoea. It is a condition when you briefly stop breathing in the night, maybe for a few seconds. Due to this you might wake up for those seconds though you may not realise it. The end result is brief interruption to sleep all through the night and therefore fatigue.
Sleep apnoea is especially seen in overweight individuals or those who smoke. The fix therefore would be to lose weight, indulge in before sleep breathing exercise and quite smoking.
Anaemia
Many women suffer from anaemia and it is also the number one cause for fatigue and tiredness experienced by women. Due to menstrual blood loss the body may get deficient in iron which is required by the red blood cells. The red blood cells in turn carry oxygen to the organs of the body and when there is no sufficient oxygen the body feels weak and tired.
The best possible way to tackle anaemia is to eat iron rich food like spinach, beans, lean meat etc. or take iron supplements as recommended by the doctor.
Not Eating a Proper Diet
Our body is continuously in need of energy for the many activities it has to perform all throughout the day. That is why we need to eat at proper intervals to let the body remain energised. If you are not doing that, the body gets tired easily. Apart from eating it is also important to note what you are eating. Each element of food that you eat has a specifis nutrient value to it that helps the proper functioning of a specific part of the body. Therefore as much as eating is important, it is also necessary to eat right.
If you begin your day with a good breakfast, continue to refuel the body every few hours with good solid energising food.
Too Much Caffeine
This may come as a shock to you as it is widely proclaimed that caffeine containing products like coffee, tea and cold drinks keep the mind alert. But the complete truth is if you take unlimited doses of these drinks throughout the day they affect the heart rate, the blood pressure and increases jitteriness. Therefore in some people one reason of fatigue can be too much of caffeine.
The only fix to this problem is to limit your intake and choose juices, lime drinks etc.
Dehydration
Just like food is important for the normal functioning of the body, so is water. Sometimes people get tired sooner because their body has lost its fluids. Being thirsty is the first sign of dehydration, getting food cramps is the second. So keep drinking a glass of water every few hours to keep the body well hydrated.
Depression has many physical symptoms like headache, shoulder pain and increased tiredness. Although it is an emotional disorder, because of the emotional stress the body gets stressed too resulting in the physical problems. Depression may also cause loss in appetitie which indirectly may lead to fatigue.
If this is indeed the case it is important you speak to near and dear ones and consult a doctor.
With people who have diabetes, their body is not able to convert sugar into energy and therefore all the sugar from the food remains in the blood flow. Due to this even if you have had a proper meal, you might still feel tired and fatigued. Do consult a doctor and ask to check for diabetes.
Heart Problems
If you feel tired doing regular household chores or normal activites like walking, it might be an indicator that your heart is not performing its role in the most efficient way. If the human heart gets tired and does not pump blood with the same pace and regularity that it is supposed to, the first outside symptom might be your not being able to do things you were normally capable of. Consult a doctor immediately.
Respiratory Infections
People with mild infections like cough and cold or those suffering from severe pneumonia, bronchitis, tuberculosis or fibromyalgia may feel tired very often. If any activity makes you tired and you have a persistent cough and breathing problem, meet a doctor to help pinpoint the issue.
Mild Fatigue
If you get tired easily it might also be due to the fact that your body is not used to work, or much physical activity. This is mild fatigue not related to any medical condition, but you can still tackle it by including some exercise time in your life. Normal walking or jogging can strengthen your body and make it stronger to endure physical activities.
Thus being tired sometimes or all the time may have different reasons behind it and try to analyse the cause of the problem and tackle it to lead a healthy, fatigue-free lifestyle.
February 19, 2011 at 6:55 pm
February 20, 2011 at 10:16 am