7 Reasons You're Tired All The Time
Ever ask yourself "why am I so tired?" Here's what to look out for.
We all tend to blame
fatigue
on a too-busy lifestyle. And much of the time we're right. But if you
feel tired all the time or your always asking yourself "why am I so
tired?", don't blow it off. Give yourself about 2 to 3 weeks to make
some lifestyle changes: Get more sleep, trim your social calendar, eat
more wholesome foods, drink more fluids, take a multivitamin, and cut
back on caffeine and alcohol. (
Try drinking this and sleep 90 minutes longer.)
"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. Excess exhaustion could be the sign
of a more serious medical condition that can be treated. (Looking to
reclaim your energy?
Prevention has smart answers—get a FREE trial + 12 FREE gifts.)
Here are the 7 most common problems you need to know about.
1. Anemia
The fatigue caused by
anemia
is the result of a lack of red blood cells, which bring oxygen from
your lungs to your tissues and cells. You may feel weak and short of
breath. 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 of childbearing age are
especially susceptible to
iron-deficiency
anemia because of blood loss during menstruation and the body's need
for extra iron during pregnancy and breastfeeding, explains Laurence
Corash, MD, adjunct professor of laboratory medicine at the University
of California, San Francisco.
The symptoms: Feeling tired all the time is a major
one. Others include extreme weakness, difficulty sleeping, lack of
concentration, rapid heartbeat, chest pains, and headache. Simple
exercise, such as climbing the stairs or walking short distances, can
cause fatigue.
The tests: A thorough evaluation for anemia includes
a physical exam and blood tests, including a complete blood count
(CBC), to check the levels of your red blood cells. It's also standard
to check the stool for blood loss.
When your
thyroid hormones are out of whack,
even everyday activities will wipe you out. The thyroid gland, about
the size of the knot on a man's tie, is found in the front of the neck
and produces hormones that control your metabolism. Too much thyroid
hormone (hyperthyroidism), and metabolism speeds up. Too little
(hypothyroidism), and metabolism slows down.
The symptoms: Hyperthyroidism causes muscle fatigue
and weakness, which you may notice first in the thighs. Exercises such
as riding a bike or climbing stairs become more difficult. Other
symptoms
include unexplained weight loss, feeling warm all the time, increased
heart rate, shorter and less frequent menstrual flows, and increased
thirst. Hyperthyroidism is most commonly diagnosed in women in their 20s
and 30s, but it can occur in older women and men too, says Robert J.
McConnell, MD, codirector of the New York Thyroid Center at Columbia
University Medical Center in New York City. Hypothyroidism causes
fatigue, an 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. Hypothyroidism is
most common in women over age 50; in fact, as many as 10% of women past
50 will have at least mild hypothyroidism, says McConnell.
The tests: Thyroid disease can be detected with a
blood test. "Thyroid disorders are so treatable that all people who
complain of fatigue and/or
muscle weakness should have the test done," says McConnell.
More than a million people are diagnosed with
type 2 diabetes every year, but many more may not even know they have
it. Sugar, also called glucose, is the fuel that keeps your body going.
And that means trouble for people with type 2 diabetes who can't use
glucose properly, causing it to build up in the blood. Without enough
energy to keep the body running smoothly, people with diabetes often
notice fatigue as one of the first warning signs, says Christopher D.
Saudek, MD, professor of medicine and program director for the General
Clinical Research Center at the Johns Hopkins University School of
Medicine.
The symptoms: Aside from feeling tired all the time ,
other signs include excessive thirst, frequent urination, hunger,
weight loss, irritability, yeast infections, and blurred vision.
The tests: There are two major 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.
More than "the blues,"
depression
is a major illness that affects the way we sleep, eat, and feel about
ourselves and others. Without treatment, the symptoms of depression may
last for weeks, months, or even years.
The symptoms: We don't all experience depression in
the same way. But commonly, depression can cause decreased energy,
changes in sleeping and eating patterns, problems with memory and
concentration, and feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness, and
negativity. (These other
9 unexpected symptoms of depression are less common, but just as telling.)
The tests: There's no blood test for depression, but
your doctor may be able to identify it by asking you a series of
questions. If you experience five or more of these symptoms below for
more than 2 weeks, or if they interfere with your life, see your doctor
or mental health professional: fatigue or loss of energy; sleeping too
little or too much; a persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" mood; reduced
appetite and weight loss; increased appetite and weight gain; loss of
interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed; restlessness or
irritability; persistent physical symptoms that don't respond to
treatment, such as headaches, chronic pain, or constipation and other
digestive disorders; difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making
decisions; feeling guilty, hopeless, or worthless; thoughts of death or
suicide.
This autoimmune disease is not always easy to diagnose early, but there are some subtle clues to look for.
Rheumatoid arthritis
happens when your immune system turns against itself and attacks
healthy joint tissue, sometimes resulting in irreversible damage to bone
and cartilage.
The symptoms: Many symptoms (such as fatigue, low
energy, loss of appetite, and joint pain) are shared by other health
conditions, including other forms of arthritis such as
fibromyalgia and
lupus.
Anemia and thyroid disorders, which also cause fatigue, are even more
common in people with RA, according to John Klippel, MD, president and
CEO of the Atlanta-based Arthritis Foundation. Rheumatologists look for
at least four of the following criteria in diagnosing RA: morning
stiffness in and around the joints lasting at least 1 hour before
maximum improvement; at least three joint areas with simultaneous soft
tissue swelling or fluid; at least one joint area swollen in a wrist,
knuckle, or the middle joint of a finger; simultaneous involvement of
the same joint areas on both sides of the body; lumps of tissue under
the skin; and bone erosion in the wrist or hand joints, detected by
x-ray.
The tests: A thorough physical exam by a
rheumatologist can provide some of the most valuable evidence of the
disease, but there is also a test for the presence of rheumatoid factor,
an antibody found in the blood. About 80% of people with RA test
positive for this antibody, but the test is not conclusive.
This baffling condition causes a strong
fatigue that comes on quickly. People who suffer from CFS feel too tired
to carry on with their normal activities and are easily exhausted with
little exertion.
The symptoms: Other signs include headache, muscle and joint pain, weakness, tender lymph nodes, and an inability to concentrate.
Chronic fatigue syndrome remains puzzling, because it has no known cause.
The tests: There is none. Your doctor must rule out
other conditions with similar symptoms, such as lupus and multiple
sclerosis, before making the diagnosis.
You could have this sleep-disrupting problem if you wake up feeling tired no matter how much rest you think you got.
Sleep apnea is
a disorder characterized by brief interruptions of breathing during
sleep. In the most common type, obstructive sleep apnea, your upper
airway actually closes or collapses for a few seconds, which, in turn,
alerts your brain to wake you up to begin breathing again. Someone with
obstructive sleep apnea may stop breathing dozens or even hundreds of
times a night, says Roseanne S. Barker, MD, former medical director of
the Baptist Sleep Institute in Knoxville,
The symptoms: Sleep apnea is often signaled by
snoring and is generally followed by tiredness the next day. Because
sleep apnea can lead to heart disease,
high blood pressure, and stroke, it's important to be tested.
The tests: This involves an overnight stay at a
sleep clinic, where you'll undergo a polysomnogram, which is a painless
test that will monitor your sleep patterns, breathing changes, and brain
activity.
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