If you feel tired all the time and feel like snoozing after taking lunch then you’re not alone. You may even have days when you feel like your energy is too low that a small task seems like it’s taking forever to accomplish! And what’s surprising is that you even haven’t started doing anything just yet! But before you blame aging as the culprit, let’s investigate!
Statistics shows 20% of Americans reportedly feel unexplainable fatigue that hampers with their daily activities. More often than not, aging is a convenient excuse and justification for this phenomenon. However, correlation does not imply causation. Let’s dig deeper.
Fatigue: Symptom of a More Serious Condition?
Actually, fatigue is a sign of an underlying medical condition and should not be treated as a disorder or illness. People who experience fatigue feel not only physical fatigue, but psychological as well. Fatigue is responsible for 3 to 10 percent of doctor appointments as per U.S. statistics. We all know how fatigue affects our life: delayed brain to muscular coordination and reflexes, which could result to accidents in the workplace, road mishaps, inefficiency at work, and many more.
There are many triggers for fatigue namely: overlooked medical condition, unhealthy lifestyle, issues in the workplace, physical, and emotional stress as well. Fatigue can also be triggered by diseases and illnesses such as flu, anemia, sleep deprivation, lung diseases, and heart issues. Obesity and malnutrition can also trigger fatigue.
Balance is the Key
Being workaholic and not getting enough sleep can also cause fatigue. This is a very dangerous vicious cycle that one needs to dismiss immediately, otherwise, it could dismiss you! It’s good to be productive at work, but too much dedication can be dangerous to your well-being. Balance is the key.
Life events can also trigger fatigue: breakups, personal injury, a family member stricken by an illness, toxic relationships, overwhelming commitments, and most especially: the dreaded financial problems.
To combat fatigue: chill, relax, and unwind. You deserve it! Give yourself a break from thinking and living in the future and enjoy the present! Take a brisk walk of up to 30 minutes or if it’s not possible, get on a treadmill with the same minimum amount of time, daily. You should not limit yourself to brisk walking: any activity that involves natural body movements, like calisthenics and aerobic exercises, is perfect! It may not give you immediate results but you will feel your body responding with an increased energy level and stamina as days go by. 30 minutes is the standard minimum, but you may increase the amount of time once your body feels it is ready. You will know. Just listen to what your body says. This is only possible if you commit yourself to scheduling and dedicating a fixed time of the day to do this.
Unreasonable Fatigue?
Fatigue is a normal reaction of our body when it responds to physical labor, stress, boredom, and sleep deprivation. But it can be a symptom of a more serious medical condition, especially when there is no reasonable cause. It is highly-recommended to consult with your general practitioner if you think your fatigue is unreasonable, or if you can’t justify why you’re always tired all the time.
Blood pressure is directly proportional to your heart’s workload. This means that whenever blood pressure decreases, the amount of work your heart does also decreases. This, in turn, could trigger fatigue. This is also the effect when you take prescription sleeping pills. In addition, if you are diagnosed with sleep issues and have been prescribed by your doctor sleeping pills, what they normally do is they bind themselves to our brain’s neurotransmitter called GABA. They may cause a calming effect and induce sleepiness, but the side-effect if you take them long-term is fatigue and drowsiness. If you’re having sleeping issues and would like to know a healthier, all-natural, and organic solution, you may CLICK HERE to learn more.
And lastly, we must always keep in mind these basic needs our body requires us to fulfill for a healthy life: quality sleep, healthy diet, and at least 8 glasses of water daily.