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Fatigue is a state of mental and physical exhaustion that can leave you feeling weak and deflated. Temporary fatigue typically has an identifiable cause, and once the cause is remedied, will go away over time. Common culprits: too little sleep, a lack of exercise or poor die.
If your lethargy doesn’t have an identifiable cause, lasts for a long time or isn't remedied by restful sleep, it may be a sign of an underlying health condition, like anemia, thyroid disorders or diabetes.
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a disorder that triggers extreme mental and physical exhaustion that can’t be explained by a medical condition, doesn’t improve with sleep and often limits your abilities to do everyday activities. Other symptoms include exhaustion that lasts 24 hours or longer after strenuous mental or physical effort, loss of memory and concentration, muscle pain, new or worsening headaches and a sore throat.
Between 836,000 and 2.5 million Americans have the condition, according to a 2015 report by the National Academy of Medicine, though most have not been diagnosed. It most commonly affects people in their 40s and 50s; women who have a hard time managing stress may be at a higher risk.
The root causes of CFS are still unknown, which makes diagnosis and treatment difficult. The disorder is diagnosed using tests that rule out other conditions with similar symptoms, like sleep apnea, depression and anemia.
Treatment can help reduce symptoms, and might include prescription sleep aids and therapy. Changing the way you handle stress, improving your sleep habits and monitoring your activity throughout the day may also be helpful.
Regardless of what you think is causing your fatigue, any periods of excessive sleepiness should be discussed with your doctor.
Heart disease is the leading killer of American men and women, responsible for 1 in 4 US deaths. While some people show no symptoms, common red flags for heart attacks, heart failure and related conditions include:
For many—especially women—the symptoms of heart disease can also include fatigue, lightheadedness and a hard time completing everyday tasks. It happens because the tissues in your body don't receive enough blood from the heart.
If you experience this exhaustion, especially with other heart disease symptoms, your doctor can use stress tests, chest x-rays, blood tests and an electrocardiogram—which measures the heart’s activity—to get to the root of the problem. You can reduce your risks with medication and lifestyle changes, like a healthy diet and more exercise.
Diabetes is a condition characterized by high glucose, or blood sugar levels. It affects more than 30 million Americans, and obesity, inactivity and a family history of the disease all increase your risk. Excessive thirst, frequent urination, blurred vision, weight fluctuations—and of course, fatigue—are signs of diabetes.
Diabetes causes fatigue in a lot of ways. It can happen when sugar builds up in the blood; whatever the kidneys can’t break down leaves the body in your urine. Excess urination, in turn, can lead to dehydration, which may make you tired. Hypoglycemia and fluctuations in blood sugar can also cause fatigue.
There’s more. Our bodies use sugar for energy, but if the body can’t process these sugars, our energy levels can drop.
If you experience fatigue along with other symptoms of diabetes, make an appointment with a healthcare provider, who will test your urine for elevated levels of glucose and may also prescribe medication and recommend lifestyle changes.
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