Fatigue
What is Fatigue?
Fatigue, also known as exhaustion or lethargy refers to mental or physical weariness. The term encompasses a wide range of phenomena, from a common state of lethargy to specific work-induced burning sensation in one’s muscles.
Fatigue and sleepiness are two different terms, although there is a tendency to sleep accompanied with fatigue. Usually, fatigue refers to lack of motivation to do anything. People with fatigue often complain lack of vitality and interest in general work, which is also prevalent with depression. However, fatigue and depression are two different medical terms.
Fatigue can be a symptom of another underlying medical condition which needs treatment. Often, chronic diseases, such as cancer, causes fatigue. However, most cases of fatigue are traced down to habitual factors and a little change in the lifestyle can impart considerable effects to the condition.
Symptoms of Fatigue
Fatigue, as mentioned earlier is a symptom itself rather than a disease. It usually implies another hidden disease or medical condition. The diagnosis, therefore, should take into account various tests to check the diseases which may exhibit fatigue as a symptom.
Weakness, lethargy and lack of motivation to do work are most common symptoms of fatigue. A feeling of tiredness and exhaustion without any special reason may also be present.
Passing out suddenly or a feeling that one is going to pass out may also be a major symptom of fatigue.
Palpitations or feeling the heartbeats may also be a prominent symptom of fatigue. The individual suffering from fatigue may also suffer from dizziness and lack of concentration.
Vertigo, a feeling of spinning of the surroundings or oneself, is another important symptom of fatigue. Fatigue may also accompany short of breath and hyperactive breathing may also be present.
Diagnosis of Fatigue
Diagnosis of fatigue requires, firstly, checking the complete medical history of the individual. The doctor will also ask about the symptoms and signs to determine whether fatigue is present due to any other underlying disease. The doctor will also check out various physical and emotional characteristics to zero in on any particular symptom. Present of any particular stressor or any other hidden cause may also be checked out by the doctor.
After going through the medical history and looking at the symptoms, the doctor may suggest for a physical exam, including your general appearance and other physical attributes. The doctor may check your heart, lungs, and abdomen, and perform a rectal and pelvic exam to justify the reasons of the symptoms.
The tests that are usually performed to check out any underlying diseases may include blood tests, urinalysis, thyroid function tests, test of pregnancy, HIV tests, X ray analysis, ECG and CT scans.
Causes of Fatigue
A wide range of subjects can be cited as the causes of fatigue. It is often the result of working, mental stress, over stimulation and under stimulation, jet lag or active recreation. Moreover, depression, and also boredom, chronic diseases and lack of sleep may also result in physical or mental fatigue. Other common causes include chemical causes, such as poisoning or mineral or vitamin deficiencies can also lead to fatigue. Apart from these factors, a massive blood loss, for example in anemia may also result in fatigue.
Many psychological problems are also closely related with fatigue. It can be a common symptom of depression and grief. It is observed that fatigue is often accompanied by irritability and lack of motivation.
Medical problems, such as thyroid disorder, diabetes and heart diseases may also render enough effects to cause fatigue. In case of women, urinary tract infection can also have symptoms of fatigue.
Excessive intake of caffeine and tobacco may also lead to fatigue.
Types of Fatigue
Fatigue can be primarily divided into physical and mental types. While the physical fatigue is related to bodily symptoms, mental fatigue is more of a psychological nature.
Physical fatigue refers basically to the weakness of the muscles. It expresses the inability of the muscles to exert force that is expected from a healthy individual. A test of strength is usually performed to diagnose physical fatigue. Physical fatigue can be further divided into true, perceived, peripheral and central weakness. True weakness is substantial while perceived refers to the sensation of putting more work to do the same task. Central weakness refers to the exhaustion of the muscles of the whole body while peripheral weakness refers to the exhaustion of specific muscles.
Mental fatigue usually refers to the decreased level of consciousness. Mental fatigue may not accompany physical fatigue and can accompany somnolence and decreased attention. However, some symptoms may be due to neurocognitive deficits rather than mental weariness and specific tests are required to confirm this.
Treatment of Fatigue
As fatigue is a symptom of other underlying diseases rather than being a disease itself, it is necessary to treat the underlying disease to remove fatigue. The doctors may prescribe iron supplements or tonics if anemia is found to be the reason for fatigue. Sometimes, fatigue may be a symptom of sleep apnea. In such conditions medications and machines for sleep apnea are offered by the doctors. Diabetes can also be a major factor for causing fatigue. In such circumstances, treatment of diabetes to control the blood sugar levels is necessary. If fatigue is due to hypothyroidism, treatment for repairing the thyroid glands’ functioning may be necessary. As infections may also lead to fatigue, antibiotics to treat the infections may also be prescribed. Vitamin deficiency may be treated by providing various vitamin supplements from time to time. Doctors may also advise for dietary changes and exercises to treat fatigue, in special cases.
Living with Fatigue
Fatigue can be detrimental enough to cause hindrance in day to day work. It is essential to know the reasons of fatigue to effectively curb it. As is obvious, fatigue can be a symptom of some other underlying disease. Therefore, it is essential to go for a clinical test as soon as it is understood that fatigue is present.
A healthy diet and avoiding alcohol, tobacco and caffeine is necessary to stop the condition from aggravating. It is seen that people who abuse drugs are more to fatigue too. Healthy diet not only refreshes the metabolic functions of the body, it also takes care of the immune system which needs to be at its best to stop the onset of many chronic diseases.
Regular exercise and meditation may also be helpful in diminishing fatigue to a large extent. Various yogic asanas and pranyamas are effective in decreasing the levels of fatigue. Alternate therapies may also be tested to curb the condition in its minimum.
Prevention of Fatigue
The first and a necessary step to prevent fatigue is to decrease the stress levels, which is responsible for most of the cases of fatigue. Practicing meditation and various other relaxation methods may be helpful in decreasing fatigue in many cases.
Regular exercises may also be helpful in diminishing fatigue. It is necessary to determine a good time for exercise. It keeps the body muscles active and intact which ultimately results in diminishing fatigue.
Having proper sleep is also necessary to avoid extreme fatigue. Going to bed at a fixed time and following a routine may be helpful, too.
It is also necessary to check out any ongoing medication which may be the reason behind fatigue. It is found that many drugs interfere with the regular functioning of the body and may lead to fatigue. Check out with your doctor if medications are affecting your daily life patterns.
A good diet can go a long way in treating and diminishing fatigue. Whole grains, creals, fruits and milk should be included in the regular diet to avoid stress.
Taking excessive caffeine and smoking should be avoided. It is found that excessive caffeine and tobacco can impart harmful effects to the various metabolic functions of the body and lead to fatigue.
Alcohol is also harmful as it may interfere with the sleep patterns and cause fatigue. That is why it si necessary to decrease the alcohol intake as much as possible.
