Fatigue: Symptoms, Types, Causes, and Treatment

No matter how much you sleep you get, are you still feeling tired? You may be experiencing fatigue, a lingering severe tiredness and lack of energy [1].

Feeling fatigued is common, in fact one in five adults experience it at some point in their life [2]. Fatigue can impact your productivity, relationships, and quality of life, therefore identifying the causes can help you manage it.

Symptoms of Fatigue

The primary symptom of fatigue is exhaustion with physical or psychological activity, even after rest. Other symptoms are physical, mental, or emotional in nature. These can include:

• Aching or sore muscles

• Lack of motivation

• Daytime sleepiness

• Difficulty concentration or learning new tasks

• Gastrointestinal problems (bloating, abdominal pain, constipation, or diarrhoea)

• Headaches

• Irritability or impatience

• Slowed reaction time

• Vision issues (blurriness)

Fatigue can be one of the earliest symptoms experienced during pregnancy. This is because of an increased production in the hormone progesterone promotes daytime sleepiness and sleep disturbances [3].

Types of Fatigue

There are 3 classifications for fatigue: physiologic, secondary, and chronic [4].

• Physiologic fatigue can result from lifestyle factors, such as poor diet, sleep issues, lack of exercise, anything that is unrelated to an underlying medical condition. Once an individual addresses this, it typically improves.

• Secondary fatigue is experienced from 1 to 6 months and is due to an underlying health condition. It can also result from medication side effects. Energy levels tend to increase once the primary condition is treated.

• Chronic fatigue lasts for more than 6 months and does not improve with bed rest. Daily activity is reduced to less than 50%.

Causes of Fatigue

For many people, fatigue is the result of a combination of lifestyle, psychological, social, and general wellbeing issues. Most of the time, fatigue is caused by lifestyle factors, however it can also signal an underlying physical or mental health condition.

If you’re feeling fatigued, it is worth reflecting on your lifestyle choices before exploring other potential causes. For example, fatigue can be the result of:

• Lack of sleep

• Too much or too little activity

• Experiencing stress, boredom, grief

• Taking certain medications

• Consuming too much caffeine

• Being overweight or underweight

Treating Fatigue

There are several steps you can take to try and reduce your fatigue before seeking a health professional. This can include:

• Improving your diet - eating more vegetables and lean meat while cutting down on high-caloric foods

• Getting enough good sleep

• Exercising regularly

• Drinking enough fluids throughout the day

• Avoiding triggers for stress

• Engage in relaxing activities

When Tired Becomes Too Tired

It may be worth arranging an appointment with your healthcare provider if you continue feeling fatigued and you:

• Have tried to make healthy lifestyle changes (sleep better, improve eating habits, and reduce stress)

• Have a higher-than-normal body temperature

• Feel sensitive to cold temperatures

• Have consistent difficulty falling and/or staying asleep

• Cannot think of the cause to your fatigue