Fatigue – Reasons for Being Tired All the Time
A lot of people, especially at this time of year, feel like they’re just Tired All The Time, a phrase that deserves the capitalization. We caught up with Dr. Nick to see just what make people TATT (yes, GP’s actually have their own acronym for it)...
Tired All the Time is basically feeling a lack of energy to perform normal activities. We’ve all probably been affected by this in some form or another, and there are three general reasons for it: physiological, physical and psychological causes.
The Physiological Causes of Feeling Tired All the Time
These are the obvious ones, the factors that you would be right in thinking make you feel tired:
- Exercise
- Reduced nutrition following exercise
- Dieting
- Holiday
- Sleep deprivation
- Poor sleep
- Constant variation of work-shifts
According to Dr. Nick, the solution to TATT caused by any of the above is relatively simple: don’t over train and make sure you’re fuelling your body in the right way. If you’re having trouble sleeping, look into why this might be and see a GP if needed. Otherwise try putting down your mobile phone an hour before bed and relaxing before you hit the sack. If your work schedule is sporadic, try and find a routine that fits around your shifts that enables you to have plenty of sleep, time for exercise and allows you to take time for yourself.
The Physical Causes of Feeling Tired All the Time
These are the pathological causes of tiredness, which are not very common, but need to be excluded as a potential cause of TATT. They include:
- Infection
- Thyroid problems
- Anaemia
- Diabetes
- Alcohol
- Migraines
- Medicines
Many of the above will come along with an additional slew of symptoms, so there are other markers as well as feeling tired all the time that may be pointing to a larger issue. If you think any of the above may be causing you to be tired all the time, Dr. Nick suggests that making an appointment with your GP should be your first port of call.
The Psychological Causes of Feeling Tired All the Time
The below list will more than likely contain something that has affected all of us at some time. Dr. Nick suggests that this is the most common cause of feeling tired all the time that he sees from his patients.
- Work Related Stress
- Financial Stress
- Problems at Home
- Relationship Problems
- Depression
- Anxiety
- OCD
All of the above issues can have a severe impact on your mental health which can lead to you feeling tired all the time.
So what should you do if you’re feeling tired all the time? Regardless of the trigger, you should be making an appointment with your GP if the problem is persisting. Your healthcare professional will ask all the right questions to find out what the source of the issue is and take steps with you on how to tackle the problem.