Everyone experiences tiredness. Fatigue is a condition where that tiredness becomes permanent and overwhelming. It can arise as a result of both mental and physical factors. If you're experiencing symptoms, you should visit your local medical centre to discuss them. Before that happens, it helps to understand what those symptoms are.
Chronic Tiredness
Usually, when you feel tired or sleepy, getting a good night's rest resolves the issue. When you're experiencing fatigue, your tiredness is chronic. No matter how much sleep you get, your tiredness doesn't go away. If your chronic tiredness has started suddenly, consider whether you've experienced a change recently that could contribute to it. For example, stress, partying more often and workplace changes are all common causes. If you're aware of a change, reflect on whether you can adjust it. Using stress as an example, can you remove the stressor? Or could you benefit from counselling?
Aches And Pains
A lot of people know what general aches and pains feel like. If you're consistently experiencing aching muscles, headaches and stomach pain, it may be due to fatigue. Sore and aching muscles are a warning sign that, for whatever reason, your body is lacking what it needs to function at a comfortable level. Try focusing on your diet and water intake. Not drinking enough water prevents your muscles from having the fluid they need to move smoothly. A poorly-balanced diet also denies your body the nutrients it needs to thrive. If you believe your diet is healthy and you drink enough water, visit your local medical centre so they can run some blood tests.
Becoming Forgetful
If you're not usually the type of person who misplaces their keys and forgets birthdays, suddenly becoming forgetful is a warning sign that something is wrong. When your memory takes a bit of a hit, it could be that you're fatigued. However, it's also a sign of stress, anxiety and depression. Try examining whether there are areas of your life that you could make less stressful. For example, reducing your working hours or spending less time with toxic people. If stress doesn't appear to be an underlying factor, you may need to speak to a doctor.
It's important to remember that fatigue can arise due to mental conditions such as anxiety, depression and PTSD. It's also a sign of physical conditions such as diabetes, poor thyroid function and cardiac conditions. As such, if your self-help techniques don't work, you should seek a diagnosis so that you can benefit from an appropriate treatment.
