Feeling tired occasionally after a spate of late nights at work or binge-watching Netflix is one thing. But, if you make changes and still feel exhausted, lacking energy and motivation, it’s important to rule out causes that could be harming your health, or to address them.
Can anaemia cause fatigue?
If you’re anaemic, you have too few red blood cells to take the oxygen from your lungs to your cells, or their oxygen-carrying capacity is too low. The cause is usually either not getting enough iron from your diet, or losing blood through heavy periods or an ulcer, or a condition like diabetes or kidney disease.
How to get help
Speak to your health professional, who can diagnose the cause and advise treatment. This will usually centre on including iron-rich foods in your diet, such as liver, shellfish, beans and enriched cereal, and possibly a supplement. Never self-medicate, as too much iron can be toxic.
Do you have a sleep disorder?
"Most of us need seven or eight hours, sleep, though some wake refreshed after five," says Michelle Baker, Durban clinical neuropsychologist Michelle Baker, chairperson of the Allied Group for the South African Society for Sleep Health (SASSH).
Get help
Your doctor can point you to a sleep laboratory, which can observe you overnight and pick up problems such as sleep apnoea. With this, your airways narrow, usually through you carrying excess weight, causing you to snore and to stop breathing several times a night, lowering your blood oxygen and breaking your sleep. You may be fitted with a gum guard or given a CPAP (continuous positive air pressure) mask to sleep in, and will be advised to manage your weight, stop smoking and cut back on drinking.
Fatigue and sleepiness from stress, anxiety and depression
Constantly raised levels of the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol can leave you anxious, restless, irritable and exhausted. With depression, the constant tiredness is accompanied by feeling low, hopeless and purposeless, withdrawing and sleeping or eating too much or too little.
Get help
"Treatment can include cognitive behavioural therapy and possibly medication, and new varieties have few side effects", says Gauteng psychologist Dr Colinda Linda. Contact the SA Depression and Anxiety Group for guidance and support, 0800 21 22 23 or sms 31393. Take steps to address stress by making time to relax and unwind, having something positive to look forward to each day, unburdening sometimes with others, and getting regular exercise, which releases feel-good endorphins.
Can diabetes cause fatigue and sleepiness?
With this, your body’s control of blood glucose, its main source of energy, goes wrong, as you produce no or insufficient insulin. Signs of diabetes include constant thirst and a need to pee copiously, hunger, weight loss, yeast infections, blurred vision and irritability.
Get help
"You will need guidance on how to manage diabetes well by tracking your glucose levels and controlling them with diet, exercise, and in some cases, insulin", says Joburg dietitian Ria Catsicas, who has a special interest in diabetes. Contact Diabetes SA for more information on the best steps to take if you suspect you might be diabetic.
Fatigue and tiredness from hypothyroidism
Your thyroid gland produces hormones that control your metabolism, and if it produces too few, your metabolism slows down and lowers your energy levels. Signs include tiredness, sore muscles, problems thinking clearly, cold feet and hands and weight gain.
Get help
"A simple blood test can diagnose hypothyroidism", says Dr Wayne May, a Cape Town endocrinologist. You can then be prescribed medications or dietary changes. Contact the Society for Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes of SA for more information on diagnosing and treating hypothyroidism.
Also read: The relationship between sleep, stress and your energy levels
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