Recognizing and managing fatigue
Fatigue is a feeling of physical and/or mental tiredness or exhaustion that impacts your ability to perform at your best. You may feel fatigued because of overwork, poor sleep, worry, boredom, or lack of exercise. Any illness may cause fatigue and it usually goes away as the illness clears up. Most of the time, mild fatigue occurs with a health problem that will improve with home treatment and doesn’t usually require a visit to a doctor.
Nearly everyone struggles with being overtired from time to time. Fatigue can be influenced by extended work hours, tough physical or mental activities, and loss of sleep.
Chronic fatigue is a constant state of weariness that develops over time and reduces your energy and mental capacity. Chronic fatigue can impact your emotional and psychological well-being.
Fatigue can impact your health, safety, and productivity at work and in life. In some cases, fatigue is a symptom of an underlying medical problem that requires medical treatment. Remember to reach out to a medical professional when needed.
Fatigue and getting good quality sleep are an important part of maintaining your health and wellness. But how do you know if you are feeling the impacts of fatigue?
The feelings associated with fatigue can be broken into three categories: physical, mental, and emotional. Being mindful of how you experience fatigue can help you understand how to address it.
Being proactive and taking care of your health and wellness can help mitigate the risks associated with fatigue. Getting quality sleep – and enough of it – is an important way to manage fatigue.
Sleep is an important part of maintaining your health and wellness. Not getting enough sleep can lead to feelings of fatigue, low alertness, negative mood, lengthier response times, and diminished attention and memory. Over long periods of time, not getting enough sleep can negatively impact health and has been linked to the development of chronic diseases including obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, cardiovascular disease and depression.
There are many things that can be done to improve your ability to sleep and build healthy sleep patterns. Make sleep a priority and allow yourself enough time to get the sleep you need!
Fatigue that lasts longer than two weeks usually requires a visit to a doctor. This type may be caused by a more serious health problem, such as:
• A decrease in the amount of the substance that carries oxygen in red blood cells (anemia).
• Problems with the heart, such as coronary artery disease or heart failure.
• Metabolic disorders, such as diabetes.
• Problems with the thyroid gland. It regulates the way the body uses energy.
• Kidney disease and liver disease.
Fatigue is a common symptom of mental health problems, such as anxiety or depression. If you think that your fatigue may be caused by a mental health problem, see your doctor.