We all tend to blame tiredness and sleepiness on a too-busy lifestyle. And much of the time we’re right. However if you feel exhausted all the time or your always asking yourself “why am I always so sleepy?”, do not blow it off. Provide yourself about 2 to 3 weeks to make some lifestyle modifications: Get more sleep, cut your social calendar, eat more wholesome foods, drink more fluids, take a multivitamin.
“If you’re still feeling the symptoms of fatigue after those modifications, then you need professional help,” says Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, MD, an internal medicine doctor in Atlanta. Excess fatigue might be the sign of a more serious medical condition that can be treated.
Main Causes of the Feeling Always Sleepy and Tired
Anemia
The fatigue triggered by anemia is the result of an absence of red blood cells, which bring oxygen from your lungs to your tissues and cells. You may feel weak and brief of breath. Anemia might be brought on by an iron or vitamin shortage, blood loss, internal bleeding, or a chronic disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, or kidney failure. Women of childbearing age are particularly prone to iron-deficiency anemia because of blood loss during menstruation and the body’s need for extra iron during pregnancy and breastfeeding, discusses Laurence Corash, MD, accessory teacher of laboratory medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.
The symptoms: Feeling sleepy and tired all the time is a significant one. Others include extreme weakness, trouble sleeping, lack of concentration, fast heartbeat, chest pains, and headache. Simple exercise, such as climbing the stairs or walking brief ranges, can cause fatigue.
The tests: A comprehensive examination for anemia includes a physical examination and blood tests, consisting of a complete blood count (CBC), to check the levels of your red cell. It’s also standard to check the stool for blood loss.
Thyroid Disease
When your thyroid hormonal agents run out whack, even daily activities will clean you out. The thyroid gland, about the size of the knot on a man’s tie, is found in the front of the neck and produces hormonal agents that manage your metabolic process. Excessive thyroid hormonal agent (hyperthyroidism), and metabolism speeds up. Insufficient (hypothyroidism), and metabolism slows down.
The symptoms: Hyperthyroidism causes muscle fatigue and weak point, which you may observe first in the thighs. Exercises such as riding a bike or climbing up stairs end up being harder. Other symptoms consist of unexplained weight loss, feeling warm all the time, increased heart rate, shorter and less regular menstrual flows, and increased thirst. Hyperthyroidism is most frequently diagnosed in women in their 20s and 30s, however it can occur in older women and men too, states Robert J. McConnell, MD, codirector of the New York Thyroid Center at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. Hypothyroidism causes fatigue, a failure to concentrate, and muscle pain, even with minor activity. Other symptoms include weight gain due to water retention, feeling cold all the time (even in warmer weather condition), heavier and more regular menstrual circulations, and constipation. Hypothyroidism is most typical in women over age 50; in reality, as numerous as 10% of women past 50 will have at least moderate hypothyroidism, states McConnell.
The tests: Thyroid disease can be detected with a blood test. “Thyroid conditions are so treatable that people who suffer tiredness and/or muscle weakness need to have the test done,” states McConnell.
Diabetes
More than a million people are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes every year, however many more may not even understand they have it. Sugar, likewise called glucose, is the fuel that keeps your body going. And that indicates trouble for people with type 2 diabetes who can’t use glucose properly, causing it to build up in the blood. Without enough energy to keep the body running efficiently, people with diabetes frequently discover fatigue as one of the first warning signs, say Johns Hopkins scientists.
The symptoms: Aside from feeling sleepy and tired all the time, other signs include extreme thirst, frequent urination, hunger, weight reduction, irritation, yeast infections, and blurred vision.
The tests: There are 2 major tests for diabetes. The fasting plasma glucose test, which is more typical, steps your blood sugar level after fasting for 8 hours. With the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), blood is drawn twice: prior to drinking a glucose syrup, then 2 hours later.
Anxiety
More than “the blues,” depression is a significant health problem that affects the method we sleep, eat, and feel about ourselves and others. Without treatment, the symptoms of anxiety might last for weeks, months, or even years.
The symptoms: We do not all experience depression in the exact same method. But typically, depression can cause decreased energy, changes in sleeping and eating patterns, problems with memory and concentration, and sensations of despondence, worthlessness, and negativity. (These other 9 unforeseen symptoms of anxiety are less typical, but simply as telling.)
The tests: There’s no blood test for depression, but your doctor may be able to identify it by asking you a series of concerns. If you experience five or more of these symptoms below for more than 2 weeks, or if they disrupt your life, see your doctor or mental health specialist: tiredness or loss of energy; sleeping too little or excessive; a persistent unfortunate, distressed, or “empty” state of mind; reduced appetite and weight loss; increased cravings and weight gain; loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed; uneasyness or irritability; persistent physical symptoms that do not react to treatment, such as headaches, chronic pain, or constipation and other digestive disorders; difficulty focusing, remembering, or deciding; feeling guilty, helpless, or useless; ideas of death or suicide.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
This autoimmune disease is not constantly simple to identify early, but there are some subtle clues to try to find. Rheumatoid arthritis occurs when your immune system turns against itself and attacks healthy joint tissue, often resulting in irreversible damage to bone and cartilage.
The symptoms: Many symptoms (such as tiredness, low energy, loss of appetite, and joint pain) are shared by other health conditions, consisting of other forms of arthritis such as fibromyalgia and lupus. Anemia and thyroid conditions, which likewise cause fatigue, are much more typical in people with RA, inning accordance with John Klippel, MD, president and CEO of the Atlanta-based Arthritis Foundation. Rheumatologists search for a minimum of four of the following requirements in diagnosing RA: early morning stiffness in and around the joints lasting at least 1 hour before optimum enhancement; at least 3 joint areas with synchronised soft tissue swelling or fluid; a minimum of one joint area swollen in a wrist, knuckle, or the middle joint of a finger; simultaneous participation of the very same joint areas on both sides of the body; lumps of tissue under the skin; and bone erosion in the wrist or hand joints, discovered by x-ray.
The tests: A thorough physical examination by a rheumatologist can offer a few of the most valuable proof of the disease, but there is likewise a test for the presence of rheumatoid factor, an antibody discovered in the blood. About 80% of people with RA test favorable for this antibody, however the test is not conclusive.
Chronic Fatigue
This complicated condition causes a strong fatigue that begins quickly. People who struggle with CFS feel too worn out to continue with their normal activities and are easily tired with little effort.
The symptoms: Other signs include headache, muscle and joint pain, weak point, tender lymph nodes, and a failure to focus. Fatigue syndrome stays puzzling, because it has no known cause.
The tests: There is none. Your doctor needs to rule out other conditions with comparable symptoms, such as lupus and several sclerosis, before making the medical diagnosis.
Sleep Apnea
You might have this sleep-disrupting problem if you wake up feeling tired no matter how much rest you think you got. Sleep apnea is a disorder defined by brief disruptions of breathing during sleep. In the most typical type, obstructive sleep apnea, your upper respiratory tract actually closes or collapses for a few seconds, which, in turn, alerts your brain to wake you up to start breathing again. Someone with obstructive sleep apnea might stop breathing dozens or perhaps hundreds of times a night, says Roseanne S. Barker, MD, former medical director of the Baptist Sleep Institute in Knoxville, TN.
The symptoms: Sleep apnea is frequently signaled by snoring and is generally followed by tiredness the next day. Due to the fact that sleep apnea can result in heart disease, hypertension, and stroke, it’s crucial to be evaluated.
The tests: This involves an overnight stay at a sleep clinic, where you’ll go through a polysomnogram, which is a painless test that will monitor your sleep patterns, breathing modifications, and brain activity.
