9 Reasons That Could Be Causing Your Chronic Fatigue

What’s causing your chronic fatigue? Menopause can be tough enough with all its annoying symptoms. Fatigue is one of them, unfortunately. So not only do you have to deal with the menopause, but you’re doing it while tired all the time! But beside the menopause, there might be other reasons causing your constant fatigue. Here are the possible factors to consider, so that you may manage your condition more efficiently and live your best life!

Toddlers are good at throwing tantrums; we women are super good at tiredness. And still getting stuff done despite of being on our last legs. But chronic fatigue is no joke.

Yes, toddlers have terrible 2s and terrible 3s, we ladies have ‘fatigued 40s’ and beyond.

Springing out of bed at dawn to do some yoga? Ummm, no, preferably not.

Sailing through my day, groomed, toned, and radiating energy and ‘good vibes’ while clearing the to-do-list? Don’t think so.

Falling asleep at night, satisfied I’ve done everything I’d planned, including giving attention to my family and friends, and doing all the healthy stuff I know I should do? Hardly ever happened.

I wish that was me. But it wasn’t.

Could This Be You?

Instead, this is how my day usually went:

Alarm clock set to 6am chimes and I rudely snooze. Yoga clothing, laid out near my bed, remains ignored.

I wake up again at 7.15am, way too late to call it a productive morning, as my regular job starts at 9.30am. I get out of bed carefully, my muscles stiff and my lower back slightly aching. Hadn’t done any exercise or stretching lately…and now I can feel it.

At this point I’m starving but no time for breakfast now. I have to do the school run, so I fret about getting myself and my daughter ready.

Usually, I neglect to brush my hair. No time.

On the way from school, I’m now so ravenous I must immediately get my hands on a bacon roll and a coffee from the local bakery and eat on the go. At least I’m walking.

Get home at 9.20, start work at 9.30.

Because I ate on the go and didn’t savour the food, the feeling of hunger lingers.

And because I’ve not been sated I’m now having difficulty to focus, snacking a lot. I know this isn’t going to be my most productive day. The to-do-list gets scrunched up and tossed into the corner.

Chronic Fatigue Can Disrupt Your Entire Day

Since the day has lost its momentum, I might as well have a bit of chocolate to satisfy me. While I’m at it, I’ll check out social media (otherwise known as doom scrolling) in between the endless stream of mundane tasks.

Until it’s time to walk to the school again. But I’ll take a bus instead, I’m too tired to walk.

I know I should call my people, but I’m not in the mood.

I’m irritated, dissatisfied, sluggish, tired.

As for the evening, there’s no point in meditating or whatever since it’s been a rubbish day. So, I’ll just watch a bit of Netflix to take my mind off of the thinking how busy but rubbish and unproductive the day was.

My mind feels anything but calm and peaceful, as it keeps going through all the things I wanted to do and didn’t. s

So I give it Netflix treatment for a bit longer….just so that it stops nagging; and get to bed past midnight.

I set the alarm clock for 6am but chances of actually getting up at that tie are very slim, unlike me.

I yawned like crazy, felt like I was going to asleep in meetings, drank a lot of coffee, was unable to relax and never rested even after a long sleep. Not to mention, I couldn’t shift the body fat!

This was me for a very long time. I still have days like this, but they are more of an irregular occurrence nowadays, I’m pleased to say.

What’s Behind Your Chronic Fatigue?

I felt like I was trapped in a 90-year-old body with a mind splintered into a thousand monkeys fumbling about in a foggy jungle.

Trapped in the fatigue cycle. Frustrated at constant time and energy deficiency. The inability to simply enjoy life.

I knew I wasn’t alone. Do you feel like that too?

If you’re in your 40s or over, chances are you’re dealing with multiple serious challenges at the same time.

There are physical changes like perimenopause, menopause, hormonal fluctuations, weight gain, health issues.

Then there are family affairs, such as children, empty nest, ageing parents, weddings, funerals, graduations.

How about your relationships? Separation, divorce, dating again?

Not to forget your career or the non-existence of one! Perhaps you’re in a senior role, running your own business or perhaps you don’t have a job and at this age you feel lost.

On top of everything, all these pressures make us question the very meaning and purpose of our life.

Is It EVER Going To Get Easier?!

Hello midlife crisis!

You walk around, drive, go to work and live your life in a permanent state of fatigue.

Sometimes we feel tired for unexplained health reasons.

But often there are very typical reasons for fatigue which include lack of regular sleep, poor diet, and not getting enough exercise.

Fatigue can be very frustrating and even debilitating because you feel as if you just cannot get things done or enjoy your downtime.

In this series, we’re going to look at different ways to combat and overcome fatigue so that you can get your life back.

There’s no reason to be tired all the time. It’s not a normal state of being in healthy people.

If you use all these ideas there is no doubt that you’re going to be on your way to not just getting over fatigue, but also becoming an energetic, happy, recharged individual who can accomplish more than you ever thought you could.

Why You Feel Exhausted Even on Your Best Days

Before we get into the meat of getting recharged, let’s address the fact that sometimes medical issues will play an important role in your energy levels.

These can drag you down no matter how well you do on any given day.

If you’re suffering from unexplained exhaustion, it’s important that you seek medical answers first.

Go to your doctor and ask him/her to give you a complete blood work-up to check all your vitamin and hormone levels. Plus test you for common diseases that cause exhaustion like sleep apnea.

Alternatively, you may be taking medication for an illness and one of the side effects is tiredness. If you feel tired after taking the medication for two weeks, ask your doctor if there are alternatives.

Let’s now take a look at various reasons that may be causing your fatigue.

Possible Reasons Causing Your Chronic Fatigue

Your primary health care provider can easily test and confirm if you have any of the following conditions, typically through blood tests.

1. Menopause

I list menopause as first, because I suspect that if you’re over 40 you may be entering or going through perimenopause, menopause or post-menopause.

While this is a natural biological process, the hormonal changes associated with it bring about a series of unpleasant symptoms.

And the severe fatigue is one of the symptoms of menopause and could be among the various reasons that might be causing your constant exhaustion.

You can manage it by maintaining healthy habits and with the aid of natural remedies. But if the fatigue becomes so severe it impacts your day to day functioning, don’t hesitate to seek professional health care.

There are therapies and medications your health care provider can recommend, such those regulating your hormones.

2. Anaemia

This medical condition is characterized by paleness, fatigue, racing heart, and sometimes even upper left quadrant abdominal pain.

If a person has anaemia their red blood cell count (known as haemoglobin) is too low.

And if haemoglobin gets too low, it can cause severe fatigue and other problems as well.

For men, haemoglobin levels less than 13.5 grams per 100 ml and for women, haemoglobin less than 12.0 grams per 100 ml is too low.

3. Vitamin Deficiency

Besides low iron, if you’re short on vitamins D3 or B12 you may feel severely fatigued and even anxious.

Which can cause you to lose sleep – thus making you feel even more tired all day long.

Even though you can buy D3 and B12 (with folate) to help with this issue, it’s still best to get a blood test to rule out anything serious before starting with treatment.

4. Thyroid Condition

Whether you’re hypothyroid (slow) or hyperthyroid (fast), you will suffer from fatigue.

Having said that, hypothyroidism tends to cause you to feel tired, sluggish, and even depressed.

Hyperthyroidism tends to make people feel anxious, restless, irritable and then contribute to fatigue due to lack of sleep.

If you’re feeling tired even if you have bursts of energy, ask your doctor to test your thyroid levels to be on the safe side.

5. Diabetes

One of the biggest first indications of diabetes is fatigue.

Even though most people think diabetes only affects overweight people, many people who appear healthy still wind up with type II diabetes.

If you already know you have diabetes since birth and are often tired, talk to your doctor about this.

Today, even older people are being diagnosed with type I diabetes, so the old rules don’t fit anymore.

You can feel fatigued whether your blood sugar is high or low; if it’s off you will feel the effects.

That’s why it’s so important to talk to your doctor to try to manage your disease through medication, diet, exercise, and regular sleep.

6. Depression and Anxiety

While there can be underlying causes of depression and anxiety such as anaemia and other vitamin and mineral deficiencies, sometimes people have these conditions for other or even unknown reasons.

If you’ve checked everything and nothing shows up, talk to a professional about whether you suffer from depression or anxiety (or both).

Anxiety causes fatigue by preventing a good night’s rest, and depression sometimes has the effect of making you want to sleep away your problems regardless of how much sleep you get.

7. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Another illness that can cause fatigue is CFS. It’s right in the name.

There could be many causes for CFS that we don’t know yet. But it’s a real medical condition that you can tell by fever, body aches, and protracted exhaustion.

This condition sometimes occurs after you think you’re recovered from another viral infection.

It’s very difficult to diagnose and is usually the only option left after a complete series of tests that discount other possibilities. But it’s a real illness that can be managed and treated.

8. Sleep Apnea

An almost epidemic problem today, sleep apnea is caused by either an obstruction due to the way you sleep, or because the brain isn’t signalling your muscles to breathe properly even if your airway isn’t blocked (known as central sleep apnea).

Both types of apnea are very dangerous and can lead to sudden death while sleeping. However, most often what it leads to is a low quality of life due to experiencing non-restorative sleep.

To diagnose this issue, you may have to go to a sleep center overnight to do a sleep study. There are many ways to get help with this problem.

Even if no one has mentioned that you snore, this is a great test to get to ensure that you are sleeping well.

9. Medications

If you have any type of illness where you take medications, they may be causing your problems. They might make you tired, or they may make it hard for you to sleep – thus causing daytime fatigue.

Sometimes you still must take the medication, but often there are other options that you can use so that you can find a medication that doesn’t cause you as many problems. Other times, there are additional medications that you can take to combat the problem if it’s interfering with your ability to live your life fully.

Final Word About the Reasons Causing Chronic Fatigue

So, now that we have talked about potential medical issues that may contribute to your chronic tiredness, take time to consider which apply to you and how you can overcome it. Reasons causing your constant fatigue may vary or may be multiple and it’s important that you give your wellbeing a careful thought.

After all, the entire point is to find ways to recharge your body and take control of your life. Whether that is via medical intervention or something else is less important than doing something to make a difference.

Disclaimer

This article was written by Zuzana Halliwell. I am not a doctor or health professional and cannot be held liable for the information written here. This article is meant to provide information about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and diet. The content is based on my own personal experience and on information provided by medical professionals that is available to the public. It is not intended to provide medical advice. Do not use it as an alternative to seeking help from a medical professional.