Are you going through extreme tiredness and feel sleepy all day, running out of motivation and enthusiasm, as a result of physical and mental disturbance? Well, we’ll break it to you, you’ve developed fatigue.
A person often feels tired and can also feel the shortness breath with more activities. The symptoms of fatigue also include muscle weakness. But do not confuse it with “drowsiness”, a condition when you feel the need to sleep. Fatigue is different than feeling sleepy.
The state of tiredness and lack of energy is termed as fatigue. Even though being sleepy is one of the many symptoms of fatigue, but it is not the same. It can also be a result of a non-active lifestyle and poor diet. It also is a symptom of several medical conditions.
It might be really hard to find the root cause of fatigue, but the type of fatigue can specifically determine the cause of fatigue as well.
It should be noted that fatigue is a symptom of a chronic disease that might be getting birth in your body. Fatigue is a symptom and it is not a disease.
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) –
Chronic fatigue syndrome is a medical condition of utmost tiredness that can last for several months or maybe years and that too without any particular reason. Unlike usual, any amount of rest will not affect the fatigue or remove it and people may find it difficult to perform day-to-day activities. Anyone can suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome CFS but women in their 40s and 50s are more vulnerable to it.
Causes of CFS –
Due to various symptoms by every other individual, and fatigue being a symptom for many other diseases and conditions, the root cause of CFS is not defined yet. Although viral infection and psychological stress are often claimed to be the cause because people who suffer from viral infection and those going through depression, often develop CFS, there is no rigid theory behind it.
Other causes of Chronic Fatigue may include –
- Low physical activity
- Lack of sleep
- Obesity and overweight
- Boredom or grief
- Use of antidepressants and sedatives
- Too much physical exertion
- A phase of emotional stress
- Abuse of alcohol, drugs or even caffeine
- Absence of a well-balanced nutritious diet
Apart from this, physical health conditions like anemia, fibromyalgia, arthritis, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, autoimmune disorders, diabetes, kidney diseases, eating and sleeping disorders, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and congestive heart failure can also cause fatigue.
Also, Read Allergies? Common Cold? Flu? Or COVID-19? : Symptoms and FAQs
Who is more vulnerable to CFS?
- Although anyone can develop CFS, it may turn out to be a risk factor for a few targeted groups.
- People in their 50s and60s are more prone to it.
- Women are generally more vulnerable to CFS than men.
- Physical and mental stress like depression or accident may give rise to CFS.
- A person may also develop CFS because of their genes through genetic predisposition with no other reason.
Symptoms of CFS –
- A feeling of tiredness while waking up after hours of sleep.
- Lack of concentration and memory, constantly forgetting things and inability to concentrate on them.
- Neck and armpits developing enlarged lymph nodes.
- The feeling of being tired and too much exhausted after a day of performing any physical activity.
- Inability or difficulty in doing day-to-day activities.
- Frequent headaches and sore throat.
There are no specific tests to diagnose CFS. In order to conclude with CFS, the doctor may need to rule out other causes causing fatigue, by including a session of questions about the lifestyle, medical history, and any physical or mental stress that the person is going through. Blood tests and urine tests may also be conducted by the doctor to confirm the absence of any other disease with similar symptoms like CFS.
Treatment –
As there is no specific cause for CFS, it varies from person to person and may depend on their symptoms. Majorly, the treatment includes a change in lifestyle, medications, and therapies. Change in lifestyle refers to changes such as practicing a healthy routine by including nutritious diets, meditation, and other activities to make the lifestyle better. Therapies may include Cognitive training, which helps in concluding the cause and solution by talking to the therapist, and graded exercise, which includes certain activities to boost the routine and break the inactivity.
These are the causes, symptoms, and ways of treatment of CFS that you should be aware of. You can always try these out to diagnose yourself or treat yourself by making certain healthy changes to the routine, but in case it doesn’t help, consult a doctor and get treated by therapies and medications that are suggested by the doctor and are necessary.
