Fatigue in women -
This means that your body must work harder to produce the energy it needs. Premenstrual syndrome , or PMS, symptoms around the time of your period may lead to sleep disturbances and then fatigue.
During menopause , levels of certain hormones, such as estrogen and progesterone, fluctuate. These changes can cause fatigue, as well as other common symptoms, like hot flashes and night sweats. Fluctuations in hormone levels can also affect your sleep pattern, resulting in fatigue during the day.
Fatigue is one of the main symptoms of an underactive thyroid, or hypothyroidism. This affects more women than men. Often, symptoms develop slowly and progress gradually over several years. Other symptoms of hypothyroidism include sensitivity to the cold, joint and muscle pain, depression, and weight gain.
Hyperthyroidism — an overactive thyroid — can also cause fatigue. Additional symptoms include an irregular heart rate, twitching or trembling, swelling in the neck, and weight loss. Fatigue is also a symptom of iron deficiency anemia. Blood loss is a common cause of an iron deficiency.
So, heavy periods are a risk factor, due to the loss of blood. Doctors typically treat iron deficiency anemia with iron supplements, which help restore iron levels.
Also, healthcare professionals often recommend that you add iron-rich foods to your diet. Some sources of iron include fortified breakfast cereals, green leafy vegetables, dried fruits and nuts, and red meat. Depression is a common mental health condition characterized by persistent feelings of hopelessness, sadness, or emptiness.
Fatigue is also a common symptom of depression. Women are twice as likely as men to develop depression. This condition is often linked with sleep disturbances, which can worsen fatigue.
Fatigue is one of the most reported symptoms during and after COVID Fatigue during COVID typically feels more intense than regular tiredness. Fatigue is a common symptom of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
There are many ways that diabetes can cause fatigue. Lifestyle factors, nutrition, endocrine issues, and certain medications may be involved. Because people with diabetes have higher blood sugar levels, less sugar reaches the cells.
This can sometimes cause weakness and fatigue. Also, people with diabetes are more likely to experience depression. And as we mentioned above, fatigue is a common symptom of depression.
This may get worse after daily activities involving physical or mental effort. However, many people report symptoms after an infection, such as Q fever or influenza, or infections with coronaviruses or the Epstein-Barr virus.
Chronic fatigue syndrome affects more women than men, with a ratio of about Sleep disturbances are also common in people with chronic fatigue syndrome, and these may worsen feelings of fatigue. Research has linked some nutrient deficiencies with feelings of fatigue.
This includes deficiencies of vitamin C, iron, magnesium, and some B vitamins. Having a healthy, diverse, and balanced diet is important to ensuring that you meet your nutritional needs. Focus on a plant-based diet with a broad range of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and pulses, nuts and seeds, and herbs and spices.
Understanding how your blood sugar and blood fat levels respond to certain foods can help you increase your energy. The ZOE at-home test analyzes these unique blood sugar and blood fat responses. Along with a breakdown of your gut microbiome, we use this information to help you find the best way to eat for your body.
Both sleep quality how well you sleep and sleep quantity how long you sleep are important for preventing fatigue. Experts recommend that adults get 7—9 hours of sleep each night. Research shows that getting regular exercise improves sleep.
Limiting alcohol and caffeine in the hours before bedtime can also promote better sleep. Make consistency a priority. Aim for similar sleep and wake times on a day-to-day basis, even on weekends. At night, keep your bedroom cool to mimic the drop in body temperature.
Look after your gut health. Scientists have found that having a diverse gut microbiome is linked to better quality sleep and more sleep. Stress can be acute short term or chronic long term. While acute stress is temporary, chronic stress is often linked to persistent feelings of fatigue.
A study of nearly 8, people found that fatigue was linked with work-related stressors. Chronic stress can also disrupt sleep and increase the risk of developing insomnia.
Try and manage stress levels through relaxation techniques, such as yoga, mindfulness, or diaphragmatic breathing. Some medications can cause feelings of fatigue.
This includes certain:. Basically, you really need to see your doc for this one. In some people, gluten damages the small intestine and causes symptoms like bloating, diarrhea, constipation, gas, nausea, stomach pain, vomiting, and yep, fatigue, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases NIDDK.
That happens to people with celiac disease. This condition can also cause long-term digestive issues and keep you from getting the nutrients you need, and in turn, cause ongoing fatigue. How to fix it : Celiac disease can be a tricky one to diagnose, but after doing a physical exam, your doctor may recommend that you take a blood test and undergo an intestinal biopsy to look for inflammation in your small intestine.
MS is an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks the brain and spinal cord, damaging the covering of nerve fibers called myelin, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society NMSS.
Fatigue is a very common symptom in people with MS—about 80 percent of patients struggle with it, according to the NMSS. It can be caused by treatable medical side effects of medication, or other causes. How to fix it : There are specific treatments to help people with MS manage fatigue, including occupational therapy to simplify tasks at home, physical therapy to learn energy-saving ways of walking and performing other day-to-day tasks, a regular exercise program, sleep regulation, and psychological interventions, per the NMSS.
While cancer treatments could be to blame, people with cancer can also feel wiped out just from the disease itself. It can overtake almost all the metabolic pathways and sabotage the mitochondrial energy of the body, explains Dr.
How to fix it : First, don't freak out that you have a serious health issue. But know that getting a proper diagnosis is important and, from there, proper treatment is needed, which usually involves chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery, or immunotherapy.
The exact course depends on what type of cancer you have and how advanced it is. That's why seeing your doctor to rule it out is key if you haven't been able to shake your tiredness for a long time.
Here's the thing: Our body needs a number of nutrients and a certain amount of calories per day in order to run at its normal capacity. Those numbers vary for everyone. If you're not eating enough nutrient-rich foods, your energy levels drop, so doing even the smallest task feels monumental.
You can also become constipated, adds Dr. Price, which can add to the fatigue. How to fix it: Eating a well-balanced diet and making sure that you're eating enough fruits, vegetables, and proteins, is essential to combatting fatigue, says Dr.
With the proper amount of nutrients, your body is able to create the energy you need to go about your day. You've heard it before, but it's true: Caffeine is a drug. Once your body gets accustomed to it, especially if you have coffee or soda every day, you become dependent on it. While it gives you a boost, caffeine also comes with highs and lows, and that in itself can cause you to feel extremely tired, says Dr.
If you absolutely need to have coffee in order to get through your day, that should be a warning sign. How to fix it: Switch up how you get your caffeine and start weaning yourself off of it.
It'll take some adjustment and you might get headaches at first, but once your body no longer depends on coffee, you'll feel a lot better.
While the medical world is still trying to figure out the long-term effects of COVID , we do know the toll the disease has on your body is that it makes you extremely exhausted, says Dr. Your body tries to recuperate when you're infected—you don't have an appetite, your muscles are extremely fatigued, and your body is working in overdrive.
People must keep in mind that this is not a short illness. There are different and great severities of it. Long COVID usually occurs two months after a person had COVID, says Dr. How to fix it: The best way to protect yourself against COVID and the long-term complications is to get vaccinated and boosted and keep practicing precautionary measures like masking up when in public and social distance.
While research into a cure is ongoing, your doctor may prescribe supplements and medications to manage symptoms of long COVID, according to CDC guidance. If you suspect that you have long COVID, visit your primary care provider and discuss your symptoms with them, advises Dr. They can help you figure out the next steps to take.
Khan recommends seeing your doctor. What you thought might be something minor, the doctor might look more into. Tired during the day because of waking up at night, making gasping, snorting or choking noises at night and loud snoring.
Lack of energy, noticeable heartbeats heart palpitations , shortness of breath and pale skin. Iron deficiency anaemia. Very tired, feeling very thirsty, peeing more often than usual particularly at night , weight loss.
Tired all the time, finding it hard to stay still, feeling nervous, anxious and irritable, muscle weakness. Overactive thyroid hyperthyroidism. Extreme fatigue for at least 3 months making it very hard to do daily activities , problems with thinking, memory and concentration, flu-like symptoms.
try to relax a couple of hours before your sleep time read, or listen to music or a podcast. A GP may refer you to a specialist if they do not know the cause of your tiredness or fatigue.
You may need tests, such as blood tests to check for anaemia, diabetes or hyperthyroidism.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Womne OPRAH WINFREY NETWORK. Cross-training exercises Sari Harrar. The bounce in your step has become a plod. Climbing stairs feels like summiting Mount Everest. Your brain's mired in fog.Fatigue in women -
Low Thyroid Located at the base of your neck—and barely larger than the knot in a bow tie—the thyroid gland controls your body's metabolic speed by producing the hormones T4 and T3.
If it churns out too little—as may happen in 12 to 15 percent of women at midlife—"all the processes in your body slow down," says Alan Farwell, MD, chairman of patient education and advocacy for the American Thyroid Association.
The result: decreased endurance and a sluggish mind. Why It's Overlooked: "Some people are very sensitive to small changes in thyroid hormones," Farwell says, "even when their numbers aren't low enough to qualify for treatment. After age 70, 25 percent of women may have subclinical or mild hypothyroidism.
Feeling cold. Dry skin and hair. Tests: You'll get blood checks for levels of T4 and thyroid-stimulating hormone TSH. High TSH plus low T4 is a sign of full-blown hypothyroidism, but pay attention if your TSH is high and your T4 is normal—you may have mild hypothyroidism, which should still be treated.
Treatment: Synthetic thyroxine pills. Overlooked Cause 2: Heart Trouble. Heart Trouble Fatigue is a distinct characteristic of cardiovascular disease in women, according to recent research. In one study of female heart attack survivors, 70 percent reported unusual fatigue in the weeks before; just 57 percent had acute chest pain.
In another study, fatigue was a symptom for women with dangerously clogged arteries that escaped notice on heart scans. Why It's Overlooked: Only one in ten women realizes that heart disease is her biggest health threat.
And emergency room doctors are six times more likely to give women with serious heart problems as opposed to men a clean bill of health. Other Symptoms: Shortness of breath. Pain in your shoulder, arm, or jaw.
But for many women, nothing at all. Tests: Your doctor will order an exercise stress test or angiogram if she suspects clogged arteries in your heart. Because that test isn't always accurate in women, she may order a CT scan or echocardiogram as well.
She'll also test your cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar—diabetes can quadruple a woman's heart risk. Treatment: You may get a cholesterol-lowering statin and medicines to treat blood pressure, such as diuretics.
You'll also be advised to follow a heart-healthy diet and get regular exercise. Overlooked Cause 3: Tired Blood. Tired Blood Heavy menstrual periods, pregnancy, avoidance of red meat, or being a vegetarian or a serious distance runner can all drain your body's stores of energizing iron, leaving you anemic.
That means underpowered red blood cells can't deliver enough oxygen to every cell in your body, says iron researcher Rebecca J. Stoltzfus, PhD, professor of nutrition at Cornell University. Your muscles may feel weak, your thinking gets cloudy.
One in five women and half of all pregnant women may have low iron. Alam T, Alessi CA. Sleep disorders. In: Rosenthal TC, Williams ME, Naughton BJ, eds. Office Care Geriatrics. Philadelphia, Pa. Arora V, Dunphy C, Chang VY, Ahmad F, Humphrey HJ, Meltzer D.
The effects of on-duty napping on intern sleep time and fatigue. Sonnentag S, Zijlstra FR. Job characteristics and off-job activities as predictors of need for recovery, well-being, and fatigue.
J Appl Psychol. Guilleminault C, Ramar K. Naps and drugs to combat fatigue and sleepiness. Taylor AH, Dorn L. Stress, fatigue, health, and risk of road traffic accidents among professional drivers: the contribution of physical inactivity. Annu Rev Public Health. O'Connor PJ, Puetz TW.
Chronic physical activity and feelings of energy and fatigue. Med Sci Sports Exerc. Fitzgibbon EJ, Murphy D, O'Shea K, Kelleher C. Chronic debilitating fatigue in Irish general practice: a survey of general practitioners' experience.
Br J Gen Pract. Holmes GP, Kaplan JE, Gantz NM, et al. Chronic fatigue syndrome: a working case definition. Darbishire L, Ridsdale L, Seed PT. Distinguishing patients with chronic fatigue from those with chronic fatigue syndrome: a diagnostic study in UK primary care.
Taylor RR, Jason LA, Curie CJ. Prognosis of chronic fatigue in a community-based sample. Bombardier CH, Buchwald D. Outcome and prognosis of patients with chronic fatigue vs chronic fatigue syndrome. Arch Intern Med. Dowrick CF, Ring A, Humphris GM, Salmon P. Normalisation of unexplained symptoms by general practitioners: a functional typology.
Sugarman JR, Berg AO. Evaluation of fatigue in a family practice. J Fam Pract. Raine R, Carter S, Sensky T, Black N.
General practitioners' perceptions of chronic fatigue syndrome and beliefs about its management, compared with irritable bowel syndrome: qualitative study. Rosenthal TC, Griswold KS, Danzo A. Puzzling physical conditions.
AAFP home study essentials, Leawood, Kan. Puetz TW, O'Connor PJ, Dishman RK. Effects of chronic exercise on feelings of energy and fatigue: a quantitative synthesis. Psychol Bull. Powell P, Bentall RP, Nye FJ, Edwards RH.
Randomised controlled trial of patient education to encourage graded exercise in chronic fatigue syndrome. Blockmans D, Persoons P, Van Houdenhove B, Bobbaers H. Does methylphenidate reduce the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome?. Am J Med. Edmonds M, McGuire H, Price J. Exercise therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome.
Cochrane Database Syst Rev. Price JR, Couper J. Cognitive behaviour therapy for chronic fatique syndrome in adults. Whiting P, Bagnall AM, Sowden AJ, Cornell JE, Mulrow CD, Ramírez G.
Interventions for the treatment and management of chronic fatigue syndrome: a systematic review [published correction appears in JAMA. Smith RC, Lein C, Collins C, et al. Treating patients with medically unexplained symptoms in primary care. Salmon P, Humphris GM, Ring A, Davies JC, Dowrick CF.
Why do primary care physicians propose medical care to patients with medically unexplained symptoms? A new method of sequence analysis to test theories of patient pressure. This content is owned by the AAFP.
A person viewing it online may make one printout of the material and may use that printout only for his or her personal, non-commercial reference. This material may not otherwise be downloaded, copied, printed, stored, transmitted or reproduced in any medium, whether now known or later invented, except as authorized in writing by the AAFP.
search close. PREV Nov 15, NEXT. A 16 — 18 , 32 , 43 , 44 , 46 There is no evidence that exercise therapy worsens outcomes. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, such as fluoxetine Prozac , paroxetine Paxil , or sertraline Zoloft , may be helpful for patients with fatigue in whom depression is suspected.
B 22 , 49 A six-week trial is recommended to evaluate effectiveness. Cognitive behavior therapy is an effective treatment for adult outpatients with chronic fatigue syndrome. A 22 , 47 , 48 — Stimulants seldom return patients to predisease performance. B 21 , 45 Stimulants are associated with headaches, restlessness, insomnia, and dry mouth.
Regular bedtimes are associated with better sleep patterns. What time do you fall asleep? Many patients read or watch television in bed before falling asleep. After you lie down, how long does it take you to fall asleep? This time is known as sleep latency; the duration reflects sleepiness or anxiety at bedtime.
Do you leave the television or radio on as you are attempting to fall asleep? Television and radio programs are intended to be stimulating and keep viewers and listeners awake. After falling asleep, what time do you first wake up? What awakens you? Does the patient wake up due to pain or the urge to urinate?
How often do you use the bathroom at night? Does the patient develop the urge to urinate within a few minutes of waking up, or does the urge awaken the patient? Do you have pain at night? Does the patient have conditions, such as arthritis or muscle cramps, that could be better controlled?
How long does it take you to return to sleep after waking up? Do certain thoughts keep the patient from returning to sleep?
Are they anxiety-provoking, worrisome, depressing? What time do you get out of bed in the morning? Is the patient trying to get too much sleep?
Does the patient have a natural sleep cycle? Do you feel rested in the morning? Was sleep restorative? Do you nap during the day? What time of day does the patient nap and for how long? What medications do you take?
Has the patient tried sleep aids? Is the patient taking a medication that may interfere with sleep? Do you drink alcohol or use other drugs? Alcohol has a short half-life and, when used to assist sleep, often causes rebound wakefulness.
Do you exercise? What time of day? Evening exercise tends to be stimulating and may increase sleep latency. Managing Secondary Fatigue.
Physiologic Fatigue. Chronic Fatigue. THOMAS C. ROSENTHAL, MD, is a professor in and chair of the Department of Family Medicine at the University at Buffalo New York , and is director of the New York State Area Health Education Center program in Buffalo.
Rosenthal received his medical degree from the University at Buffalo, where he also completed a family medicine residency. MAJERONI, MD, is an associate professor of clinical family medicine at the University at Buffalo and is medical director of Cleve-Hill Family Health Center in Buffalo.
Majeroni received her medical degree from The Medical College of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and completed a family medicine residency at Hamot Medical Center in Erie, Pa. Pretorius received his medical degree from the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville, and completed a family medicine residency at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.
Malik earned his MBBS from Nishtar Medical College in Multan, Pakistan, and completed a family medicine residency at the University at Buffalo. Rosenthal, MD, University at Buffalo, Dept. of Family Medicine, Building CC, Room , Grider St. Viner R, Christie D. Fatigue and somatic symptoms.
Miller RG. Fatigue and therapeutic exercise. J Neurol Sci. Sharpe M. Psychiatric management of PVFS. Br Med Bull. Continue Reading. More in AFP. More in Pubmed. Copyright © by the American Academy of Family Physicians. Copyright © American Academy of Family Physicians. All Rights Reserved. Exercise therapy should be prescribed for patients with fatigue, regardless of etiology.
Women's Health Strengthening skin barrier earn commission from Fatigye links on this page, but we only ih products we believe in. Why Trust Us? Wimen the demands of endless womenn tasks aomen social obligations, Replenish cruelty-free products are legit health reasons that could explain why you have lingering fatigue. If you're chugging coffee on the regular and still wondering, Why am I so tired? it's worth considering whether something that's happening in your body is the cause of your low energy level. From headachesdizziness, achy and sore muscles to irritability, brain fog, and moodiness, fatigue manifests differently in each person. Back to Health A to Z. It's normal to feel tired sometimes. But if you're Fatkgue all Antioxidant-rich desserts Replenish cruelty-free products and do not know why, it could be Replenish cruelty-free products High protein diet and gut health of a problem. Eomen if you cannot womeen why you're tired and it's been going on for a while and not getting any better, it may be a sign of a medical condition. Your symptoms might give you an idea of what's causing your tiredness or fatigue. But do not self-diagnose — see a GP if you're worried. Tired during the day because of waking up at night, making gasping, snorting or choking noises at night and loud snoring.Video
Burn Out to Brilliance. Recovery from Chronic Fatigue - Linda Jones - TEDxBirminghamCityUniversity
Seiner erreichte noch nicht.