Fatigue Pt 2: Are you getting fatigue from a medical Issue?

Medical Fatigue

Getting fatigue from a medical issue?

The body can be very precious when things aren’t working as well as it usually does and can affect you in a variety of ways including causing fatigue. There is a variety of medically based issues that are common culprits of unresolved fatigue.

A few months after having Quentin I became so tired and didn’t have the energy do a lot of things I was able to do the previous month. I went to the GP and was diagnosed with depression, but she also took a blood test. Low and behold I had an iron deficiency. One of the many causes of fatigue when you are a new parent.

The body may not be obtaining the nutrients it needs due to lack of absorption in the bowel. This can be the effect caused by several different food allergies, such as celiac, and stomach and intestinal issues, such as irritable bowel syndrome. This can result in many different symptoms including fatigue, inflammation of the bowel, pain, bloating, infections, uneven stomach bacteria and diarrhoea. There are many different processes to diagnose and help resolve these issues that your GP can assist you with.

Anxiety, stress, depression, and emotions are all big drainers of energy. Caffeine The body uses a lot of energy when in the flight or fight mode, or when struggling with emotions. I talk about this a lot in several posts including anxiety and depression. Caffeine can actually increase the flight or flight response and it also will give you a high for a short period followed by a low. Also note that alcohol can disrupt sleep, even though you may have an initial relaxed feeling. If your emotions are creating issues in your day-to-day life discuss this with your GP. I have discussed way to help anxiety in a post about helping. Otherwise limit your caffeine and alcohol.

There are several causes of a weakened immunity, some of which are acute such as being run down or sleep deprived, others are chronic, such as a compromised immunity. Sleep deprivation causes a reduced number of cytokines, which help fight bacteria and viruses, in your system as they care produced and released during sleep. The weakened immunities cause an increase likelihood of infections such as urinary tract infections, viruses, and colds. Infections can make you feel fatigued as your body is working hard to fight it.

Hypothyroidism is when the thyroid is underactive, causing you to feel tired and sluggish due to the whole body slows down. Hypothyroidism is actually fairly common with 1-2% of people affected.

An iron deficiency causes fatigue as it is the part of the red blood cell that carries oxygen throughout your body. Whereas anaemia is when your body is low on the whole red blood cell. There are many risks factors to cause iron deficiency and anaemia, one includes woman who are pregnant, breast feeding or recently given birth.

There are many different medications that can cause fatigue including opioids, some antihistamines, benzodiazepines, some gut liners, and blood pressure medications. Ensure you are taking the right dose for you and at the correct time.   

Diabetes can cause fatigue due to the blood sugar levels and the inability to use the glucose correctly to convert to energy. There is a risk, up to 50%, for woman who suffered from gestational diabetes to develop diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance within 10 to 15 years after giving birth.  Ways to reduce this risk is with diet, exercise, and yearly blood checks. Symptoms of diabetes include a increased fatigue, hunger, water intake, and urination. Can also cause blurred vision and weight loss. 

Obstructive sleep apnoea is where you frequently stop and start breathing during sleep, this can cause you to become very tired as not well rested. There are sleep clinics where they watch you sleep for diagnosis.

Fibromyalgia is a disease that affects muscle and soft tissue which results in chronic muscle pain, tenderness, fatigue, and sleep disturbances.

Finally different types of heart disease can cause fatigue due to the impaired supply of blood to body and brain.

Many of these can be diagnosed by a blood test through your GP. Along with the list above there are many more causes of fatigue. Most illnesses can create a toll on the body where it is working to make you healthy again and results in fatigue. Trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle can help with the effects.

Advertisement