"Poor health is not caused by something you don't have; it's caused by disturbing something that you already have. Health is not something you need to get, it's something you have already if you don't disturb it"

Dean Ornish
facebook twitter linkedin
Contact us on
087 6186309
Fatigue
Home » Health Conditions » Fatigue

Fatigue

What is fatigue?

Fatigue is generally defined as a feeling of lack of energy and motivation that can be physical, mental or both. Fatigue is not the same as drowsiness, but the desire to sleep may accompany fatigue. Apathy is a feeling of indifference that may accompany fatigue or exist independently. In addition, individuals often describe fatigue using a variety of terms including weary, tired, exhausted, malaise, listless, lack of energy and feeling run down. Fatigue is a tiredness that does not go away when you rest.

A physical cause has been estimated to be responsible 20% to 60% of the time, while emotional or mental causes comprise the other 40% to 80% of cases of fatigue. There are numerous drivers which could be responsible for fatigue, the common drivers include poor diet, stress, mental or physical exhaustion, thyroid dysfunction, adrenal dysfunction, lack of sleep, depression, migraines/headaches, chronic fatigue syndrome, infection, pregnancy, obesity, IBS, Candida, anaemia, food allergies/intolerances, blood pressure, inflammation, insomnia, environmental pollution, anxiety, hormonal changes, lack of exercise, certain medications, financial worries, divorce, marital problems, hemachromatosis, caffeine and/or alcohol abuse, smoking, overworking and dehydration.

Fatigue should never be dismissed and to get to the root cause every possible influence must be taken into consideration. The initial aim should always be to ascertain the driving cause and address this as each of the above mentioned causes may require a different dietary protocol.

Think Nutrition Approach

How Tired Are You?

The Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) is a method of evaluating the impact of fatigue on you. The FSS is a short questionnaire that requires you to rate your level of fatigue.

Find out more

At Think Nutrition in order to get to the root cause of fatigue we ask you to reflect on the following questions and ask you to keep a diary on your symptoms so we have a full picture of your tiredness:

  • How long have you been tired?
  • Compared to a few months ago, how has your activity level changed?
  • How do you feel when you are tired? Are you short of breath? Are your muscles sore? Is it difficult to concentrate or remember? Is it hard to get interested in your daily activities?
  • When are you tired? Is it after certain activities, like climbing stairs?
  • Do you wake up feeling tired?
  • Are you sleeping well? How long do you sleep each night? How many times do you get up?
  • Is it hard to fall asleep or stay asleep because of itching, pain, or other problems? 

Nutritional Therapy and Lifestyle Guidelines for Tiredness

  • Aim to eat balanced meals and snacks every 3-4 hours to balance your blood sugar levels.
  • Avoid processed foods, junk foods, soft drinks, sugar and products containing yeasts and/or white flour such as white bread and white pasta. These foods deplete the body of magnesium which leads to fatigue. People with fatigue frequently have cravings for sugar and carbohydrate products.
  • Add some form of acidophilus probiotic to your diet as many people with fatigue may be infected with an overgrowth of yeast i.e. Candida. Acidophilus helps to keep Candida under control and replaces necessary ‘friendly bacteria’.
  • Ensure adequate, regular, and consistent amounts of sleep each night.
  • Effective relaxation is essential: try techniques such as yoga, breathing exercises or meditation.
  • Maintaining a reasonable work and personal schedule is important.
  • Make sure your bowels move daily and add fibre to the diet.
  • Manage stressful circumstances if possible.
  • Address chronic pain and/or depression.
  • Increase physical activity: physical activity boosts energy levels, while a sedentary lifestyle is a known cause of fatigue.
  • Avoid alcohol.
  • Consume plenty of water – at least 8 glasses a day. Water flushes out toxins and aids in reducing muscle pain common in fatigue.
  • Limit caffeine as too much caffeine, particularly in the evening, can cause insomnia. Limit caffeinated drinks to 2 or less per day, and avoid these types of drinks after dinner.
  • Avoid sleeping pills: sleeping pills don’t work in the long term because they don’t address the causes of insomnia.
  • Eliminate cigarette smoking: for the body to make energy it needs to combine glucose with oxygen, but the carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke reduces the amount of oxygen available in the blood.
  • Seek treatment for substance abuse: excessive alcohol consumption or recreational drug use contributes to fatigue, and is unhealthy and potentially dangerous.
  • Learning to do nothing is helpful: one of the drawbacks of modern life is the urge to drive ourselves to bigger and better heights. A hectic lifestyle is exhausting. Try to carve out a few more hours in your week to simply relax and hang out. If you can’t find a few more hours, it may be time to rethink your priorities and commitments.
  • Encourage having more fun! Laughter is one of the best energy boosters around.

» Book A Consultation