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What is Fatigue?
What is Fatigue? — Health Quick Tips
Fatigue is a draining weariness that leaves you feeling permanently washed out.
One in seven visits to a physician concerns chronic tiredness that won’t go away. This isn’t the satisfying exhaustion of healthy exercise. To make matters worse, sleep fails to pep you up so you start the day with an energy deficit.
This kind of lethargy comes from the anxiety and frustration of unfilfilled goals, and a feeling of being spread too thinly. Energy flows freely when you’ve got a sense of purpose, but when your daily routine is fragmented, life can seem dull and wearisome. You may not even realize you’re low, because you’re blocking out the problem.
Women, especially, are prone to this as iron deficiency translates into fatigue. The problem is made worse where the demands of career and family have to be juggled. Women who stay at home fare little better, as repetitive chores and the pressure of waiting on demanding children make for a round of tedium and exhaustion. The good news is that you can get your life back.
A feeling of tiredness at the end of the day need not be a bad thing. It is the type of fatigue that counts. Check back through your day and ask yourself exactly what it is you think has drained your resources:
- Pathological fatigue may be the weakness that follows illness or could indicate an underlying disorder, such as a defective thyroid or a disease of the immune system, such as diabetes.
- Psychological fatigue is a feeling of hopelessness. It means loss of self-confidence, sporadic weeping and perhaps panic attacks. Counseling may help you come to terms with your life.
- Physical fatigue comes from working your body to capacity. It has a satisfying edge to it and may leave you feeling mentally uplifted. Physical fatigue is almost always positive.
Here are severals ways of beating fatigue:
1. Take Control Of Your Life.
Fatigue both causes and masks depression, and depression can occur when life gets out of control. Get hold of the reins again, and your days will no longer seem like one unsatisfying scramble.
Plan a broad structure to each day–then stick to it. Include time to exercise and time to relax without the children. Plan to put them to bed earlier, with a story and a milky drink to help them sleep.
Share chores with your partner and/or elder children and avoid feeling guilty about taking time out for a hobby all of your own.
2. Be a Friend to Your Body.
Treat your body with respect, and it will supply all the energy you need. Eat regular, well-balanced meals that are low in fat and high in fiber, and don’t skimp on breakfast. Include plenty of green, leafy vegetables, citrus fruits and berries–the vitamin C builds a resistance to infections. Quit smoking and cut out alcohol, coffee, tea and sugar. Smoking deprives the body of oxygen and every cigarette depletes 100 mg. of vitamin C. Nicotine, alcohol, caffeine and “empty” sugars (found in candies and cookies) initially act as stimulants, but the brief boost of energy is followed by a feeling of lethargy.
Take up regular aerobic exercise, such as walking, cycling or swimming, to tone and condition the body and pump extra oxygen to the muscles and brain. Get up early and exercise before breakfast to pep up the rest of your day.
3. Nurture Your Mind.
Time to yourself is a critical component of physical and mental well-being. As you gain more control of your life, explore ways to introduce a new dimension away from work and family. Far from proving selfish indulgence, you are likely to find that by doing something different–planting a spring garden or taking an art class, for example–your appreciating of those around you, and your creativity in other areas of life, is likely to increase.
The only caveat to this is to beware of starting new challenges when stressed–wait until you are completely ready.