Fatigue

Fatigue, a sense of exhaustion is not the same as drowsiness.

Any illness, acute or chronic, physical or psychological, can deprive you of energy. So never ignore the onset of extreme fatigue, which can not be explained right away. This symptom deserves careful research, which can eventually detect anemia (for any of the reasons - from malnutrition to cancer), to indicate the role of the medications that you are taking, to identify a chronic infection or hormonal disorder .

Fatigue, this is a "nonspecific" symptom that challenges the diagnostic insight of the doctor, as well as yours. Unfortunately, this is such a common complaint and it is so often associated with psychological causes, that its possible seriousness is often overlooked even by good doctors. Patients are also to blame. Instead of investigating the problem, they tend to drink more coffee or take pills to raise energy. This is dangerous, because stimulants relieve fatigue for a short time and mask this important indicator of the disease (not to mention the fact that you can get used to drugs). It is also risky, especially for the elderly at any age with heart disease, hypertension or heart rhythm disorder.

Let's assume that you are tired and do not know why. You do not work too hard, you do not stop, you have a good sleep, you do not drink too much, do not make frequent flights through time belts with endless aircraft delays, do not take regular sleeping pills or drugs like beta blockers (fatigue - One of their major side effects), you also do not have any obvious disease, and you are not depressed. So where does fatigue come from? Here are some possible reasons.

If you have been tired for months and are convinced that you were born "tired", you probably have " psychogenic fatigue ". This is not a disease, unless it is covered by a lowered thyroid function , in which you can feel exhausted for months and years, but do not feel any other disorders.

If you wake up tired even after a good night's sleep, you are probably depressed , unaware of it. With most diseases, a good night's rest gives some improvement, but during the day the energy level drops. You sit and do nothing, but you feel exhausted, as after a good load, - most likely, the reason is also emotional .

Do you have sexual problems ? In men, impotence can cause fatigue (as an excuse - "I am too tired", women have the equivalent of a headache) or be a symptom of depression .

If you are on an unusual or one-sided diet, the cause of your fatigue may be malnutrition .

Have you recently had a flu or an infectious mononucleosis ? These diseases can cause long-term fatigue. Mononucleosis is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus, and some doctors believe that this infection can become chronic, making the patient tired and depressed for months and even years. But perhaps most of these cases are the result of psychological or emotional factors , provided that all physical causes are excluded. However, a virus that has not yet been detected can be the culprit, especially if, in addition to fatigue, your throat becomes ill, the glands swell and the temperature rises slightly.

Do you take diuretics ? They force you not only to lose water and potassium (most people now know this), but they can also deprive you of magnesium, the low level of which will cause a feeling of exhaustion.

If you feel tired and a new fit of constipation and diarrhea and in your feces blood, you may have a swelling of the intestine .

Do you have a prolonged cough and fatigue? Lung cancer is possible, especially if you smoke. But even in our time, you should also take into account the possibility of tuberculosis , whose incidences increase, especially among elderly people living in shelters.

If patients complained of a doctor's admission to fatigue and loss of interest in food, perhaps the cause of this depression , toxicity of drugs or a chronic infection. And this is serious and requires the increased attention of the doctor.

When fatigue is accompanied by fever, the cause is obviously physical, like an infection somewhere hidden somewhere.

Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between simple fatigue and muscle fatigue . There are diseases that selectively affect the muscles, making them (and you) weak. So think for a second. Do you periodically have a double vision and speech difficulties, it's hard for you to swallow or do you get tired of chewing a steak? The cause may be myasthenia gravis , a condition in which muscles and nerves do not interact normally due to a chemical imbalance between themselves. Doubling of vision never accompanies fatigue of emotional origin.

If you feel tired and gain weight, it is possible as a reduced function of the thyroid gland , and emotional depression . You can recognize the first for a number of typical symptoms that accompany it: constipation, dry skin, heavy menstruation, poor cold tolerance and the like.

Fatigue is an insidious symptom, and it can be difficult to identify its roots. Before that, your family, friends and even a doctor will be considered a neurotic. Do not give in! This diagnosis, diagnosed without proper examination, can have catastrophic consequences. Consider all the possibilities that we mentioned above, check your temperature several times a day. If it is on average elevated, show the records to the doctor, take a look at the other "talking" symptoms. Regularly weigh yourself, and let the doctor know how much your weight has increased or decreased. Your fatigue can be psychogenic, but give yourself the opportunity to doubt it, thinking about other causes.

Symptom: tiredness