How to Understand & Fight Fatigue

fatigue

Fatigue is more than just feeling tired.

Well, it’s complicated, and it’s much more than just feeling tired or worn out. Fatigue can mean many different things to many different people. 


Feelings of tiredness, muscle weakness, mental fatigue can all impact one’s life in numerous ways. 

The standard dictionary definition is this:  “Fatigue is extreme tiredness resulting from mental or physical exertion or illness”.  

Obviously, this encompasses a wide range of symptoms and situations. One person’s fatigue can look much different from someone else’s, which can make medical treatment that much harder.

MEDICAL CONDITIONS WHICH MAY CAUSE FATIGUE: 

  • Hypothyroidism
  • Insomnia
  • Anemia
  • Depression
  • Sleep Apnea
  • Infection
  • Diabetes Mellitus
  • Congestive Heart Failure
  • COPD
  • Chronic Renal Failure
  • Cancer
  • Alcoholism
  • Medications
  • Autoimmune Disease
  • Adrenal Insufficiency
  • Hypercalcemia
  • Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
  • Fibromyalgia

WHAT CAUSES FATIGUE?

Regardless of the type of fatigue, an approach to understanding the root cause of the fatigue is helpful in reversing its effects. Classic root causes of many different forms of disease include emotional, dietary and inflammatory stressors. 

When present, any of these forms of stress on the body lead to short-term and then long-term changes in hormones, metabolism, nutrient absorption, gut health and detoxification. A vicious cycle of trigger, maladaptive response, disease and further triggers on the body can ensue, leading towards more advanced disease. 

Unintentionally, this often results in lifestyle choices that are unhelpful to a healing process, such as reliance on caffeine, sugar and other stimulants, in the case of fatigue symptoms. 

Even if an underlying diagnosis is found to explain fatigue, attention to root causes will aid to speed the recovery process.

MOST COMMON ROOT CAUSES OF FATIGUE

Inflammation

Inflammation is typically an immune response used to protect from foreign invaders and heal bodily injury. In some cases, however, this immune process can be triggered by hidden sources of infection causing your body to create cytokines and antibodies that attack your own body.

An example of this is a gut parasite or yeast, which can be present for years and mimic symptom of IBS or even be without significant symptoms. This stray inflammation has been linked with fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome. Markers of inflammation in the body include proteins such as IL-6, Il-2, beta 2-microglobulin, CRP and others. These markers have been found to be higher in fatigue patients than other patients. 

Chronic inflammation leads to promotion of heart disease, activation of the HPA access and insulin resistance, dysregulation of the immune system and increased risk for autoimmune diseases. 

Emotional Stress

Emotional stress is endemic in our society. Stress is registered in the brain and signals a response system through the HPA Axis. The HPA Axis is responsible for regulating the hormonal response to stress. Signals from the hypothalamus activate the pituitary gland to produce a hormone called ACTH. This travels through the blood to the adrenal gland, from which the adrenal cortex produces cortisol.

In the short-term, this response enables the body to fight or flee a threat. In the long term, it engages each organ system and tissue type in maladaptive changes, such as decreasing skeletal muscle mass, increasing fat storage, promoting inflammation and insulin resistance.

Dietary Stress

Dietary stress results from the constant fluctuations in blood sugar that are a result of our standard American diet full of simple carbohydrates. Each time blood sugar spikes in the body, insulin is released in order to respond to this in its regulatory role. Over time, with excessive blood sugar spikes, the body develops resistance to insulin which is the developmental process of diabetes. 

This insulin resistance promotes a process of dysregulation, leading to fat storage, increased production of sugar by the liver, inflammation and skeletal muscle loss, similar as is demonstrated with emotional stress.

The good news is that our bodies are resilient and desire to heal. By assessing the root cause with a trained medical professional, making adjustments to decrease these common triggers and treating any associated conditions, these 
maladaptive cycles can resolve along with the symptom of fatigue that they produce.

PROSCRIPTIVE TREATMENTS FOR FATIGUE

To learn more about the causes and treatments of fatigue, download our free Fatigue Resource Guide.

This guide includes actionable steps you can take to feel better through improved nutrition, sleep, movement and more.