Struggling with fatigue? Understand common causes, symptoms & types
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Fatigue describes a feeling of being tired, lacking in energy, or just plain exhausted! Your energy reserves tend to deplete gradually over time, so you may not even fully take notice until it creeps up on you one day.
The good news is that acute fatigue (lasting one month or less) can be quickly relieved by rest or by making lifestyle changes. However, it is considered to be chronic when you no longer feel better for rest, if it lasts longer than six months, or if gets worse with physical, mental, and emotional activity. At this point, it is likely to be impacting your day-to-day functioning and quality of life.
Symptoms of fatigue
- Weakness
- Brain fog (confusion, poor concentration, slow thinking)
- Lack of motivation
- Sore, aching muscles
- Slowed reflexes
- Headaches
- Reduced immune system function.
Do you tick any of those boxes? If so, I feel for you because I’ve been there myself.
Fatigue - the stress factor
According to research, “many disorders originate from stress, especially if the stress is severe and prolonged”. Fatigue is one of the many side effects. When we think about stress, we generally come up with examples of mental stress such as work pressure or trying to juggle too many things at once. However, life’s stresses come in many different forms including physical, emotional, and environmental, to name but a few.
The ability to withstand stress differs from person to person. Some seem to be able to cope with it relatively well, while others find it overwhelming and difficult to handle. If you are dealing with lots of stressors over a prolonged period of time, your fight-or-flight stress response (which perceives these as continued threats) is constantly triggered and works on overdrive, slowly depleting your energy reserves over time (it’s obviously far more complex but I’ll save that for another blog).
Now let’s explore how stress can lead to fatigue in more detail…
What are the different types of fatigue?
Yes, there are different types of fatigue! You can experience one or more at the same time. In fact, one can lead to another. Fatigue is a symptom associated with so many disorders that it can be difficult to narrow down, or prove, the exact cause. What causes or triggers fatigue will differ from person to person as will the way in which they experience it.
To reduce your fatigue you first need to understand what underlying causes of your fatigue. I’m going to break this down into three categories.
Physical fatigue
What is it?
Muscle fatigue is brought about by intense physical activity. It can also be a symptom of many medical conditions, brought about by environmental factors, or be a by-product of other types of fatigue.
What does it feel like?
Heaviness, struggling to walk up the stairs, walking in treacle, tremendous effort required, muscular pain, slowing down, or weakness.
Heaviness, struggling to walk up the stairs, walking in treacle, tremendous effort required, muscular pain, slowing down, or weakness.
Examples of stressors and triggers:
Trauma (e.g. injury, infection, or surgery), medical conditions (e.g. hormone imbalance, sleep disorders, gut problems, diabetes, liver or kidney disease, post-viral infections or pain), physical over-exertion, poor diet, dehydration, vitamin deficiencies, alcohol, recreational drugs, caffeine, silicone implants, radiation (Wi-Fi, mobile phones, etc.), mould, heavy metals, pesticides and chemicals, extreme cold/hot, inadequate light, recurrent noise or prescription drugs (can inhibit the production of energy in cells).
Trauma (e.g. injury, infection, or surgery), medical conditions (e.g. hormone imbalance, sleep disorders, gut problems, diabetes, liver or kidney disease, post-viral infections or pain), physical over-exertion, poor diet, dehydration, vitamin deficiencies, alcohol, recreational drugs, caffeine, silicone implants, radiation (Wi-Fi, mobile phones, etc.), mould, heavy metals, pesticides and chemicals, extreme cold/hot, inadequate light, recurrent noise or prescription drugs (can inhibit the production of energy in cells).
Helpful hints:
- Buy a water filter and drink plenty of water
- Speak to your doctor about prescription drug side effects and tests to rule out certain medical conditions
- Eat a balanced low-sugar diet
- Wash all fruit and vegetables
- Try out some of my sleep tips
- Use EMF protection products
- Get a mould testing kit for your home
- Use plant-based cleaning products.
Mental fatigue
What is it?
A state of tiredness that occurs when your brain's energy levels are depleted from constant and extended periods of cognitive activity. According to a recent study, you become inefficient at work and are unable to motivate yourself to complete mental tasks.
What does it feel like?
As if your brain is like cotton wool and isn’t functioning properly, racing thoughts, can’t switch off, brain fog, unable to focus on anything, negative self-talk, critical, struggle to meet your own high standards, not feeling good enough, overwhelm, can’t organise thoughts clearly, overthinking, impatient, irritable, anxious, depressed or problems sleeping.
As if your brain is like cotton wool and isn’t functioning properly, racing thoughts, can’t switch off, brain fog, unable to focus on anything, negative self-talk, critical, struggle to meet your own high standards, not feeling good enough, overwhelm, can’t organise thoughts clearly, overthinking, impatient, irritable, anxious, depressed or problems sleeping.
Examples of stressors and triggers:
Perfectionist traits, heavy workload, high-pressure job, working long hours without time off, overstudy, threats to financial security, poor boundaries, or worrying about the future, job loss, house move, negative mindset, poor resilience or information overload (e.g. smartphones, internet, social media, and the news).
Perfectionist traits, heavy workload, high-pressure job, working long hours without time off, overstudy, threats to financial security, poor boundaries, or worrying about the future, job loss, house move, negative mindset, poor resilience or information overload (e.g. smartphones, internet, social media, and the news).
Helpful hints:
- Allow yourself time to rest
- Take breaks during the working day
- Learn how to say no (it’s ok – it doesn’t make you selfish)
- Set achievable goals and realistic expectations of yourself
- Avoid multi-tasking
- Be aware of your self-talk
- Meditate
- Prioritise where possible.
Emotional fatigue
What is it?
It is a response to a continual stream of stressful, negative, or challenging events in life that leave you feeling emotionally drained and unable to give anything to others, on an emotional level.
What does it feel like?
Stuck, trapped, powerless, hopeless, irritable, unmotivated, nervous, negative, sense of dread, depressed, tearful, isolated, empty, overwhelmed by simple tasks, making easy mistakes, or tired in the day but wired at night.
Stuck, trapped, powerless, hopeless, irritable, unmotivated, nervous, negative, sense of dread, depressed, tearful, isolated, empty, overwhelmed by simple tasks, making easy mistakes, or tired in the day but wired at night.
Examples of stressors and triggers:
Bullying, conflict, toxic relationships, grief, great loss or disappointment, bereavement, depression, anxiety, PTSD, anger, trauma, gaslighting, raising children, divorce, suppressing your own needs for others, unprocessed emotions, or the strong need for love and approval.
Bullying, conflict, toxic relationships, grief, great loss or disappointment, bereavement, depression, anxiety, PTSD, anger, trauma, gaslighting, raising children, divorce, suppressing your own needs for others, unprocessed emotions, or the strong need for love and approval.
Helpful hints:
- Lean on your support network
- Try and get to the root cause (ask yourself lots of questions and what’s within your control to change)
- Do deep breathing exercises
- Try journaling (write down your feelings, identify and acknowledge the emotions rather than suppressing them, and get insights into patterns and triggers)
- Spend time outdoors in nature
- Establish and communicate your boundaries to protect your energy.
You will rarely experience one type of fatigue in isolation. Over time, they usually have a knock-on effect on each other. That’s why it’s important not to ignore it and to take action.
Get in touch
If you are struggling to build these helpful hints into your routine or need someone to hold you accountable so that they become habits that stick, perhaps coaching is for you.
Alternatively, if you have tried all of these things but are still not seeing results, or you just don’t have the energy required to put them into practice, then you might wish to explore the healing powers of homeopathy. There are a vast amount of homeopathic remedies available to treat the different types of fatigue, far too many to list in this blog! It’s important to have a consultation to get to the root of the underlying causes, identify patterns, look at medical history and significant life events, and any other symptoms that you are experiencing.
Please get in touch if you’d like to know more, and we can discuss the best approach for you.
Alternatively, if you have tried all of these things but are still not seeing results, or you just don’t have the energy required to put them into practice, then you might wish to explore the healing powers of homeopathy. There are a vast amount of homeopathic remedies available to treat the different types of fatigue, far too many to list in this blog! It’s important to have a consultation to get to the root of the underlying causes, identify patterns, look at medical history and significant life events, and any other symptoms that you are experiencing.
Please get in touch if you’d like to know more, and we can discuss the best approach for you.