Fatigue Specialist

What is fatigue?

Fatigue isn’t the same as feeling exhausted after a busy day. If you’ve exerted a lot of physical or mental energy, you’re bound to feel tired, but if you’re healthy after resting, you’ll return to normal.

Fatigue is an ongoing sense of overwhelming tiredness and lethargy that makes it hard to carry out your normal activities.

Fatigue prevents you from pursuing hobbies and pastimes you enjoy, affects your ability to enjoy time with friends and family, and makes every day feel like a struggle.

What causes fatigue?

There are many possible reasons why you might be fatigued. Some of the key causes are:

Low testosterone

Low testosterone is a common problem in men that typically causes chronic fatigue. Testosterone is the sex hormone responsible for your male sexual characteristics, muscle mass, and bone density, and low levels of testosterone can make you feel down and fatigued.

Heart disease

Heart disease is a leading cause of death, and one of the signs of heart problems is chronic fatigue.

If you can normally walk up a flight of stairs with no problem, but you start finding it difficult, getting exhausted and out of breath for no obvious reason, then it’s possible you could have heart trouble.

Sleep apnea

Sleep apnea is a condition in which you stop breathing for several seconds at a time repeatedly throughout the night. It’s a problem you may not be aware of yourself because you’re asleep when it’s happening, but anyone sleeping in the same room is likely to notice.

People who have sleep apnea tend to snore, make choking noises, and snort in their sleep. If you get up in the morning and feel unrested, fatigued, and excessively sleepy, it could be due to sleep apnea.

Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes doesn’t tend to cause very noticeable symptoms at first, but feeling overly tired and fatigued is one you may pick up on. If you’re overweight and don’t get regular exercise, you could be at risk of developing a problem with the hormone insulin that regulates your blood sugar, leading to diabetes.

Other common causes of chronic fatigue include:

• Hypothyroidism
• Fibromyalgia
• Depression
• Anemia
• Allergic rhinitis (hay fever)
• Chronic pain

Any episode of ill health or injury is likely to make you feel temporarily fatigued, but if your fatigue doesn’t pass, you should visit the team at Vitality Center of Charlotte to find the cause of the problem.

What treatments are available for fatigue?

The treatment for your fatigue is dependant on diagnosing the cause. If you have low levels of testosterone, for example, your provider might start you on a course of testosterone replacement therapy.

If chronic fatigue is affecting your quality of life, call Vitality Center of Charlotte today, or book an appointment online.