Did you get enough sleep or are your kids activities running you all over town? There can be a lot of reasons as to why you might be tired, but Chad Thury, DO an Avera family medicine specialist, takes a closer look at some of the key causes and when your sleepiness could be cause for alarm.
Is being tired just a normal part of life nowadays?
Fatigue for a lot of people is kind of the way we live now and it's our society. People work more than we did 30 years ago. We have kids that are in more activities and we're kind of burning the candle at both ends and not getting enough sleep. So a big portion of chronic fatigue can be related to that type of stuff.
When should I see a doctor for my fatigue or exhaustion?
Is the exhaustion a big change from your baseline? If you are finding that you're having more fatigue and it's really impacting your ability to exercise or be active, to stay awake during the day, or to do an adequate job with your career then it’s time to see a doctor. Especially if it’s that way for a certain period of time. If it's happening for a week or even a couple of weeks, that's probably a reasonable time to come in and talk to your provider.
Could my exhaustion be a sign of chronic fatigue syndrome?
Chronic fatigue syndrome is, as it describes, chronic. It's fatigue that's been going on for more than six months and by definition is not something that's only been going on for a couple weeks; it's something that's different than your usual. If you're kind of always tired and you've been tired since you were a young child and that's just kind of the way you're wired, that is not chronic fatigue syndrome. It's going to be something that's different, a clear change from your normal. The other thing with chronic fatigue syndrome is that activity or exercise seems to make it worse and people will tend to flare up afterwards. So whether that's exercise or if it's some type of task where it really makes you think and assess if it’s the activity that seems to exacerbate it or will I still feel more fatigued a day or two after doing things like that.
What about mononucleosis? Could that be a cause?
Mononucleosis or mono is a common virus that is spread through saliva and tends to impact teens and young adults primarily. In addition to the sore throat and fever is the prolonged fatigue. Mono can cause a pretty broad clinical scenario for different people. Young kids tend to do pretty well with mono. Adults, if you get mono, it can knock you out and you can feel pretty miserable for a while. Part of that can be fatigue afterwards and I would say that's not just a mono thing. That's a lot of other viruses or infections that people get and your body’s immune response can take a long time to recover after that and make you really feel fatigued.
What's the best way to stay on top of fatigue and exhaustion?
I think number one is getting in and talking to your provider. That way you can go through a thorough history and physical exam. There are some basic lab tests that need to be done to make sure that you're up to date on cancer screenings and potential baselines. Talking through medications you are taking could help eliminate another common cause of being fatigued. Your doctor can also assess whether a screening for sleep apnea might help. There's a lot of things that we go through, so coming in and talking with your provider thoroughly can help give you both a better picture. With that information, much like a lot of things health-wise, whether you're trying to reduce your risk of heart disease or cancer, it's making sure that you're exercising, making sure you eat healthy, making sure you get enough sleep. I know those are easier said than done, but really doing those things can help with fatigue. The take home message again, is if it's a big change from your baseline, like if you didn't change anything as far as how you're eating and exercising, but all of a sudden you're just more fatigued, that's when you probably need to come in and talk to somebody about that.
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