Overcoming Fatigue
by Anne Easthope, MSN, NP
Fatigue is a very common health concern. Constantly being tired can affect multiple areas of life and contribute to additional issues such as brain fog, frequent infections, aches and pains, restless sleep, and anxiety or depression.
What Causes It?
Fatigue is often caused by a variety of less obvious factors - stress, poor nutrition, lack of exercise, hormonal fluctuations, and/or insufficient sleep. Fortunately, most cases of chronic tiredness rarely result in a disease diagnosis.
Stress affects everything we do and everything we do has the ability to cause stress. While it may seem obvious, the definition of stress has not been readily agreed upon over the years. More or less, it’s our body’s response to challenging (either mental or physical) events. When the body encounters a stressor, it releases a hormone called cortisol to help handle the situation. While this response was beneficial from an evolutionary standpoint to help humans escape imminent danger, in modern society, a stress reaction can be triggered every couple of minutes (with the phone ringing, driving in traffic, or engaging in conversation). Our bodies don’t necessarily know the difference between good, bad, large or small stressors.
Self Care
By improving choices in daily food intake, decreasing caffeine and alcohol, and reducing sugar, energy levels often increase.
The body needs energy to produce energy. Eating nutrient-rich foods can be equated to fuel for a car - foods such as fresh vegetables, fruits, seeds and nuts provide the body with the necessary components to run effectively. Sweets, caffeine, alcohol may provide a temporary energy lift, but disrupt sleep and energy balance long-term.
Exercising regularly boosts circulation, calms your mind and increases energy in addition to improving sleep. In deep phases of sleep, growth hormone is released which helps restore and repair the body. Sleep deprivation itself can lead to other health concerns such as impaired cognitive function.
How Supplements Can Help
In addition to diet, nutrition, and exercise, supplements may be beneficial to rebuild your energy store balance. Herbs such as gingseng, ashwaganda or rhodiola are “adaptogenic” (meaning they help your body adapt to stress).
Magnesium, an important mineral, is responsible for many different bodily functions yet it is often low in the Standard American Diet (SAD). During times of stress, B-complex vitamins are readily depleted and frequently low in those with decreased energy.
An Individualized Approach
While many patients list fatigue as a top concern, the causes can be quite variable resulting in completely different healing plans. A simple urine, saliva or blood test can determine whether your individual hormones are low and if neurotransmitters (messengers in the body that are necessary for emotions, thoughts, sleep, and energy) are under or overactive.
If estrogen, progesterone, and/or testosterone levels aren’t balanced, multiple symptoms, one of which is fatigue, can develop. After measuring individual hormone levels, often a trial replacement of natural hormones can provide significant improvement.
True healing occurs when all aspects of well-being are addressed. The importance of designing a specific individual treatment plan with dietary interventions, lifestyle modifications, and other appropriate referrals for additional complementary medicine should not be overlooked. If fatigue is a health challenge you face, we recommend you see a practitioner who can assess your situation.
Anne Easthope is a certified nurse practitioner at the Institute for Health & Healing Clinic. She offers integrative medicine assessments and incorporates a variety of skills into her practice including mind/body and nutritional medicine.
