New Dehli, December 19- So you are tired, just about always. Suspect that it’s because of work overload? Give yourself a month of lifestyle changes.
Relax, add some bonus hours of sleep, eat wholesome, take up fresh fluids and cut back on alcohol. If you find yourself all charged up, then you know it was just the lifestyle. ” If you don’t, then instead of dismissing it as mere fatigue, seek professional help as it could indicate an underlying medical condition,” says Dr Mridula Sircar, New Delhi based internal medicine specialist.
Rheumatoid arthritis:
It occurs when the immune system attacks itself and even healthy joint tissues get affected, resulting in damage to bone and cartilage.
Other symptoms: Signs that rheumatologists look for are morning stiffness in and around the joints, tissue swelling, bulgy knuckles, wrists or lumps of tissue under the skin and bone erosion.
Fix it: A physical examination can help test the presence of rheumatoid factor, an antibody found in the blood. The treatment is all about reducing the pain and maximising the functioning of joints.
Anaemia:
Anaemia results in fatigue because of lack of red blood cells, which bring oxygen from lungs to your tissues and cells. ” Women of childbearing age are more susceptible because the body needs additional iron during pregnancy and breastfeeding,” points out Dr Sircar.
Other symptoms: The condition is also accompanied by weakness and shortness of breath.
Fix it: A comprehensive evaluation for anaemia includes physical examination and blood test that involves the complete blood count. Go for ironrich foods like apples, bananas, plums, spinach, lettuce, legumes and nuts.
Thyroid malfunction:
This is an endocrine disorder which occurs when the hormones that help keep a check on your metabolism go out of sync, and as a result the process hits a speedbreaker causing fatigue. This happens in the case of hypothyroidism, when your muscles are exhausted and there is weakness, which begins in the thighs.
Other symptoms: It could also be accompanied by weight loss, lack of concentration, shorter menstrual flows and increased thirst.
Fix it: A simple blood test is the way out. If you have thyroid malfunction, then you would be advised to take pills for the rest of your life. ” You should stick to the dosage even if the thyroid levels get normalised unless the doctors prescribe otherwise,” says Dr Sujeet Jha, head, endocrinology, Max Healthcare. Regular exercise and a balanced diet which includes iodised salt would definitely benefit. People with high blood pressure should be cautious of salt intake in their diet though.
Diabetes:
” Fatigue in diabetics occurs due to imbalance of blood sugar in the system. With diabetes, poor production of insulin occurs and as a result, glucose is not used properly by the cells,” says Dr Ritu Sharma, New Delhi based internal medicine specialist.
Symptoms: Other typical signs include excessive thirst, weight loss, blurred vision and hunger.
Fix it: There are essentially two tests for diabetes, a fasting plasma glucose test, and the oral glucose tolerance test. Apart from regular medications, it is important for a diabetic to ensure regular exercise, stress reduction, proper intake of fluids, management of ideal weight, and ofcourse balanced nutrition.
Depression:
Being perpetually low is bound to affect sleep patterns, food intake and overall well- being. It is important to identify the cause of your depression before you seek treatment.
Other symptoms: The other indications of depression could be decreased energy, changes in sleeping and eating pattern, along with memory loss and lack of concentration and hopelessness.
Fix it: Lifestyle changes are essential to prevention and treatment of depression. ” Regular exercise, proper sleep, social support, stress reduction and good nutrition are a must,” says Dr Sunil Mittal, chairman, COSMOS Institute of Mental Health and Behavioural Sciences.
Apart from medications, psychotherapy ( where a person gains insight into their lives and factors that could be contributing to the problem), cognitive therapy and hypnotherapy are bound to help.
Coeliac disease:
This chronic malabsorption disease is primarily caused by gluten intolerance. Gluten is found in wheat and rye mainly.
When you have coeliac disease, it results in malabsorption of nutrients like B vitamins, which can lead to anaemia and fatigue.
Other symptoms: It could also cause decreased appetite, weakness, diarrhoea, irritability along with abdominal pain and swelling.
Fix it: The only treatment for coeliac disease is a gluten- free diet. Coeliac disease patients vary in their tolerance to gluten, and the standard treatment is all about completely avoiding gluten for life.
Vitamin deficiency:
Having low levels of vitamin D or B12 can cause you to be weak too. A supply of the eight B vitamins is very important for feeling energised. The only way to find whether you are deficient in any vitamin is to get yourself tested.
Other symptoms: Weight gain, body ache, sleep irregularity and low immunity.
Fix it: Get yourself tested for vitamin deficiency. Go for foods rich in B vitamins like chicken, nuts, eggs, and cheese. For vitamin D, a good amount of exposure to sunlight and a liberal consumption of milk, other dairy products, and fish like salmon should do.
Obstructive sleep apnoea
THIS sleep- linked condition can occur as a result of sinusitis, enlarged tonsils or a chronically blocked nose as a result of allergy.
It is characterised by brief interruptions of breathing during sleep and is bound to slash the oxygen supply to the body. As a result, you are sleepy and exhausted all the time. It is important to detect this condition on time because it can result in heart disease and high blood pressure.
Symptoms: It is accompanied by other typical signs like snoring, impaired mental functioning, morning headaches and excessive daytime sleepiness.
Fix it: Sleep Apnoea is usually detected by an overnight stay at a sleep clinic, where you would undergo polysomnogram, a painless test to monitor sleep patterns, breathing changes and brain activity.
“While the treatment involves breathing devices and surgery, lifestyle changes play an important role. Sleep on your side, not on your back, reduce your weight if you are obese, avoid alcohol and cut down on smoking, sedatives and sleeping pills,” says Dr Sircar.
Caffeine could be the culprit too
While coffee can kickstart your morning and boost you, it is likely to cause dehydration, which results in fatigue. A few hours after consumption, when your artificial high dies down, you reach for the next coffee, or something sugary to lift you up. And eventually, you are exhausted with the roller- coaster highs and lows all through the day.
Coffee stimulates your adrenal glands to produce adrenaline, and puts your body in a ‘ fight’ state. This effect wears off after sometime, causing fatigue, irritability or headaches. If you can’t give up on your cappuccino, go generous with fluids, and high- fibre foods to compensate the loss of water from the body.
-Indiatoday
