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You don’t have the strength to get out of bed for many days, and every exit from the house is a feat like climbing Mount Blanc? Coffee and cola no longer give you energy? Are you ashamed of your weakness? Are you afraid that they will label you as lazy, selfish, hypochondriacal, neurasthenic? Wrong! Chronic fatigue can be a symptom of many serious diseases or be a disease.
From the earliest times, fatigue – also referred to by patients as apathy, reluctance, lack of will – was considered by medics as one of the basic signs of malfunctioning of the human body. This is a normal physiological response, and feeling it does not dissuade us. Fatigue is a signal from the body informing about overload or illness and demanding rest and less intensive functioning. We can easily recognize the warning symptoms – our breathing becomes shallow, palpitations and apathy appear, we feel deprived of energy and motivation to act normally or even exhausted to the maximum. In a word – fatigue is the body’s defense reaction against excessive effort, and thus against the disturbance of biological processes that take place in it.
To use the medical definition, fatigue can be defined as a temporary reduction in the body’s ability to work due to a lack of energy reserves. Feels like physical weakness, it is caused by intense muscle work. When sugar is converted into energy, our body also produces lactic acid, which is stored in the currently used muscle. It is this acid that makes us feel tense or painful at this point. We may also feel tired, but not have muscle problems or physical exhaustion. This subjective state is called fatigue (inability to act) and is caused by psychological factors. To fill yourself with energy to act, try Daily Boost ° Energia – a smart supplement in the form of a water-soluble powder.
After years of research, it is known that neurotic, elderly, overweight or chronically ill people are more often and more tired. Factors causing fatigue may include: stress, lack of sleep, overwork, poorly balanced diet (e.g. excess sugars and fats cause apathy), natural aging of the body and slowing down its functions, as well as taking certain medications, drugs and excessive alcohol consumption. But fatigue can also be a symptom of many serious illnesses.
If you want to strengthen your body, you can drink black ground coffee with chaga, which you can buy at Medonet Market. We also recommend Energy – the Panaseus dietary supplement, which reduces stress, adds energy and improves well-being. It is also worth remembering about the daily relaxing care of the whole body. For this purpose, you can reach for the products of the Tadé Pays du Levant brand, which draws inspiration from the culture of the Mediterranean basin. The offer includes natural olive soaps, body lotions, but also washcloths, washing gloves, massage stones.
From anemia to MS
Fatigue is not a trivial or lazy condition and therefore cannot be underestimated. Fatigue and the resulting malaise negatively affect the immune system – they reduce immunity, exposing us to more frequent infections that require longer treatment.
For example, feeling tired if you feel sleepy is a sign of anemia (anemia). It is formed when the level of hemoglobin in the body that carries oxygen to cells drops. As a result, hypoxic internal organs (e.g. heart, brain, but also muscles) work badly. Anemia is usually caused by a lack of iron or vitamin B12, but an anemia can also happen after heavy menstruation or blood loss (for example, from surgery or an accident), and to people with diabetes or kidney disease.
If sleepiness is accompanied by weakness, morning headaches, memory problems, anxiety and depressive moods, and our loved ones complain that we are snoring loudly, then we probably stop breathing during sleep – for 10, 20 seconds or even longer. If left untreated, apnea can lead to high blood pressure, heart problems and even a heart attack or stroke.
Fatigue is also a manifestation of metabolic diseases. The most common diabetes mellitus is caused by too much sugar in the blood. If the pancreas produces too little insulin (the hormone that “opens the door” of cells to sugar), or the cells refuse to “open” to insulin, our tissues run out of nutritional glucose. Its absence over time damages blood vessels – especially the eyes and kidneys. Fatigue is then accompanied by excessive thirst and frequent urination, and vision problems, increased appetite, or sudden weight loss.
Speaking of the kidneys – chronic fatigue is also a symptom of an advanced stage of impairment of their work – the so-called failure. When the kidneys do not cleanse the blood of toxic substances on a regular basis, these toxic substances accumulate in the body and interfere with the functioning of other organs. With kidney failure, fatigue is perceived as a lack of energy, and is accompanied by, among others, trouble breathing, evening shortness of breath, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, headache, as well as facial swelling.
Check why you are so tired. Perform Fatigue – a package of tests for people at risk of overloading the body, which can also take place at home.
Other diseases in the group of metabolic diseases that manifest themselves as fatigue are thyroid diseases, especially overactivity, when the gland produces too much hormones. Then we should also pay attention to the rapid weight loss despite normal appetite, sweating and hot flashes, palpitations, trembling hands, hyperactivity, less heavy or missed periods. On the other hand, hypothyroidism, i.e. too low production of hormones – especially thyroxine regulating metabolism – is manifested by weight gain, constipation, rough and pale skin, hypersensitivity to cold and prolonged monthly bleeding.
Constant fatigue may also be associated with deficiencies in vitamins and minerals, and above all with a lack of selenium in the diet. To deal with this problem, it is worth starting supplementation of this element. We recommend eg Selen 200ug Viridian, which you can order on Medonet Market.
Fatigue can also be a symptom of being infected by a virus. This can be, for example, hepatitis C, HCV (during contact with the patient’s blood, e.g. when injecting or dressing wounds; additional symptoms include difficulty concentrating, abdominal and musculoskeletal pain, loss of appetite, nausea, low-grade fever) and mononucleosis (so-called kissing disease, caused by the Epstein-Barr virus, possibly passed from mouth to mouth, also when drinking from one vessel). The symptoms of mononucleosis are very similar to the flu, because there is fever, headaches and muscle aches, loss of appetite, and lymph nodes increase.
Chronic fatigue also occurs in the course of cancer and neurological diseases that destroy individual organs and the immune system – e.g. sclerosis multiplex, an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. It affects young people (between 20 and 40 years of age) and is based on the slow degradation of myelin – the substance from which the sheaths of nerve cells are made. Without this isolation, cells slow down, distort, or inhibit signals from the brain to other organs. As a result, these cease to function properly. Hence, other signs of MS are dizziness, numbness in certain parts of the body, weakness in the legs, trembling hands, speech and vision problems.
If you feel constantly tired, get tested! Perform preventive examinations available in the packages, thanks to which you can determine your general health and check if your fatigue has any basis. We recommend, among others Fit & active test package – diagnostic blood tests or Tests for an athlete – home blood collection. By purchasing them, you have the option of choosing a home blood donation.
If you want to reduce the signs of fatigue, you can reach for yerba mate with guarana and ginseng available on Medonet Market at an attractive price. Also try dietary supplements with magnesium and vitamin B6, such as Magnesium B6 SOLHERBS, which is available in ecological packages of 60 pullulan capsules, so it can also be used by vegans and vegetarians.
Difficult diagnosis
The list of diseases manifested by fatigue is much longer. So it may take a long time to properly name our condition. The sequence of diagnostic procedures is always similar, however. A doctor who is complained about chronic fatigue will first ask about the lifestyle to rule out a temporary decrease in the body’s efficiency due to the accumulation of work, family responsibilities, stressful situations or physical exertion caused by sports training. Then he will collect data on past and current diseases and conduct a general examination. The information obtained during this stage of the interview will help him in determining further searches for the cause of fatigue and commissioning specialist tests for diseases that we have already mentioned, as well as other – bacterial (e.g. borreliosis, tuberculosis, sarcoidosis), viral, infectious, pulmonary, cardiological (e.g. heart failure, myocarditis), gastrointestinal (e.g. irritable bowel syndrome), hematological and endocrine disorders.
However, the feeling of extreme weariness, exhaustion, inability to take any action, with decreased or increased appetite, insomnia or excessive sleepiness, irritability, tearfulness, lack of interest in people, sex and activities that used to be enjoyable – can make the doctor suspect a patient depression.
For exhaustion, it is worth using preparations containing vitamin C, eg Vitamin C Natural + Health Labs – vitamin C from natural plant extracts or B-Complex with vitamin C and Terranova herbs, which you can buy at promotional prices on Medonet Market. If fatigue is not related to a medical condition, you can also try BoostMe Now Health Labs – when you need to stimulate quickly, i.e. a dietary supplement that supports the work of the brain, stimulates and improves well-being and performance.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
When the tests do not show any of the above-mentioned diseases, the occurrence of the so-called chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS – Chronic Fatique Syndrome). This disease entity has been recognized by the World Health Organization, but there are still debates in the medical community about what exactly CFS is and whether … it really exists. Most cases are diagnosed in the USA and Western Europe, where doctors’ awareness of CFS is much greater.
CFS is characterized by physical fatigue and physical discomfort that lasts longer than 6 months. With CFS, there is a deepening feeling of depression, insomnia or restless sleep, muscle and joint pain (but not inflammatory), sore throat (hoarseness) and headache, memory and concentration disorders, lymph nodes tenderness – especially in the cervical and axillary regions, disturbances in action heart, digestive system ailments, and even dermatological changes in the form of rash and itching, cystitis or inflammation of the reproductive system. It is therefore not surprising that doctors who report multiple of these symptoms are more likely to suspect all other diseases – including depression and fibromyalgia – than rare CFS.
The exact cause of chronic fatigue syndrome is unknown. It is known, however, that the development of CFS is greatly influenced by too intense life, especially professional life, long exposure to stress and supporting the overburdened organism with stimulants – coffee, energy drinks, but also drugs and drugs. Young people are at the highest risk of CFS – between 20 and 40 years of age, often in managerial positions, mentally and physically exhausted from the excess of duties, working more than 12 hours a day.
People particularly exposed to stress can support their body with appropriate supplementation. Natural dietary supplements for stress, anxiety and nerves will help you calm down and reduce the negative effects that long-term stress can cause. For stress and improving your well-being, you can also reach for preparations from Hemp4Active, e.g.
- Hemp Power Shot Strawberry with CBD,
- Hemp Power Shot pineapple with CBD,
- Hemp Power Shot green apple with CBD
Treatment for long-term fatigue depends on whether it is a symptom of a disease (and what is) or a separate condition. In each case, however, the basic medical recommendation is the same – rest!
THE CASE OF THE READER
It started with coffee
A few days after the holidays and returning to work, I noticed that one morning cup was not enough for me to “recharge my batteries”. I decided that my body needed to adapt to the new rhythm of the day and I brewed the drink in a larger mug. However, sleepiness appeared more and more frequently. The kids laughed at me because in class I couldn’t help but yawn. At the end of September, I was drinking 6-7 large coffees a day, and my current standard is two. In October, I felt even worse. I was not only lethargic, but also more and more tired. I forced myself to do the simplest things – getting out of bed, getting dressed, washing, combing my hair. Each exit from home became a life challenge. I fell asleep at eight in the evening, but sleep did not soothe. Standing up felt like I had dug a ton of coal overnight. I fell asleep on the bus several times on the way to school. Then hunger began (I ate for almost three), trouble concentrating and reluctance to make any decisions. I don’t care about my life anymore. Rarely have I been awake enough to wonder what is happening to me. It was my friends who noticed that from a smiling, energetic, spontaneous woman who worked from morning to late night and helped others, I became an almost physical and emotional wreckage. – You should be rested after the holidays, and after two months of work, you will barely get drunk. It may be the autumn solstice, but also a depression. Stop the coffee and go to the doctor, they advised. To my surprise, the doctor did not send me to a psychologist, but looked at my neck for a long time, and then ordered a thyroid hormone test. Full diagnostics showed that my fatigue was not a symptom of depression, but of chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, i.e. Hashimoto’s disease.
Izabela (40), teacher
Source: Let’s live longer