Why Am I So Tired All the Time?

© GettyWhy Am I So Tired All the Time?

YAWWWWNNNN. Sometimes it seems that no matter how much you sleep, you're still exhausted. What is going on? And when does fatigue turn into something you should sorta freak out about? Before you go running off to a doctor with the list of 89 esoteric syndromes you found on WebMD that *might * be to blame, consider addressing the single most probable cause of fatigue: good old-fashioned sleep deprivation. Indeed, "the most common cause of fatigue in women is sleep deprivation," says Dr. Ginevra Liptan, a board-certified internist based in Portland, Oregon. "We are all genetically different in how much sleep we require, ranging between 7-10 hours per night. Most of us don't get anything near that," he says-even if we think we do. (According to a 2013 Gallup poll, 56% of Americans say they get as much sleep as needed, but only 40% percent get those recommended seven to nine hours.) "We often shortchange ourselves on sleep, to try to fit more into busy lives, either for work, exercise or some much needed alone time," said Dr. Liptan. We don't really make it a priority, so we're more apt to think we're doing fine on our sleep quota when we're lacking a little bit day after day-and that adds up. So how to correct that? "The best way to find out if the cause of your fatigue is sleep deprivation is for one week to prioritize sleep above all else and see if your fatigue improves." (Check out this tough love guide to getting enough sleep for some pointers.) But, yes, there are other causes for fatigue. When patients come in complaining of exhaustion, Dr. Liptan will also ask about other symptoms like shortness of breath or a particularly fast heart rate, to see if there is any underlying medical condition like anemia or hypothyroidism causing the fatigue. Menstruating women lose blood each month, so they are more prone to anemia, especially if they aren't getting enough iron or vitamin B12. "I see this very commonly in young women with heavy periods, that are also vegetarian or follow other restrictive diets," said Dr. Liptan. Hypothyroidism, which is when your body doesn't make enough thyroid hormone, is typically accompanied by symptoms like feeling cold when others do not, very dry skin and hair, hair loss, constipation and inability to lose weight. Both hypothyroidism and anemia can be diagnosed by simple blood tests. If you're getting enough sleep and your lab work comes back clean, doctors may start to look for an underlying condition, such as fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome. Despite its name, chronic fatigue syndrome is not a particularly common cause of chronic fatigue, and remains very poorly understood, although it may stem from a dysfunctional immune system. "Most patients describe a sudden onset of symptoms, often after a flu-like illness, suggesting that it may be triggered by an infection," said Dr. Liptan, who said that patients typically experience low-grade fevers, sore throats, and swollen lymph nodes along with their fatigue.  A more common, but still misunderstood disease is fibromyalgia. "In fibromyalgia the fatigue is accompanied by muscle pain and tenderness, unrefreshing sleep and fuzzy thinking or brain fog," said Dr. Liptan, who is also the founder and medical director of The Frida Center for Fibromyalgia and the author of The FibroManual: A Complete Fibromyalgia Treatment Guide For You...And Your Doctor. "Fibromyalgia is extremely common, affecting at least 3 percent of the population in the United States and it primarily affects women. It's still not completely understood what causes fibromyalgia, but we do know there are abnormalities in how the brain processes pain and stress. In fact, the sleep disturbances and muscle tension and pain are trigger by a stress (or danger) response that has gone haywire and is constantly on 'red-alert.'"

In short, if you're exhausted all the time, the first step is to prioritize sleep and make sure you're getting at least 7 to 9 hours a night. (Try meditation if you have a hard time slipping into slumber.) If you are getting enough sleep, then it might be time to take a trip to the doctor and explain your symptoms.

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source : ELLE (http://www.elle.com/)

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