Feeling tired from time to time is normal, especially when there is an obvious reason such as late nights, poor sleep, a new born or working night shifts.
But what happens when, with no obvious reason, you feel tired all the time and you have felt that way for a while. Is there something more going on? It is likely yes, so it’s worth getting checked out.
Did you know unexplained tiredness is one of the most common reasons for people to see their doctor. Because tiredness can have such an affect your ability to get through the day, focus and enjoy life.
Before you try to get an appointment, you may want to work out what could be causing the tiredness:
Think about:
- parts of your life, such as work and family, that might be particularly tiring
- any events that may have triggered your tiredness, such as bereavement or a relationship break-up
- how your lifestyle may be making you tired
Your GP will ask you some questions and look at the following causes of tiredness:
- psychological causes
- physical causes
- lifestyle causes
Psychological causes of tiredness are much more common than physical cause and they can include stress, emotional shock, depression and anxiety. Remember it can also be positive events that can cause tiredness and stress such as a wedding, travel or moving house.
Physical causes of tiredness, such as health conditions like iron deficiency, underachieve thyroid or sleep apnoea can make you feel tired or exhausted.
Prolonged tiredness can also be caused by pregnancy, increased weight or poor nutrition, being underweight, carbon monoxide poisoning, or side effects from treatments, medications or remedies.
Lifestyle causes can cause tiredness, the biggest culprit is when we try to cram too much into our lives and are always “switched on” and “connected” without taking breaks which can lead to addition poor choices when it comes to health.
Other lifestyle causes are too much alcohol, too much or too little exercise, too much caffeine leading to restless sleep patterns, not drinking enough water or shift work.
If you can relate to any of the causes above, try to make some small lifestyle changes to see if things improve. If you have been feeling constantly tired for more than 4 weeks, you should see your GP to investigate further.
Visit here https://www.nhs.uk/ to get support!
