Of all the reasons patients come into our office, one of the most common complaints I hear is, “I am so tired.” In this two-part article, I’ll discuss several reasons why someone might have the complaint of fatigue.
Anemia, a condition where there isn’t enough oxygen carrying cells in the blood, almost always has fatigue as one of its accompanying symptoms. Anemia can be due to poor nutrition, an iron deficiency, an inability of the body to make red blood cells adequately, a loss of blood due to bleeding from a wound, with heavy menses or in the stools and is a common occurrence in pregnancy. A simple blood test is able to determine if someone is anemic.
An under active thyroid can also lead to fatigue. The thyroid makes its hormone,T4. But your cells cannot use T4; you convert T4 to T3, the active form of thyroid hormone. A low level or low normal level of these hormones can lead someone to feel a multitude of symptoms, including, but not limited to, fatigue, weight gain, constipation, intolerance to cold and irregular menses. Blood tests are available to determine the status of someone’s thyroid hormone levels.
Sleep apnea is a condition more in the lime light due to its effect on one’s quality of life and the impact on the health of someone suffering with this condition. Long thought of as just a snoring problem, sleep apnea is actually a condition where the airway is blocked by the tongue and can lead to cessation of breathing for ten seconds or more. Sometimes, this cessation of breathing can occur several hundred times a night. Obviously, this would lead to a very disturbed sleep and may occur night after night after night. In addition to the accompanying fatigue, sleep apnea has been associated with an increased risk for high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease and depression.
Next month this article will continue with a discussion of depression, stress and our adrenal glands and last but not least, the impact of lifestyle on our level of fatigue.
To schedule an appointment regarding any of these issues, call Caring for You at 661-284-2400.