Chronic fatigue can significantly affect the quality of life. Small chores become a big deal. It’s hard to function at work or school. You lose the drive to spend time with friends and loved ones. In other words, chronic fatigue makes you feel like less of yourself.
Fortunately, there are usually identifiable causes for chronic fatigue. They tend to be either:
- Sleep conditions
- Medical conditions
- Lifestyle/emotion conditions
In this blog post, we will explore all of the various reasons that may be causing your fatigue. There may be a single identifiable reason, or a combination of factors for you to address.
Sleep Conditions That Cause Fatigue
One of the most obvious reasons you are tired all the time is because of sleep deprivation, which is commonly caused by sleeping disorders. Sleep disorders are conditions that prevent you from getting the recommended number of hours of sleep. Some common examples include:
Sleep Apnea Causing Chronic Fatigue
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder and medical condition that causes you to repeatedly stop breathing constantly throughout the night, anywhere from 40-100+ times per night. When you stop breathing, you momentarily, subconsciously, wake up to begin breathing again. Besides chronic fatigue primary symptoms of sleep apnea include:
- Bed partner hears you repeatedly stop breathing throughout night
- Loud, chronic snoring
- Wake up exhausted in the morning
- Wake up with headaches
- Waking up choking/gasping
- Mood disruptions, such as constant irritability, brain fog, etc.
Insomnia Causing Chronic Fatigue
Insomnia is a sleep condition that leaves you unable to fall asleep at bedtime, stay asleep throughout the night, or sleep in until the morning. This results in chronic “under-sleeping” and sleep deprivation which can lead to any of the following:
- Mood disorders (anxiety, depression)
- Reduced physical performance many areas of life
- Problems with attention, memory, or concentration
- Chronic brain fog
- Psychiatric symptoms
Parasomnias Causing Chronic Fatigue
Parasomnias are disruptive sleep disorders that interfere with your circadian rhythm, and include:
- Restless leg syndrome
- Sleep walking
- Night terrors
- Chronic nightmares
Narcolepsy Causing Chronic Fatigue
Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder that affects the control of sleep and wakefulness. Basically, it makes it difficult to control sleep/wake cycles, leading to:
- Excessive daytime sleepiness that can suddenly hit and last for seconds to minutes
- Sudden loss of muscle strength
- Lower sleep quality (though sleep time is about the same as a “normal” sleeper)
Sleep Habit Related Causes of Fatigue
Sleep deprivation isn’t always the product of a sleeping disorder. You can be sleep deprived for a number of other reasons such as:
- Not having an ideal sleeping environment: quiet, dark, peaceful, and comfortable room
- Doing shift work
- Stress/anxiety from work, marriage/divorce, moving, etc.
- Working hours that do not align with your natural circadian rhythm
- Too much “screen time” with laptops/TV/cell phones before bed
- Distractions before bed
Any of the above can cause you to get less sleep, eventually becoming sleep deprived constantly tired.
Common Medical Causes of Fatigue
There are some relatively common medical conditions that can make you frequently tired, even though you feel like you are getting plenty of sleep. These include:
- Hypothyroidism
- Hormone problems
- Diabetes
- Anemia
- Heart Disease
- Chronic illness
- Clinical depression/anxiety
Lifestyle and Emotional Causes of Fatigue
Finally, there are numerous lifestyle and emotion-related cuases of chronic fatigue. These can lead to hormone imbalances or insomniatic symptoms, and include:
- Lack of exercise
- Dinking too much alcohol
- Poor diet/malnutrition
- Non-medical depression, and anxiety
- PTSD
If you are living in Anchorage and struggle with chronic fatigue or tiredness during the daytime, please click the orange button below to take a free online sleep test and talk with one of our sleep health professionals.
