Chronic Fatigue Troubles

Chronic fatigue can have a profound effect on life quality. For those who suffer from chronic fatigue, they are very aware of how problematic chronic fatigue is. For those struggling with chronic fatigue, they often wonder why? 

There are many causes for chronic fatigue: life factors, stress, disease, and sleep disorders are the most common. Some causes may be short-term, such as an overwhelming project or busy schedule. It's often easier to identify these situations as reasons for fatigue. However, underlying sleep disorders, which are also a common cause, may be harder to detect. 

Sleep deprivation can have the following negative effects: 

• Lowers life expectancy
• Lowers quality of life
• Lowers performance in all areas of life (mental, emotional, physical)

Let’s look at common sleep disorders that cause chronic fatigue and lead to sleep deprivation.

Insomnia 

Insomnia is a condition that prevents individuals from sleeping due to an inability to fall asleep, stay asleep, or sleep until an appropriate wake time. This results in chronic fatigue for the entire day. Some common causes are: 

• Circadian rhythm disorders
• Depression
• Stress
• Anxiety
• Medications
• Poor sleep habits

Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a condition where one stops breathing throughout the night and has to subconsciously wake up to begin breathing again. There are three types of sleep apnea:

• Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) – a physical obstruction (back of tongue or throat) blocks air. This is the most common.
• Central sleep apnea – electrical malfunctions in the brain turn off breathing signals to the lungs.
• Complex sleep apnea – a mix of obstructive and central sleep apneas cause you to stop breathing.

Primary symptoms of sleep apnea include:

• Pauses in breathing at night
• Snoring
• Excessive daytime sleepiness
• Chronic irritability
• Restless sleep
• Headaches in the morning

For overweight or diabetic people, sleep apnea can be a significant risk. If you are chronically tired during the day, assessing whether or not you snore and stop breathing during the night can be a first step in assessing your sleep deprivation.

Restless Leg Syndrome

Restless leg syndrome is a sleeping disorder where one struggles with the following while sleeping:

• Have an overwhelming urge to move the legs
• The legs jerk spontaneously (similar to body twitches as you are falling asleep)
• There is an aching sensation in the legs
• There is a tingling or crawling sensation in the legs

These sensations can only be released by moving the legs, which can interrupt sleep all night long. So these individuals may be in bed all night long, but still will struggle to reach 8 hours of quality sleep.

Pre-Sleep Habits

Poor sleep habits can precipitate sleep deprivation. Some common bad habits include: 

• Using electronics before bed, like phone, laptop, or TV use
• Sleeping in a room that isn’t dark
• Sleeping in a room with noise (i.e., a TV, outside noise)
• No set bedtime or regular sleep schedule
• Eating or drinking alcohol before bed

Adjusting these pre-sleep habits to healthier, sleep-promoting behaviors can help reduce the amount of daytime fatigue.

Age-Related Sleep Changes

Sleep patterns change with age. Many will experience the following changes: 

• Earlier to bed, earlier to rise
• Takes longer to fall asleep
• More time spend in the lighter stages of sleep
• Need naps to get requisite sleep
• More prone to feeling like sleep is less restful

These changes require that, with age, it's important to become more conscious and intentional about sleep habits in order to get the right amount of sleep. Chronic fatigue in senior years may be age-related, and it's important to consult a doctor or sleep specialist to determine the normality or abnormality of these changes. 

Other Conditions Causing Tiredness

Finally, chronic tiredness may have nothing to do with sleep disorders or habits, and may be the result of a different underlying condition such as:

• Anemia
• Underactive thyroid (i.e., Hashimoto’s Disease)
• Depression
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Celiac disease
• Poor eating habits

If you or someone you know is struggling with getting adequate sleep, then please click the orange button below to take a free online sleep test and talk with one of our sleep health professionals.