Why Chronic Fatigue is a Big Deal

Do you feel irritable or short-tempered around your family, children, and loved ones? Do you have trouble performing at school at work? Have you lost your drive to spend time with friends? Have you been struggling with erectile dysfunction (for men) and/or reduced sex drive? Do small tasks feel like a big deal? If these sound familiar, then the information below may be helpful in assisting you while you navigate what's wrong. 

Each of the above issues can be caused by chronic fatigue which can be hard to identify in real life. Especially if you are getting 8 hours of sleep, you might not identify sleep as the underlying cause. There are a number of sleep conditions where your clock might tell you that you received 8 hours of sleep, but your body can't tell. 

In this article we will focus on common sleep conditions that give the illusion that you are receiving a full night's rest when in actuality you aren't - this is an excellent place to start evaluating causes of your fatigue.

Signs of Sleep Deprivation

Excessive daytime sleepiness is a hallmark sign of sleep deprivation. As adults, we should be getting at least 7 hours of sleep every day. When you don’t get enough sleep, you become sleep deprived.

Why You’re Always Tired

Being tired all the time usually (though not always) means you are suffering from sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation simply means you are not getting enough sleep (at least 7 hours a day) resulting in a “sleep debt.” A sleep debt means that you will need to compensate by getting more and more consistent sleep in the future in order to relieve your sleep deprivation.

Lack of Restful Sleep Is a Symptom

There are two kinds of sleep, and the question you need to ask yourself is: which kind are you getting? One kind of sleep involves closing your eyes at night, maybe rolling around at night, waking up in the morning, and feeling like you could have slept another 3 hours. Another kind of sleep involves falling asleep, sleeping deeply, and waking up feeling mostly or completely refreshed. Which one sounds familiar to you?

Chronic Fatigue – Life Doesn’t Have to be Miserable

Being tired all of the time can make it difficult to enjoy life. You feel crabby around your family, children, and loved ones. You can’t perform at school at work. You lose your drive to spend time with friends. You might struggle with erectile dysfunction (for men) and/or reduced sex drive. Small tasks become a big deal. The list goes on and on, but the important thing is that sleep deprivation impacts nearly every aspect of your life. 

What's even more frustrating is when you feel like this even after getting a full 8 hours of sleep. That seems counterintuitive. If you are getting 8 hours of sleep, then you are likely doing many of things you are supposed to in order to feel rested.

But here’s the thing, there are conditions that will give the illusion of a proper, full night’s rest without actually providing quality sleep needed, and generally fall into these categories:

• Sleep conditions
• Medical conditions
• Lifestyle conditions

Chronic Fatigue – Life Doesn’t Have to be Miserable

Chronic fatigue tends to zap your enjoyment out of life. Small chores become a big headache, functioning at school and work becomes increasingly more difficult, and you lose the drive to spend time with your loved ones. Essentially, chronic fatigue makes you less like yourself.

Fortunately, there are usually identifiable causes for chronic fatigue including: 

• Sleep conditions
• Medical conditions
• Lifestyle/emotion conditions

We explore all of the various reasons that may be causing your fatigue. There may be a single identifiable reason, or a combination of factors. Below are some common causes of chronic fatigue!

Sleep Apnea

You’ve probably heard of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a condition where you stop breathing at night and wake yourself up – the primary problem being that you never get enough sleep. There are three types of sleep apnea:

Why Chronic Fatigue is a Big Deal

Do you feel crabby or short tempered around your family, children, and loved ones? Do you have trouble performing at school at work? Have you lost your drive to spend time with friends? Have you been struggling with erectile dysfunction (for men) and/or reduced sex drive? Do small tasks feel like a big deal? If these sound familiar, you might be in the right place.

Signs of Sleep Deprivation

Excessive daytime sleepiness is a hallmark sign of sleep deprivation. As adults, we should be getting at least 7 hours of sleep every day – nearly all sleep research agrees on this point. When you don’t get enough sleep, you become sleep deprived.

Why You’re Always Tired

Being tired all the time usually (though not always) means you are suffering from sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation simply means you are not getting enough sleep, which for adults is at least 7 hours per day, resulting in a “sleep debt.” A sleep debt means that you will need to compensate by getting more and more consistent sleep in the future in order to relieve your sleep deprivation.