Causes
Constant fatigue and reduced performance, which is accompanied by severe fatigue, can have a number of other reasons in addition to a disruption of the day-night rhythm. One of the most frequent causes in Germany is certainly hypothyroidism, or hypothyroidism. The thyroid gland is a small organ, about 20 milliliters in size, which lies like a shield (hence the name) below the larynx.
It produces very important hormones for the body, T3 and T4, also called triiodothyronine, and thyroxine. A deficiency of these hormones due to hypothyroidism leads to weight gain, dry and brittle skin, hair loss, but also to listlessness, fatigue and tiredness. Rarely all symptoms are present at the same time, and so even two or three of the above symptoms can point a doctor in the right direction.
A thyroid hormone deficiency can be easily compensated by medication, and thus does not usually pose a major problem from a medical point of view. In addition to a thyroid hormone deficiency, fatigue can also be caused by an unhealthy lifestyle: The more the body has to perform, the more sleep it needs. If it does not get its sleep, this can still be tolerated for months to years.
Sometime it is enough for the body however, and it refuses the service. One speaks then of Burnout, or depression. These symptoms are usually not tangible or measurable in laboratory diagnostics, but they play a major role with regard to listlessness and fatigue.
They are the main symptoms of the burnout syndrome. A somewhat unscientific description would be to say that the body, after a long period of continuous stress, must now pay its debt account and spare itself the same amount of time. Mostly, however, we know whether we have overexerted ourselves or whether we can rather rule out a burnout syndrome.
It is important to note that burnout can occur at different speeds depending on the individual: For a top manager who has to work a 60-hour week all his life, a burnout may only occur if he works 80 hours a week for months. People who work only 20 hours a week for their entire life can develop a burnout syndrome even at much lower levels of stress. It is therefore – as so often – a question of getting used to it.If burnout is suspected, a visit to a psychologist is recommended, and, in case of additional physical complaints, possibly also a psychosomatics specialist.
Another point that can lead to fatigue is closely related to burnout: The malnutrition. Especially in times of globalization, and the urge for constant availability, many people subordinate their eating habits to their work. As a result, the big fast-food chains and local pizza suppliers are especially happy – in other words, we are increasingly eating a one-sided diet.
However, the body needs a wide range of different nutrients in order to function optimally. Variety in nutrition is just as important as freshness and quality. It is not uncommon to find that after a burger we are just as hungry after a few minutes as before.
In addition, in the long run we feel tired, exhausted and less efficient. There are various films on this subject, the most famous is probably that of the US American Morgan Spurlock, “Supersize me”. Fast food allows our insulin level to shoot up to maximum levels in a very short time, because it contains a lot of sugar.
But a high insulin level also makes us hungry again immediately – a vicious circle begins. In the long run, an unbalanced diet leads to fatigue, exhaustion and reduced performance, as the body lacks essential nutrients and vitamins. The problem is that the change progresses very slowly, so we hardly notice it.
Only when we notice after months that we are constantly tired do we begin to have doubts about our diet. At the same time, a healthy, balanced diet is so simple that it can easily be illustrated in the form of the “food pyramid“. Other causes of fatigue can also be due to internal and neurological problems.
A well-known example is sleep apnoea, in which breathing regularly stops for at least 10 seconds during sleep – unnoticed by the person concerned. For the body, this means an acute fight for survival, since oxygen supply to all cells of the body is its top priority. In sleep apnoea syndrome, the airways are contracted, narrowed and finally blocked by the air suction, the air that flows in during breathing.
As a consequence, right heart strain, high blood pressure, but above all a pronounced daytime tiredness, up to repeated microsleep, occur. Patients feel absolutely tired the next morning and cannot find a reason for this. Usually the life partner provides the decisive clue, as he or she observes the nightly breathing stops.
If this is not possible, camera-supported monitoring can be carried out in the sleep laboratory. Especially at an advanced age, patients also take a variety of medications. The list of medications that can cause fatigue is long, however: from antihypertensive drugs to cancer drugs to antidepressants – and of course sleeping pills themselves, many medications can cause fatigue.
Also medicines, with which one would not expect it in the first moment, as for example hay fever tablets, or tablets against travel sickness, cause tiredness. Both belong to the group of antihistamines, and have a sedative effect. Sleeping pills are taken with pleasure, especially at an advanced age, as many patients understandably find it annoying that the night is supposed to end at five o’clock in the morning.
However, it is important to note that a correct adjustment of the medication is important, especially if the patients want to participate in traffic or work. In this case, the relatives are also responsible, who may be better able to assess any changes in the drive system than the nursing staff. Medication is supposed to help us, but always comes with side effects, which have to be considered when prescribing and dosing.
Abnormal fatigue can therefore also be caused by taking medication at the same time. Fatigue can also occur when the body is struggling with a systemic infection. In the simplest case this can be a severe cold, in more severe cases an autoimmune disease such as HIV, or a tumorous event.
Cancer patients experience fatigue in many different stages of their disease: Especially in leukemia, and colon cancer, an unusual and inexplicable fatigue and exhaustion occurs in the early stages.The diagnosis is usually followed by therapy, which often includes chemotherapy or surgery. This is typically accompanied by “depressing tiredness”, also known as “fatigue” (from the French). Fatigue symptoms occur mainly in lymphomas and leukemias.
They can be a result of the cancer itself, but also of chemotherapy and surgery. Often the fatigue syndrome persists for some time after the end of treatment. Patients often suffer greatly from it, as it makes a “normal” daily routine almost impossible, and also increases the feeling of illness. In fact, it is a serious intervention in the body, while cancer itself puts an equally great strain on the body. Unfortunately, there is no causal therapy for the Fatigue Syndrome, only psychological support, as well as movement and sports therapy can be offered.
