I was reading my Fitness magazine and found this article in the March issue particularly interesting…”Why So Tired?” It discussed 6 possible reasons you might not have the energy to make it through the day and not just because we are balancing work, family, exercise and the stresses of everyday life. Would any of these possibly apply to you?
1. A lack of Vitamin D (40% of people are deficient), we have receptors in our muscles and in every organ of our body including our heart and brain. If you are Vitamin D deficient you may have no energy. A sign you may be deficient is a dull pain in your muscles and bones when you aren’t working out so ask your doc to run the 25-hydroxy Vitamin D blood test and check to make sure it is between 20-40 nanograms per milliliter. Most people who are treated with vitamin D reported less muscle weakness and fatigue.
2. Inflammed and Swollen Sinuses (Chronic sinusitis) which affects about 12% of adults and can happen over a period of weeks which causes mucus to build up. Symptoms are fatigue, congestion; pain and tenderness around the eye, cheeks and nose; a reduced sense of smell and taste and bad breath. Treat it with a saline nose spray or netipot, if it persists then ask your doc to prescribe a steroid nasal spray, it that doesn’t work see an ear nose and throat specialist.
3. Celiac Disease which affects 2 million people in the US and 70% happen to be women. Eating anything with gluten which can be found in wheat, rye and barley triggers an immune response in your small intestine, which produces inflammation that prevents the absorption of nutrients, malnourished and gives you an upset stomach. It just means that what you consumed isn’t fueling you properly and can leave you tired and run down. Sensitivity to gluten can also make you tired…Diarrhea and weight loss are signs of gluten problems. Other symptoms include fatigue, bloating, body aches, chronic headaches and short-term memory loss. You can treat it by following a gluten free diet: eating fresh fruits and veggies, lean meats, fish, bean, nuts, quinoa and rice or contact your doc to order a blood test to check.
4. Depression: did you know depression and fatigue are so closely linked that it is difficult to know which one triggers the other? Are you easily irritated, have a hard time concentrating and lost your desire to have sex? The culprit responsible for those imbalances is low levels of serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine in the brain and surprise…they also affect your energy! Doing 30 minutes of cardio 5 times a week plus regular meditation or yoga can help boost you out of the blues. In fact it has been shown that this method works as well as antidepressants in people with moderate depression.
5. Hidden Heart Condition. Are you having trouble sleeping, shortness of breath, indigestion or anxiety then this may be the culprit. Did you know that 70% of women who had heart attacks reported that they were unusually tired a month beforehand? Blockages in your arteries make it harder for blood to flow through your body which in turn ends up wearing you out. So if you suspect this condition see a doctor to do blood pressure and cholesterol tests. Regular exercise and a healthy diet are essential and if symptoms persist, your doc will prescribe meds.
6. Autoimmune disease: overwhelming fatigue you just cant shake, achiness and joint pain that persists for most of the day are signs you may have an autoimmune disease. It’s where your immune system mistakenly attacks your body’s tissues and lucky us 75% of these diseases happen to occur in women. Lupus and rheumatoid arthritis are the most common ones that affect bones and joints for women in their 20’s and 30’s. If your aches and pains last more than a week or continue for months, see your doctor to rule this out. He/she will check for inflammation in the blood, which may indicate you have an autoimmune disease.
Still can’t figure out why you are tired? It might be your meds! If you take protein pump inhibitors (Rx for gastroesophageal reflux disease) they lower your magnesium levels which cause fatigue. Antihistamines relieve allergies, but they can make you sleepy, look for the non drowsy formulas or just take them at bedtime. Blood pressure meds like beta blockers slow your heart’s pumping and can make you tired, ask your doc about calcium channel blockers which work by relaxing the muscles of your blood vessels instead. Statins aka cholesterol drugs can make you tired and cause muscle fatigue, but your doc can tweak the dosage to help and taking coenzyme Q10 supplements can also help. Antianxiety meds like Xanax, Valium and Ativan can leave you zapped so talk with your doc and find alternate ways to manage stress like yoga or some other form of exercise. Antidepressants like Cymbalta, Effexor, Paxil and Zoloft affect histamine, the neurotransmitter responsible for being awake. Taking them at night or switching to Wellbutrin which doesn’t cause drowsiness might help.
Hope that you find this helpful for yourself or a girlfriend who has recently complained of fatigue, seems we are all running on empty these days, let’s stay healthy so we can continue to enjoy the sport we all love! Vixens Ride!
