Fatigue

Fatigue refers to a feeling of tiredness or weariness. It can be temporary or chronic. Almost every person has to work overtime on certain occasions, sacrificing rest and sleep, which may cause temporary fatigue. This condition can be remedied by adequate rest. Chronic or continuous fatigue is, however, a serious problem which requires a comprehensive plan of treatment.

Chronic fatigue can result from a variety of factors. A specific character trait, compulsiveness, can lead to continuous fatigue. Many persons constantly feel that they cannot take rest until they finish everything that needs to be done at one time. These persons are usually perfectionists, tense and cannot relax unless they complete the whole job, no matter how tired they may be.

Causes

The chief cause of fatigue is lowered vitality or lack of energy due to wrong feeding habits. Fatigue is an indication that the cells of the body are not getting sufficient live atoms in the food to furnish them with a constant flow of needed energy. The habitual use of refined foods such as white sugar, refined cereals and white four products as well as processed, tinned and preserved foods have a very bad effect on the system in general. Foods ‘denatured’ in this way are deprived, to a very great extent, of their invaluable vitamins and minerals. Such foods lead to nervousness, tiredness, obesity and a host of other complaints prevalent today.

Certain physical conditions can cause fatigue. Anemia is a very common ailment leading to tiredness. It is known as ‘tired blood’ disturbance. In anemia, very little oxygen reaches the tissues with the result energy cannot be produced normally. This causes constant tiredness and mental depression. Anemia usually results from deficiencies of iron and vitamin B12. Sometime deficiencies of vitamin B6 and folic acid are also involved.

Insomnia or lack of sleep can be a cause of torturing fatigue. Sleep induced by sleeping pills and other drugs does not banish fatigue. Intestinal parasites can also lead to fatigue as they rob the body of good nourishment and gorge themselves on rich red blood. Other ailments which can cause fatigue are low blood pressure, low blood sugar, any kind of infection in the body, liver damage, a sluggish thyroid and allergy in foods and drugs caused by additives including artificial flavors, colors and preservatives.

Mental tension is one of the major causes of fatigue. A person who is tense and cannot relax has all the muscles of his body more or less contracted. This leads to needless waste of unusually large amounts of energy. Food is continuously burnt, lactic acid accumulates more rapidly than it can be carried to liver for conversion to body starch. Persons who are high-strung, nervous and irritable usually suffer from this type of fatigue.