Feeling tired and "stressed out" has become one of the major factors in 21st century living. We all tend to get fatigued easier, we seem to have a lot pressure in life, with work and commitments. On top of this there are a number of other medical grounds for fatigue which cannot be so easily explained away as being a bit under the weather or treated with a single magic pill.
In modern western cultures, we all like nice things and strive to own our own homes and have a good quality of life. That can come at a price - working long hours, not getting time to rest and relax, taking fewer holidays, means that over time our bodies start to suffer at the relentless pace of life. Couple this lack of time with poor nutritional choices and people are on the rocky road to suffering from fatigue.
It must be first stated that some stress is good for the body. Our caveman ancestors used stress to trigger the ability to avoid dangerous situations and run way from that big toothed dinosaur. But too much stress tips the balance and stress then becomes damaging to the body. Stress comes in many forms. Not just emotional stresses such as work stress, worry, bad relationships; but also bodily stress - heartburn, stomach ache, neck ache - these can all be stresses on the body. This in turn then manifests itself to tiredness. Stress becomes self-fuelling.
We all have periods in our lives where we feel tired. Long journeys, a bout of flu or a cold - the body can cope this short term stress well. It tends to be long term tiredness that is more of a concern.
Tiredness can be a symptom of something more than stress so it is always a good idea to see your GP if tiredness has become of the norm in your life. Without trying to worry anyone, it is always safer to go and have a chat with your doctor and maybe have some blood tests to see what is going on.
Long term tiredness becomes fatigue which is a general feeling of being "run down", a lack of energy. This could be due to you not managing your stress levels, or that your lifestyle is not relaxing, or even poor nutrition. In some cases, there could be an underlying medical condition so again it is worthwhile getting checked out.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a medical condition where you experience feelings of chronic fatigue – over many months or even years – that can have a debilitating effect on your life. While there is no cure for CFS – sufferers tend to have “flare ups” where a bout of fatigue can last for years – eating well, trying to manage your stress levels and even doing some light exercise, will help support your body through this difficult period.
The adrenal system controls much how much energy we have and it is very sensitive to stress levels. The more stressed you are, the harder your adrenal system has to work. But the body was not supposed to deal with this level of stress on a long term basis and adrenal fatigue sets in. Having adrenal fatigue can present symptoms such as:
Short term fixes tend to make it worse. Feeling tired, most people will have a cup of coffee and some sugar based snacks which will give the system a short term adrenal boost through stimulation but shortly after the system will crash again. Over a sustained period, the adrenal system becomes resistant to this stimulation so people will then double up on caffeine and sugar and the cycle continues.
Leading on from stimulants, the modern diet of fast, convenience foods does not sit well with a healthy mind or body. High sugar, high fat, highly processed foods while tasting nice and being easy to prepare, it is not a good way to promote the body’s long term health prospects.
Preparing food from scratch wherever possible, eating lots of vegetables and fruits, and avoiding (as much as you can) artificial sugars and stimulants, will help restore the body’s balance.
As the name suggests, a supplement builds on an existing good regime. Simply trying to take a supplement as a way to treat tiredness is not going to work. That said if you:
then a supplement will help support your body’s ability to handle stresses and in a way give you more energy without the need for a stimulant. Some of the supplements that could be beneficial to you are:
Floradix is a liquid supplement that combines Iron, B and C vitamins to help combat tiredness
Ginseng is a herb used to help with respiratory infections and also as an immune system booster. It has also been used as a way to help alleviate stress
Magnesium is a mineral used by every organ in the body. Studies show that Magnesium can help boost energy levels, works to boost testosterone levels and help with lean muscle growth.
Vitamin B12 deficiency can be a sign of tiredness so supplementing with Vitamin B12 is a good way to remove B12 as an issue
While tiredness is common in this day and age, feeling permanently exhausted should not be considered normal and there are many ways to try and combat it. Take a variable approach and hopefully the combination of lifestyle, diet and supplement changes will help you. In the case of long term fatigue, do always consult a doctor.