Yawning, burning eyes, drowsiness – depending on your personal lifestyle, everyone gets a feeling of tiredness from time to time. But is it normal to be tired all the time? We explain when fatigue is a sign of illness.
Physical exhaustion, reduced performance – the symptoms of tiredness are well known to everyone. However, fatigue itself is not an illness, but a condition of our body that signals to us that we need rest. For example, if we don’t sleep enough, more and more adenosine forms in the brain – a substance that influences the sleep and wake centers of the brain and is responsible for the feeling of tiredness.
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causes of fatigue
There are a number of factors that make us tired, most notably lack of sleep. But a lack of exercise, an unhealthy diet, obesity, stress , anemia, nutrient deficiencies, alcohol consumption, infections or taking certain medications can also make us tired. However, if you are so tired that you fall asleep during the day or can no longer go about your everyday life as usual due to tiredness, it can also be a symptom of an illness.
Constantly tired: When tiredness is a sign of illness
Fatigue with infections
When you get a cold or flu, tiredness is one of the typical symptoms that can occur, along with a cough, runny nose, sore throat and fever. However, if an infection is the cause of your tiredness, the symptoms should subside after a few days.
Fatigue with hypothyroidism
In people with hypothyroidism , the thyroid does not produce enough hormones. Due to the fact that thyroid hormones affect various organs and our psyche, a deficiency is associated with various physical complaints. In addition to tiredness, these include an increased need for sleep, depressive moods, concentration problems, weight gain and hair loss.
Fatigue in mental illness
Persistent fatigue without a physical cause can be due to mental illnesses such as depression . Stressful life events, hereditary predisposition or even metabolic or functional disorders in the brain can cause depression. In addition to fatigue, a lack of drive and listlessness are among the most pronounced symptoms of depression.
Fatigue in type 2 diabetes
Constant tiredness, a feeling of weakness and problems concentrating are among the symptoms that can occur at the beginning of type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is a form of diabetes that only occurs in adulthood and can be caused by certain factors such as being overweight or lack of exercise. In those affected, the required amount of glucose cannot get from the blood to the cells, resulting in a lack of energy that causes symptoms such as fatigue.
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Cancer fatigue
In rare cases, the constant tiredness can also be triggered by cancer, especially leukemia, lymph gland or breast cancer. So if you are suffering from other symptoms such as fatigue, night sweats or swollen lymph nodes, you should see a doctor as soon as possible. Fatigue can be both a symptom of the disease itself and a side effect of cancer therapy.
Fatigue in sleep apnea
If you are constantly tired, even though you actually get enough sleep, you could also suffer from what is known as sleep apnea . Snoring itself is annoying, but harmless. However, if there are interruptions in breathing (apnea), this is referred to as sleep apnea. Affected people usually snore loudly, have shallow breathing during sleep and breathing pauses that last longer than 10 seconds. In addition to tiredness, other symptoms that indicate the disease include concentration problems, headaches, a dry mouth when waking up, night sweats and sudden nocturnal awakenings, which can cause heart palpitations and shortness of breath. Since sleep apnea can increase the risk of various other diseases, you should have any symptoms clarified by a doctor.
Constant Fatigue: When to See a Doctor?
If you feel constantly tired and exhausted for an extended period of time without an explainable cause, or if you have other physical or psychological symptoms , you should see a doctor to find out what is causing it and to rule out a serious medical condition rule out the cause. This is especially true when fatigue does not improve with sleep, rest, relaxation, or exercise in the fresh air.
