Fatigue means weakness, profound tiredness, a complete lack of energy, or feeling totally drained. It is central to many chronic and debilitating illnesses, including chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic pain, cancer, and chronic respiratory problems. However, fatigue is something that also occurs when we are overcommitted, working too hard, or having too little time for unwinding.
Taking an honest inventory of things that might be responsible for your fatigue is often the first step toward relief. Fatigue may be related to:
- Use of alcohol or drugs
- Excess physical activity
- Jet lag disorder
- Shift work
- Obstructive sleep apnea
- Lack of physical activity
- Lack of sleep
- Insomnia at night
- Medications, such as antihistamines, cough medicines
- Unhealthy eating habits
Unrelenting exhaustion may be a sign of a more serious condition. It can also be an effect of the drugs or therapies used to treat conditions such as:
- Anxiety disorder
- Anemia
- Cancer
- Chronic infection or inflammation
- Chronic kidney disease
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- Coronavirus disease 2019
- Major depressive disorder
- Fibromyalgia
- Grief
- Heart disease
- Overactive thyroid
- Underactive thyroid
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Medications and treatments, such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, pain drugs, heart drugs, and antidepressants
- Obesity
