Most of us have felt the effects of a bad night’s sleep or a long day of traveling. These routine-disruptors can leave you feeling a bit rundown for a day or so, but you typically bounce back quickly.
Fatigue is something very different.
Fatigue refers to a chronic lack of energy, lethargy, and extreme tiredness that interferes with your day-to-day routine. Upwards of 2.5 million Americans live with chronic fatigue, but what’s worse is that approximately 90% of them haven’t been diagnosed.
That's why Dr. Michael Skardasis and our team at Optimal Performance Medicine make identifying and treating chronic fatigue a key part of our comprehensive wellness services. Here’s what you should know about fatigue and how to address it.
Our first step in helping you feel more energized is to uncover what’s causing it in the first place. Because fatigue is more than just occasionally sleepiness, we typically look for an underlying health condition or lifestyle factor, including the following:
In our fast-paced society, we often praise the night owls and admire those who burn the midnight oil. Some industries even demand that you put in extra hours. But at the end of the day, quality sleep is crucial to just about every facet of your health, including keeping you energized throughout the day.
If your diet is richer in processed ingredients than it is in vitamins and minerals, you likely have a nutrient deficiency. The result? Chronic fatigue. Some of the nutrients that are most important to feeling energized are:
But it’s not all about what you eat — how you eat is just as important. Undereating and overeating can both have a significant impact on your energy levels.
Unfortunately, if you live with a chronic health condition, chances are you’re also living with chronic fatigue. Some of the most notorious energy-zapping health problems are:
The good news is that Dr. Skardasis has years of experience diagnosing and treating these and other health conditions and can help you find natural ways to manage them.
Physical health conditions aren’t the only things that can leave you feeling rundown — stress, anxiety, depression, and other issues that impact your mental and emotional health can also cause chronic fatigue.
Whether you’re getting too much or not nearly enough, we may point to your activity levels as the culprit behind your chronic grogginess.
Once we discover what’s behind your fatigue, we immediately get to work creating a customized treatment plan that addresses the underlying cause and boosts your energy. Depending on your needs, we may recommend the following:
Sick and tired of feeling sick and tired? We get it — and we want to get you started on your journey towards a more energized life. Call or click to schedule an appointment at our Woodstock, Georgia, office today.
