Few things are more frustrating than feeling tired all the time. Fatigue can be a trial both physically and mentally, and battling it can drain the best of us. The need and desire to be busy and productive are a natural part of the human condition. When the energy to do so is missing, we feel broken and incomplete. While fatigue can point to many health concerns, the good news is that in most cases, we can regain our vim and vigor with a few lifestyle adjustments. Let’s dig deep and explore common causes of fatigue and natural solutions that can restore our energy and enthusiasm.
What is Fatigue?
A good definition of fatigue is: “Acute or chronic physical and/or mental exhaustion that can be caused by any number of factors, including stress, poor lifestyle choices, illness, or medications.”
We all experience fatigue to some degree or another. In fact, a certain amount of fatigue is good. Ever hear the saying: “It’s a good kind of tired…”? After a long day, fatigue signals that it is time to rest and sleep, and it can even help us sleep well.
But harmful fatigue is more than just sleepiness. It’s characterized by a seemingly unending lack of energy that a night’s sleep or a day off from the daily grind doesn’t relieve. Mental and emotional fatigue can also be debilitating. It can lead to poor concentration, difficulty making sound decisions, and, in some cases, memory loss.
Fatigue complaints are probably among the top reasons for most doctor visits. Unfortunately, it seems a normal part of life for many in these hectic times. Who has time to get enough sleep and eat right in the rat race most of us run daily? Bills to pay, obligations to meet, and unrealistic expectations about how our life should be are just a few causes of fatigue. Something has to give, and we typically sacrifice our health. When this occurs, fatigue is almost inevitable.
The Frequent Causes of Fatigue and Natural Solutions
Most fatigue can be traced to lifestyle choices we can change if we make them a priority. Let’s look at the most common causes of fatigue.
Inadequate Sleep
Not getting enough quality sleep is an epidemic in America today. It ranks high among the frequent causes of fatigue.
We live in a 24-hour society that never shuts down. Just a few generations ago, most people lived in rural settings and sometimes literally “went to bed with the chickens, and got up with the chickens.” The workday ran from dawn to dusk, and without electric lights, bedtime came shortly after dark.
Today, we have nonstop entertainment and numerous activities that keep us up far too late. As a result, many people are lucky to consistently get a good 6 hours of sleep every night. In addition, our forefathers mainly did physical labor rather than sitting at a desk all day, as many of us do. As a result, they were tired and could sleep well when evening came.
Chronic lack of sleep leads to ongoing fatigue, creating a vicious cycle that can be hard to break. However, many of us would make the necessary sacrifices to get to bed early enough if we could experience what it feels like to go through a day without being plagued by fatigue.
Sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, insomnia, or narcolepsy can manifest fatigue as a symptom. So it is worth asking your practitioner to prescribe a sleep study to make an accurate diagnosis.
Natural Solutions: Try to get seven to eight hours of sleep every night–including weekends. Go to bed at the same time every night, and set your alarm to wake you up at the same time each morning. This helps your circadian rhythm stay on schedule. In addition, your mattress should be comfortable, the room should be dark and cool, and your cell phone, digital devices, and television should be off.
Lack of Physical Exercise
Back in the day, most people got enough physical activity to make them naturally tired by the end of the day. However, today, we must schedule exercise into our busy days. It is necessary for several reasons. First, it helps us sleep well at night and avoid fatigue. Second, physical activity is a great way to manage the stressors in our lives that keep us from feeling rested and refreshed.
Natural Solutions: If you are looking for a safe, effective exercise that benefits your whole body, the many health benefits of rebounding will amaze you. One of the most important benefits of rebounding every day is lymphatic drainage. Other benefits of rebounding include being easy on your joints, working every part of your body, and being easy to do at minimal cost. Best of all, it’s fun, energizing, and can help tremendously with stress relief. Speaking of stress…
High-Stress Lifestyle
Stress, both physical and mental, can also rob you of the ability to rest, relax, and get quality sleep. Stress is a fact of life, but it opens the door to fatigue and other health issues when it is not dealt with proactively. Taking care of yourself by learning to manage stress can go a long way toward eliminating frequent causes of fatigue.
Natural Solutions: One effective way to deal with stress for many people is deep breathing. Deep breathing, also called mindful breathing, can be part of your daily routine or used as needed as things come up during the day. The best technique is to lie flat on your back, preferably on a hard surface such as the floor. Inhale deeply through your nose, and exhale slowly through your mouth. It is amazing what even 10 minutes of this can do to battle stress and ultimately fatigue. If a stressful situation arises unexpectedly, take deep breaths for a minute without interrupting what you are doing. Many people swear by this, and it has made an incredible difference in their quality of life.
I also suggest Ashwagandha, which can help with cortisol levels. Also, Lithium Orotate and, for women, Oasis Serene bioidentical progesterone cream used at night.
Poor Diet
Changing how you eat is a huge step toward addressing the most common causes of fatigue. If you feast daily on sugar-laden drinks and desserts, it won’t be long before you start to feel fatigued. While sugar can cause an “energy boost,” it’s always temporary. The “let-down” will not only make you crave more sugar, but also leave you fatigued.
Natural Solutions: A healthy, balanced plant-based diet mainly consisting of healthy fats, organic vegetables, fruits, and whole grains not only provides the fuel your body needs but also delivers vitamins, enzymes, and minerals that can help keep your body free of disease. Most people who follow this type of diet experience far less fatigue and a boost in energy.
Sluggish Liver – IMPORTANT!
When your liver is unable to rid your body of excess fat and other waste products, you will likely feel sluggish and fatigued most of the time.
Your liver plays an active role in keeping your body free from diseases of all types. In fact, your liver performs 500+ tasks every day! And it is true that a poorly functioning liver can contribute to many illnesses and debilitating health conditions. Many liver diseases and dysfunction types exist, but the most common and hazardous is called fatty liver (R).
Natural Solutions: Liver-supporting organic/wild-crafted herbs such as Milk Thistle seed, wildcrafted chanca piedra (helps with liver stones), Fringetree bark, Dandelion root, Organic Nettle root, and Organic Turmeric Root. There are several reasons to use the milk thistle seed rather than silymarin extract. First, using the whole herb is recommended as it often has a more balanced effect. Second, milk thistle extract, such as silymarin, has proven helpful in treating liver disease. However, the main drawback to using silymarin is that if a healthcare professional prescribes other drugs, such as steroids, silymarin can interfere with the liver’s ability to detoxify them. Milk thistle seed has the same liver-healing effect without interfering with the organ’s ability to detoxify drugs or environmental chemicals. It also has a side benefit of normalizing blood lipids as the liver heals (R).
Back-to-back liver cleansing using Global Healing Liver Health, a liquid, organic herbal supplement, is suggested.
Dehydration
The health benefits of clean water are innumerable. One of the most important is that purified water increases your blood volume, which, in turn, can help prevent fatigue.
Did you know that every cell in your body is bathed in water? Water makes up nearly 85% of our brain, about 80% of our blood, and about 70% of lean muscle. Water accounts for about 60% of a man’s body weight and about 50% of a woman’s. However, water deficiency can quickly lead to dehydration, which occurs when your body doesn’t have enough water to carry out normal functions. Chronic dehydration has been called “the hidden epidemic,” with an estimated 75% of all North Americans chronically dehydrated. Even mild dehydration can zap your energy, make you tired, and affect mental clarity. Be aware that losing 9-12% of your total body weight in water can be fatal. Dehydration is a major cause of infant illness and death worldwide and hospitalization for the elderly. In a nutshell, dehydration poses real health risks.
Natural Solutions: Drinking half of your body weight in ounces of purified water is a valuable target for most people. So make sure to “drink up” every day!
Consumption of High-Fat Foods
Fatty foods take longer to digest than low-fat foods, so they stay in the stomach longer, increasing blood flow to the abdomen and reducing blood flow to the brain and other organs, which contributes to fatigue.
Natural Solutions: Good fats include avocado, cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil, flaxseed oil, organic grass-fed butter, coconut oil, nuts, and seeds. Most people don’t realize that the good fats act as carriers for those all-important fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. Healthy fats are also needed for mineral absorption, which is very important for good health and a host of other biological processes.
Over-Eating
Overeating makes you tired and can also lead to being overweight. Carrying extra pounds is a major contributor to fatigue.
Natural Solutions: Losing weight can significantly improve energy levels for many people. I suggest researching Food Combining.
Low Iron Levels
Iron helps oxygenate the blood, which can be a powerful tool against fatigue. Iron deficiency anemia is a common cause of fatigue in women. Red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body, and iron is the main component of these cells. Without adequate iron, your body may lack the oxygen it needs for energy, causing fatigue. Women who experience heavy menstrual periods or are pregnant may be at higher risk for iron-deficiency anemia.
Natural Solutions: If you are anemic due to iron deficiency, you may be able to replenish your body’s iron through diet. Suggested iron-rich foods include organic meats, beans, spinach, potatoes, broccoli, nuts, apricots, and brown rice. Talk to your doctor if you think you need iron supplements to determine the proper dosage. A plant-based iron supplement is best.
Caffeine Overload
High-caffeine drinks such as coffee and sodas may give you a temporary energy boost, but they will lead to ongoing fatigue in the long run. After the caffeine wears off, your energy will crash, and you will feel fatigued. Some people respond by taking more caffeine, which creates a vicious cycle that encourages daily fatigue. In addition, caffeine can exacerbate fatigue further by interfering with quality sleep.
Natural Solutions: Ditch the sodas; they offer nothing good. Consider switching to cleaner, organic coffees and teas. Some companies have decaffeinated choices that are non-toxic. While organic coffees contain caffeine, some brands don’t cause issues, and neither do non-organic brands.
Over-the-Counter and Prescription Medications
Beyond lifestyle choices, many medications can contribute to frequent fatigue. Some of the most common culprits are blood pressure medications, antihistamines, antidepressants, and certain antibiotics.
Natural Solutions: Therefore, you may want to consider switching to another medication or a more natural alternative to alleviate any fatigue caused by taking these drugs.
Hypotension
Low blood pressure often reduces circulation, which can cause fatigue.
Natural Solutions: The best way to avoid hypotension is to address the underlying condition causing it. For example, if you have low blood sugar, try eating small meals six times per day. Never go long enough without good, wholesome food for your blood sugar to drop too low. Dealing with hypotension is much different than hypertension. Many causes of hypotension are beyond your control, unlike hypertension, which can be managed more aggressively.
However, if you effectively treat low blood sugar, glandular concerns, dehydration, or whatever the root cause of the hypotension may be, that can indirectly treat hypotension (R).
Anemia
The causes of anemia are several. If low iron levels cause anemia, fatigue is a common side effect. In fact, fatigue is the hallmark symptom of anemia.
Natural Solutions: Dietary changes can remedy this. Plenty of high-quality non-heme sources and quality non-heme iron supplements are available.
Depression
Many with depression have very low energy levels and feel like they are “carrying a piano on their backs.” They are not refreshed by sleep and may feel continuously burned out, physically and mentally. Some even move and speak more slowly than usual and tend to speak in a monotone.
Clinical depression and/or grief can wear a person out emotionally and lead to fatigue. It also causes sadness, anxiety, and physical symptoms such as fatigue, insomnia, aches, and pains. In addition, the medications often prescribed will often make you tired and contribute to fatigue as well.
Natural Solutions: If you or someone you care about is depressed, seek medical counseling. Depression may not resolve without treatment, and there are many treatments, including natural medicine, that can help with symptom relief. I suggest reading Depression – What You Need to Know.
UTIs
The most commonly reported urinary tract infection (UTI) symptoms include pain or burning during urination and/or a frequent urge to urinate. However, UTIs can also cause fatigue and weakness.
Natural Solutions: Contact your doctor if you suspect you have a UTI. The usual treatment for a UTI is antibiotics, which should cure the condition quickly and relieve fatigue and other symptoms. There are also natural treatment tips for preventing and treating UTIs that you should know.
Cancer
When the body battles debilitating diseases such as cancer, fatigue is inevitable– either from the disease itself or the recommended treatment.
Conventional cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, bone marrow transplantation, and immunotherapy can cause fatigue. Unfortunately, fatigue is also a common symptom of some types of cancer (R).
Natural Solutions: Try finding a Naturopath or natural medicine practitioner to help with fatigue related to cancer treatment.
Renal Disease
Kidney disease, especially in its late stages, often causes extreme fatigue. A severe decrease in kidney function can build up toxins and impurities in the blood, leaving people tired, weak, and having difficulty concentrating. Another complication of kidney disease is anemia, which can cause weakness and fatigue (R).
Natural Solutions: Talk with a Naturopath or natural medicine practitioner about natural remedies. Learn how to recognize the early signs of kidney disease.
Diabetes
Excessive fatigue is often a side effect of diabetes. If your blood sugar levels are too low, you will likely feel fatigued.
Natural Solutions: If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, it is crucial to understand how to manage your disease. Your doctor will often recommend lifestyle changes, including diet and exercise. You may also be prescribed insulin or other diabetes medications to help you control your blood sugar levels. There are also natural treatments for diabetes that you should know about.
Cardiac Disease
If you feel overly fatigued during everyday activities such as shopping, cleaning, or climbing stairs, it’s time to see your healthcare practitioner for an evaluation. When your heart is unable to pump blood to all parts of your body, it conserves resources by diverting blood from the limbs instead of sending it to the vital organs,s causing fatigue, which is often included in signs of cardiovascular disease.
Natural Solutions: Cardiac disease is a serious health condition that requires diagnosis and treatment–be sure to speak with a knowledgeable health care practitioner. Lifestyle changes, physical therapy, and natural medicine treatments can help you manage heart disease and get back to doing what you love.
Thyroid Dysfunction
Both an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) and an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) can result in fatigue.
The thyroid is a gland that regulates metabolism, how fast your body converts fuel into energy for its functions. An underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) causes fatigue, depression, and weight gain.
With an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism), the body’s metabolism speeds up. This overactivity can also cause fatigue and sleep issues.
Natural Solutions: Blood tests can confirm if you have hypothyroidism. The good news is that the condition usually responds well to thyroid hormone replacement. I would also suggest looking into nascent iodine.
Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)
Symptoms of this syndrome (inability to keep the legs still and/or pain in the extremities) most often occur at night. As a result, they often contribute to insomnia and the fatigue that comes with it.
Natural Solutions: Natural recommendations for restless legs syndrome include implementing a consistent bedtime and leg stretches before bed. Caffeine is a known trigger for restless legs syndrome, so it’s best to cut it out of your daily routine. Watch for hidden caffeine in foods and drinks. Try taking a stress-relief bath or shower. Warmth relaxes muscles and helps prevent spasms and twitching. Apply heat or cold to your legs; some people like hot, and some prefer cold—experiment with both to see what works for you. Mild to moderate exercise in the morning or afternoon can reduce restless leg syndrome episodes.
Deep, diaphragmatic mindful breathing is also a good choice. Mindfulness meditation is easy to learn and can reduce stress and inflammation. Just about any meditation that causes relaxation will activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which controls homeostasis (from the Greek words for “same” and “steady,” refers to any process that living things use to actively maintain fairly stable conditions necessary for survival) and manages the “rest and digest” response. Even practicing meditation for a small amount of time every day can reap enormous benefits — benefits that tend to be cumulative.
Also, check for anemia, as those with anemia often have restless legs syndrome. Some medications can cause restless legs syndrome — check with your doctor or pharmacist. A good magnesium-calcium supplement can help RLS. I suggest Calcium-Magnesium, which contains the proper ratio of calcium orotate to magnesium orotate. Lastly, some people find that a weighted blanket provides constant but gentle counterstimulation that overrides the feeling of restless legs.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)
As the name indicates, one of the primary symptoms of CFS is ongoing fatigue (continuous for six months or more) that cannot be attributed to other sources. Other clues pointing to a CFS diagnosis are flu-like symptoms, muscle weakness and pain, and other neurological manifestations. CFS is difficult to diagnose, but even considering this, there are up to 2 million known cases in the United States. It is much more common in women than in men.
Natural Solutions: Because CFS is a chronic condition, there is no one-size-fits-all treatment. However, lifestyle changes can often ease some common causes of fatigue. These lifestyle changes include good sleep habits (limit caffeine, keep your bedroom dark and quiet), relaxation techniques (meditation, deep breathing exercises, yoga, etc.), light exercise, pacing yourself, and eating a balanced, healthy, plant-based diet.
Other illnesses and diseases that can cause fatigue include Addison’s Disease, Allergies, Congestive Heart Failure, Lupus, Tuberculosis, Mononucleosis, and AIDS.
And More About Frequent Causes of Fatigue
Fatigue is a debilitating health condition that can negatively affect your quality of life. It can also wear you down and make you susceptible to other illnesses. Lack of energy robs you of the ability to live a full and rewarding life. If you struggle with fatigue, I recommend you take a hard look at your diet and lifestyle habits. You can remedy most fatigue by making changes in this arena, and you will also be rewarded with many other health benefits to boot.
Finally, fatigue can indicate many possible illnesses or disorders. So if you have tried reducing fatigue through lifestyle changes or eliminating suspect medications and it hasn’t improved, it’s time to schedule a thorough physical with a knowledgeable healthcare provider to rule out an underlying condition.
Be wise and proactive about your health. Prevention is always the easiest way to keep your body healthy. However, knowing what may or may not be going on goes a long way toward reducing fear, stress, and fatigue. Once you have a diagnosis, I suggest finding a natural medicine practitioner or a naturopath to teach you how to support your body’s natural healing mechanisms.
