Fitter & Better, Throw Fatigue into the Gutter

Tiredness with a Dose of Caffeine in Hand Indicates a Serious Problem

Tired & Helpless? Don’t Feel Distressed! Get Fit to Fight Fatigue

Tucked up neatly inside your cozy bedsheet, you feel uninterested to get out of bed. Man, that’s understandable. Who doesn’t fall in love with sleep and rest! We might be so-called Kumbhakarnas who take pleasure lazing around or lying down. When our real hero himself takes a break from his sleep world to engage with food, what about us? Despite lethargy shining as bright as a high-voltage light, it is sure to flicker out sometime. Continuous lethargy for prolonged periods is not a normal trait but comes as red-alert notifications to check our body!

When you experience any of the below, be sure to hop onto your vehicle and take a ride to the physician:
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• Waking up feeling tired despite sleeping ‘like a log’ the previous night
• Lack of interest to engage in activities that you usually enjoy doing
• Recurring periods of exhaustion
• Feeling constantly demotivated to start your day despite various back-to-back plans lined up for the entire day
• Shortness of breath
  
  

Life sucks when you lead it without interest, focus or aim, and any activity done in between this lacks passion and commitment. ‘Fatigue’ is the word to describe such persistent bouts of tiredness and this can affect your health in multiple ways. It comes in your way of concentrating on important things, remembering stuff becomes a major problem and alertness levels are way diminished than normal.

Fatigue could also imply a medical condition indirectly:

• Sleep apnea and an active bladder interrupt peaceful sleep during the night which in turn can make you feel tired during the day. Elderly people and overweight adults are common victims of sleep apnea which is characterized by small pauses in your breathing at times.
• A dull heart that pumps blood with decreased energy does not guarantee sufficient supply of oxygen to the heart and lungs, another common reason why people feel tired.
• Anemia can make a person weak, tired and sluggish due to minimal red blood cells in the blood or decreased hemoglobin levels as energy levels drop drastically in their absence.
• Sometimes, medications such as antihistamines, antidepressants, statins, cold medications and blood pressure drugs can make a person feel tired. This increases as a person grows old as he/she is prone to taking more medications as one ages.
• Certain people constantly feel anxious, stressed or depressed without realizing it. People feel mentally drained out and deprived of energy levels due to exhaustion.
• Some individuals might suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) that leaves the person feeling totally drained out after some physical/mental activity.
• Thyroid problems or pregnancy issues
  
  

Sleep’less’ness or Sleepiness?
Sleepiness is often due to lack of good-quality sleep which might be due to some medical condition such as sleep apnea or restless leg syndrome (a not-so-common illness briefed at www.firsteatright.com). This is a temporary state that vanishes once the person sleeps well. Whereas, chronic fatigue is linked with a medical condition or health problem which disrupts everyday life of a person.

Aim to lash out fatigue with basic home techniques until it a case of chronic one that calls for medical attention:

• Guess why people drink a cup of coffee or tea the first thing in the morning? Its for the kick of caffeine that helps you start your day feeling refreshed and energetic. Take caution to restrict yourself to a little caffeine to boost your physical and mental energy levels. Any quantity that surpasses normal ranges brings its own set of problems with it.
• Get some good-quality sleep. Keep your bedroom cool, dark, comfortable and serene without any distractions from mobiles or smartphones. Undisturbed, deep sleep can help you feel revived the next morning. A small nap in the afternoon for not more than 20-30 minutes can help some people overcome tiredness.
• Avoid eating heavy-calorie food right before going to bed, sugar-laden products or alcoholic beverages. Try consuming plenty of fruits and vegetables.
• Engage yourself in physical activity regularly.

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