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Daytime Fatigue

Six things you can do to help overcome it

If you've uttered the words "I'm too tired to..." in the past year or so, you are not alone. Some 500 million Americans see the doctor each year complaining of general fatigue. As a matter of fact, fatigue is the next most common complaint after colds and flu.

Why are you so tired? For one thing, your body wasn't designed for today's 24-hour-a-day culture. Human beings were built to hunt during the day, sleep at night and stay close to home. Now you work odd hours, fly between time zones, and stay up long after the sun has gone down. If you're a headache sufferer, you are really caught in a bind. Frequent headaches may leave you tired. What's more, the same things that trigger headaches also contribute to recurring fatigue.

There is no single cause of fatigue. According to Dr. Ronald Hoffman, a New York-based physician, author and expert on fatigue, a variety of factors may be at work. The first step to conquering your fatigue is to believe that you can. Then find out the causes of your fatigue and eliminate them.

Here are 6 facts that Dr. Hoffman says you can use to beat fatigue.

Energy creates energy. The body has a funny kind of economy. Energy is not like a bank account where the more you take out, the less you have. With energy, when you make a withdrawal, the balance may increase. People are energized by activity. It improves circulation and raises the metabolism.
Fatigue is not an unavoidable by-product of aging. It is not inevitable that you will become less energetic as you get older.
Resting up can make you feel more exhausted. People think that conserving energy will cure their fatigue. But it often makes it worse. When you're tired, sleep isn't always the remedy. Dr. Hoffman warns that people can become "sleep intoxicated" if they get too much.
Stimulants aren't the answer. Stimulants may provide a short-term boost, but over time they can leave you wired but tired. The stimulating effect of smoking, for example, is followed by a let-down which prompts the need for another cigarette. The resulting stress/fatigue cycle can be tiring.
Fatigue due to alcohol consumption is also common. A nightcap may help you get to sleep, but drinking late at night produces troubled, fragmented sleep.
Fatigue can be contagious. It's like being in the room when someone yawns.

Discovering the sources of your fatigue may be a lengthy process. Here are 5 things you can do to help now:

Do some simple exercises. Even if you work all day, you can perform some simple stretches or take a walk around the block. If you're in a car, you can do isometric exercises—squeeze the wheel or contract and relax your shoulders to start the blood pumping.
Get some sun. Sunlight is very reviving. Indoor lighting, no matter how bright, doesn't have the same effect. Even on a cloudy day, you get more light outside than inside. If you can only grab a few minutes outside, try skipping the sunglasses for maximum effect.
Eat less. Dr. Hoffman recommends eating lightly. "Frequent small meals are more energizing," he says. "Also, eat less sugar. That quick high followed by a quick drop can leave you tired."
Try meditation or another form of relaxation. This can be better than sleep for recharging your battery. Some people toss and turn all night and wake up exhausted. Deep relaxation works better to relieve fatigue. (See article on Deep Relaxation)
Take a nap. For some people, a short (no more than 30-minute) nap can actually leave you refreshed and increase your alertness. Keep in mind, however, that others find naps upset their sleep cycle.

Finally...fatigue is not always bad. Like hunger, which signals that your body needs food, fatigue is a signal to slow down, rest and recharge. If your fatigue is severe enough to prompt a doctor visit, prepare for it by compiling a fatigue history (e.g., when it comes on, what factors are present, what you're eating, how much or little you're sleeping, etc.) Remember, fatigue is complex. The more information you can give your doctor, the better advice you're likely to receive.

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