Why am I tired a lot? Five Reasons here

We can all experience tiredness at times, which can obviously be relived by sleep or rest. Sometimes, this can be fatigue - this is when tiredness ca n feel overwhelming and is not relieved by sleep or rest.

Either way, it could be an actual health condition causing your symptoms. Let's look at a few:


Anaemia
This is a condition in which there is a deficiency of red cells or of haemoglobin in the blood. It can result in weariness

Women with heavy periods and pregnant women are especially probe to anaemia. But it can also affect men and postmenopausal women, when the cause is more likely to be problems with the stomach and intestines, such as an ulcer.
Typically you feel you cannot be bothered to do anything, your muscles feel heavy, and you get tired very quickly. It's possible to have too much iron.

Sleep Apnoea
This is a condition where your throat narrows or closes during sleep and repeatedly interrupts your breathing.  This results in loud snoring and a drop in your blood's oxygen levels. The difficulty in breathing means you wake up often in the night and feel exhausted the next day. It is most common in overweight middle-aged men. Drinking alcohol and smoking makes it worse.
(Lazza - typing this - has just realised this could be affecting him - and will take action. In fact i have just smiled as I had not read the "overweight middle-aged men" part till now - but recognised myself entirely)

Under-active Thyroid
This is a condition where your thyroid gland does not produce enough hormones. A common sign of this is weight gain, feeling depressed and tiredness.
It can be treated by taking daily hormone tablets to replace the hormones not being produced. There is no way of preventing an under-active thyroid. Most cases are caused by the immune system attacking the thyroid gland and damaging it.

Coeliac disease
This is a lifelong disease caused by the immune system reacting to gluten. Gluten is a protein found in break, cakes and cereals.
One in one hundred people in the UK are affected, but research suggests many of them do not know that have the condition.
Other symptoms, apart from tiredness, are diarrhoea, bloating, anaemia and weight loss. A simple blood test can check for the disease.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ((CFS) is a long-term illness with a wide range of symptoms, the most common being extreme tiredness.

CFS is also known as ME, which stands for myalgic encephalomyelitis. It can affect anyone, including children, although it is most common in women aged mid-20s to mid-40s.

In addition to tiredness, people with CFS/ME may have symptoms including:

• sleep problems
• muscle or join pain
• headaches
• sore throat or glands
• problems focusing, thinking, remembering or with concentration
• irregular heartbeats
• nauseous

Treatments include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), a structured exercise program, and/or medication to help control pain, nausea and sleeping issues.

Most people get better over time, although some do not make a full recovery.

HMHB says: Naturally, if you have any concerns over your health seek medical advice.