Fighting Chronic Fatigue

I'm going to be honest. I don't know a lot about the subject of chronic fatigue.

What I do know is that fatigue is more common than I thought.

There could be several reasons you're experiencing chronic fatigue: hypothyroidism, sickness/disease, over-stimulation, high stress...

With any issue, especially when it comes to health, I like to take a ground up approach. Start with the basics and work your way up. This helps keep things simple. Through this lens, what was once a BIG problem seems more manageable.

We could get deep into thyroid physiology, hormone balance, and brain chemistry, but let's start with the very basic--sleep.

Sound too simple?

Many times the simple answer is the right one. But even if it's not, you won't lose anything by trying.

I would say most people don't even realize they have poor sleep habits. All they know is they feel tired. When I worked nights at the hospital I didn't realize what a zombie I was until I started working days and got back on a normal sleep pattern. It was like a breath of fresh air.

Here are a few things you can try to improve your rest and recovery:

8 Hour Minimum

When time is short and stress is high our rest time is the first thing to go. Cutting back on sleep can easily become a trend that leads to inadequate rest. Your body is able to keep up for a while, but over time everything come crashing down. Fight against this tendency and strive for 8 hours a night.

Exercise

Daily exercise is proven to improve sleep at night. Even if you only have time for a short 15-20 minute walk, it counts.

Cut Back on Caffeine

Coffee and soda is our go-to supplement when we feel fatigue creeping in. There's nothing wrong with coffee in the morning. I drink anywhere from 1-3 cups a day, but around midday I would try to avoid it. Caffeine has a 4 hour half life, which means if you took in 100mg of caffeine at 12pm you'd still have at least 50mg of caffeine in your system at 4pm. 25mg by 8pm and so on. Depending on how sensitive you are, this could significantly affect your sleep.

Stay HydrateD

Did you know mild dehydration is often misperceived to be fatigue? Shoot for at least 72oz of water a day. That's equivalent to 4.5 standard water bottles per day.

Eat a Variety of Veggies

Decrease inflammation by limiting processed foods and filling up on the vegetables. Add plenty of variety and color to ensure you're getting all the vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients your body needs.

Lose Weight

This one may be tough to hear, but don't be discouraged. People who are overweight and obese have an increased probability of an airway obstruction causing sleep apnea and snoring. This leads to fragmented, restless sleep. If this is an issue, let it motivate you to lose a few pounds.

Try Establishing a Bedtime Routine

This can be anything that helps you de-stress and unwind before bed. High stress is one of the biggest sleep killers out there. Here are a few ideas to increase sleep drive:

-light stretching

**WARNING** anything too strenuous will have the opposite effect.

-read

-cup of decaffeinated tea

I recommend tea over decaffeinated coffee because coffee is often associated with morning and being awake. Even decaffeinated coffee could have a placebo effect. You want to associated everything in your bedtime routine with rest and sleep.

-unplug from electronic devices

Avoid the blue lights at night.

-massage

Alright spouses, you really want to know what it means to out-serve your significant other in love and deed? Try giving them a nightly massage. If your spouse objects say its for your health. :P

---

Got any other ideas? Feel free to let me know! I'd love to hear from you.

Also, be sure to subscribe to the mailing list if you enjoyed this post and would like to receive even more content and info.

Rest well!