MayoClinic.com reprints
This single copy is for your personal, noncommercial use only. For permission to reprint multiple copies or to order presentation-ready copies for distribution, use the reprints link below.
· Order reprints of this article now.
Fatigue
By Mayo Clinic staffOriginal Article: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fatigue/MY00120
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Definition
Nearly everyone struggles with being overtired or overworked from time to time. Such instances of temporary fatigue usually have an identifiable cause and a likely remedy.
Chronic fatigue, on the other hand, lasts longer and is more profound. It's a nearly constant state of weariness that develops over time and diminishes your energy and mental capacity. Fatigue at this level impacts your emotional and psychological well-being, too.
Fatigue isn't the same thing as sleepiness, although it's often accompanied by a desire to sleep — and a lack of motivation to do anything else.
In some cases, fatigue is a symptom of an underlying medical problem that requires medical treatment. Most of the time, however, fatigue can be traced to one or more of your habits or routines. Chances are you know what's causing your fatigue. And with a few simple lifestyle changes, it's likely that you have the power to put the vitality back in your life.
Causes
Taking a quick inventory of the things that might be responsible for your fatigue is the first step toward relief. In general, most cases of fatigue may be attributed to three areas: lifestyle factors, psychological problems or medical conditions.
Lifestyle factors
Feelings of fatigue often have an obvious cause, such as:
- Alcohol use or abuse
- Caffeine use
- Excessive physical activity
- Inactivity
- Lack of sleep
- Medications, such as antihistamines, cough and cold remedies, prescription pain medications, heart medications, blood pressure medications, and some antidepressants
- Unhealthy eating habits
Psychological problems
Fatigue is a common symptom of mental health problems, such as:
- Anxiety
- Depression (major depression)
- Grief
- Stress
Medical conditions
Unrelenting exhaustion may be a sign of a medical condition or underlying illness, such as:
- Acute liver failure
- Anemia
- Cancer
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Chronic kidney failure
- COPD
- Emphysema
- Heart disease
- Hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid)
- Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid)
- Medications, such as prescription pain medications, heart medications, blood pressure medications and some antidepressants
- Obesity
- Pregnancy
- Recovery from major surgery
- Restless legs syndrome
- Sleep apnea
- Type 1 diabetes
- Type 2 diabetes
When to see a doctor
Once you face your fatigue head-on, you'll find that making small lifestyle changes or treating an underlying medical condition will go a long way toward giving you back your get-up-and-go.
Schedule a doctor's visit
Call for an appointment with your doctor if your fatigue has persisted for two or more weeks despite making an effort to rest, reduce stress, eat right and drink plenty of fluids.
Seek immediate medical attention
Get someone to take you to an emergency room or urgent care if fatigue is accompanied by:
- Abnormal bleeding, including bleeding from your rectum or vomiting blood
- Unexplained weight loss or gain
- Severe abdominal, pelvic or back pain
- Severe headache
Call 911 or your local emergency medical service
Get emergency help if your fatigue is related to a mental health problem and your symptoms also include:
- Thoughts of harming yourself or of suicide
- Concern that you may harm someone else
Also get emergency care if your fatigue is accompanied by any of the following:
- Chest pain
- Shortness of breath
- Irregular or fast heartbeat
- Feeling that you might pass out
- LeGrand SB. Fatigue. In: Walsh D, et al. Palliative Medicine. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/205836455-3/0/2038/166.html?tocnode=57251146&fromURL=166.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05674-8..50165-1_2909. Accessed June 15, 2010.
- Gonzales R, et al. Common symptoms. In: McPhee SJ, et al. Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2010. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2010. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=193. Accessed June 15, 2010.
- Rosenthal TC, et al. Fatigue: An overview. American Family Physician. 2008;78:1173.
- LeBlond RF, et al. Non-regional systems and diseases. In: LeBlond RF, et al. DeGowin's Diagnostic Examination. 9th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2009. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=3659313. Accessed June 15, 2010.
- Fosnocht KM, et al. Approach to the adult patient with fatigue. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed June 16, 2010.
Find Mayo Clinic on