Carole has a debilitating health problem that she shares with countless others: She’s tired all the time.
The 48-year-old lives a busy life. Alongside her job as a teacher, she has three kids, one of whom has learning difficulties, and helps care for her elderly mother.
It’s perhaps not surprising that Carole would be somewhat run down. However, the tiredness Carole is experiencing, she explains to me at my busy north London GP surgery, is all-encompassing.
Every morning, Carole struggles to get out of bed. Throughout the day, she feels her eyelids drooping, relying on coffee and tea to keep her awake. By the evening, she barely has the energy to play with her children, let alone do anything for herself like exercise.
Carole has felt this way for some time now and it’s only as a last resort that she’s made an appointment. ‘It doesn’t seem like something it’s worth bothering a doctor about,’ she explains, when I ask why she hasn’t come to see me sooner.
She is far from alone. Research shows that as many as seven in every 100 patients complain to their family doctor that they are ‘tired all the time’ – making it the most common symptom we see.
Many patients, like Carole, put off seeking help because they put the symptom down to the rigours of every day life. However, what patients don’t realise is that, often, there is an underlying medical condition to blame for their fatigue.
And, in some cases, something as simple as a 40p supplement can help lift the tiredness in a matter of weeks.
Seven in every 100 patients complain to their family doctor that they are ‘tired all the time’ – making it the most common symptom GPs see.
Carole was one of these occasions. Once she has explained her symptoms, I begin by asking her questions about her overall health. I quickly spot what could be the cause of her tiredness.
She explains that, in the past year, her periods have started coming more frequently – going from every 28 days to around every 23.
And, while Carole expected her periods would get lighter as she got closer to the menopause, the opposite has occurred. They are getting longer and heavier.
I decide to offer her a blood test and the results, which come back a week later, reveal exactly what I expected: Carole has anaemia. The condition is caused by a lack of iron in the blood, a crucial nutrient which helps the body transport oxygen to the organs.
The most common symptoms include shortness of breath, heart palpitations, pale skin, headaches and, yes, tiredness.
And while there are a number of causes of anaemia, including infections, kidney disease and cancer, the two most common are pregnancy and heavy periods – which is why anaemia is more common in women.
The good news for Carole is that anaemia is usually easily-treated. I started her on an iron supplement, and advised she take vitamin C tablets, available over-the-counter, which help the body absorb more iron.
I also recommended treating her heavy periods, and she chose to get a hormone coil – a birth control device inserted into the womb that stops ovulation.
Dr Kaye: ‘What patients don’t realise is that, often, there is an underlying medical condition to blame for their fatigue.’
At first, Carole did not notice much difference. But several months later, she returned to tell that her fatigue had begun to improve. She was no longer worried about nodding off during the day. She had energy in the evening which previously wasn’t there.
And while the fatigue hadn’t completely lifted (more on this later), it was still an astonishing turnaround.
Of course, anaemia isn’t the only condition that causes tiredness.
Vitamin D deficiency – which affects around one in six adults – is also a common trigger of fatigue, and it also can be diagnosed using a simple blood test.
And, like anaemia, treatment is fairly straightforward, usually involving nothing more than a regular vitamin D tablet.
Hormone issues can also be behind the problem. Hypothyroidism, a condition where the body does not produce enough of the hormone thyroxine. This is made in the thyroid gland in the neck.
Patients often also experience weight gain, constipation, feeling cold all the time, low mood and dry skin. Thankfully, hypothyroidism can be effectively treated using daily thyroxine tablets, which a GP can prescribe.
Another hormonal issue that can lead to tiredness is the menopause. The menopause occurs when levels of the female sex hormone oestrogen fall during middle age. Fatigue is one of the common symptoms, along with insomnia, hot flushes, and night sweats.
The two most common causes of anaemia are pregnancy and heavy periods – which is why the condition is more common in women.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) tends to help improve all these issues, including fatigue, and is typically taken either via a skin patch or tablets.
However, not all causes of fatigue are so easily diagnosed and treated.
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), a debilitating problem that leads to tiredness and muscle weakness, typically occurs following a viral infection. There is no test for CFS and there are no effective medicines.
However, the fatigue that CFS patients experience is far more severe than those who complain of being tired all the time. CFS patients are often confined to bed and unable to exercise.
In contrast, people who feel tired all the time – regardless of the cause – often benefit from physical activity and exercise.
It may sound counterintuitive, but research shows regular exercise boosts energy levels.
This does not mean that you have to start training for a marathon. Instead, focus on moving your body as much as you can, working towards at least the recommended 150 minutes per week.
That equates to 30 minutes five times a week of moderate intensity exercise – such as a vigorous walk. Patients are often surprised just how much exercise can boost their energy levels.
This was certainly the case for Carole. When her fatigue symptoms stopped improving, I suggested she take on an exercise routine. Exercise is also highly effective at reducing stress – something Carole also needed badly due to her family commitments.
Carole told me that she felt most comfortable doing brisk walks, usually in the evening. So I recommended that she tried to do 30-minute walking sessions five times a week.
And, within a few weeks, Carole reported she had begun to notice a steady increase in her energy levels.
This, combined with the changes we had already made to combat her anaemia, made a significant difference to her quality of life.
It’s also important that patients, regardless of the severity of their fatigue symptoms, consider their sleep hygiene – the term doctors use to describe the environment that patients sleep in.
This is because the best way to combat fatigue is to have a good night’s sleep.
Studies show that patients sleep best in dark, quiet and cool rooms. For this reason, patients often find that purchasing black-out blinds, which stop sunlight getting in, and a fan or air-conditioning unit, to cool the room, help them sleep better and lessen their fatigue.
Likewise, going to sleep and waking up at approximately the same time each night is also proven to boost quality of sleep.
While some patients, like Carole, may benefit from a daily supplement, this almost always needs to be combined with other measures, like exercise and good sleep hygiene.
The good news is that, while millions of patients suffer from fatigue, many also recover, when they take the right steps.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .