Fatigue

What is Insomnia?

Insomnia is one of the anxiety symptoms which are common in various kinds of psychiatric, medical and sleep disorders. Insomnia is characterized by symptoms like continuous difficulty in sleeping or staying asleep even in the most suitable environment.

On the other hand, while awake, anxiety symptoms of Insomnia feature serious functional impairment. Irrespective of nature and kind, both non-organic and organic insomnia constitute the common factor of continual and discomforting sleep disorder.

According to research conducted by the United States Department of Health and Human Services in 2007, it was found that as many as 64 million Americans either suffer or are diagnosed with Insomnia every year. Moreover, Insomnia and the associated anxiety symptoms are a lot more common in women than men in general.

Kinds of Insomnia…

Insomnia, other than sleep disorder also characterizes anxiety and depression. Insomnia exists in several variant forms depending upon the degree and extent of the disorder and the anxiety symptoms. Nonetheless, three basic kinds of Insomnia are identified at large by physicians. These are,

• Transient Insomnia: Transient insomnia is the most common and lasts for numerous days or weeks at a stretch. Some of the other potential factors that may cause transient insomnia are drastic changes in the sleeping environment, some other physical or psychological disorders, changes in sleep timings, severe anxiety and depression, stress, etc.

The common consequences of transient insomnia are impairment of various psychomotor activities along with continued sleepiness due to regular deprivation of sound sleep and solid rest.

• Acute Insomnia: Acute insomnia characterizes a complete inability to sleep at all, let alone a consistent amount of sleep regularly. These anxiety symptoms may continue for a prolonged period extending over three weeks to six months at a stretch.
• Chronic Insomnia: Chronic insomnia is one of the worst kinds of insomnia and may continue to last for years at a stretch. Chronic insomnia is often the result of another physical or mental disorder or maybe a primary disorder in itself. Anxiety symptoms that cause chronic insomnia are hallucinations, muscular fatigue, mental fatigue, and continued sleepiness. On the other hand, individuals suffering from chronic insomnia may also show symptoms of an increased amount of alertness. Often people suffering from chronic insomnia may envision scenes where things seem to happen in slow motion and moving objects appear as if blended. Chronic insomnia also tends to cause double vision.

Insomnia Treatment: How to treat Insomnia naturally?

As far as Insomnia Treatment is concerned, the most important aspect is to practice certain good sleeping habits which can play an instrumental role in dealing with anxiety insomnia and the related anxiety symptoms.

Here is a list of some of the good sleeping habits that you need to practice to ensure the reduction of the anxiety symptoms associated with Insomnia. Take a look,

• In case you have the habit of taking afternoon naps, see to it that they are not more than an hour long.
• To do away with Insomnia one very effective way can be to exercise regularly. This is also an effective way of treating depression.
• For effective insomnia treatment, the bed should not be used for any other purposes other than sleeping.
• Patients suffering from insomnia should avoid the consumption of coffee, alcohol, tea or smoking at night which may hinder sleep.
• For effectual insomnia treatment, one should never go to bed hungry, a proper meal at night is more than necessary.
• One should never take sleeping pills if not suggested by the doctor. Sleeping pills are often dangerous and can have grave side effects rather than focusing on insomnia treatment. Moreover, sleeping pills tend to lose their effect only within a few weeks of use which can lead to further loss of sleep, anxiety and depression.
• Finally, before going to sleep one needs to relax or meditate for at least an hour which helps in sleeping.

Corresponding treatments and medicines for fighting anxiety insomnia and treating depression

Within the corpus of Insomnia treatment, hypnotherapy and various relaxation techniques tend to work well. Research conducted with insomnia sufferers did reveal the positive advantages of these insomnia treatment methods. Hence most doctors these days suggest their insomniac patients learn relaxation techniques for sleep improvement rather than taking medicines.

On the other hand, there are several herbal cures available as well that lend a helping hand in natural depression treatment and doing away with insomnia.

One such element is Chamomile which can be used for insomnia treatment as it has huge relaxing capabilities. Doctors suggest patients take a cup of Chamomile before going to bed as it has huge effects on the anxiety and depression caused due to insomnia.

Some of the other effective herbs that also help in insomnia treatment are valerian and hops which bring about a calmness in the nerves and help treat depression that accompanies insomnia. For cases of mild to moderate insomnia, intake of herbal tea can prove to be very effective.

Aromatherapy is also an effective method that contributes positively to insomnia treatment. The use of lavender oil can bring about a serene and calm effect, it is also a sedative that helps deal with anxiety and depression. So patients suffering from insomnia can add a few drops of lavender oil to the water before bathing or take a lavender oil massage for relief from insomnia. But no matter what, for effective insomnia treatment people should always consult a doctor first who will be able to guide a proper process for treating depression.

Fatigue is dangerous as the statistics say that 20% of road accidents take place because the person who is driving is fatigued. Furthermore, approximately 20% of Americans complain that fatigue hinders their normal life.

What exactly is fatigue?

Fatigue makes an individual feel extremely tired or weak which makes it difficult for an individual to do daily activities. It is a feeling of lack of energy that hugely affects one’s daily life hindering the completion of normal tasks.

Fatigue is a symptom that affects different individuals in different kinds of ways giving rise to conditions that hugely differ from one person to another. Some people under the effects of chronic fatigue may feel immensely tired. The only thing that they do in such situations of fatigue is sleep a lot. Often fatigue may be accompanied by body pain and also initiate a feeling of defeat making people think as if they have lost control over their lives.

Are you suffering from severe fatigue?

Severe fatigue or chronic fatigue which is also medically termed CFS is a situation of long-drawn fatigue. Continued fatigue often surfaces with other related symptoms apart from tiredness, such as

• Persistent sore throats
• Muscle pain
• Pain in the joints all over the body
• Soft lymph nodes
• New and unknown kinds of headaches
• Impaired memory
• Loss of concentration

What are the causes of severe fatigue/chronic fatigue?

Severe physical fatigue may be the result of a prolonged day at work characterised by stress, immense hard work and a hectic schedule with a strict deadline.

On the other hand, a lot different from physical fatigue is emotional fatigue which is often a lot more serious and chronic. Emotional fatigue more often than not surfaces at its apex early in the morning and as the day progresses the level of fatigue continues to reduce with a reduction in the feeling of tiredness.

Some significant factors that cause physical fatigue are:

• In case an individual is unable to get an ample amount of sleep then suffering from fatigue is a common situation.
• Individuals suffering from chronic health problems are more prone to feel tired and experience severe fatigue.
• Lack of enough physical exercise and an unhealthy physical condition often result in chronic fatigue.
• Obesity is yet another immensely significant cause that not only gives rise to chronic fatigue but also makes individuals feel acutely tired hindering their overall performance and day-to-day activity.
• Certain over-the-counter medicines may often lead to severe fatigue as a potential side effect of the drugs. These include some of the commonly prescribed drugs for blood pressure and antihistamines as well.
• There are a few other causes as well that may also be responsible for causing stress and fatigue. These involve extreme temperature conditions, having to wait for long hours and immense traffic as well which give rise to a tired feeling.

What causes emotional fatigue?

There are particular causes responsible for giving rise to emotional fatigue as well. These are:

• More than anything else, anxiety and depression are two of the most acutely responsible factors that lead to emotional fatigue.
• Often individuals try to extend their abilities and capacities to a level beyond the extent that they can manage to achieve. This can often lead to failure which initiates fatigue.
• Hiding one’s emotions is another potential factor that causes chronic fatigue of the emotional kind making the individual feel tired regularly.
• In case there is a huge life change taking place, individuals may start feeling tired and suffer from fatigue.
• In the contemporary age, given the tight work schedules and strict deadlines, workplace stress is one of the key factors that result in chronic fatigue of an emotional nature.

Some of the effective ways of killing chronic fatigue/severe fatigue

While treating severe fatigue or chronic fatigue, doctors proceed with their treatment in a way as if they were real-life detectives. The doctors try to find out as many details and information as possible about the fatigue symptoms that a patient is experiencing. They also refer to their entire medical history to trace any such potential prior illness that may be the reason for the present symptoms of fatigue. This is necessary as such an approach helps to gain a sound knowledge of various possibilities that may be responsible and would be necessary for further exploration.

Often physicians uncover prior situations when the individual has been suffering from physical conditions like depression, anemia, diabetes or thyroid imbalance all of which are potent enough to lead to both severe fatigue and chronic fatigue in case they re-surface.

When there are no prior sources found, and then the doctor may suggest the fatigued patient follow a few steps. Here’s a list of some of the possible steps that he may suggest for reducing fatigue,

• Gradual and daily exercise to do away with the tired feeling and fatigue
• Start practicing meditation and deep breathing which are effective techniques that aim at doing away with stress and fatigue.
• Practice healthy eating and sleeping habits for increasing metabolism which will help reduce fatigue.

A good night’s sleep is essential to keep your life running normally. It is the key to a more fulfilled and peaceful life. Those who do not get the right amount of sleep often feel restless, and irritable and they are more prone to fall sick. Getting 8 to 9 hours of sleep every day not only helps you to lead a healthy life but it also improves your immunity system and digestive system. Even researches show that sleep increases the lifespan of a person. While a person is sleeping many of our major organs and regulatory systems carry out their activities radically or in other words our body gains back the lost energy that is used up in our mundane activities.

Improper sleep not only makes your body feel sluggish but it also results in weight gain, poor concentration, weak digestive system. Sleep is the time when the brain recharges itself due to the daily wear and tear it faces. While you sleep, the brain gets the chance to recognize things, find answers, process new information, and organize itself for later. Sleeping also gives rest to the heart and lungs. It helps the body to repair muscles and tissues and replace chemicals. It has a curing effect which recharges and rejuvenates your body. When you sleep, you are conserving energy in your body which keeps you up for the entire day.

Sleeplessness can make you feel wobbly, muzzy and a bit slow. This would slow down your daily routine and you won’t be able to work at the same pace. If this habit of sleeplessness becomes chronic, even more problems queue at your doorstep. Eventually, you will feel that all your hard work is going nowhere and your ability to perform is diminishing day by day. Frequent mood swings, sluggishness, forgetfulness, and lack of concentration will all hover over you. This is not it; all these symptoms will finally land you in severe depression.

There’s no need to panic for all this, just follow the simple tips to improve your sleep:

• The first and foremost thing to have a good sleep is to shun off all your worries. Do not let any of those bad thoughts come to your mind. Free yourself from all the tensions and stress.
• Take a warm bath before you go to sleep, this will make you feel good.
• Do not take any medicines before going to bed. Taking any medicines or alcohol will only worsen your sleep.
• Exercise regularly to have a good sleep. Also, indulge in any sort of physical activity so that your body gets some workout.
• Do not involved in any physical activities just before going to bed. This would only hamper your sleep.
• Use dim lights in your bedroom, bright lights only affect your mood.
• Do not drink tea or coffee before going to bed. Coffee contains caffeine which disrupts your sleep.
• Cut out the habit of nighttime snacking as the digestion process remains on, forcing your body to stay awake.
• You can try some aroma therapy before going to bed.
• Eliminate the habit of sleeping during the daytime.

Just try out these simple yet helpful tricks to counter your problem of sleeplessness. If the problem persists, then it’s time to consult a doctor.

Do you feel low on energy and are constantly haunted by a feeling of tiredness? If yes, you may be suffering from fatigue. Fatigue is a very common problem suffered by people of all age groups. This is a state of tiredness with feelings of weariness and low energy and is often aggravated by overwork, medications, physical illness and stress. Apathy and drowsiness are the result of fatigue. If fatigue is not relieved with good nutrition, a low stressful environment and adequate sleep, a doctor should be consulted to find out the reason. Observing the pattern of your fatigue can help find out the fundamental cause for the same.

There is a plethora of psychological and physical causes for fatigue. Some of the most commonly known causes include allergies causing asthma or hay fever, depression, anaemia, sleep disorder, persistent pain, thyroid, and use of drugs and alcohol. Fatigue may also be accompanied by a lot of other problems like anorexia, heart failure, infection, parasites, tuberculosis, malnutrition and AIDS. Many medicines are also responsible for fatigue like medicine for blood pressure, steroids, sleeping pills and diuretics.

A person who suffers from fatigue shows different symptoms including energy deficit, weakness, palpitations, vertigo, breathlessness and dizziness. Different lifestyles, disorders and diseases can also contribute to the feeling of fatigue. Generally, the traditional treatment line on lifestyle and dietary changes can help you fight fatigue. Temporary use of caffeine assists in making a person watchful, enhances coordination, and lessens drowsiness while stimulating the nervous system of the person. However, it should be used very carefully as excessive use can result in insomnia.

Lifestyle changes for treating fatigue include breathing exercises, herbal therapies, color therapy and dietary changes that demand the person to take food that is nutritious enough to improve overall well-being and energy supply. Taking up to 12 glasses of water lends a hand in dealing with fatigue as dehydration can trigger it. A restful and calm sleeping environment can help the person have the needed sleep. For motivating the nervous system and lessening fatigue; hydrotherapists and aromatherapists offer efficient oils that can be massaged and added in water for relaxation of body and mind.

Herbal remedies are also used for alleviating fatigue. Such medications act as circulatory stimulants. You can get in touch with an herbalist that can tell you different combinations of herbs to treat fatigue instantly. Fatigue is not a grave problem but continuous fatigue can lead to many serious illnesses. One should take preventative measures in the beginning to control fatigue without any hassles.