What causes fatigue?

Fatigue is caused by a range of different factors. It is usually not just one factor but a combination of factors that will explain someone's fatigue. Being able to characterise the symptoms will enable you to identify the underlying cause/s of your fatigue and take action to increase your fatigue resistance. The Fatigue Cause Model…

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Mood and sleep

It’s no surprise that sleep, or a lack of sleep, affects our mood. One sleepless night will cause most people to be more irritable, short-tempered and stressed. After a good……

Food quality & fatigue

You are what you repeatedly eat! The food that you eat provides the fuel for your body to do everything it needs to do, every second, of every single day.……

Meal type and fatigue

It is often promoted that foods high in carbohydrate make you drowsy because they increase the uptake of the amino acid tryptophan by the brain. Tryptophan is a chemical that……

Sleep medication

Sleeping medication may be helpful to overcome short term needs or significant life events, such as grief or high stress events. Sleeping medication can be used to improve sleep quantity……

Sleep debt

Sleep debt is the cumulative effect of not getting enough sleep. Two kinds of sleep debt have been proposed: 1) partial sleep deprivation; or 2) total sleep deprivation. Partial sleep……

What is fatigue?

Fatigue is not a condition, but rather a symptom of many different situations, illnesses or conditions and can be defined quite simply as a feeling of weariness, tiredness, or lack……

Dreaming

There are many theories about dreams including how they occur and what they may mean, if anything. Dreams may not serve any purpose at all and may be merely a……

Getting enough exercise

We’ve talked about all the benefits of physical activity, but how do we know your fitness is causing you to lack energy and feel fatigued? Ask yourself these questions: Do……

Energy requirements & fatigue

Eating too much food will provide more energy than we need for metabolic and activity needs, leaving the extra energy stores as body fat (weight). The greater your body weight,……

Mental illness. Causes and treatments

Causes of mood disorders The cause of stress, anxiety or depression is often difficult to determine and is usually a combination of social, situational and personal factors. Social factors may……