Has Fatigue Got You Down?

Everybody gets tired. Do you remember the exhilaration you felt after coming in after a day of skiing or an afternoon of soccer? That night, you slept like a log and woke up refreshed and recharged the next morning.

In our post-industrial, proto-consumerist, brave new world, though, the tendency to exceed the limits of our bodies, for work or fun, is extreme. The exhaustion at the end of the day is not at all exhilarating; it is continuous and debilitating.

Too many Monday mornings find us unwilling to climb from beneath the covers to face the tasks ahead. However, there is more to fatigue than just a lack of rest. Mainstream and alternative health care practitioners are identifying a growing number of patients with "fatigue" syndromes.

Many people suffer from continuous feelings of exhaustion and pain as a result of doing nothing more than waking up. They may be victims of:

chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)
fibromyalgia
mitochondrial disease.

If you believe you may be suffering from one of these illnesses, it's important that you see a doctor as soon as possible. While fatigue is common enough, these illnesses may result in other health complications.

If you're healthy but just tired, you may want to alter your lifestyle. Sleeping eight hours a day, eating right and exercise will all help you relax and get the rest your body so desperately needs.

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