Persistent fatigue, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome, affects millions of people worldwide. Those in their 40s to 50s seem more susceptible to it and women tend to be diagnosed with it more than men.
- What are the symptoms of persistent fatigue?
For starters, you’re usually not in the mood to do anything. Even the smallest activities seem to require Herculean effort on your part. You may find that you’re depressed and always feeling down.
What used to interest you before no longer does. Your life seems to have come to a standstill because you don’t wish to do anything besides sit or lie down.
Even if you do go to work, you find yourself dragging your feet and going through the motions with zero interest or passion for what you’re doing.
Persistent fatigue can manifest itself as physical symptoms too. You may have poor quality sleep, sore throat, inflammation, headaches, etc.
- What you need to do
This is a tricky condition to address because there is no medication or screening test to tell you what’s wrong. Your fatigue could be caused by a viral infection, hormonal imbalances, or some other underlying health issue.
The first step to fixing this problem will be to overhaul your entire life. Now, that may seem like too much to do, especially when you’re already exhausted – but we’re going to take this slowly.
Spend 10 to 20 minutes in the sun daily. Vitamin D deficiency has been known to cause fatigue without you even realizing it. If you live in a country with not much sunlight, do consume a vitamin D supplement.
The second step is to move more. Chronic fatigue doesn’t go away with more exercise… but a daily walk is extremely beneficial because it gets the heart pumping and it’s not too strenuous.
You may be extremely reluctant to exercise because you feel like you just don’t have the energy for it. Nevertheless, you should aim to walk for just 5 to 10 minutes initially. Usually, once you get started, you’ll be able to walk for 20 to 30 minutes.
