eFitnessConnection

 

No more "I'm so tired" - cont.

 

Sleep apnea

This sleep disorder, which can cause cardiovascular damage, is characterized by shallow or stopped breathing during sleep. Sometimes the pauses can last for 10 to 20 seconds or more. Untreated sleep apnea may contribute to cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and stroke.

What the fatigue feels like: You are overly tired during the day and may nod off at inappropriate moments or have a strong urge to nap.

Other symptoms: Loud snoring, morning headaches, heartburn, poor concentration, frequent nighttime urination.

What to do: Ask your primary care doctor to refer you to a sleep specialist. The specialist may order a polysomnography, which is an overnight sleep study at a sleep clinic.

Multiple sclerosis

This chronic, unpredictable autoimmune disease affects the central nervous system and is most commonly diagnosed in adults ages 20 to 50. It affects two to three times as many women as men and about 400,000 Americans.

What the fatigue feels like: Ordinary activities such as doing laundry take so much physical effort that they are exhausting. The fatigue often begins in the morning, even after a good night's sleep, and worsens as the day goes on.

Other symptoms: Difficulty walking, loss of balance, dizziness, numbness and tingling, pain, bladder and bowel dysfunction, vision problems.

What to do: see your primary doctor, who may refer you to a neurologist, preferably one who specializes in MS. Symptoms may come and go, so you might have to see several doctors before you get a definite diagnosis. No single test can identify or rule out MS. However, certain tests may lead your neurologist closer to a diagnosis; they include an MRI scan of the brain and sometimes the spinal cord; evoked potential tests to measure how quickly your nervous system responds to certain types of stimulation; and a spinal tap, which checks spinal fluid for signs of the disease.

 

 

 

Diabetes

Type 1 and type 2 diabetes are diseases in which the body does not effectively use and/or produce insulin, the hormone that prods cells to absorb blood sugar. As a result, sugar builds up in the blood. Cells become energy starved, and over time, high sugar levels can damage eyes, kidneys, and nerves. Other diabetes-related changes can put you at high risk for heart attack and stroke.

What the fatigue feels like: A general tiredness.

Other symptoms: Frequent urination, excessive thirst and hunger, unexplained weight loss, irritability, blurry vision.

What to do: Because symptoms can be subtle or even nonexistent (for type 2 diabetes, the most common form), ask your doctor to check your blood sugar. The preferred test is the fasting plasma glucose (FPG) test, a simple blood draw that measures blood glucose early in the morning after a fast. (An oral glucose tolerance test can also detect diabetes).

Fibromyalgia

It feels like the worst case of flu ever imaginable. The condition afflicts about 3 to 6% of those in the U.S.

What the fatigue feels like: It is as if you were a hit by a truck. When you wake up, you feel like you have not slept. Your body is stiff, and you have little energy to do the simplest tasks.

Other symptoms: Trouble either falling or staying asleep; muscle and joint pain (which may be deep, aching, throbbing, or stabbing); numbness, tingling, and burning; restless legs syndrome; irritable bowel and bladder; headaches and migraines; dry mouth and eyes; and anxiety and depression.

What to do: If you don't want to spend the next decade feeling inexplicably exhausted, start looking for a doctor who is knowledgeable about fibromyalgia. (Many women with this condition live with symptoms for 5 to 7 years before they are diagnosed). Start with your primary care doctor, who may refer you to a rheumatologist (arthritis specialist).

Like CFS, fibromyalgia has an unidentified cause and is a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning that your doctor must rule out all other causes for your fatigue and pain. He will also do a "tender point" exam, checking the sensitivity of 18 specific area on your body. If you have been in chronic pain for at least 3 months and have tenderness in 11 or more areas located near your knees, elbows, butt, and the base of your skull, you probably have fibromyalgia.

Systemic lupus

This disease sends your immune system out of control, attacking your own tissues and cells, causing swelling and pain. In some women, it's a constant. Others have cycles of remissions, when they feel healthy and well, and then relapses, when the disease flares up.

What the fatigue feels like: You usually feel worn out from your body's fight against itself. The inflammation may be one reason for the fatigue, but it could also be the sleep problems or anemia that often goes along with a chronic disease such as lupus.

Other symptoms: Joint and muscle pain, unexplained fever, skin rash on the face, chest pain when breathing deeply, fingers and toes that turn colors in the cold or when stressed, unusual sensitivity to the sun (with 15 minutes of exposure resulting in sunburn, fatigue, or joint pain), swelling in the eyes or legs, swollen glands, recurrent and frequently multiple canker sores.

What to do: If you have three or more of these symptoms, it's probably worth seeing a doctor. You may have to see more than one doctor to get the help you need. While rheumatologists specialize in diseases such as lupus, you may need a nephrologist for kidney problems or a dermatologist for rashes.

 

 

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