Are You Fatigued or Just Tired? Why This Crucial Difference Matters for Your Health

By Dr. Trina Ting

As the days get shorter over the next few months and summer draws to an end, you might notice your energy levels waning. Everyone gets tired from time to time, but the definition of tiredness is that it’s a temporary state of loss of energy. Fatigue is more persistent, making it hard for you to function on a daily basis, and it doesn’t seem to be relieved by rest.

Fatigue can go along with a variety of other symptoms such as:

Anxiety

Difficulty concentrating

Depression

Muscle aches, pains and/or weakness

What causes fatigue?

It can be from many things, from medical conditions, to medications, to lifestyle habits and current events in your life.

When we discuss the causes of fatigue as chiropractors with our patients, we will also recommend you go to your family doctor for basic bloodwork and other lab tests, which will rule out medical causes of fatigue. There are dozens of conditions in which fatigue is a symptoms, but the major categories to consider are:

Mental Health Illnesses – Depression, anxiety, PTSD can all take a toll on your brain.

Viral Infections – Mono, shingles, pneumonia and COVID are some examples. Your immune system requires a lot of energy to fight off viruses, and so this can result in fatigue.

Heart and Lung Issues – Any medical issues with your heart and lungs will naturally result in fatigue, as these organs are responsible for the intake of oxygen and pumping blood properly throughout the body. Without a properly functioning heart and lung, it’s very difficult to have energy to do anything.

Autoimmune disorders – Any illness where the body attacks itself usually comes with fatigue and lack of energy. Eg. Rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Type 1 Diabetes. Managing these conditions can help.

Deficiencies – Vitamin and iron deficiencies can result in lacking the proper micronutrients your body needs to function at full capacity.

Weight – being under or overweight can be wearing on the body’s cellular processes

Hormonal Imbalances – Thyroid conditions, for example, can result in low energy.

Once medical causes have been addressed, much can be done in terms of improving lifestyle habits. The major habits that can add to fatigue:

Poor Sleep Habits – If not related to medical insomnia or sleep apnea, staying up late and getting less than 7 hours a night can contribute to the issue

Alcohol Intake – A glass of wine before bed might relax you and depress your central nervous system enough to fall asleep, but because alcohol is a depressant, your brain starts naturally producing stimulant neurochemicals to counteract it. Those stimulating neurochemicals start being produced in the middle of the night, causing you to sleep poorly.

Medication/ Drug Intake – Certain prescription drugs can add to fatigue, but using drugs such as cannabis or other recreational drugs can alter brain chemistry, creating an imbalance that is very taxing for your brain.

Eating a Less than Optimal Diet – We all know that our body runs on the food we put into it: it’s wise to fill our tanks with whole foods filled with a variety of fruits, vegetables, and protein, as well as minimizing the sugar and caffeine we take in. 

Inactivity – Not being active, ironically, makes us more tired. Our body adapts very quickly to what we do with it. If you are very sedentary, getting up and doing daily tasks will feel like a big chore to you and your body will not produce enough energy to keep up before long.

Not Taking Care of Your Muscles Aches and Pains – Not addressing chronic pain puts long-term stress on your brain, and results in tiredness and eventually fatigue.

Fatigue is a serious health concern that should be addressed by all of the health professionals in your life. When we assess chiropractic patients for the first time, we often ask about how their symptoms affect their energy levels. If we can get rid of the muscle, spinal or nerve pain that is contributing to your lack of energy, that is a significant start in addressing the fatigue.