Fatigue is an ongoing concern that affects millions, and yet there are few reliable treatments for it, and worse yet, no agreed-upon way of diagnosing it. Where does plain tiredness end and fatigue begin?
An article in yesterday’s Washington Post examined the issue of fatigue:
In this era of burning candles at both ends (whoever works the longest hours wins), with stops only for caregiving and a few stolen winks, most everyone gets tired now and then. Sometimes all you need to recover is a solid night’s sleep or an actual vacation, sans BlackBerry. But in some instances, tiredness moves to the next realm and becomes the soul-sucking, energy-draining condition called fatigue.
[...]
DeLuca notes doctors have no concrete way to assess a patient’s fatigue. “It’s totally nonscientific. A clinician asks the question ‘Are you fatigued? Is it mild, moderate or severe?’ . . . Everybody defines it the way they think. We need objective ways to measure it.”
And regular fatigue shouldn’t be confused with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) which is severe, disabling fatigue lasting for 6 months or more.
I find my own fatigue hits after lunch, nearly everyday like clock-work. I avoid eating certain foods for lunch that seem to make me more drowsy, and try and keep my overall intake limited.
This past weekend while I was in Houston, I was eating more organic foods and noticed feeling generally less tired overall. Could the two be related? My physician friend who has been on an all-organic diet for years now swears by it.
Something to consider…
Read the full article: Tired Beyond Relief
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4 Comments to
“Too Tired for Words”
I agree 100% That what you eat affects how tired you get. Eating foods that are good for you supply you with better energy than say, chicken fried steaks. If you are eating a heavy, unhealthy lunch it only makes sense that you feel tired shortly after.
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Jace
i think that feeling good after one organic meal has got to be the placebo effect. nevertheless it is good to vary the diet.
Afternoon fatigue, that hits ppl around 3pm is a good time for a potassium boost, via a juice bar drink or raw vegetable snack. Also, you will have more energy if you do not eat protein and carbs in the same meal. organic is alright, but it’s most likely your food choices you made that gave you a boost.
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Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 5 Mar 2008
