When your body is not adequately fuelled, it is no surprise that you end up feeling lethargic. Digestive conditions such as coeliac disease can impair the way the body absorbs nutrients, leaving you weak and weary.

“The good news is, almost all causes of fatigue can be relieved by your diet,” says Karina. “If you regularly eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, with adequate protein, you will provide your body with the nutrients it needs.”

Another factor is iron deficiency or anaemia.

“It often indicates you are deficient in B vitamins and minerals, which help to convert food into energy,” says Karina.

To boost your B-group intake, eat liver from beef and chicken, fish, eggs and leafy greens.

If you often feel energetic at night and drained in the morning, it could be due to hormone imbalance. Your thyroid produces hormones that regulate how the body uses food for energy, so if there is an excess (hyperthyroidism) or too little (hypothyroidism), you will feel tired.

“Thyroid problems are very common in women, up to 10 per cent citing symptoms,” says endocrinologist Dr Katherine Tonks. “But it’s very treatable and can be detected by a blood test.” Check with your GP.

Another cause is Addison’s disease, or adrenal fatigue, but it only affects one in 100,000. If adrenal glands do not produce certain hormones, it skews how your body uses energy. Treatment involves replacing or substituting those hormones your body is lacking.

“Talk to your doctor about a hormone test,” says Dr Tonks.

Overly worrying can keep you tossing and turning at night, leaving you drained and wiped in the day.

“Your body is kept in a state of overdrive due to the constant flooding of stress hormones which exhausts your body and lets fatigue set in,” says Karina. “Not only does stress and anxiety affect your sleep and mood but, left untreated, chronic worry can lead to depression.”

Women who are depressed are also more than four times as likely to be tired. Then there is also disruptive leg syndrome.

“Symptoms usually occur at night and can leave you feeling exhausted as you cannot sleep,” she explains. “Whether anxiety triggers the restlessness or vice versa remains to be seen; it is like a vicious cycle.”

It might seem obvious, but not getting enough sleep is exhausting!

“Sleeplessness can creep up on you and eventually become your new normal,” says Dr Tonks. Poor sleep often stems from bad habits, be it napping, caffeine or alcohol late at night, or eating just before bed – all lifestyle factors that can be easily modified.”

Improve the quality of your sleep by making minor adjustments such as going to bed and waking up at the same time each day, getting regular exercise, spending time in natural light and not using digital devices in the bedroom.

“Then if you still feel worn out, see your doctor,” she says. “It could also be caused by sleep apnoea, which affects women as well as men.”

“When you have excluded other possibilities, one possibility for your tiredness could be chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME),” says Dr Tonks.

While there are no specific diagnostic tests for CFS, she says a diagnosis is usually the result of ruling out other conditions. CFS is characterised by overwhelming tiredness or fatigue, which does not get better with rest or sleep. Other symptoms include headaches, muscle and joint pain, memory and focus issues, and sleep disturbances.

“It is thought that CFS might be related to a previous infection with the virus that causes glandular fever. But as 95 per cent of the population have been exposed to the virus, that remains to be seen,” she says, adding that the only proven remedy is exercise.

“It is about modifying lifestyle factors and learning to deal with the feeling of fatigue while still managing to get through each day,” Dr Tonks adds.

Text: bauersyndication.com.au

Read Next

Eat Like A Dietitian: 10 Must-Have Food Items For The Pantry

The Most Nutritious Canned Foods To Keep Stocked In Your Pantry

How To Get Stronger Abs, Butt And Thighs In Just 15 Minutes