Five Common Causes of Extreme Fatigue

Jean looked around the family room and felt utterly discouraged by the complete mess that confronted her. There were magazines and art papers scattered all over the floor along with crayons and colored pencils where the kids had been creating personalized cards. Pool cues littered the floor and the billiards table was stacked high with game pieces and unread library books. Jean knew that she had to take over and get things in order again but she felt that she had no energy and was tired already even though she had just been out of bed for a little over an hour. What was making her so lethargic and tired all the time? There are several common conditions that can cause extreme fatigue but can be easily treated by medical professionals.

1. Anemia: This can really drag a person down and is treated by prescribing iron supplements. Usually this is a condition that strikes women during their child bearing years and is commonly easy to treat.

2. Depression: Many people suffer from depression and are not aware of it until it progresses into a real problem. Feelings of inadequacy, low self-esteem, extreme fatigue and vague aches and pains are all symptoms of depression and can vary widely from one person to another. New antidepressant medications and counseling can be of great help to someone who is depressed.

3. Thyroid problems: An underactive thyroid can cause a person to experience fatigue and sluggishness constantly. This condition is easily diagnosed with a blood test and is treated with medicine that is taken on a daily basis.

4. Diabetes: This serious condition causes a person to feel overwhelmingly tired but it is easy to diagnose. Once a medical plan has been established by a doctor Diabetes can be brought under control and can sometimes be treated just by losing weight and watching your diet. Many times though insulin is necessary and can be administered orally or through an injection that the patient can give to himself.

5. Heart Disease: Undiagnosed heart disease will often be discovered when a person is just dragging around with no energy to do anything much. When heart disease is present your heart just cannot perform the job it should and this causes extreme fatigue. Although this is a serious illness, early diagnosis and wonderful new medications can not only help a person feel stronger but can actually prolong his or her life.

Of course this is just a partial listing of a few causes of fatigue but it points out that a person should always get a checkup if he or she feels tired most of the time with no apparent reason. While everyone has trouble sleeping once in a while or stays up late and feels tired the next day, chronic fatigue without an explanation is something that should not be ignored. It is definitely something that should be mentioned during any medical checkup. A doctor can ask a few relevant questions to determine if this is something that might be a problem and will often schedule a few tests to rule out anything serious.