Are you tired because you're not getting enough rest, or does your fatigue have a more serious cause?

 

For many of us, the boundless energy of childhood is just a distant memory. As kids, we fired on all cylinders all day, every day. But as adults, keeping energy levels up can be more challenging. Working long hours, poor diet, lack of exercise and medical conditions can all lead to fatigue. But how do we know if lethargy is due to bad habits, or something more serious?

 

Fatigue is often a body's way of crying out for help. Often people can simply push themselves too hard. They get to the point of exhaustion and don't give their bodies a chance to recover. Shoring says a poor diet combined with inadequate sleep or exercise will eventually take its toll.

 

 

 

The symptoms of fatigue can be physical, mental or emotional, and include:

• chronic tiredness or sleepiness
• head and muscle aches
• slower reflexes
• poor concentration and memory loss
• irritability
• loss of appetite
• lack of motivation

Fatigue can also be the result of an unhealthy lifestyle, relationship problems, financial worries or work stresses. Often, the key to getting over fatigue is getting back to basics. Do a stocktake of your life: are you paying attention to your diet? Are you getting enough sleep? Do you do regular exercise?

Getting active can be a cure for fatigue. Rather than tiring us out, exercise gets our cardiovascular and respiratory systems in shape for more exercise, and everyday life. When you increase your fitness, you increase the efficiency of your body to work. It allows you to do your day-to-day activities, such as tolerating long meetings or running up stairs, with less stress.

An honest assessment of diet is also very important. Then there is the big factor: sleep. A lack of sleep is the number one cause of fatigue, and that the average adult needs eight hours a day to function properly. But what if you've got all of those boxes ticked, and are still feeling exhausted? It's time to consult an expert. Call a doctor if you feel any of these symptoms: confusion, dizziness, blurred vision, unexplained weight loss or gain, swelling, constipation, insomnia, depression or headaches.

Kick-start your energy

A good diet is second only to sleep when it comes to boosting energy levels. People need to remember that food is our fuel.

 

 

Here are her top 10 dietary tips for boosting energy:

1. Kick-start your energy levels by eating a nutritious breakfast.
2. Space your meals out evenly throughout the day. (Of course you're going to run out of energy if you haven't eaten for six hours).
3. Cut back on tea and coffee (especially at meal times), which decreases your absorption of iron.
4. Avoid high-GI foods such as lollies and sugar: they may give you a short-term energy boost, but it's followed by an energy slump.
5. Change to wholemeal or wholegrain bread, which contains more iron than white bread.
6. Have a glass of milk before bed - it contains tryptophan, which helps you sleep better.
7. Avoid going to bed on an overly full stomach, which will disturb your sleep.
8. Drink at least two litres of water each day, as dehydration decreases your energy.
9. Avoid fad diets that cut out important food groups and will leave you feeling tired and run down.
10. Limit alcohol intake. Alcohol is a depressant and will decrease energy levels.