If you feel tired during the day five times a month, you should see a doctor

Tiredness limits our perception and performance. Although the symptom is widespread, there are few effective remedies. But why are we so tired? Fatigue is one of the body’s greatest enemies, affecting almost everything we do – yet most medical professionals do not know of an effective remedy. We’re talking about tiredness. A feeling that restricts us to a similar extent as intoxicants.

Tired or drunk?

Just one example: The American criminologist Bryan Vila examined police officers, rescue workers and medical staff who work shifts. He found something frightening: Already after a night shift of 17 hours, coordination and the ability to react decrease as if one had

0.5 per thousand alcohol in the blood.

Fatigue researchers have measured this feeling of “feeling tired” in days per month. In other words, do I feel tired one day per month all the time, or is it two, four, or even more days? From five days – according to the rule of thumb – the condition can definitely require treatment. But what exactly are we talking about when we talk about fatigue?

fatigue survival mechanism

Like hunger or thirst, fatigue is a mechanism in our body that keeps us alive. It protects us from being overwhelmed – physically or mentally. Fatigue, which occurs due to this protective mechanism, usually has a good reason: it can be a long day in the office, a hard workout or a strenuous journey. Often this form of tiredness is actually pleasant and we enjoy “sleeping it away”. But there is also another kind of tiredness. One that we find annoying and whose triggers we cannot identify. This tiredness is a symptom that something is wrong.

Analysis of body function values ​​as a method of elimination

“Fatigue is one of the most complex symptoms a doctor can encounter,” says general practitioner Dr. Norbert Rosenthal. “Almost anything can be behind it.” In order to rule out physical causes, Dr. Nevertheless, Rosenthal carefully examines his fatigue patients first. He measures blood pressure and heart rate, listens to the heart and lungs and asks about other symptoms such as fever, weight loss and pain. He also checks the blood count, the inflammation values, the kidney and thyroid function, the iron content, the stored iron value ferritin and

Vitamin D

, B and folic acid. “In the vast majority of cases, these examinations do not produce any findings,” says the general practitioner. “And when I actually find something, it’s usually iron deficiency. Occasionally there is also hypothyroidism.” But in most cases the laboratory values ​​remain inconclusive. So what?

In search of the diagnosis

If the analyzes in the family doctor’s practice do not bring any results, then an appointment with a specialist follows. For those affected, this can expand into a veritable odyssey, which often remains unsuccessful. The doctors are less to blame for this – because they can only work within a limited diagnostic radius. None of them is able to fully grasp the living conditions and habits of the patient. This is where potential fatigue traps are often hidden that do not fit into the existing diagnostic system. Sometimes it’s apparently unspectacular little things that can make us infinitely tired – especially when several of them occur in combination.

A picture is created from many jigsaw pieces

As varied as the reasons may be, scientists and medical professionals agree that most of the nagging feelings of tiredness are due to

how much stress

we are exposed to what we eat and how we sleep.

From World of Wonders Editors