Can Lack of Sleep Cause Fatigue?

Fatigue is more than just feeling tired, although that does play a part. There are a few different types of fatigue that people can experience for different reasons.

– Physical fatigue is the most widely known and the one most people think of when they hear the word fatigue. This type is defined through the body feeling exhausted. This can be the result of strenuous activities or work, in which the body has worked hard and exhausted the energy in the body. It can also be the result of a chronic illness such as chronic pain or an autoimmune disease. Physical fatigue can be further broken down to muscle fatigue, stemming from exercise or strenuous activity impacting the muscles, and adrenal fatigue, which is the result of a hormonal imbalance.

– Mental fatigue is the result of the overuse of the brain. This is typically the result of performing activities that involve mind work, whether through work, school, or other activities that work the brain. It can impact a person’s ability to focus, concentrate, think clearly, and come to correct conclusions on problems.

– Psychological fatigue, also known as emotional fatigue, is the result of negative emotions as the result of situations that require an intense emotional response. This type of fatigue can be broken down into three sub-types, based on the source of the emotions a person is feeling. The sub-types of psychological fatigue involve stress fatigue, compassion fatigue, and depression fatigue.

Depending on the type of fatigue a person is experiencing, the organ causing the fatigue will also vary. People can suffer from fatigue due to an existing medical condition; common conditions that cause fatigue are sleep apnea, menopause, anemia, diabetes, and depression. All of these conditions can wreak havoc on the body’s internal processes in different ways, which can lead to different types of fatigue.

Organs that can cause fatigue include the heart, various forms of heart disease, and the thyroid. An underactive thyroid will cause people to feel tired as it isn’t producing enough of the hormone needed by the body in order to use energy.

Feeling tired is a fact of life that everyone will experience at one time or another, usually as the result of changes in our lives that impact our sleep habits for a couple of days. Fatigue, on the other hand, is a feeling of unrelenting exhaustion that isn’t relieved no matter how much sleep a person gets. People with fatigue will experience a pretty much constant feeling of weariness that impacts their energy levels, as well as their motivation and ability to concentrate.

Not only will fatigue impact a person’s personal and professional lives, through their inability to socialize, focus and interact at a normal level, it can also affect their overall emotional and psychological health and well-being. Feeling constantly exhausted, no matter how much rest or sleep you get, is a good indication of a more serious issue than just feeling a little bit tired. When feeling this way, it is important to reach out to a knowledgeable sleep team like Koala® Center For Sleep & TMJ Disorders in order to pinpoint the cause of your fatigue and get you started on a treatment plan so you can return to your normal self.

Everyone experiences feelings of being tired throughout their life, whether due to a bad night’s sleep, having too many things on the go, or just not getting enough sleep. However, fatigue is a medical condition that is related to being tired, but unlike being tired, fatigue doesn’t get better after a good night’s sleep. Fatigue is an ongoing condition that causes unrelenting exhaustion that doesn’t improve, no matter how much sleep you get. The team at Koala® Center For Sleep & TMJ Disorders can help you to determine if you are experiencing fatigue and provide you with options to help alleviate the symptoms.