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According to The Royal College of Psychiatrists, 20% of people at any given time feel unusually tired and 10% of UK individuals have ongoing, prolonged fatigue. It can be dangerous too, with an estimated 20% of road accidents on major UK roads being attributed to driver fatigue.

What is Fatigue

Fatigue can manifest itself in many different guises. Some individuals feel permanently exhausted, needing regular naps, while others have peaks and troughs of energy. Some feel they can’t function until they have a caffeine boost, but then find it hard to switch off in the evening. Fatigue can feel like a physical heaviness or it may manifest as “brain fog”, as if the head is stuffed with cotton wool. There are increasing diagnoses of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome too, where physical and mental exhaustion can be so unrelenting and debilitating that normal everyday life can become impossible.

Fatigue and Personalised Nutrition

Whilst fatigue is fairly common, in most cases it cannot be ‘cured’ by simply taking a medicinal drug. This is because fatigue is a sign of underlying problems and sufferers can experience real improvement when they try a personalised functional nutrition approach. This is because personalised nutrition works precisely to identify the particular pattern of imbalance in each individual case and then resolves these by supporting the associated body systems.

Common Underlying Causes of Excessive Tiredness

Many types of medical conditions can drain energy levels. These include anaemia, an inflammatory autoimmune disorder, cancer, diabetes, hypothyroidism, an infection, obesity, depression, sleep apnoea or a chronic condition of the liver, heart or lungs. But whether or not you have been diagnosed with one of these, there are some fairly common causes that can be identified with the help of a Nutritional Therapist.

1. Insufficient Iron Levels
Even if anaemia has been ruled out, your iron levels may still not be high enough for optimal energy. This is because iron is required for haemoglobin to carry oxygen around our body and is also vital for the batteries of our cells (the mitochondria) to turn food into energy. It also helps your thyroid gland produce energy giving hormones.

2. Blood Glucose Imbalances
If your diet regularly includes sugar, white starch, caffeine or alcohol, you could be suffering from peaks and troughs in blood glucose levels. This situation is know as ‘reactive hypoglycaemia’ and is where insulin transports glucose into the cells fast enough to cause energy crashes shortly after eating and drinking. To make matters worse, these sharp dips in energy trigger cravings for more sugary pick me ups. This leads to what is often called the blood sugar rollercoaster. In the long term this can also lead to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, which can also cause fatigue.

3. Inflammation
Inflammation from any cause, including undiagnosed chronic infections, can sap the brain and body of energy, cause brain fog and apathy and contribute to muscle weakness.

4. Mitochondrial Dysfunction
The batteries of our cells work hard every second of the day to turn the food we eat into adenosine triphosphate (ATP) - the energy currency in our body. If these mitochondria are damaged we become starved of ATP and energy. The damaged mitochondria also tend to produce excess levels of free radicals which can in turn contribute to further inflammation and subsequent fatigue.

5. Adrenal Imbalance
The adrenal glands produce stress hormones such as adrenaline, noradrenaline, cortisol and DHEA. It is common for the adrenals to become overactive if you have suffered a long period of stress. You may be running on adrenaline but feeling exhausted hence the saying ‘tired but wired’. Less commonly, the adrenal glands can struggle to produce enough hormones, leading to ongoing fatigue and exhaustion. This can be the case if you feel unrefreshed even after a long night’s sleep. A functional test for salivary cortisol and DHEA can be helpful to measure the levels of these hormones.

6. Low Thyroid Function
Fatigue and other symptoms of low thyroid function can manifest even when standard blood thyroid results fall within the ‘normal’ reference range. Some individuals need higher levels of thyroid hormones to feel at their best. The Broda Barnes basal temperature test and a more advanced thyroid panel can provide further insight.

7. Gut Health
Brain fog and general apathy and fatigue can be symptoms of yeast or bacterial imbalances in the gut. If the integrity of the gut lining is compromised then inflammation can result alongside food intolerances. Gut microbiome and food intolerance testing can be really helpful to identify these causes.

8. Toxin Exposure
Carrying excess levels of toxic chemicals or metals from environmental exposure or produced inside the body, can also be a cause of physical and mental exhaustion. This could be a result of regular exposure to toxins, including moulds, or if your detoxification channels need more support. Genetic testing can be extremely helpful to identify how to support detoxification and increased issues with inflammatory drivers such as histamine.

Diet & Lifestyle Solutions

• A Well Balanced Anti-Inflammatory Diet - Dietary changes can improve blood glucose control, adrenal health and support digestion and the gut microbiome. Nutritional Therapy can provide support to include all the important nutrients and wholefoods in your diet whilst ditching the inflammatory foods.
• Medication Review - Some prescribed medications can cause fatigue including statins, beta blockers, antidepressants, antihistamines, opioids and sleeping tablets. Talking to your doctor about the side effects of medications may be helpful.
• Sleep - Making sure you get 7-9 hours of good quality sleep every night. Nutrition and lifestyle strategies to support sleep can be helpful.
• Exercise - Daily physical activity is extremely important. This does not have to be formal exercise but things like walking the dogs, gardening and housework can be beneficial. Try to aim for 10,000 steps per day and a wearable tracker can help.
• Stress - Ongoing stress can really sap energy and talking about causes of stress or using some form of talking therapy can be helpful. Techniques such as meditation and mindfulness can help.
• Specific Nutrients - Certain vitamins and minerals are extremely important for making energy. These include B vitamins, iron, vitamin C, magnesium and zinc. Nutritional Therapy can support digestive health to make sure these good levels of these nutrients can be obtained from the correct foods and recommend supplements where appropriate.
• Adaptogens - Certain herbs have a long history of traditional use in combating stress-related exhaustion and fatigue. They enable the body to adapt to stress and help normalise adrenal hormones.
• Microbial Balancers - Microbial imbalances in the gut and permeability of the gut lining or ‘leaky gut’ can lead to debilitating symptoms of fatigue and brain fog. Anti microbial herbs, probiotic bacteria and yeasts and support for the gut lining can help restore this balance and address these symptoms.
• CoEnzyme Q10 - Also known as ubiquinone, CoQ10 is synthesised in the liver and is crucial for the production of ATP. It protects the mitochondria from damage and helps them work more efficiently. Certain medications, such as statins and beta blockers, can deplete CoQ10 and supplements may be beneficial.

It is advisable only to take nutritional supplements under the care of a suitably qualified health professional, such as a registered Nutritional Therapist, who can advise on potential drug-nutrient interactions.

For further information about a Nutritional Therapy consultation please contact Medicinal Eating or email Janine direct at info@medicinaleating.co.uk.