What is Digg?Sponsored by Travelzoo
Take Advantage of Ridiculously Low Holiday Airfares view!
travelzoo.com - Flights $52 and up for Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year. But move on it now.
54 Comments
- Oxygen, on 11/29/2008, -1/+528. You have undiagnosed heart disease.
Thanks for adding to my paranoia. - rudanja, on 11/29/2008, -2/+52 If you do not want to do a stupid 12 page slideshow:
1. You're bored.
Boredom happens when parts of your life have created a rut of routine, says clinical psychologist Judith Sills, Ph.D. "There's not enough zap in your brain," she says. Sills, author of The Comfort Trap (Viking, 2004), concedes that humans are creatures of habit, so routines are essential for life. But comforting routines and habits can become deadening. That's when lack of zing can translate into fatigue. There's a loss of energy when you have nothing to stimulate you, she says.
The fix: Do something new, Sills suggests. Even small changes, such as a two-day getaway, can be life-affirming. "There's a clear link between our emotions and the anticipation of satisfaction and physical energy," she says. Changing your routine also helps. Try driving down a different road or eating food you haven't tried before. "When you take in new information, your spirit feels a sense of possibility," says Sills. "It's mind food."
2. You have allergies.
Think of allergies as the body's way of fighting unwanted guests. The trouble starts when allergens, such as pollen, certain foods, or animal dander invade the mucous membranes of the eyes and throat, says Lily Pien, M.D., an allergist at The Cleveland Clinic. This triggers the body's antibodies to fight the invaders, causing a release of histamines. The body's reaction to the allergens is often excessive, leading to sneezing, shortness of breath or itching. "It's these reactions that wear you down, especially when they keep you from sleeping." she says.
The fix: "Don't misdiagnose yourself," says Pien, "Most people are allergic to more than one substance." She advises seeing an allergist and getting a skin test to determine the allergens that may be affecting you. Antihistamines and nasal steroid sprays are both typical treatments, she says, and adds that 20 percent of the U.S. population suffers from allergies.
3. You're over-caffeinated.
It seems like a contradiction, but caffeine, a stimulant to the central nervous system, can actually make you tired, says Cheryl Forberg, a registered dietician and the author of Positively Ageless: a 28-Day Plan for a Younger, Slimmer, Sexier You (Rodale Books, 2008). A once-a-day dose in the morning in tea or coffee is fine, she says. But people can create a vicious cycle when they keep ingesting more caffeine to counteract the exhaustion they feel after the previous dose wears off. And, she adds, the cumulative effects of the day's caffeine—such as increased heart rate and a rise in blood pressure—can also keep you from getting a good night's sleep.
The fix: Consider antioxidant-rich green tea, says Forberg. A cup of green tea contains 50 mg of caffeine, compared to coffee's 137 mg and black tea's 65 mg. Not eating or drinking high-caffeine foods and drink—including dark chocolate and certain soft drinks—from late afternoon on is also a step towards restful sleep. Keeping caffeine to a minimum is the best way to go, she says.
4. You're multi-tasking.
Doing one thing at a time is a luxury for most people. But multi-tasking has its downside. "When you multi-task, you need to switch back and forth from one project to another and monitor all the projects simultaneously," says Neal Roese, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Multi-tasking is a big drain on glucose, which fuels everything the brain does, he says. Not surprisingly, studies show that too much flitting from one task to another ultimately leads to errors and fatigue. Ingesting sugar may keep you going temporarily, but eventually you crash.
The fix: The trick, says Roese, is to keep your projects down to a minimum; he suggests no more than three at a time. Prioritizing your projects and taking the short frequent breaks that allow glucose levels to be restored are also useful strategies.
5. You're anemic.
People with anemia typically don't have enough red blood cells in their body. And, because these blood cells are the body's transportation system for oxygen, fewer of these cells mean less oxygen makes its way to the cells—including that of the brain. "People whose cells get less oxygen may be less able to concentrate and they may feel less energetic, says Alan Greene, M.D., clinical professor of pediatrics at Stanford University and the author of Raising Baby Green (Jossey-Bass, 2007). The most typical type is iron-deficiency anemia, but loss of blood cells through internal bleeding can also be a cause. He says anemia is especially harmful to children, who need the oxygen to fuel their developing bodies and brains.
The fix: Greene advises taking a blood test. On a complete blood count (CBC) test, a low hematocrit indicates anemia (hematocrit measures what proportion of blood volume is made up of red blood cells). Testing serum ferritin, a measure of the body's iron stores, can detect iron deficiency, which can cause symptoms even before full-blown anemia develops. Eating iron-rich foods like lean meat, poultry and beans can help increase the supply, especially when accompanied by foods high in vitamin C. Greene also suggests women and children take supplements that contain iron. Men should speak with their physicians first before taking iron supplements, as their bodies don't easily excrete any excess, and too much of the mineral can also be a cause of fatigue.
6. You have poor posture.
Standing up straight looks impressive and, it turns out, has health benefits. If you hunch your shoulders forward, don't equally distribute your weight on both feet, or create an inward curve in your lower back, you're setting yourself up for fatigue, says Kathleen Koch, an exercise physiologist at The Cleveland Clinic. That's because it's harder for blood to nourish muscles that are being held in inefficient positions typical of bad posture. "Reduced blood flow means your heart and lungs have to work harder, and this makes you tired," she says. Sitting improperly and even running with poor form has the same effect.
The fix: Koch suggests strength and core training to address poor posture. For example, she says to correct slouched shoulders—a sign that the chest muscles are disproportionately stronger—you need to strengthen the muscles in the upper back. Because poor posture is a good indicator of muscle imbalance, it's important to train all muscle groups equally, she says.
7. You have an underactive thyroid.
One of the top medical reasons for a slow metabolism and low energy is hypothyroidism, says Nunilo Rubio Jr., M.D., assistant professor of endocrinology at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston. Women are more predisposed to the condition, which is from the thyroid gland's secreting less of its hormones. This, in turn, causes fatigue, as well as weight gain, intolerance to cold, and dry hair and skin. Rubio calls it the "turtle effect." Unfortunately, in most cases, it's the body's own autoimmune response that's to blame. The antibodies involved gradually can damage and, in some cases, destroy the thyroid, a condition known as Hashimoto's thyroiditis. In severe cases, says Rubio, metabolism slows down so dramatically that the patient usually requires an intravenously administered dose of thyroid hormones.
The fix: Rubio suggests those suffering from fatigue ask their physician for a blood workup to determine the level of thyroid- hormone activity. If you're diagnosed as having hypothyroidism, a doctor will typically start thyroid-hormone replacement therapy. Once thyroid-hormone levels are restored, energy usually returns to previous levels. (Although iodine deficiency is often linked to hypothyroidism, most people in the U.S. get adequate amounts by using iodized salt and eating iodine-containing food.)
8. You have undiagnosed heart disease.
A heart that's unable to pump blood efficiently has to work harder to transport oxygen throughout the body. Fatigue is the result, says Nieca Goldberg, M.D., cardiologist and author of Dr. Nieca Goldberg's Complete Guide to Women's Health (Ballantine Books, 2008). Several conditions can cause the heart to overexert itself, including clogged arteries, high blood pressure and heart-valve problems. Typically, fatigue due to undiagnosed cardiovascular condition manifests after exertion.
The fix: If you've ruled out anemia, hypothyroidism and infection, and you still feel tired, it's important to get diagnosed for potential heart problems, says Goldberg. Tests typically include an echocardiogram to see how the blood is pumped through the heart, and a stress test to reveal arterial blockages. Not pinpointing heart disease as early as possible can mean more severe symptoms over time, such as shortness of breath and fluid build-up.
9. You're not exercising enough.
It seems counterintuitive that doing nothing can make you fatigued, but it's true. "If you move, you'll feel less tired," says Dr. Koch of The Cleveland Clinic. When you're sedentary, she says, your metabolic rate decreases and you burn fewer calories, so you feel exhausted. Exercise gets that metabolic rate up, which means more energy, and not only the physical kind. People who say they're tired are often depressed, says Koch. Exercise increases the production of dopamine, a hormone that's a mood enhancer.
The fix: Literally, start with small steps. Koch says that research confirms that even a 10- to 15- minute daily walk provides cardiovascular health benefits But, she advises, don't forget to include strength training in the mix, which helps build lean muscle mass. Overall, increasing your amount of weekly exercise means you'll be able to burn even more calories, she says. And that means even more energy at your disposal.
10. You're dehydrated.
At least half of our bodies and 92 percent of our blood consist of water. "Water serves as a medium for the body to perform its life-sustaining functions, such as regulating body temperature and eliminating waste," says Toby Amidor, a registered dietician in New York City. "If you don't ingest enough water to help these metabolic reactions occur, you'll become tired or lightheaded."
The fix: At the first sign of thirst or dizziness, all you need is a small amount of liquid, as little as half a cup or water or fruit juice, says Amidor. Although many people drink huge quantities of water daily as a matter of course, she says many experts now suggest that people simply heed the body's signals for hydration. The water in fruits and vegetables also count as part of your intake, says Amidor. The caveat, though, is that older people often lose their sense of thirst and need to be reminded to hydrate on a more regular basis. For the rest of us, making sure we have access to water as needed—in portable non-plastic containers—is a good option.
11. You're pre-diabetic.
Glucose supplies energy to the body and brain. It's not surprising that not enough glucose will make you extremely tired. But the same is true when you ingest too much, says Dr. Greene. Normally, the act of eating signals the body to produce insulin which, in turn, fuels the cells with energy. But, says Greene, when you're pre-diabetic, your body can become insulin-resistant—overeating or ingesting too many simple carbs is often a factor. The result is all that excess glucose doesn't get into the cells, but rather it gets stored as fat or spills into the urine, and you grow tired.
The fix: A fasting blood sugar test will determine if you're pre-diabetic, says Greene. If you fall into that category, consider it a wake-up call to change your eating and exercise habits. Greene recommends a Mediterranean-type diet, consisting of whole grains, lots of fruits and vegetables and moderate amounts of healthy fats.
12. You have sleep apnea.
Many people with sleep apnea don't even know they have it, says Michael Breus, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist in private practice whose specialty is sleep disorders. Sleep apnea, which is typically caused by anatomical problems, impels the sleeper to stop breathing, sometimes as many as 150 times an hour. When breathing shuts down, even for only a couple of seconds, there's less oxygen supplied to the brain. The body senses the danger and wakes you to breathe. "In severe cases, this constant waking is comparable to total sleep deprivation," says Breus, who's author of Beauty Sleep: Look Younger, Lose Weight and Feel Great through Better Sleep (Plume, 2007).
The fix: See a medical professional who's certified in sleep medicine or clinical sleep disorders, says Breus. You'll be referred to a sleep center for diagnosis. The most popular form of treatment is a continuous positive airway pressure machine (CPAP), which shoots air through the nasal passages and throat while you're asleep. Other solutions include using nose filters, dental appliances to help correct jaw displacement, or surgery to remove excess throat tissue which tends to accumulate in overweight people. Weight loss may eliminate the condition entirely in some cases, says Breus. - projomni, on 11/29/2008, -1/+35bored, allergies, over-caffed... how about lack of sleep??
- MrJagil, on 11/29/2008, -1/+31This is a retarded "article". I despise stuff like this. Instead of giving sound advice to people who are actually interested in the subject and wants to learn, they cater to these attention-grabbing far-fetched explanations that does nothing but add to the paranoia of the dull-witted general public, who, because of their lack of exercise and overindulgence of coffee, don't have the brain power to actually analyze the suggestions. Yeah John Doe, you do not have sleep apnea or any kind of heart desease, you just have to lay off the chocolate and run a few miles.
Please, live up to your journalistic responsibility...and 12 ***** pages? - evanfrey, on 11/29/2008, -1/+29my screaming 3 month old?
- Elude107, on 11/29/2008, -2/+2613: It's 5 AM and you're still awake.
- thurows, on 11/29/2008, -0/+18They forgot one.
13. You hate lists. It's to much effort to click through 12 pages. They make you depressed, and question wether your clicking efficiently. Too quick and you ask yourself, am I going to remember all of this stuff. Too slow and you'll wonder if you're literate enough to remember it all.
Fix- Stop clicking through lists submitted to Digg. All your doing is boosting the bottom line of someone else by driving up their average page views. Click link for more info. /s - replaysMike, on 11/28/2008, -2/+19Hmm - a society that prides itself on who gets the least amount of sleep before work (is that a badge of honor?) combined with the need to get things done immediately so that we feel we are accompishing things in our life. Is this any surprise?
I call it the pursuit of happyness combined with blissful ignorance. - treelovinhippie, on 11/29/2008, -1/+9Been there, done all of that and then some.... still tired. I hate the human body.
- Kamael, on 11/29/2008, -0/+8I'm too tired to read this...
- bjf182, on 11/29/2008, -0/+8You've clicked 11 times to allow fresh ads to be displayed on each page, rather than simply putting them in one concise list.
- darny, on 11/29/2008, -0/+813. slideshows
- Dundasbro, on 11/29/2008, -1/+813. Stumbleupon
- psykiv, on 11/29/2008, -0/+7What about inability to stay asleep? Lately I've been finding it nearly impossible for me to get more than 3-4 hours of sleep. Just today, I went to sleep around midnight, hoping not to wake up until about 9am. 3:30am, I wake up and wide awake, unable to sleep more even though I wanted to.
- mrjigglyfly, on 11/29/2008, -2/+913. You have AIDS. (Not HIV but full-blown AIDS)
- jonnyboyca, on 11/29/2008, -0/+7go get some exercise.. nature's energy boost..
- atomic811, on 11/29/2008, -0/+4Me too. I like my self. I just wish I could take my mind out and put me in something else. This "shell" I live in just won't work properly.
- Trollbane, on 11/29/2008, -0/+4I'm tired because I just had to click through 12 god dam pages of useless *****
- tgc1, on 11/29/2008, -1/+5My personal observations.
- Stress.
- Mental fatigue and exhaustion.
- Poor Diet or lack of nutrition.
- Lack of exercise (on the list)
- Bad air quality (get outside for some fresh air).
- Doing too much (on the list as multitasking).
To correct my otherwise sedentary lifestyle (I do computer work 12 hours or more per day) i've taken to walking a few times per day. Just short walks, they not only perk me up in the morning, but keep me from having to drink coffee. I used to drink tons of coffee, which lead to one of the problems on the list (overly-caffeinated). My body built up a resistance to caffeine, which only made me drink more coffee. Bad cycle. I was at 7 cups a day and I started feeling sick. That's when I stopped.
I'm telling you, if you want more energy do some short walks. Start out with a short, easy to do walk. Just a quick lap around the block or something. Don't get too into it. Just once per day for a few days. But do it every day. My personal regiment consists of 31 outting cycles. The first is 31 days, then I double the number of walks per day. So after 31 days it's then twice per day (before breakfast, before lunch). At 62 times I then added one more outing per day (before breakfast, before lunch, before or after dinner). I've done this about 75 times now. So just over a month and a half (every single day). The results are awesome. I don't have to drink coffee. I feel a TON better. I get fresh air. I get exercise. I get a nice endorphin effect. And I feel, overall, a lot more positive about things. I also used to suffer pretty badly from depression, I might add. Which has lately been noticeably absent. I think it's due to the above.
I call the above regiment the sneak attack. Getting your brain used to something a little at a time. It's not enough to make you cranky, or otherwise not want to do it. But it's enough that it gives you a starting point to work from. Right now I walk 3 times per day and I don't even notice it anymore. I just do it. That's what I was trying to accomplish. Getting my brain to accept it as part of a habit. I knew early on that if I over did it, my brain would kick in and try to correct my walks by making me lazy or having me decide not to go. So sneak it in there. Just do a little a time and work your way up. You have to get your brain over that "I don't feel like it" attitude for this it to work. And trust me when I say this, I was one of the laziest sunsabitches you'd ever meet in your life until I tried this. This is just something I figured out. Give it a try. I'm pretty sure you'll get somewhere too! - ripple123, on 11/29/2008, -1/+4this is the song that never ends, it goes on and on my friend, some people, started singing and not knowing what it was, they continued singing, forever just because this is the song that never ends.........
- atomic811, on 11/29/2008, -0/+3When I read #8 that was my thought too "great I have heart disease".
- lawlesz, on 11/29/2008, -2/+4Still nothing about having to work for money.
I guess, if we do not have to struggle so much, we won't be
- so tired
- so sick
- so depressed
- so paranoid
Instead we would be
- calm
- confident
- healthy
- thinking - yoderizer, on 11/29/2008, -0/+2They left out an obvious one - drinking too much. Even if you don't stay up late, it screws up your sleep.
- BalooUrsidae, on 11/29/2008, -1/+3No problem. In the media, we're here to spread the panic.
- avatarpalin, on 11/29/2008, -0/+2The multitasking thing was an eye opener.. My work has me managing six projects at once and I am feeling the strain, last week I was nodding off waiting for someone to turn up to a meeting...
- kontraire, on 11/29/2008, -0/+2I'm tired because I ***** commute for 3 hours a day across Tokyo with about 800,000 angry Japanese people, and because I work a split shift and get 5-6.5 hours of sleep a night. But let me take a minute to thank the author for writing an insipid article about fatigue that utterly fails to acknowledge the number one cause of exhaustion....LACK OF SLEEP...and instead patronizes us and attempts to capitalize on our basic fears.
/not bitter. - TigerStar337, on 11/29/2008, -0/+2Buddhist monks seem very content.
- MarkOfTheDead, on 11/30/2008, -0/+213. I sit at my desk smoking "one last bowl" and browsing Digg.
SUDDENLY!!
4 a.m. - BlackApple, on 11/29/2008, -0/+2"BFC"
- lisaawesome, on 11/29/2008, -0/+2Man half of that list applied to me. Of course I already knew all of those things contributed to my constant tiredness. Damn you body! Just obey me already.
- bobbinika, on 11/29/2008, -0/+2i didnt see the reason why im always tired.
going to sleep at 3am after a night of drinking and waking up at 7am
and having a cat jump on my effing face while im sleeping - cloudberries, on 11/29/2008, -0/+1I'd second this. The main thing is just being able to tell your mind when you want a bit of peace and quiet.
I'd also recommend this - http://hrop.ucop.edu/employees/eap/relaxation.html - Maghook, on 11/29/2008, -2/+3Most the time I find it hard enough to actually fall asleep... so I'll lie there for hours just thinking, with my inner-jukebox playing the same chorus over and over and over again from some stupid, annoying song... and somehow I manage to wake myself up at 5 AM feeling light and refreshed.
***** the human body. - diggdong, on 11/29/2008, -0/+1wow, stanks. I got bored at #2.
- TheNyquilKid, on 11/30/2008, -0/+1If the solution isn't take this pill Americans won't fix it.
- Sheethappens, on 11/29/2008, -0/+1Basically, you are letting your mind act like a brat. Simple answer that has to be practiced over and over for a month for most people:
When you lay your head on the pillow, in your head scream "STOP" and visualise a STOP sign then IMMEDIATELY move on to what you call a serene thing for you. I know it sounds distzy but many years ago a stress management course provider told the class this so I practiced it and started going to sleep easily for the first time since I was a kid. My favourite serenity thing was science fiction of any sort so I started imagining SF scenes and stories and eventually would go off. Now, my head hits the pillow and my mind is conditioned to know that is sleep time and off I go. Easy to do nowadays without even thinking about it.
Try it. All you have to lose, if you do, is time laying in bed awake. - SharMarali, on 11/29/2008, -0/+1This seemed pretty alarmist to me. OMG YOU'RE TIRED CAUSE YOU HAVE HIV AND YOU'RE GONNA DIIIIIIEEEEEEE!!!!! ...Dude, maybe you're just not getting enough sleep.
- inactive, on 11/29/2008, -0/+1I've already looked into all of these.
- kenhatesemos, on 11/29/2008, -0/+1oh, you found this? like by accident? what a coincidence that your name is maxgxlsample, then. buried and reported.
- s0nicfreak, on 11/30/2008, -0/+1@skinny01
I don't know about New York but the ones I know in Chicago seem content. - WoollyMittens, on 11/29/2008, -0/+1Please pretty please, stop whoring 12 paragraphs of text out over 12 separate pages.
- hollismb, on 11/29/2008, -0/+1Dugg for Number 6: You have poor posture. I over-trained my shoulders and chest, which ended up causing muscle imbalance around my right shoulder blade, and now I've got nerve impingement (and physical therapy bills to deal with). When they say to work out all muscle groups equally, they really mean it.
- lisaawesome, on 11/29/2008, -0/+1Mag, I find a spliff, a glass of wine, or a few beers all work wonders to shut my head up. You can try those in combination or separately. Without these magical sleep potions I would never get a good night's sleep.
- Archer007, on 11/29/2008, -0/+1http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=fwGP9DAAi4A
- postitnote, on 11/29/2008, -0/+1Uhh, are you sure?
- JAGUART, on 11/29/2008, -0/+1Nail a hot, gorgeous twenty year old. You won't sleep for a month.
- TigerStar337, on 11/29/2008, -1/+1Not on the list, smoking pot.
- skinny01, on 11/29/2008, -1/+1But for how long living in the middle of new york?
- Drowned, on 11/30/2008, -0/+014. Too much jerking off... thanks http://jailbaitgallery.com :rolleyes:
- mrbecker, on 11/29/2008, -1/+1I have bad posture and I'm anemic? That's why I'm tired? I think it has more to do with you getting a page view by making me click forward for every lame little reason you concocted.
-
Show 51 - 58 of 58 discussions
© Digg Inc. 2009
— Content created and posted by Digg users is