How often do we hear this? How often do we say it? I remember being dead tired as a teen. Also, there is the extreme tiredness a new mommy feels from night after night of interrupted sleep. Sometimes, insomnia can make day drag in a foggy state. Then there are the times, we do it ourselves, knowing we are burning both ends of the candle, but pushing our bodies beyond the limits of matter. Fatigue has been linked to anger, irrational thoughts, poor decision making, hormone imbalance, (including leptin, which tells your body it is time to Stop eating), depression and anxiety. Not to mention its link with 56,000 car crashes every year with 40,000 injuries and 1,550 deaths.
What can you do about your own fatigue?
Realize, this is not a cookbook solution. Still, there are some major culprits that are more commonly the cause. There are both physical and nonphysical causes. Great comfort can be found in God’s promise to give us rest. (Matthew 11:28-30)Please, be aware that for the purpose of this article, I am focusing on physical causes.
Also, there is a difference between laziness and knowing your limits; obviously, be honest about your tiredness. Are you really giving your best effort? We do not want to make “our limits” an excuse to neglect our responsibilities, but do take an honest look at your fatigue. Fatigue that only occurs when it is time to fold the laundry is highly suspicious. 🙂
There can be detrimental consequences for not setting up healthy rest habits. A regular bedtime, at a reasonable hour, can do wonders for your restfulness. Also, reserving your bedroom for sleep and not using it as a TV room can help train your body to sleep when your head hits the pillow. Thirdly, as much as you may enjoy sleeping in on weekends, the schedule interruption can take days of fatigue to correct.
Anxiety, stress and even blessings can mess up our rest. Regardless of the cause, stress can overwork your adrenals, causing a midday lull. Something as simple as increasing your vitamin C and magnesium in the middle of the day can replenish depleted stores. “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” (Philippians 4:6)
Young ladies especially are prone to anemia. Often, this presents with the same midday fatigue. An iron supplement is very easy to take, but please consult a doctor, as some are harmful. You can also increase your green leafy vegetables.
Brain fatigue, or fog, can leave you tired all day. Candida can cause this and can be quite a battle to fight. For some, eliminating white flour and sugar from your diet can clear it up. For some, it takes more elaborate treatment. Lyme, also, can cause a chronic brain fog.
Dehydration can cause depression, dementia, anxiety and fatigue. Also, eye strain can be exhausting. Both of these problems can really sneak up on you and are fairly easy to correct. Another vicious cycle is lack of activity. If you are too tired to exercise, it may be just what your body needs to eliminate toxins and bring on some whole body fatigue that promotes good restful sleep. Finally, poor eating habits can cause you to feel tired; this can involve too much junk food or too high a gluten diet. Overeating can drain your body of energy, leaving you listless during the day, your best time to get some work done. Observe your eating habits and see if you are just throwing anything in to squelch the hunger amidst your busy day. Sometimes people take better care of their cars then their own bodies. A little tuning and a little planning is often needed. You would not expect your car to run well on poor quality gas, but you might push your body pretty hard on a bag of chips and a PB&J.
Christmas is around the corner and our lives all pick up the pace. Make proper rest a priority. Wow, I just reread all this information and THIS article may be fatiguing you. So, how about a game plan? If you notice one or two of these resemble you, start there and work on it. 🙂 “It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he gives his beloved sleep.” Psalm 127:2
Joyfully serving her Saviour in her blessed position of wife and mother, Dr. Michelle Zarrillo has a unique perspective on health related issues. As a working chiropractor and an avid reader, she has many opportunities to practice that which she learns. Educating her children at home and discovering their special needs has further challenged her to examine the connection between the physical, mental and spiritual realms of the human nature. Her passion for healthier living and her quest for the Creator’s ways of healing keep her pressing forward in search of truth.
Read Michelle’s salvation testimony here and her articles here.