Recognizing the Signs of Fatigue and Low Energy
Tiredness that lasts for weeks without improving or comes with other changes is worth taking to a provider.
Fatigue can look like sleep that does not refresh you, an energy slump by mid-afternoon, slower recovery after exercise, and less drive to start things. You may also notice brain fog, or your mood can change. If poor sleep is the cause for you, our page on sleep problems covers it.
These changes tend to arrive gradually, so it is easy to put them down to stress or a busy stretch, and that can delay finding out what is going on.
What Causes Fatigue and Low Energy
Fatigue is a symptom, not a disease, so the first job is finding the cause.
Sleep is the easiest to check, though it can fall short in more than one way. You might not be getting enough of it, staying up too late, or have a sleep disorder such as sleep apnea that breaks up the sleep you do get. Even if your sleep is fine, mood and stress can take their own toll. Depression, anxiety and life challenges, such as bereavement or looking after a new baby, are all part of that. Medical problems that can cause fatigue include anemia and infections. They can also be a warning sign for long-lasting diseases such as diabetes and conditions affecting the heart, liver, kidney or thyroid. Certain medicines can make you tired, and so can too much alcohol or caffeine. Exercise cuts both ways, as too little or too much can leave you feeling drained.
Hormones are the hardest to see from the outside. Fatigue is a common symptom of an underactive thyroid, while reduced energy is a symptom of low testosterone in men. Hormonal changes such as those during puberty, pregnancy or menopause can play a part too. Low testosterone and thyroid problems can each be checked with a blood test.
A provider will ask about your sleep, daily activities, appetite and exercise, then is likely to order lab tests. At Dynamis, your provider reads your lab panel along with those answers.
What You Can Do While You Look for the Cause
A few everyday habits are worth a look while you work out what is behind the tiredness. Keep to the same sleep times where you can, and aim for 6 to 9 hours. Skip caffeine and exercise in the couple of hours before bed, and screens in the last hour. Regular exercise, a healthy diet, less alcohol and a way to manage stress are the other everyday changes commonly advised for tiredness.
None of this replaces a check-up when the tiredness has gone on for weeks.
What a Lab-First Approach Gives You
A lab panel gives your provider something to work from, and any treatment is built on it.
- Starting from your own results: Fatigue has many possible sources, and the same tiredness can come from sleep, mood, medicines or hormones. The panel lets your provider check which of them fit.
- A protocol built around your labs: If your results point to a hormone cause, your provider builds a protocol for it with the form and schedule that suits you.
- Follow-up that checks progress: Your Personal Health Coach checks in at 30, 60 and 90 days, while labs are repeated then reviewed on the schedule your provider sets. Your provider adjusts the protocol as your numbers and symptoms change.
- A coach between visits: Your Personal Health Coach helps you act on your protocol day to day, from meals and hydration to activity levels. Providers prescribe and read labs, and your coach works alongside them.
