Is Stress Causing Your Fatigue?

Stress is a big factor in developing fatigue. It can be caused by relationships, money, health problems, a bad day at the office, or workplace burnout. Just about everyone has experienced some sort of stress in their life. In general, we live a stress-filled society.

How does stress make you tired? Typically, the body reacts to a stressful trigger by producing stimulating fight-or-flight hormones, adrenaline, and cortisol. The latter gives a person a sudden boost of energy when they need it but when the stressful event decreases, hormones suddenly drop, and undue fatigue sets in.

A stress reaction can take several days, weeks, or months to get over. In addition to ongoing feelings of fatigue and lack of energy, continued stress, or chronic stress, can lead to pain and mental problems like irritability, impaired memory, anxiety, and depression. In addition, physical problems like headaches, stomach problems, heart disease, high blood pressure, and immune problems can develop, to name a few.

Stress and lack of sleep can be a vicious cycle: The less sleep you have, the more stress you feel, and the more stress you feel, the less sleep you get. The fatigue goes on.

Tired From Stressful Work

General Approaches to Stress-Related Fatigue

• Try to get rid of the stress, at least for a short time: If stress is caused by a tangible problem that may have a solution, try that solution as long as it is reasonable. Or if you cannot pinpoint the cause of the stress, make a list of problems and possible, practical solutions that you may be able to implement one at a

       time to solve the problem. This may help alleviate some stress and, therefore, fatigue.

• The same is true with tasks. Facing difficult or too many tasks can cause plenty of stress and fatigue just thinking about them! If you have tasks hanging over your head, make a list of things you need to do and tackle them one at a time. If one chore bores you, move back and forth between a couple of chores. Making progress and getting them done will make you feel good and often invigorated.

• If it is not a longstanding problem, just try to “deal with it” or relax and ride the wave it until it blows over. I sometimes have this problem with a work-related issue. I wait a bit and the problem fixes itself. You can do this as long as it is not severe or ongoing. Everything eventually changes.

• Otherwise, briefly step away from the stressful situation if you can – for example, take a day off from work if it is bothering you – get relaxed, refreshed, and go back with a new, brighter, and more positive attitude. Sometimes, you just need to get away from something for a short time.

• Exercise. This increases endorphins (the feel-good neurotransmitters) and decreases stress hormones (adrenaline and cortisol), so you feel happier and more relaxed.

• Sleep - Try to get enough sleep – Make sleep a routine and ritual if you can. Make your sleep area a nice and comfy place. A dark, quiet, and cool bedroom is often recommended. Most sources recommend that you limit sleep time as it may disrupt the sleep cycle by affecting melatonin activity (a hormone that regulates sleep).

• Eat nutritious meals and stay well-hydrated. It’s not just the foods you eat but how you eat them! Eat healthy meals: Try to stick to mainly protein and fiber; Things like nuts, seeds, almonds (and “butters” made from these), chia seeds, whole grain bread, Greek yogurt, spinach (for those of you who remember Popeye), eggs, salmon, lean meat, oatmeal, berries, sweet potatoes, beets, oranges, and others. Try to eat several small meals a day. Why? Because a big meal does a couple of things: It causes a spike in blood sugar, which will give you a brief pick-me-up, but suddenly the sugar drops and makes you feel more tired. You also use more energy to digest a lot of food – more blood flows to your digestive tract, away from the rest of your body. A greater release of hormones, like serotonin, causes more relaxation (which is good), but it also causes fatigue. 

• Read or listen to music.

• Try massage, acupuncture, meditation, yoga, tai-chi, relaxation techniques, and journaling (it is surprising how much this can help).

• Spend some time with your social supports, like family or friends, or even seek out a counselor or someone you can talk to - sometimes, you just need to sort things out.

Over-the-counter approaches for stress-related fatigue

• B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin D, and magnesium, possibly iron

Alternative Natural Remedies Which May Help;

• Ashwagandha

• Chamomile

• Lemon Balm

• Valerian

• L-Theanine

• Kava

• CBD

• 5-HTP

• Holy Basil

Prescriptive Treatment:

If stress and fatigue are overwhelming, it may be approaching anxiety. At that point, ou may be able to treat the underlying feelings of stress with prescriptive medicine.

• Antidepressants (SSRI’s)(SNRI's)

• Antihistamines

• Sleeping medications like Ambien, Lunesta

• Benzodiazepines (narcotic with potential addiction/abuse - this is typically not the first line medication for stress but may be used intermittently for anxiety related to stress)

• Neuroleptics (common: LOW DOSE off-label Trazodone, Seroquel)