Always Being Tired Isn’t Normal—Here’s What It Could Mean
Experiencing more than a random afternoon slump? If you’re one of the many women who suffer from chronic fatigue and brain fog, this is your sign to stop ignoring the issue and labeling yourself as "lazy." More than likely, there’s an imbalance in your system that is crying for attention.
When I was in high school, I struggled with what I later realized was extreme hormonal and thyroid imbalance, and I had a sensitive stomach (I was diagnosed with Celiac and often had general digestion problems, which affected my energy). When I was a rising sophomore in college, I began having serious digestion issues and chronic fatigue problems, which continually worsened over the next three and a half years. Although off the college food plan, my food habits still weren’t great (too many protein shakes, granola, and raw carrots at some points), and I was running around my senior year with an entirely overloaded schedule.
I was almost always tired and even looked exhausted and pale. My skin coloring rivaled that of the Twilight vampires, and my once voluminous hair grew thinner. I swung between low blood sugar and nausea where I couldn’t stomach the thought or smell of food. Finally, the fall after graduating – in the midst of a family medical emergency and an extremely stressful teaching job – my gut system crashed with a bad flareup, and I was literally incapacitated on the couch with what turned out to be Crohn’s disease, a blood infection, and possibly a parasitic infection. I wasn’t absorbing the nutrients in my food and had such bad brain fog and exhaustion I couldn’t even drive safely. I got doctor’s orders to quit my job immediately, follow certain dietary guidelines, and get plenty of R&R. Any of that sound familiar?
Root Causes
During my slow but steady healing journey of two and a half years, I’ve often heard of other women’s similar health struggles affecting their daily life, and I realized there is an epidemic of chronic fatigue that is not receiving enough attention, concern, or remedy.
To get to the root of what's going on, you first have to determine if the cause is a lifestyle factor or a condition that is affecting your system’s energy output.