As youth goes by, fatigue knocks on our doors more quickly than it used to. In order to reclaim & improve my ‘energyspan’, I developed my own easy daily routine of microhabits focusing on preserving muscle strength, stamina & good nutrition and I literally feel a decade younger. My two best health supplements are my dogs who keep me active & happy 😍. Besides life’s stress & responsibilities that erode vitality & sap our energy, healthcare providers should be aware of the common medical conditions that cause this seemingly vague but life-sucking symptom that can often be a chief complaint of patients.
When your patient feels so fatigued – use the mnemonic “SO FATIGUED” to go over the general lifestyle and common medical causes of fagitue .
S – Sleep* disorders including Sleep Apnea, Sarcopenia (muscle loss of aging)
O – Oxygen deficit (People maybe Hypoxic without realizing), Obesity
F : Fluid – Too Less (Dehydration**) or Too much (Heart Failure)
A : Anemia, Adrenal Insufficiency, Autoimmune & Arterial (vascular) disease
T : Thyroid (Low & High), Tumors/Cancers***
I : Infections****, Inflammatory conditions
G : Glucose (Both low and high)
U : Undernourished (Including low Vitamin levels of B1/B12/Vit D/Iron/Magnesium)
E : Electrolyte issues (Sodium, potassium, Mag, Calcium, etc.)
D : Drugs including Albuterol (jogs adrenaline) & those with myalagia/rhabdomyolysis side-effects like statins, Depression
*Sleep Apnea, Caffeine, Late night browsing
**Dehydration is often unrecognized in elderly
***Fatigue can be the first sign of cancer
****Including Infections that are hidden & those that cause chronic fatigue (CFS, Long COVID)
