Spring full of energy – learn to listen to your fatigue

How to fight fatigue? What am I doing wrong? The answer may be, “Wrong is already the question.” Because we shouldn’t fight fatigue. Fatigue is not our enemy, but an important signal from our body. It may be telling us that we’ve put in enough effort and now it’s time to rest, or that something inside our body isn’t working right. So what can we do to experience a sense of energy and vitality again?

Of course, we can fight fatigue – for example, by having another coffee or energy drink, but this will not lead to anything good, because it means that we do not want to hear our body’s signals. A mega-dose of caffeine certainly doesn’t make the cause of fatigue go away, it only makes the symptoms disappear. As we said, fatigue is not an enemy, but a friend who needs to tell us something. And a friend is not fought, it is listened to, because it can tell us what to do for our body or soul right now.

Is fatigue adequate?

This is the first, very important question. It’s normal to be tired when you’ve run a marathon, when you’ve worked late for a few days because of a deadline, or when you’ve just recovered from the flu. Here, you just need to rest for a few days, and you’ll be better again.

But the word “rest” should be underlined at least three times. Athletes and their coaches know it well – at least those who really understand the issue. They know that recovery is an essential part of training. Performance does not grow on the track or in the gym, because there the body only gets the necessary impulse – the load that causes it stress and to which it must adapt in order for performance to grow. But the actual processes of adaptation take place after the load, during the rest period. And if rest is absent, neither adaptation nor performance growth will occur; on the contrary, there is a risk of overload.

And it’s the same with a deadline at work or an infection: The body or head has been working and needs rest. If we give it to them, they’ll come back together quickly. And if we repeatedly fail to do so, we can expect trouble, whether in the form of long-term fatigue or perhaps a health problem.

12 possible causes of fatigue

If we conclude that our level of fatigue is not adequate to what we have experienced in the last few days, we need to start looking for the cause. And that can be a challenge worthy of Sherlock Holmes, because there really can be a myriad of causes. So here are just a few of the most common ones.

1. Too much stress

When we are stressed, our adrenal glands release stress hormones in large quantities, which allows us to better cope with acute threats. Corticosteroids, such as cortisol, are a particularly problematic player here.

But cortisol is not primarily the enemy either, on the contrary, we need it to function normally at all. For example, its level rises in the body every morning to help us wake up and be active.

When we are under stress for a long period of time, two scenarios can essentially occur: Either cortisol levels are high for a long time, which can contribute to a number of health problems, or the adrenal glands become exhausted and are unable to produce enough cortisol. This condition can then cause fatigue and even skin problems.

More about stress here ”

2. Missing nutrients

Basically, when the body lacks any essential nutrient, it can manifest itself in fatigue. But this is more true for some than others:

Vitamin D3 – its deficiency is very topical right now, in the pre-spring and spring period. It is largely produced in the skin due to sunlight and in winter there is less sunlight. The vast majority of the population suffers from a lack of “sunshine” all year round, and in spring it is even more pronounced. And since vitamin D3 is a key player in a whole host of bodily processes, fatigue is a logical manifestation of its deficiency. Read more here ”

Magnesium – this mineral is essential for optimal function of the nervous system, muscles and metabolism, and impaired function of all these systems can result in fatigue. In fact, a significant magnesium deficiency has been reported in about half of those suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome. Read more “

B-complex – a number of B vitamins are also essential for the proper functioning of the nervous system and nutrient metabolism.

Selenium – this trace element is crucial for the functioning of the thyroid gland (see below), the nervous system and immunity. Read more ”

Iodine – it is part of the thyroid hormones and therefore its deficiency can cause fatigue.

Iron – its deficiency means a disorder of blood formation (see below).

3. Depression

Depression is not just sadness, on the contrary, the more typical symptom of this mental illness is a total loss of energy and motivation. In the context of spring fatigue, it is not without interest that the number of suicides, according to statistics, does not peak in winter, as many might expect, but in spring.

More about depression here ”

4. Hypofunction of the thyroid gland

Thyroid hormones are essential for the process of cellular energy production, so their insufficient production is very often the reason for fatigue. You should definitely consider this cause if you are also gaining weight excessively, suffering from chills, anaemia or poor hair and nails.

More about the thyroid gland here ”

5. Impaired liver or kidney function

We list these two organs together because their important function is to process and eliminate toxins and metabolic products from the body. If this function is impaired, fatigue is one of the many consequences.

More here ”

6. Overloaded immune system

Immune cells need large amounts of energy and nutrients to work. Therefore, the body can be exhausted by infectious diseases as well as by an inadequate immune system response, which occurs, for example, in autoimmune diseases or allergies. There are also theories linking chronic fatigue syndrome to certain infections (e.g. EB virus).

Read more about immunity here ”

7. Chronic inflammation

This point is related to the previous one – inflammation is accompanied by excessive activation of certain immune cells and their penetration into the relevant tissue.

Read more ”

8. Mitochondrial dysfunction

Mitochondria are often referred to as the “powerhouses of the cell” because they are where nutrients are converted into energy. And if there are too few of them or they are not working properly, energy is logically lacking. The consequence can be fatigue and impaired physical performance, as well as accelerated ageing and impaired organ or tissue function.

Read more ”

9. Disturbed microbiome

An imbalance of the gut microbiome can contribute to a range of physical and mental problems and is also typical in cases of excessive fatigue. The gut microbiome has also been linked to chronic fatigue syndrome. One of the causes is the insufficient production of butyrate, a fatty acid produced by certain gut bacteria that is essential for mitochondrial function, for example.

10. Anemia

In order for mitochondria to work to convert nutrients into energy, they need oxygen. And they only have enough of this if the body is making red blood cells smoothly. Anemia can be caused not only by iron deficiency but also by other causes.

11. Epigenetic causes

There is a lot of evidence that, especially in the case of chronic fatigue, there are a number of negative epigenetic changes in our DNA. However, most of the other causes of fatigue mentioned above also have epigenetic causes.

12. Hormonal causes

In addition to the aforementioned thyroid disorders, a lack of other hormones can also cause fatigue and energy deficiency. This is especially typical for sex hormones – estrogen, and especially testosterone.

Help from nature

When fatigue occurs, in addition to identifying and solving the cause, it is important to ensure a healthy diet, elimination of stress, regular adequate exercise, sufficient sleep, avoidance of environmental toxins, but also not to forget about activities that bring us joy and good interpersonal relationships – these are also important positive epigenetic factors.

Dietary supplements can also be a good help. The traditional choice is adaptogens, as most of them can effectively help us with fatigue and overall vitality. All of them have other positive effects, so we should choose them accordingly. But we will also add a few other useful natural helpers that can help us with some of the causes of fatigue.

Fenugreek – it is a very powerful adaptogen, which also has a beneficial effect on the liver, kidneys and immune system. Read more ”

Ginseng – an interesting herb that combines an adaptogenic effect with a strengthening of adrenal function, a positive effect on the liver and athletic performance. Read more ”

Rhodiola – a very powerful adaptogen that is popular with athletes, but also has significant antidepressant effects, helps with anemia and increases brain performance. Read more ”

Maral – another effective adaptogen, which has the additional ability to bind to receptors designed for testosterone. Therefore, it can help with both sports performance and erectile dysfunction. And it also supports the production of cortisol in the adrenal glands. Read more here ”

Medicinal mushrooms – oyster mushrooms, cordyceps, reishi, shi-také… the vast majority of medicinal mushrooms are adaptogens. Moreover, they have strong positive effects on the gut microbiome and immunity.

Butyrate – if the gut bacteria do not produce enough butyrate, it can be taken in the form of a dietary supplement. Read more ”

Curcumin – it is one of the most powerful natural anti-inflammatory agents, which also has a positive effect on mitochondria, thyroid function, immunity, depression, gut microbiome and liver. Read more ”

Resveratrol – a dye from red wine is one of the most powerful activators of sirtuins, enzymes necessary for the functioning of mitochondria. Read more ”

Saffron – the scales of the crocus are perhaps the most effective natural remedy for depression. Read more here ” https://www.epivyziva.cz/safran/

Royal jelly – this bee product is a unique cocktail of nutrients with a positive effect on immunity, liver, kidneys and nervous system. Read more ”