Experiencing a lack of energy is healthy for the average person who engages in daily activities, from caring for the home to working. It's rarely an emergency to experience the occasional lack of energy due to work, after exercise, or any other activity that requires the expenditure of energy.
Being tired is also caused by a lack of sleep. If the body isn't getting between six to nine hours of sleep a night, it can cause one to be sleepy. However, people often get the terms "tired" and "fatigued" confused with each other, but they are not the same conditions.
What Is Fatigue?
People who suffer from fatigue experience different symptoms than someone who is just tired. Fatigue can give someone trouble sleeping, as someone who is just tired can fall asleep quickly because their body is exhausted. Despite feeling "tired" with fatigue, it can cause insomnia. This cycle of fatigue and insomnia can exacerbate fatigue as it puts their body in a brutal cycle of not being able to sleep.
Fatigue is a little harder to diagnose, as well. The problem with fatigue is that it is a symptom of so many different medical issues that it's difficult for doctors to pinpoint the exact cause. Fortunately, fatigue is often temporary and can usually be taken care of by breaking the cycle of insomnia for the average healthy person. However, if someone is experiencing fatigue for longer than six months, it might be time to look into the possibility of chronic fatigue syndrome.
What Is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?
Chronic fatigue is when someone has suffered the effects of acute fatigue for six months or more. Chronic fatigue syndrome isn't temporary and can hurt everything from a person's home life to their work life. Chronic fatigue syndrome can also cause lymph nodes, persistent headaches, muscle pains, difficulty sleeping, and other health issues.
Keep in mind that a doctor may only diagnose chronic fatigue syndrome if symptoms have persisted longer than six months. Otherwise, it may just be chronic fatigue. A doctor might also need to rule out other issues to ensure the fatigue isn't caused by or is mimicking other health issues such as anemia. Also, keep in mind that other conditions can co-exist with chronic fatigue syndrome-like fibromyalgia.
Chronic fatigue syndrome is more prevalent in women than in men. Chronic fatigue syndrome can also start at any age. However, it is more common in older people. Some common causes of chronic fatigue syndrome are an imbalance in hormones and blood levels, issues with the immune system, or a virtual infection such as the Epstein-Barr virus. Unfortunately, many who have chronic fatigue syndrome don't respond well to standard treatment.
How Can Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Be Treated?
If standard treatment makes it difficult to recover from chronic fatigue syndrome, then it's time to look for a non-invasive alternative. One such option is craniosacral therapy. Patients who undergo multiple craniosacral therapy sessions show improvement in symptoms that can help break the cycle of chronic fatigue syndrome. One of the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome is hypersensitivity to activities that can break the cycle as well, such as getting better sleep and exercise.
Unfortunately, the more extended chronic fatigue syndrome goes untreated, the harder it is to build up the energy required to live a healthier life.
Craniosacral therapy helps boost the body's natural ability to heal itself. When someone has chronic fatigue syndrome, they have a difficult time finding the energy to heal. The body needs the energy to maintain itself and keep its cells healthy. Craniosacral therapy helps release the natural flow of energy between the brain and tissues in the body to combat chronic fatigue syndrome.