Four Reasons You May Feel Tired in Midlife (Beyond Parenting Your Teens)
Women have LOTS of reasons to feel tired in midlife, don’t we? From a looming work deadline to waiting up for a teenager at 11pm curfew to helping an aging parent get to doctor’s appointments to anticipating the launch of our young adult to college, there is just so much going on during these middle years! Ask any woman in midlife, and my guess is that she feels some level of tired.
But when is feeling tired something MORE than just balancing teens and work and parents and stress? When do we need to visit the doctor about our fatigue? And is there anything we can actually DO about any of it?
Let’s dig deeper into fatigue.
Fatigue is an extreme tiredness or feeling of exhaustion, and the varied causes of fatigue can generally fit into one of four categories.
1. Lifestyle issues
Yes, there are some lifestyle issues we can control and then…there’s everything else! We can’t necessarily grow our teens up, make them responsible, or zap away the stress of parenting them. We can’t stop helping our aging parents here or there. And it may not be reasonable to just walk away from a stressful job. But we CAN work on eating a generally healthy diet full of nutrient dense foods. We CAN incorporate regular exercise into our week, attempting to get 30 minutes of aerobic exercise most days of the week, a few days of resistance training, and regular flexibility training. We CAN eliminate tobacco and alcohol products from our lives. We CAN talk with a therapist and spend time decompressing with a friend. And we CAN prioritize rest and sleep. Our energy levels generally improve when we are taking good care of ourselves!
2. Mental disorders
Mood disorders like depression or anxiety can often present with lack of energy or motivation and a general feeling of fatigue. Furthermore, both anxiety and depression can affect our ability to get adequate sleep which compounds the problem of feeling tired. When feeling down or occasional sadness or anxiety becomes MORE than just a day or two, and when our symptoms begin to interfere with our daily functioning and ability to complete day-to-day tasks, it is probably time to discuss it further with a doctor.
3. Treatment side effects
If we’re feeling tired, we can’t forget that our medications or supplements could be to blame. Common medications that may cause sleepiness or ongoing fatigue include: antidepressants, antihistamines, beta blockers, diuretics, muscle relaxants, pain medications, seizure treatments, anti-nausea medications, and certain anti-anxiety drugs. Let’s talk with our doctor about our medications and the possibility of side effects such as fatigue and consider making a switch.
4. Physical conditions
Finally, there are MANY illnesses that present with symptoms of fatigue. These may include autoimmune diseases such as hypothyroidism, lupus, Crohn’s, or diabetes; anemia; cancer; active infection; rheumatologic diseases like rheumatoid arthritis; liver or kidney disease; heart or lung disease; and sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, and periodic limb movement.
Our doctor will begin by taking a thorough history (including a complete review of systems and assessment of both family and social history), performing a complete physical exam, AND using laboratory testing and, in some cases, special studies like a sleep study.
We can begin by focusing on all those lifestyle bits we CAN control, then work together with a doctor to evaluate the rest and come up with a treatment plan.
