You wake up after a normal night’s sleep, but you are still tired. Generally, you sleep well, and when you do experience sleeplessness, it usually corrects itself after a few days. Nevertheless, you drag yourself through your work day and mostly you just feel lazy and useless. You are neither. You could be suffering from chronic fatigue, a medical condition different from sleeplessness, that may be connected to a treatable vein condition.
First Things First: Pinpointing the Causes of Fatigue
This On Health article highlights 14 major causes of fatigue. While the article incorporates cardiovascular elements (anemia, heart disease), it is clear that fatigue can be traced to a wide variety of medical conditions, symptoms and health problems.
Diagnosis Can be Difficult
So, while the causes and symptoms of chronic fatigue are variable and non-specific, your doctor will seek answers through both interview and a physical examination to check for signs of illnesses. They may ask the following questions:
- What medications are you using?
- Have you had any past or do you have any current infections?
- Are there any events in your life that have triggered your current condition, such as surgery, recovering from a major illness, etc.?
- What are your lifestyle habits, including diet, caffeine and drug use, alcohol consumption, sleep patterns and your work environment?
Based on the answers to those questions, your doctor can manage your symptoms through a combination of treatment, medication, and recommended lifestyle changes.
The doctor’s diagnosis could also include a condition known as venous insufficiency, or vein disease.
About Vein Disease
Vein disease is a common medical condition and becomes more prominent as we age. While having a genetic factor, it is also a result of the sedentary lifestyle. Symptoms include so-called spider veins, the term for the purple-colored veins visible just beneath the skin. Its close relatives are varicose veins that are more visible, bulging, and prominent, often protruding through the skin.
How Vein Diseases Can Cause Fatigue
Even the mildest vein condition can cause fatigue because of poor blood flow through the lower extremities. Stagnant blood in the legs results in an inflammation reaction in the body. This causes generalized fatigue that is worse in the evening. It also results in brain fog and loss of focus and motivation.
Vein Treatment to Alleviate Fatigue
Patients suffering from vein disease tend to recover from fatigue after treatment of their vein condition. In fact, most of our patients treated at Missouri Vein Care are surprised to learn that their chronic fatigue is a result of undetected vein disease.
Vein disease treatment strategies include prescribing compression stockings to promote better circulation. That treatment can be augmented with the nutritional supplement horse chestnut extract. Likewise, we also recommend changes in lifestyle to improve vein function as well as avoiding alcohol, tobacco, and lowering salt intake. Finally, a change in diet that results in healthier eating and weight loss can go a long way to improving vein health and reducing chronic fatigue.
The Answer to Your Question: “Why Am I so Tired?”
If you feel constantly exhausted and your family physician has been unable to pinpoint the source, consider a free vein circulation assessment at Missouri Vein Care. Our five locations throughout Missouri have state-of-the art facilities that focus exclusively on vein care.
There is hope. Take the next step in improving your life and reclaiming those feelings of energy and optimism that makes life worth living.
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