Do suffer from a lack of energy? Are you lethargic? Do you run out of steam before you run out of day? Are you struggling to stay awake without fading?
You are not alone. Many people suffer from fatigue, which is often described as a feeling of unjustified weariness, tiredness, or lack of energy. It may feel like you don’t have sufficient energy or fuel you need, making you more tired in your body or mind than you really should be.
There are many serious consequences to fatigue, beyond the annoyance and irritation of lowered performance and productivity.
A Federal Government inquiry “Beyond the Midnight Oil, Managing Fatigue in Transport, House of Representatives Standing Committee on Communications, Transport and the Arts”, October 2000 into managing fatigue in transport reported fatigue related road accidents alone cost around $3 billion every year.
Around 20% of fatal road accidents involve driver fatigue. According to Vic Roads Road Accident Facts Victoria, 1998 Edition, about 30% of severe single vehicle crashes in rural areas involve the driver being fatigued.
A study conducted by the Adelaide Centre for Sleep Research concluded that a person who has been awake for 17 hours faces the equivalent risk of having an accident as a person who has a Blood Alcohol Count reading of 0.05 g/100ml, and is therefore twice as likely to have an accident as a person with a zero blood alcohol content who is not fatigued. Drivers who have been awake for 24 hours have an equivalent driving performance to a person who has a BAC of 0.1 g/100ml, and is seven times more likely to have an accident.
Most of the time, fatigue can be traced to your lifestyle, such as your regular habits or routines. Fatigue can be a normal and an important response to physical over exertion, poor eating habits, emotional stress, boredom, or lack of sleep. Maybe you have over indulged in your consumption of caffeine, alcohol, or you may be dehydrated from not drinking enough water. Other causes of fatigue may be stress, anxiety or depression related. It may just be how your body tries to alert you to pay attention. In some cases, however, fatigue is a symptom of an underlying health concern that requires a health care intervention. When fatigue is not relieved by enough sleep and relaxation, sufficient stimulation, good nutrition, or a low-stress environment, it may be time to seek professional advice from your health care practitioner.
While it is important to consider lifestyle factors, before you begin any invasive testing or any risky drugs with side-effects, there is one too often overlooked factor worthy of any reasonable management of fatigue. Have you ever considered that there may be an issue with how your body processes what you put in, and do with it, which may have an overriding effect?
Did you know you your nerve system is your master control system, made of a network of fibers, similar to an electrical wiring system? Interference or stress in the spine may alter the transmission of messages between your brain and any of your body’s muscles, organs, and tissues, affecting control and coordination of systems and function throughout your body. This nerve system stress or interference may be creating inefficient function of your body systems, resulting in loss or efficient energy production or use, leading to fatigue.
In particular, this may be the result of inappropriate nerve activity impeding the effects and function of an optimal digestive system. Since the digestive system is the largest energy consumer of your body, and it should convert food to fuel; this scenario may result in either a poor quality or at least lower production of energy in and for your body.
Since the primary focus of Chiropractic is the optimum function of your spine and nerve system, Doctors of Chiropractic are the natural and logical choice of health professionals to seek out in these circumstances. Look for a Healthy Life Doctor of Chiropractic in your area who can professionally assess your needs, and guide you to living a more energized life, naturally.
