Jul 30, 2008 11:00 pm US/Eastern
Fatigue: When To Rest And When To Worry
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
Have you ever asked yourself, why am I so tired? With today's fast-paced lifestyles, many of us simply don't get enough shut-eye. But fatigue can also be a symptom of a serious health problem. The problem is how do you know when to rest and when to worry?
A working mom with three small kids, Barbara Daley of Holliston is constantly on the go and never seems to get enough sleep. "Getting out of bed in the morning is hard, it's very hard," she said. "I'm always tired in the morning."
Dr. Kenneth Sassower is a sleep specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital. He says the majority of Americans are in the same boat.
"People are working a couple of jobs, taking care of families and we're all just bone-tired," he explained.
Barbara felt so sluggish; she was convinced there had to be more to it than her busy schedule.
"I thought maybe it's my thyroid," she said.
According to Dr. Sassower, fatigue can be a symptom of thyroid problems and a number of other serious conditions like diabetes, anemia even heart disease and cancer.
So when do you take a nap and when do you talk to your doctor? Dr. Sassower suggests an in-home experiment. Take a few days off from work and spend that time eating a healthy diet, getting some regular exercise and avoid alcohol and caffeine.
"If the weekend is still a problem or vacations are still a problem, then there may be something more to it," he said.
The easiest way to find out for sure is a trip to your primary care physician. A few blood tests should help your doctor determine if there really is an underlying medical problem.
Barbara was actually disappointed when her test results came back normal. "I was seriously hoping that I had an issue with my thyroid," she joked, "then you can just take a pill and you'll feel better."
As it turns out, like many of us, Barbara is just plain tired.
Learn 10 tips to help sleep better Learn how to battle fatigue How can I get a good night's sleep? Figuring out MS-Related fatigue
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