We can feel tired for many reasons. It may simply be due to poor sleep, a busy lifestyle, stress, and/or a poor diet, but there can also be medical causes.
The risk for many women is that we ignore how tired we are and put up with it for far longer than we should, chalking it up to ‘life’. Fatigue can be a nonspecific symptom for many deficiencies and medical diagnosis.
If you’re sleeping well, eating well and have reduced your stress, and you’re still tired you should see your doctor. If you have persistent fatigue this is another time when you should have a check up.
When a patient presents with fatigue doctors should be considering doing blood tests. These are the 4 that you need to ensure are on the list.
The 4 most common medical reasons for fatigue.
Iron deficiency.
We all know how important iron is for energy, and most probably know how awful it feels when iron is low. The main symptoms are fatigue, reduced exercise tolerance, and in some heavy more frequent periods.
The best test for iron deficiency is ferritin, which is a marker of iron stores. Iron deficiency occurs when ferritin is low and iron deficiency anaemia occurs when the stores are low (low ferritin) and red blood cell size and number are reduced.
Vitamin B12 deficiency.
Vitamin B12 is important for the production of red bloods, nervous system function, mood and energy. Vitamin B12 is found in all animal products (meat and dairy). The body can store up to 2 years worth of B12 so it’s not common to become deficient, but I would see it at least half a dozen times a year.
Vitamin D deficiency.
While mainly thought of in association with bone health, vitamin D is actually a hormone, and it is incredibly important for immune function, as well as mood and energy. Vitamin D can be found in a few foods but it is mainly absorbed through the skin when exposed to sunshine. In winter the sun isn’t strong enough and in summer we’re covered in suncream, so most people today are vitamin D deficient. When treated many people notice an improvement in energy and mood.
Underactive thyroid.
The thyroid regulates metabolic rate and therefore energy production. An underactive thyroid is an increasingly common disorder and it is most commonly caused by antibodies as part of an autoimmune condition. The best marker of thyroid function is thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). This will become abnormal before circulating levels of thyroid hormone change.
It’s important to advocate for your own health. If your doctor hasn’t ordered some of these tests then it's completely reasonable that you ask them why.