Fatigue

*If you read this blog on Friday or Saturday and it looks different today, it’s because I edited it.  I wanted to make some of the material clearer and easier to understand.  I hope it helped.  Let me know if you have any questions.

What is it? 

The body must keep itself in balance, and one of the cycles it uses is the cycle of work-then-rest.  But in our fast-paced and high-pressured society, balance and rest are often pushed aside [a lot], so we can get things done.  Millions worldwide suffer with this.

Fatigue is feeling exhausted over a long period of time.  As a person becomes fatigued, functioning at their very best is reduced.  They become inefficient [like a beginner], use more energy to get things done, take longer to do them, and make more body waste that needs to be removed. 

Fatigue is not a true disease.  It’s a symptom or ‘red flag’ alerting us of other problems in the body [like flu, diabetes, anemia, allergies, poor circulation; or hormone, heart, and respiratory issues, and more].  Fatigue could also be a way to slow a person down and have them look at how they are living.  Then they can make corrections or seek help before burning themselves out.  Some body damages can’t be reversed.

 

Here are a few of the types of fatigue:

Mental fatigue – continual brain work without proper rest and regular exercise.  It makes mental work harder and longer to do; learning and memory slow down; and a person can become moody, irritable and ready to fight or argue.  I can testify to that.  Years ago, after days of being exhausted, I got into an argument on a New York City subway –trying to defend someone else!  Crazy!

*Working long hours with the brain [office, school, computer, etc.] must be balanced with exercise, or it will throw the nervous system off-balance.  That will leave you tired, tense, and even depressed.  Brain work strains the nerves of emotion.  This can be balanced with exercise – which activates the nerves of motion.  This will leave you more energized and relaxed. 

Physical fatigue – too much muscular activity without rest periods.  This reduces muscle strength and performance.  Rested muscles work better than exhausted ones [so do muscles that get enough water].  It’s also caused by a poor diet of too many refined and processed foods [they use up nutrients that strengthen body]. 

Chronic fatigue – continually feeling exhausted or pushing yourself to the limit, and never taking time to rest and recover. 

Emotional fatigue – too much emotional stress without good relief [seek help if needed].  It drains the nervous system and tires the body.  Can also be caused by constipation, auto-intoxication* [see Auto-Intoxication Post, Parts 1-3, on 05/03/2013], nutritional deficiencies, and negative outlook and attitudes.  It brings anxiety, tension, depression, feeling overwhelmed, hopelessness, and more.

 

Causes

Fatigue is due to too much or too little of something in a person’s life or environment.  Such as too many hours of mental or physical work, and emotional stress.  And too little rest, not being able to stay asleep, not enough stress management, and not enough proper nutrition [eating high-fat meats and cheeses; white flour foods; refined sugar; junk and fast foods; etc.].

 

Avoid

1. Caffeine and other stimulants.  Brain cells talk to each other chemically.  Caffeine disrupts these cell conversations, and reduces the nervous system’s performance.   *Depressed folks should limit or stop caffeine use.

2. Sugar robs B vitamins – needed for nourishing nerves and producing energy [sugar also robs calcium for bones].

3. One of alcohol’s side effects is chronic fatigue.

4. Smoking robs energy from the body.

5. Toxins and wastes can cause fatigue, depression, aches, and pains.  Help body cleanse by drinking plain water and fresh juices.

 

What You Can Do

• Include exercise in each day’s schedule:  20 to 30 minutes 3 to 5 days a week – or as you are able.  *Activity is good, but it’s stop and go.  Good exercise keeps you moving for at least 30 minutes to raise up the heart rate and strengthen muscles, bones, nerves, organs, and other body parts.

• Eat a balanced, plant-based diet to help nourish and strengthen the body: fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains [like oats], nuts [like almonds and walnuts], seeds [like sesame], and beans.

• If no allergies to bee products, get a good bee pollen supplement.  It helps nourish and energize the body.  I used to take Forever Living Product’s Bee Pollen [Online] and drink quarts of their Aloe Vera Juice – very cleansing and energizing.

• Take a good Vitamin B complex supplement to help nourish the nerves and produce energy.

• Get a good night’s rest – especially before 10pm, but don’t go over 8 hours.  It will make you fatigued and even depressed.  *Too much of even good things can hurt us.

With fatigue, there are many things within our reach to help avoid and correct this problem.  Hope this helps.  See you next time.

 

Copyright © 2013 Regina Spence