Fatigue is, next to anxiety, one of the most common complaints I dealt with as a clinician.
Early in my career most of the people were elderly and somewhat frail. But as time progressed I began to hear it more and more from younger and younger patients.
What was going on!!!
That is today’s topic so don’t snooze on this one.
Fatigue is pretty subjective. Most people notice a decline in their ability to stay up, focus and be productive as they get older. The main comparison is to when they were younger.
“When I was young I could work all day and not get tired and then go out at night and have some fun! Now I can’t wait to take a nap or get to bed.”
The usual defense of naps comes in at about this point and centers around Thomas Edison who was reported to take naps all throughout the day. He was also not known to sleep much at night.
This leads us to our first Fatigue Acelerator: Poor Sleep habits. A few years ago it was in vogue to “hack” your sleep. A popular author convinced a lot of people they could live on extremely short periods of sleep. The same famous author also recommended sitting in ice and snow banks. The famous reference was Michael Phelps the Olympian phenom who consumed huge amounts of calories and remained lean. The logic was because he spent all day in 80 degree water which whisked away tons of extra calories. You could too, according to the author by sitting in a snow bank.
Veracity aside, its clear that these recommendations will resurface over and over again as ice tubs and Wim Hoff are now getting a ton of airplay.
As for the iceman- I think he deserves his new found fame. He is capable of everything he says and has worked hard for decades to get noticed. In todays 3 second attention spam he captivates. Go Wim!!!
More people than ever suffer from lousy sleep. Its both abbreviated and the sleep cycles are disrupted. And sleep apnea has become a must know, so if you snore loudly or even vaguely suspect sleep apnea get checked… it could save your life!
That said there are a thunderin’ her more people who simply have developed poor sleep habits due to stress, late caffeine consumption, anxiety provoking media and just plain old depression. Covid and inflation with economic down turn will do that. Honestly supplements are the first thing to go while they should probably be the last!
I have detailed the benefits of Sweet Sleep Z ad nauseum. I have noticed how many “thought leaders” copied the ingredients in their “brand new” ground breaking supplements. Yawn!
None of them so far have thought to add an antioxidant that passes through the blood brain barrier while you sleep to support repair of brain function (memory etc) and even retinal function (the eye is a direct extension of the brain).
Sweet Sleep Z has been a favorite since its release 6 years ago, chronobiology not withstanding, it helps to sleep well. Immune function, body weight and fat, overall physical performance and of course mental performance are all dependent on a good nights sleep.
So is daytime fatigue!
You have problems I have solutions! Stay tuned for more on fatigue and what you can do to combat it and be more productive in the coming days ahead.
Dr Dave