What Is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Chronic fatigue syndrome is also called myalgic encephalomyelitis. CFS causes extreme fatigue that has no clear cause.
CFS makes you extremely tired. Even a full nightâs sleep doesnât help. Your fatigue may be worse for a whole day after any type of exercise or activity. Youâre too wiped out to do almost anything: take a shower, go to work, cook dinner, do the laundry, or go to the supermarket. You might be unable to get out of bed for any reason. You could have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep.
CFS often causes pain. You could have muscle aches, joint pain, or headaches. Itâs also common to have blurry vision or see spots, and to have memory or concentration lapses. You may feel foggy or unable to remember details.
CFS can cause these symptoms, too:
- Irregular heartbeat
- Shortness of breath
CFS has no known cause. Possible causes include a hormone imbalance, infection with the Epstein-Barr virus or other viruses, the common yeast infection, Candida albicans, or an overactive immune system. Your genes might play a role in CFS too, because it often affects people in the same family.
My Personal Experience With Fatigue And Depression
From personal experience, I did not realize fatigue affected me and that depression alone was the source of my issues whilst studying at university.
I found it difficult to concentrate on essays, found myself very tired and exhausted just by going to the shop or a class and was late quite often to work, lectures and social events because of this. It was not until these occurrences were pointed out to me by a friend that I noticed it may not just be my depression causing these problems.
It is important to first acknowledge that there may be something interfering with your sleep, body and mind, as well as depression and to tackle the cause before it becomes a bigger issue.
Am I Depressed Or Just Tired
Fatigue is so common in todays population that it can almost be described as a normal effect of adult life. Over 60% of American adults state that they feel tired at least some of the time .
So how can you tell whether your tiredness is caused by depression, or something else?
Only a doctor or a mental health therapist can tell you whether or not you meet the criteria for a depression diagnosis. They can also complete a full medical evaluation to rule out any other health condition that could be contributing to your fatigue. If you are experiencing tiredness that doesnt go away, then talk to your medical provider about what could be going on.
When fatigue is caused by depression, people generally experience the other symptoms of depression as well.
On top of fatigue, the other main symptoms of depression are:
- Low, empty, or irritable mood almost all the time
- Loss of interest in activities you used to enjoy
- Feelings of hopelessness
- Feelings of worthlessness and guilt
- Difficulties with concentration and focus
- Sleep disturbances
- Changes in appetite, which can cause weight loss or gain
- Unexplained aches and pains
- Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide
Its best to talk to your medical provider about what the root of your fatigue could be. At The Center A Place of HOPE, our admissions team also completes a full assessment to get a picture of your overall health.
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How To Tell If You Are Depressed Or Just Tired
With both depression and fatigue, symptoms include low energy, low motivation, and anhedonia, or a loss of interest in pleasurable activities, Dimitriu says.
One distinguishing factor can be the desire to engage in activities people who have fatigue wish to do things, but lack energy, whereas people with depression have lower interest in activities, he says.
“Another important consideration is the duration of the low mood and if it improves with sleep,” Dimitriu says. A single good night’s sleep can improve a tired person’s mood, he notes.
But depression-related fatigue permeates every facet of a person’s life, says Ricke. The effect is felt:
- Physically: Everyday tasks eating, showering, getting dressed, and so on may become difficult. “The body can feel heavy, slow, and stiff due to depression,” Ricke says.
- Cognitively: Due to depression, you may experience “difficulty sustaining focus, concentrating, and processing information,” Ricke says. Of course, lack of sleep can have a similar cognitive impact, making it challenging to concentrate.
- Emotionally: Here is where the effects may be most profound. “Fatigue makes it more difficult to weed through the already confusing thoughts and feelings that are part of depression,” Ricke says. Forming emotional connections with friends, family, and the people around you may be more challenging when you’re fatigued, she says. And that, in turn, “can perpetuate feelings of aloneness and hopelessness,” Ricke says.
Difficulty Getting Out Of Bed
Its normal to enjoy sleeping in or spending time in bed. However, if it has become difficult to find the motivation to get out of bed or get ready in the morning, this could be a sign of depression. Depression can make us feel fatigued and physically drained to the point where even small tasks, like getting up in the morning, can feel exhausting or difficult to do.
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Fatigue And Depression: When Is Tiredness A Warning Sign
3 Minute Read
Sleep is an important part of overall health, but for many, it does not come easily. Millions of Americans report feeling fatigue a feeling of tiredness or exhaustion.
Many different factors, ranging from poor sleep to health conditions, can cause fatigue. Its also a common symptom of mental health conditions, such as depression.
Being fatigued doesnt mean youre depressed, but fatigue can be a warning sign. Learn more about the link between the conditions.
The Emotional Reasons That Depression Makes You Tired
There are also emotional reasons that depression makes you tired.
Feelings of unworthiness and self-blame can keep you feeling unmotivated.
Depression is a mood disorder that causes extreme emotional states, many of which make you feel too tired to participate in your life as usual.
Just like depression puts your body into high-alert, it also puts your emotions into panic mode.
You may experience emotions from self-blame and self-loathing which make it harder for you to feel confident about performing tasks or interacting with others.
Or, you may experience apathy and hopelessness which convince you that it’s not worth trying to train for that marathon, find a new partner, or get that promotion you really want.
The onset of such strong, negative emotional states can wear down your body and make you feel persistently tired.
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What Are My Options
Since depression is at the core of your depression fatigue, its important to look into ways that you might want to treat your mental health above anything else.
There are many options, and each type of treatment can offer a different approach in helping you to deal with the challenges that come as a result of your feelings of depression.
Here are two main treatment options to consider:
Is It Possible That Anxiety Is Making You Tired
My nerves are in a mess I have many anxiety symptoms to list but can being anxious 24/7 wear you out and if so how do you know you know its not depression? Yes, anxiety can make you very tired, anxiety itself as well as side effects like lack of sleep or lack of restful sleep.
How does lack of sleep lead to anxiety?
Sleep and anxiety can be a sticky circle since anxiety can not only cause lack of sleep, but also contribute to anxiety. When we are tired, everything can feel like hard work. Life seems so much harder to manage and challenges seem impossible.
What makes a person tired all the time?
Fatigue is also associated with a number of psychological disorders, including: 1 grief 2 work or financial stress 3 depression 4 anxiety
Why do I feel anxious all the time?
Anxiety is a feeling of fear, dread or apprehension. It can be brought on by a stressful event or the way you think about an event. Sometimes people feel anxious even when there doesnt seem to be an external trigger.
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How Would You Describe Fatigue Associated With Pots
People with POTS experience fatigue differently. Many describe it as feeling beyond exhausted. Its as if your energy is completely depleted. The fatigue is probably hundreds of times worse than your worst flu. People with POTS may also have trouble concentrating and thinking straight. Doing simple tasks may feel like youve just run a marathon.
This fatigue might come and go, hitting you without warning daily, weekly or less frequently. For some people, extreme fatigue lasts for days. Others may experience periodic attacks. It can come on at any moment even if you just woke up. And there is no amount of sleep or coffee that can make it go away.
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About Upmc Western Behavioral Health
UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital is the hub of UPMC Behavioral Health, a network of community-based programs providing specialized mental health and addiction care for children, adolescents, adults, and seniors. Our mission is to provide comprehensive, compassionate care to people of all ages with mental health conditions. UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital is a nationally recognized leader in mental health clinical care, research, and education. It is one of the nations foremost university-based psychiatric care facilities through its integration with the Department of Psychiatry of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. We are here to help at every stage of your care and recovery.
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What Is Samhsa’s National Helpline
SAMHSAs National Helpline, , or TTY: is a confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year, information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members facing mental and/or substance use disorders. This service provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations.
Also visit the online treatment locator, or send your zip code via text message: 435748 to find help near you. Read more about the HELP4U text messaging service.
Manage Fatigue From Anxiety With A Broader Approach
None of us have unlimited resources, though a lot of anxiety, depression and bipolar sufferers have a surprising amount of energy. Anxiety is energy, for that matter. Itâs just not that useful when it comes in the form of panic attacks or negative thinking and worry.
Anxiety disorders wreak merry mayhem with your ability to recover from things like a poor nightâs sleep. Maybe you donât necessarily need more sleep. Maybe it takes a broader approach to control anxiety.
So, what are you doing to treat anxiety? Breaking free from anxiety is about somewhat nebulous things: mindfulness, the absence or presence of joy or peace, support, and those anxiety coping skills Iâm always on about.
Donât know any coping skills? Hereâs one:
Think of a cup. That cup contains what Iâll go ahead and call my daily allowance of useful energy.
- Is there enough to get me through the day?
- How will I use it, and how strict do I need to be?
You donât want a dried-out cup by midday. I like leftovers, because Iâm not that sure tomorrow wonât be harder, that I wonât stumble or have a panic attack. Planning your day based on your energy level gives you an honest idea of what you can do in the following hours without overpromising or accepting challenges that will take too much out of you.
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What Antidepressant Medications Are Most Likely To Cause Fatigue In Depression
Dr. Fava: Although fatigue is viewed as a common side effect of the more sedating antidepressants, such as the tricyclic antidepressants, substantial rates of treatment-emergent fatigue have been reported with SSRIs and SNRIs. A pooled analysis by our group has shown that bupropion’s use is associated with significantly lower levels of residual fatigue compared to the SSRIs.10
Other Comorbid Health Conditions
Depression has a close relationship with many medical conditions. For example, people with cancer , MS , and migraines all have a higher likelihood of being depressed than the general population.
All of these conditions could also cause fatigue. In other words, it could be the third factor thats leading to both depression and fatigue.
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Diagnosing Depression And Fatigue
To make a depression diagnosis, your doctor will ask you about your medical history and give you a questionnaire that assesses depression. They may use other methods, such as blood tests or X-rays, to make sure another disorder isnt causing your symptoms.
Before diagnosing you with chronic fatigue syndrome, your doctor will run several tests to rule out other conditions that can cause similar symptoms. These may include restless leg syndrome, diabetes, or depression.
Why Depression Makes You Tired
Fatigue, body aches, lack of motivation, and other effects of depression might have you wondering why depression makes you tired.
Research shows that up to 24% of adults in the United States struggle with depression.
That means that depression is probably much more common than you think.
Despite being so common, depression is still very misunderstood.
The symptoms that people most commonly associate with depression are emotional.
Symptoms like persistent sadness, loneliness, despair, and other negative emotions.
However, depression also has more physical symptoms like exhaustion and fatigue, changes to appetite and sleeping patterns, and even physical pain.
One often overlooked symptom is how depression can make you feel tired.
If you’ve found yourself feeling tired often, lack energy, sleeping more, or experiencing fatigue: this could be depression.
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Pandemics Emotional Hammer Hits Hard
This kind of mental fog is real and can have a few different causes. But at the root of it are the stress and trauma of the past year, say Cyrus and other mental health experts. Its a normal reaction to a very abnormal year.
And while many people will likely continue to struggle with mental health symptoms in the long run, research on past mass traumas suggests that most people will recover once the coronavirus pandemic ends.
We know that the majority of people tend to be resilient, says Lynn Bufka, a psychologist with the American Psychological Association. They may have struggled during the time of the challenges but generally come out OK on the other end.
In the meantime, Bufka and other experts say that there are things we can do now to fight the mental fog and exhaustion.
How stress and sleep are linked
Exhaustion can be a symptom of many things, says Cyrus.
For one, it can be a symptom of stress.
We know from other research that people will talk about fatigue as something that they experience when theyre feeling overstressed, says Bufka.
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Depression Acts On Neurotransmitters To Make You Tired
Depression is likely associated with changes in brain neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. “These neurotransmitters play important roles in regulating energy levels, sleep, appetite, motivation, and pleasure,” Ricke says.
According to Harvard Health Publishing, depression is a complex disease with many possible and interlinked causes, including genetics, medical conditions, stressful life events, and brain chemistry. And it can be challenging to tell the difference between everyday tiredness and depression-related fatigue.
“Fatigue and depression can look quite similar,” says Alex Dimitriu, MD, psychiatrist and sleep medicine expert, and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine.
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Reasons Depression Makes You Tired
Fatigue can be one of the first symptoms of depression, and one of the most noticeable. Those with depression might find themselves thinking things like Im tired of being tired, or I just want to sleep the day away. Are you wondering why depression makes you tired? Were here to explore several reasons why those with depression might be experiencing this.
The nature of the disease
Depression affects the neurotransmitters in the brain that control how awake and alert individuals feel. In our experience, it is very rare that fatigue is NOT one of the main symptoms of someone suffering from depression. Feeling excessively tired should be a warning sign that there is an imbalance of chemicals in the brain that needs to be addressed by a mental health professional.
Sleeping patterns
Depression can disrupt sleeping patterns at night, causing greater levels of fatigue during the day. It takes depressed people longer to fall asleep as well, which results in them sleeping for less time than their non-depressive counterparts. A good nights rest has many restorative properties for brain function, and when sleep is light, interrupted, or insufficiently long, restorative processes can be interrupted, and even halted. Sufficient rest is a key factor of managing a mental illness.
Medications
Fatigue can be a side effect of several antidepressant medications. Talk to your doctor if you feel your medications could be contributing to your fatigue.
Stress
Seeking Help
How Are Depression And Sleep Related
Depression and sleep are closely connected. Almost all people with depression experience sleep issues. In fact, doctors may hesitate to diagnose depression in the absence of complaints about sleep.
Depression and sleep issues have a bidirectional relationship. This means that poor sleep can contribute to the development of depression and that having depression makes a person more likely to develop sleep issues. This complex relationship can make it challenging to know which came first, sleep issues or depression.
Sleep issues associated with depression include insomnia, hypersomnia, and obstructive sleep apnea. Insomnia is the most common and is estimated to occur in about 75% of adult patients with depression. It is believed that about 20% of people with depression have obstructive sleep apnea and about 15% have hypersomnia. Many people with depression may go back and forth between insomnia and hypersomnia during a single period of depression.
Sleep issues may contribute to the development of depression through changes in the function of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Sleep disruptions can affect the bodys stress system, disrupting circadian rhythms and increasing vulnerability for depression.
Fortunately, people who are treated for major depression often report improved quality of their sleep.
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