Do you feel tired all day, like you just have no energy to do anything? Lots of people have the same experience, but the causes behind low energy are abundant, and it can be challenging to identify the source of your fatigue when internet searches generate a long list of potential triggers.
Read on to learn more about low energy from a functional medicine perspective, which involves looking at the big picture of your health.
The following are common signs that you might have fatigue:
Constantly feeling tired
Lack of focus
Afternoon slump
Gaining or losing weight
Muscle pain or weakness
Slow thinking and reflexes
Irritability or moodiness
Worsened immune system function
It’s crucial to listen to your body when it sends signals like the ones listed above, as they could be signs of other health issues.
These are a few of the most common causes of fatigue:
Nutritional deficiencies
Lack of sleep
Toxins
High stress
Inactivity
Hormonal imbalances
Certain medications
Specific illnesses
A few illnesses that can cause low energy include Lyme disease, hypothyroidism, diabetes, sleep apnea, fibromyalgia, and heart disease.
Functional medicine takes a holistic approach to treatment, examining a wide range of medical, environmental, and lifestyle factors to pinpoint the cause of issues like low energy. A functional medicine doctor runs a variety of tests and collects extensive information about the patient, such as:
Medical history
Lifestyle
Genetics
Environmental factors
Toxin Testing
Hormone Testing
Gut Testing
Food Sensitivity Testing
If you feel like your body and brain aren’t functioning properly while you’re awake, you might be dealing with fatigue. Low energy can be a sign of a larger problem, and functional medicine practitioners, like Dr. Alicia Newsome, look at your health from every angle to identify the root cause and best treatment plan.
