Fighting Fatigue

The first step is observing yourself in order to discover its cause

- Christina Frangou

YOU DON’T WANT TO get out of bed and, once you finally do, you can’t find the energy to exercise. During the day, you lack the ability to concentrate on anything. Just like paper cuts and bad dreams, fatigue happens to everyone at some point. It’s a common ailment, reported by as many as one-third of people visiting their primary care physician.

In many cases, fatigue is a normal response to life circumstances: stress, a change in sleeping patterns, a heavy workload. Since we can’t always avoid these things, Dr Tom Declercq, a professor of medicine at Belgium’s Ghent University, suggests giving yourself more rest than usual during these times to restore energy levels. “It’s very important to listen to your body when it’s asking for more sleep,” he says.