It’s easy to blame your lack of energy on the grief you’re feeling over the loss of your partner. The combination of overwhelming sad thoughts, a lack of sleep plus the added responsibilities you may have as a single person are certainly draining on your physical, mental and emotional states.
However, don’t rule out that there may be underlying physical reasons for your tiredness.
I recently read an article on WebMD that listed the most common reasons for feeling tired, which included the following.
- A Hidden Urinary Tract Infection (UTI). In some cases, fatigue may be the only sign of a urinary tract infection. If you’re not feeling right (and/or experiencing some pain/burning) ask your doctor to give you a urine test to confirm a UTI. UTIs and dehydration can be at the root of a foggy brain, too.
- Your Diet. Calories are energy. Therefore, if you’re not eating enough (or eating empty calories), you will be tired.
- Food Allergies. Many food allergies (or sensitivities) go undetected. Some doctors have cited exhaustion as a sign of hidden food allergies.
- Caffeine Overload: Although a little caffeine can perk you up, experts say that too much can have the opposite effect and make you feel more fatigued. Try to find the balance just right for your body.
- Undetected Thyroid Problems: Many experts feel that yearly blood work should include a thyroid level evaluation. Be aware that fatigue is one symptom of a thyroid condition called hypothyroidism, which is treatable with medication.
When you’re exhausted, you look forward to getting a good night’s sleep. Unfortunately, many have problems falling asleep as well as staying asleep the entire night. Experiencing a restful night of quality sleep is so important to the healing process because it’s hard to address any issues when you’re feeling fatigued. Dr. Joseph Mercola lists various techniques that can help you improve both the quality and quantity of your sleep, some of which include the following.
- Avoid before-bed snacks, particularly grains and sugars. Snacking raises your blood sugar and inhibits sleep. Later, when blood sugar drops too low, you might wake up and not be able to fall back to sleep.
- No television right before bed. Television is too stimulating to the brain, and it will take longer to fall asleep. It also disrupts the pineal gland function.
- Get to bed as early as possible. Your adrenal glands do their major recharging between the hours of 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. Additionally, your gall bladder dumps toxins during this same time period. If you are awake, the toxins back up into the liver, which then secondarily backs up into your entire system and causes further disruption to your health.
- Keep the temperature in the bedroom no higher than 70 degrees. Seventy degrees seems to be the optimum sleeping temperature – neither too hot nor cold.
- Eat a high-protein snack and a piece of fruit several hours before bed. The protein helps to provide the L-tryptophan needed to produce melatonin and serotonin. The fruit can help the tryptophan cross the blood-brain barrier.
