Apathy, fatigue, sleepiness: do you know the causes? 5 tips to overcome them

Chronic apathy, fatigue, drowsiness or mental exhaustion? Can they occur together with pain? Find out the main causes and how to overcome them.

Today's hectic times cannot be imagined without stress.

Stress has become a part of our everyday life. It is caused by the high demands placed on people and society as a whole. During this fast-paced environment, we often forget about healthy eating, fluid intake or relaxation.

All these influences ultimately lead to mental and physical exhaustion and manifest themselves in fatigue and sleepiness even during the day.

Persistent fatigue is a common reason for visiting the GP, but it is also a cause of immune disorders and disease.

Fatigue and drowsiness cause apathy

Since life is not a walk in the park, fatigue and drowsiness are familiar to all of us. They are normal reactions to excessive stress, which warn us against overloading the body completely.

If we continue at our usual pace and don't give ourselves enough rest, we can seriously damage our health.

After all, health is defined as a state of complete physical and mental well-being.

The disruption of this state of well-being by exhaustion is manifested on the physical level, for example, pallor in the face, muscle weakness, and on the mental level, namely apathy, disinterest, slowness.

Fatigue (exhaustion) and drowsiness is a physiological state of the organism

Fatigue (Lat. fatigatio) is defined as an individual subjective feeling of physical, mental or combined exhaustion of the organism. It has its objective manifestations that are visible to the environment and sometimes difficult to hide.

Despite the negative feeling, fatigue has a high informational value. It informs us of impending danger if we do not pay enough attention to it. The body gives us a signal that it needs to slow down.

It arises from lack of sleep, previous excessive mental or physical stress, or as one of the symptoms or consequences of illness.

The most common causes of fatigue and drowsiness:

• Lack of sleep - insomnia, other sleep disorders, sleepwalking
• Excessive physical exertion - playing sports, physically demanding work
• Excessive mental stress - psychological pressure, stress, trauma
• various physical illnesses - cancer, anaemia, fever, infections
• prolonged psychological conditions - depression, anxiety, fear
• pregnancy
• obesity - overeating, unhealthy diet
• Excessive heat - overheating, heat stroke, expired air
• lack of fluids - dehydration
• excessive alcohol intake
• smoking and abuse of certain drugs
• stereotype - monotonous work, boredom

Recently, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) has been increasingly mentioned. It is a pathological condition where exhaustion comes on suddenly and lasts for more than half a year, sometimes for many years. It is not preceded by a typical triggering factor such as overexertion.

Tip: Chronic fatigue syndrome is not just normal fatigue

Manifestations of fatigue and drowsiness:

• Pallor in the face
• circles under the eyes
• drooping eyelids
• eye twitching
• burning eyes or itching
• red to bloodshot whites of the eyes
• yawning
• head spinning, blurry eyes
• headache
• general muscle weakness
• general slowness
• responses with latency
• overall slowed reactions - increased reaction time
• disturbances in concentration
• thinking disorders
• apathy, indifference
• aggressiveness
• weight loss

Apathy is a common symptom or even a consequence of fatigue

Apathy is defined as an individual's disinterest or even indifference to certain aspects of emotional, affective, and social life with a concomitant decrease in overall physical activity.

The apathetic behaviour is first and foremost noticed by those around the sufferer. It is usually other people who bring it to the sufferer's attention. The sufferer initially does not admit the apathy, even to himself.

Interesting: The word apathy comes from Greek. The Greek a-patheia means a state free from distress and passion. In the past, an apathetic person was considered virtuous, i.e. one who led his life correctly and maintained control over himself. The suppression of passions, emotions and affects meant the victory and freedom of reason over emotions.

Manifestations of apathy:

• disinterest, indifference to the world around them
• demotivation
• self-absorption
• verbosity, communication problems
• frequent mood changes
• changes in the individual's behaviour in society
• in worse cases, personality changes
• concentration disorders
• longer reaction times
• reduction in physical performance

5 tips to overcome fatigue for sure

There are many tips on how to prevent fatigue and drowsiness, and also many tips on how to eliminate fatigue that has already occurred. Some of them don't work, others only work on a certain group of people depending on the cause of the exhaustion.

The cause is most important for the method of eliminating fatigue. Of course, some of these are serious, such as cancer fatigue, where it is almost impossible to eliminate.

On the other hand, in case of infection we can increase fluid intake, vitamins, ventilate more often, lower the temperature (lukewarm shower, wraps, medication), get enough rest and sleep. This in turn will help us to be more active, less tired and rather healthy.

The most important thing is sleep and a regular sleep-wake rhythm

Are you one of those people who go to bed late? Or are you one of those people who like to sleep in the morning? Do you take a few hours' nap during the day? Neither is correct.

Tip.

There are still a lot of question marks over the effect of sleep duration on sleep quality and our mood the next day. The latest findings of scientists speak of a proper sleep duration between 6 and 7 hours.

Go to bed a little earlier in the evening!

It's not strange that when people stay up late, they have a difficult morning. And not only the morning. Their whole day is just as cramped. You don't go to work, so you think you'll make it the next day? A disturbed sleep-wake schedule has its consequences. It can be considered as a disturbing element in the onset of fatigue.

Sleeping in doesn't help, people tend to be equally inefficient and feel weak overall. They subjectively feel sleepy and are unable to concentrate, whether at work or in everyday life. Excessive exhaustion after a sleepless night even causes a problem with communication, with concentration or the risk of falling asleep suddenly, wherever it is - microsleep.

As soon as you wake up in the morning, get out of bed!

It wasn't so long ago that scientists and doctors were recommending more sleep, but recent research proves rather the opposite. Excess sleep doesn't help us; on the contrary, it makes people more tired and causes exhaustion and apathy.

Some people wonder how this is possible, since they have slept even more than usual. That's why! When you open your eyes in the morning, don't close them and get out of bed. That vicious "just a little more" usually turns into hours of lazing around.

Interesting fact: People are individual beings with individual needs. While one person needs 8 hours of sleep, another person needs only 5 hours. This norm, which is specific to each person, is very important. It is determined by endogenous factors (internal) and exogenous factors (external). A person who sleeps 8 hours all his life cannot suddenly switch to a 5-hour rhythm. Conversely, for someone who sleeps 5 hours, a few extra hours can induce fatigue the whole following day. The optimal sleep time is generally 6 to 7 hours.

2. Let more sunlight and oxygen into your home

It's morning and you don't even know it because your alarm clock has given up and not a single ray of sunlight has reached you through the cloudy windows? It's in full swing out there and you're still dreaming your dream?

In a stuffy and warm room from the night, getting up in the morning is even more difficult? Oxygenate your brain and body!

Light rays trigger the production of the hormone happiness!

Do you have a darkened apartment like in a horror movie? Are you more afraid of light than Vlad Dracula? You are making a big mistake. On the one hand, the sunrise does not announce the morning, on the other hand, the lack of sunlight causes not only more fatigue, but also a worse mood.

Light triggers the production of serotonin (the happiness hormone), which, in addition to good mood, also affects alertness. It is proven that depression and suicide rates rise during autumn. This is because of the cold weather with lack of light. Light also triggers the production of melatonin, which is important for the proper functioning of the circadian (sleep) rhythm.

Only an oxygenated brain can function properly!

The brain is the organ that is most sensitive to lack of oxygen. If it is completely deprived, death occurs within 4 minutes. In a room where you sleep and breathe out all night, there is not the same concentration of oxygen as in the fresh air. In addition, the temperature in the room increases, which negatively affects alertness and induces a feeling of drowsiness.

The best thing to do, especially in the warmer months, is to leave a window open or at least micro-ventilate. Having enough oxygen not only helps you get a good night's sleep, but also makes it easier to wake up and feel fresh throughout the day.

3. Think about your drinking regime not only in summer

Fluid deficiency and dehydration can be very dangerous. The most risky category of people is the elderly and young children. In these age categories there is a high risk of dehydration due to insufficient fluid intake, but also due to diseases with high water loss (temperature, diarrhoea).

Tip: Dehydration in children can be dangerous!

Inadequate drinking causes dehydration, low blood pressure, insufficient blood supply and oxygenation to the brain, fatigue, sleepiness to unconsciousness, unconsciousness and death. Dehydration is even one of the very common causes of fatigue and drowsiness.

Follow a drinking regime!

In most cases, an adult drinks enough. The optimal daily fluid intake of an adult ranges from 2 to 4 litres depending on weight. It is worse with young children who forget to drink during their favourite activities and also with the elderly who lose their thirst.

Sometimes it's unbelievable, but lack of fluids is one of the most common causes of fatigue. Not enough fluids causes low blood pressure, lower blood circulation to the organs and brain, and consequently, lack of focus, fatigue and drowsiness. When looking for its cause, we very often forget about fluids.

Avoid excessive fluid loss!

Insufficient fluid in the body not only causes insufficient fluid intake, but also excessive fluid loss. Fluid loss occurs quite easily. The greatest losses are conditions such as diarrhoea, vomiting or excessive sweating in a febrile state.

Increased sweating does not only occur during infection and fever, but also during normal body conditions and elevated external temperatures. External temperatures are greatest in summer, when we should double our fluid intake. Losses also occur, for example, in the sauna or in certain occupations (bakeries, incinerators, kitchens, computer rooms with low ventilation).

4. Don't overeat, eat healthy

Unhealthy food is considered to be an energy thief and overeating causes excessive fatigue and sleepiness. Everyone knows that after a hearty lunch comes a lull. One wants to sleep. If one does not properly digest everything one has indulged in, one cannot concentrate properly on any activities.

Not only the quantity, but also the quality of the food plays a big role. If you have a vegetable salad, you usually have no problem. But if you prefer a calorie-laden sausage with baked potatoes, washed down with sweetened juice, you will hardly continue working at the same pace. In such a case, it is difficult to even breathe, let alone work.

Table showing weight in kg/m² and degree of obesity:

Are you overeating and wondering if you are less efficient and tired?

Overeating causes reduced physical activity, reduced physical activity causes obesity. By constantly stuffing ourselves with all kinds of things, healthy and unhealthy, we get into a vicious circle of eating and laziness from which the way out is difficult at best.

Excessive fatigue is just one of the many consequences of obesity in obese people. Fatigue occurs almost constantly, even during the day. Obese people are generally less physically but also mentally active. They experience reduced concentration, drowsiness and apathy.

The quality of diet has a great influence in the fight against fatigue

We are what we eat, and that's not just an empty phrase. More and more gastroenterologists are saying that the quality of our diet has an impact on our gut flora, which in turn has an impact on our physical and mental health. An unhealthy diet full of fats, sugars, preservatives and other additives has an impact on how we feel.

An unhealthy diet reduces our physical performance, increases our fatigue and even affects our mood, states and expressions. As one of many examples, let us mention the chicken meat, which has been increasingly covered in the media recently, which is full of steroids and other substances. These substances have a significant impact on a person's physical and mental health.

5. Get your life moving

Have you just worked out, but instead of feeling the fatigue you expected, you feel a burst of energy? A little warm-up got you started, and now you feel like you can't slow down and would like to get a lot more done before dark?

It's not unusual. Regular exercise and movement are one part of a healthy lifestyle. They help us maintain a healthy body and a healthy mind. They have a positive effect in the prevention of several (especially civilisation) diseases.

Regular exercise reduces the risk of obesity

As already mentioned, obesity increases fatigue and causes a person to be constantly exhausted. He or she is able to do fewer and fewer activities. Fatigue overtakes him or her not only at night but also during the day.

By exercising regularly and including sport in your lifestyle, you eliminate the risk of obesity, reduce obesity that has already occurred, and suppress the feeling of appetite, fatigue and exhaustion.

Sport for a better mood

Being active in sports also reduces fatigue and low mood by suppressing the production of cortisol. We have an excess of cortisol especially when we are stressed. It also helps to break down water in the body, thereby reducing obesity and helping to combat dark circles under the eyes.

In turn, it increases the production of endorphins, especially the aforementioned serotonin. This improves mood and also increases energy. This is why it does not make us feel tired, but rather more rested and active.