If you feel ‘tired all the time’, it could be something more serious, according to a doctor.
There’s nothing wrong with feeling off sometimes, and whether it’s down to stress, lack of sleep or a short illness, feeling tired is to be expected.
However, if it’s all the time and seemingly without a reason, it could be something that requires immediate intervention.
Professor Julia Newton, a consultant geriatrician, told the British Heart Foundation that fatigue means more than feeling a little groggy after a poor night’s sleep.
She explained: “Essentially fatigue is the overwhelming feeling of lacking energy. People often describe it as a battery running out. They might start the day with a full battery, but it runs down too quickly.
“Another common sign of fatigue is when people wake up feeling just as exhausted as they did yesterday, even after sleeping reasonably well.”
While this sounds pretty awful in itself, it could be a sign of a serious condition that affects 900,000 people in the UK, and it’s generally caught too late to prevent lasting damage.
Going to a doctor if you’re feeling unusually tired could help you catch it early.
Cardiologist Dr James Wetherby said fatigue could be a sign of heart failure, which is a silent danger to the public, as per Surrey Live.
According to the NHS, heart failure happens when the heart is unable to pump blood around the body properly because the heart has become weak or stiff.
While you might not know how your heart health affects your entire body, you’re about to once you read the list of symptoms that can occur with this illness.
The symptoms of heart failure
Fatigue is just one of the symptoms you could have, as it could be accompanied by shortness of breath when either exercising or at rest, swollen legs, ankles or feet, unexplained weight gain, confusion, dizziness, a persistent cough, wheezing, a bloated stomach, loss of appetite, a fast heart rate or palpitations.
What have experts said?
The doctor said: “One of the earliest and most overlooked symptoms of heart failure is persistent fatigue. When your heart is under strain, it struggles to deliver oxygen-rich blood to the muscles and tissues, leaving you feeling utterly drained.”
As per the British Heart Foundation, 40 percent of people with heart failure were diagnosed late, which sometimes was due to them not realising that their tiredness was part of something bigger.
If you start experiencing symptoms, it’s important to get checked out as soon as you can as the NHS also notes that: “The symptoms of heart failure can vary from person to person. They may start suddenly or develop gradually over weeks or months.”
This is known as acute heart failure, which is fast, or chronic heart failure, which can take some time to worsen.
How can you lower the risk of heart failure?
However, there are things you can do to lower your risk of developing it or to control your symptoms.
The NHS advises to make lifestyle changes such as eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly and stopping smoking.
For your diet, you should aim to eat at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables per day, meals based on starchy foods, such as potatoes, bread, rice or pasta, some dairy or dairy alternatives, some beans or pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other sources of protein and low levels of saturated fat, salt and sugar.
You can also go on certain medication to help manage your symptoms, opt for an implanted device in your chest, a bypass or transplant, and more.