An NHS GP has has said people need to keep an eye on their symptoms if they’ve made lifestyle changes but are still tired. Sharing the reasons why this could be, she says there comes a point where you need to give your doctor a call.
Taking to TikTok, Dr SK aka @yourdailydoc, stressed “feeling tired all the time is your body’s way of telling you there is something going on. I’m a UK-based GP and these are the common causes that I come across. The obvious causes is lifestyle factors which you can recognise yourself”.
The NHS medical doctor said: “Examples are lack of sleep, sitting down too much, not drinking enough fluids, not having a good diet and being under too much stress. However underlying medical conditions can cause exhaustion.” The doctor said that sometimes it could even be down to not taking enough of the right vitamins.
She explained “for example not having enough iron, not having enough vitamin D, B12 or folate” can cause fatigue. It could also be down to “thyroid problems, diabetes, coeliac disease” and even “going through the menopause”.
All of these health conditions “can cause excessive exhaustion so if you’ve ruled out lifestyle factors and you’re still tired all the time, it’s definitely worth seeing your doctor”, she added.
The warning comes after Miranda Hart spoke about being dismissed, revealing her battle with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), also called chronic fatigue syndrome. Best known for her BBC sitcom Miranda, the comedian had been living with undiagnosed Lyme disease since she was a teenager. Following the end of her show in 2015, her symptoms worsened and developed into ME. The 51-year-old said that she experienced a number of debilitating symptoms including fatigue, joint pain and memory difficulties, yet she went through “decades of misdiagnosis”.
In an interview with How To Fail podcast, Miranda said “I probably went to the doctors every six months, at least, going ‘there’s something wrong with me” telling the host, Elizabeth Day, the doctor wrote down “TATT code for tired all the time”, making her feel dismissed as he shouted “I don’t know what else to say to you” with Miranda running out in a flood of tears.
What are the symptoms of ME/CFS?
The four main symptoms of ME/CFS are:
- feeling extremely tired all the time (fatigue), which can make daily activities like taking a shower, or going to work or school, difficult
- sleep problems, including insomnia, sleeping too much, feeling like you have not slept properly and feeling exhausted or stiff when you wake up
- problems with thinking, concentration and memory (brain fog)
- symptoms getting worse after physical or mental activity, and possibly taking weeks to get better (also called post-exertional malaise, or PEM)
Some people with ME/CFS may also have pain in different parts of the body or flu-like symptoms, the NHS says. This includes a high temperature, headache and aching joints or muscles.
