Recipes to prevent and treat fatigue

Far too many Americans drag through their days feeling weary and downright exhausted. In a survey of American workers, 38 percent reported feeling fatigued within a two-week period. In a 2005 survey of 4,500 male and female twins, about 37 percent of the people reported extreme fatigue at some point in their lives. In addition, nearly 23 percent had experienced prolonged fatigue (longer than one month), and almost 16 percent had chronic fatigue (lasting more than six months).

The women were two to three times more likely to feel run down as men. Specifically, 75 percent of the women reported fatigue, versus 25 percent of the men. The women also developed “fatiguing illness” at younger ages. We’ll leave it up to our readers to speculate on why women are more vulnerable, though differences in genetics, hormones, and social demands (working and caring for family) could certainly be factors.

The most common reasons for feeling worn out are sleeping too little and being overscheduled— two familiar and coexisting problems in America. Another related issue is chronic stress overload, which leads to burnout (emotional detachment, apathy, and low energy). Ill-advised yet common solutions to coping with stress by eating junk food, smoking, or drinking heavily only compound the problem.

Fatigue can be physical, mental, and emotional. Repetitive activities in any one dimension can tire you out. If you exercised harder or longer than usual, you’ll feel physically depleted. If you’ve been problem-solving for hours, your head will feel fuzzy. Staring endlessly at a computer screen fatigues the eyes. If you’ve been upset or have been comforting someone else, you may feel emotionally spent. The solution to overdoing it is to give yourself breaks.

Fatigue is a normal reaction to taxing yourself. If you feel better after you relax and get a good night’s sleep, you’re okay. Nevertheless, you should take care not to wear yourself out very often.

A number of medical conditions can also cause persistent physical fatigue unrelieved by rest, including the following:
• Anemia makes you tired because your red blood cells aren’t carrying enough oxygen.
• Acute infections are often accompanied by fatigue, as well as other telling symptoms (e.g., body aches, sore throat, cough, vomiting, and diarrhea).
• Chronic infectious illnesses such as AIDS, viral hepatitis, mononucleosis, and Lyme disease are also exhausting.
• Sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, and narcolepsy lead to daytime sleepiness.
• Psychological disorders, particularly depression, interfere with sleep and cause daytime fatigue.
• Other chronic diseases associated with fatigue include diabetes, heart failure, hypothyroidism, chronic obstructive lung disease, cancer, adrenal insufficiency, and celiac disease (or other conditions that impair intestinal function).
• Surgery, even a minor procedure, can set a body back.
• Pregnancy, while not a disease, shifts hormones and puts unique demands on the body.
• Medications such as antihistamines, some antidepressants, chemotherapy, and some blood pressure medications cause sedation or fatigue. (If you take a medication that has sapped your energy, discuss the matter with your doctor. Please don’t abruptly stop a prescription medication on your own.)

Recipes to prevent and treat fatigue

Mini Work Break 
If you can’t take a 10-minute break, short exercises can “reset” your brain.
You
Your office or cubicle
A chair
Preparation and use:
Energize One: Wall Tap: Stand up and touch one wall, and then walk to the other and touch it. Energize Two: Arm Wrap: Stand up and wrap your left arm over your right, crossing your palms, too. Raise your elbows to shoulder height and press your palms away from your face. Hold for 10 to 20 seconds. Repeat on the other side. Energize Three: Leg Wrap: Sitting at your desk, lift your feet and cross your right leg over the left. Repeat on the other side. Energize Four: Infinity Trace: Extend your right arm in front of you. Hold out your thumb and trace the infinity sign (a sideways figure eight). Follow the motion with your eyes, without moving your head. Repeat with your left arm.
Yield: 1 session
How it works:
Standing up and touching walls is a simple way to take a short, physical break and reset the brain. According to experts who study how to teach in ways that better match the way the brain learns, activities that cross the sides of your body—as in the arm and leg wraps and the infinity trace—stimulate and refresh the brain. Wrapping your arms and legs also stretches some muscles and temporarily constricts circulation. When you release, you feel a pleasant flush of fresh blood.  

Breakfast Boost Omelet
Handful of well-rinsed baby spinach or kale 3 large or 4 small shiitake mushrooms 2 teaspoons (10 ml) olive oil 2 large eggs 1 tablespoon (15 ml) milk Pinch of dried or fresh thyme Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
Preparation and use:
Wash and pat dry the leafy greens. Tear into bitesize pieces, removing any thick stems. Wash, dry, and slice the mushrooms. Heat the oil in an omelet pan over medium heat. Sauté the mushrooms until they soften and brown. Scramble the eggs and milk in a bowl. Stir in the thyme and pepper. Pour over the mushrooms. When the center begins to gel, turn with a spatula to cook the other side, 2 to 3 minutes. Place the greens on one side of the omelet and fold the omelet in half. Remove from the pan and serve.
Yield: 1 serving
How it works:
You literally need to break your overnight fast in the morning. If you find yourself crashing before lunch, a nutritious breakfast might be the solution. The olive oil and the protein in the eggs supply long-lasting energy. (Cereal and baked goods, particularly if made from refined grains, give you a quick boost followed by a quick decline in blood glucose.) Leafy greens contain a host of vitamins, including calcium, magnesium, and B vitamins—all of which are needed in energy processes. Shiitakes contain fiber, minerals (potassium, magnesium, selenium), the B vitamin folate, and, when grown under ultraviolet light, vitamin D. They also taste delicious and promote immune health. Some studies indicate that additional magnesium improves symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome. However, these studies used intramuscular injections of the mineral.

When simple Doesn’t Work
Through the ages, herbalists have recommended herbs that help restore vigor in the face of debility. In Ayurvedic (traditional Indian) medicine and traditional Chinese medicine, practitioners recommended herbs such as ashwaghanda (withania somnifera), ginseng (panax ginseng), and schisandra (schisandra chinensis). Native Americans used a different species of ginseng (panax quinquefolius). Rhodiola (Rhodiola rosea) and eleuthero (eleutherococcus senticosus, also called Siberian ginseng) became popular in Russia. Research shows that rhodiola decreases fatigue during stress and improves mental performance in fatigue. Eleuthero and schisandra have been shown to enhance endurance and mental performance in fatigued people. In one study, a concentrated extract of eleuthero wasn’t generally effective in people with chronic fatigue syndrome, though it did help people with less severe symptoms. Although these herbs are generally safe, they are not intended to be used as crutches. If you are chronically exhausted, get a proper medical evaluation first.

When to see the Doctor
• Despite your efforts to follow a healthy lifestyle, you feel tired much of the time.
• You habitually awaken feeling unrefreshed.
• Your bed partner notices that you snore most nights. If you’ve also been observed to intermittently hold your breath at night, make an appointment as soon as possible.
• You feel chronically fatigued and have numerous points that are tender to the touch.
• You have other symptoms such as unex - plained weight loss, recurrent diarrhea, frequent infections, or any other signs of illness.
• You feel sad, irritable, hopeless, and have lost interest in activities that previously gave you pleasure.