Fatigue is a challenging symptom affecting more and more people in today’s world. These days it is rare that the cause of fatigue is easily pinpointed and corrected; with our fast paced lives, it often goes unnoticed until it is too late. By the time a lot of people realise they have a significant problem, the original cause of their lack of energy can be masked by a myriad of vague or prominent symptoms, which all differ in presentation and severity from person to person. So how do you find the cause of your fatigue and get the right type of help to return to health? One simple tool you can use that is with you all the time, and doesn’t cost a thing is, AWARENESS!
Becoming aware of what is happening within your body at different times of the day can help you narrow down the internal and external factors that may be causing or affecting your energy levels. It can take a little time to remember to practice this regularly, but once you make it a habit you’ll be amazed at what it shows you about your body, your health and your lifestyle.
Here are a few questions you can use across your day, which may help you find what you are looking for:
- How do you feel when I wake up in the morning – refreshed or unrefreshed?
- What is your best AND worst time of day, energy wise? How would you rate it on a scale of 1 to 10? (with 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest)
- Do you ever feel like your energy picks up in the evenings after dinner, finding it hard to wind down for sleep?
- Do you regularly experience the 3pm slump? How does that make you feel? How does it affect your concentration and productivity?
- Do you ever experience feeling edgy AND exhausted at the same time?
One helpful way of remembering what you notice is to write down everything you notice or experience for one week. This a great way to find if there are any patterns linking your fatigue; for example from the foods you are eating, the quality of your sleep or around a particular daily situation or environment.
As Naturopaths, we are trained to examine your signs and symptoms to dig down and find what the underlying cause of your fatigue is. By discussing these answers to these questions and more, we are able to plan a treatment protocol to give you exactly what you need, as an individual, to help restore your health and get your energy back to balance.
Another useful tool for refining your treatment is salivary hormone testing. By looking at your cortisol levels across a day, (cortisol is a vital stress hormone that can cause fatigue if it becomes imbalanced), we are able to see where your levels are high and where they are low, and make the appropriate recommendations accordingly. The benefits of this kind of testing means we can tailor your treatment and begin to give you result’s effectively and immediately.
To read more about Sally Broadhurst, and our amazing team of naturopaths please click here.
To book an appointment with Sally please call our friendly receptionist team on (07) 3366 7970 to find a time that suits you. Or book online anytime.
