“I look fine, but I feel like death warmed over”

“I’m so tired of being tired”

Can you relate?

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Introduction:

“I look fine, but I feel like death warmed over”

“I’m so tired of being tired”

Can you relate?

What is the difference between regular fatigue and illness-related fatigue?

Regular fatigue starts with a baseline of health. You may be sleep deprived, your mind and body might be worn out from long hours, physical exertion or unrelenting stress- but you don’t feel sick. Your muscles and joints don’t ache like when you have the flu. You are capable of getting out of bed and powering through, a cup of coffee or a nap will help.

Kinda like the time I went on a trip to China as a young healthy unmarried person. In case you didn’t know, their time zone is 12 hours ahead of ours. I was there 3 weeks, had many adventures, delicious and interesting food, and came home with some killer sign language skills. 

In fact, we laugh about this today, because we flew into the New York airport late at night and slept in a motel. The next morning we walked down for breakfast and the waiter said (in English), “How many?” (people) Without thinking, I held up four fingers. Then our jet-lagged brains kicked in and we realized we could actually speak to communicate in this country! 

But I digress… That day I drove from the airport to my parent's home, arriving late at night and the next morning I was scheduled to work! Back then, I didn’t realize the effects of jet lag and just how tired I would be. But I went to work and powered through with lots of coffee! That was regular fatigue. 

Illness-related fatigue is a whole other story. Infection is depleting your body of energy, your nervous system might be overworked, parasites could be eating your stores of iron and vitamin B’s, and gluten and thyroid issues cause low stomach acid so you don’t absorb the nutrients you are eating. 

There is no pushing through this kind of fatigue. Naps help you survive but don’t improve your energy. Sleep is welcome but you don’t feel rested. Drinking a cup of coffee is like treating a headache with candy. No matter how much you rest, you feel exhausted. 

For Illness-related fatigue, You have to treat the root cause of the illness to get back your energy.

If your root cause is a virus, key nutrients will help slightly with energy but you won’t feel back to yourself until you treat the root cause. 

I will be talking more about viruses and their root causes as we go along, and next time I pop in I will tell you a story about my illness-related fatigue. In the meantime, I am so glad you are here! You are not alone in this journey!

What kind of fatigue are you experiencing? I’d love to hear about it! [email protected] 

To your GOOD health and AMAZING life,

Leanna

PS. it stinks to have exhaustion 24/7. If you haven’t already, check out my Instagram or Facebook page for more tips and information on discovering your energy, and ask questions. 

@vibranthealedlife