Introduction:
Lethargy is a state in which the person feels exhausted and has no energy. It has long-lasting energy loss, which is different from tiredness and sleep. Lethargy is a crucial symptom of many health conditions and health diseases. Sometimes it can be a normal response due to a lack of stress and sleep. It often resolves with increased sleep, good food, or nutrition. The symptoms of lethargy can be a lack of motivation, depression, and drowsiness. In this article, the causes and symptoms of chronic lethargy are described.
What Is Chronic Lethargy?
Lethargy is a state of fatigue with a lack of energy and motivation while doing tasks. The reasons are overexertion and insufficient sleep, which can make a person lethargic, or an underlying health condition or disease can cause lethargy. Determining the causes of lethargy is important as it can affect significant tasks of daily life. Lethargy is a state of fatigue, a lack of physical and mental energy where the person lacks the motivation to take up and do things on their own. They tend to have indifferent attitudes toward their tasks and lack the energy to finish the normal tasks of daily life or professional life.
What Are the Causes of Chronic Lethargy?
The potential causes of chronic lethargy are-
1. Overexertion-
When a person pushes a lot to finish a work, it is termed overexertion. It involves mental and physical efforts beyond the current abilities. People get overexerted at different points based on some factors. The overexertion is done based on many factors like environment, medical history, specific activity, and task. It can lead to strain and stress. For example, if a person is continuously involved in an activity without breaks, the person gets easily fatigued. Prolonged activity is related to doing an activity too many times without enough breaks and overtraining for physical fitness or sport. The common symptoms of overexertion are fatigue and chronic lethargy. The symptoms of chronic lethargy include:
- Difficulty in concentration.
- Mood changes.
- Brain fog (cognitive dysfunction involving poor concentration and memory problems).
- Increased stress or anxiety.
- Depression.
2. Stress-
High stress makes the person feel lethargic and drained out, and the patient may have a mentally demanding or physically demanding job. People with depression also have lethargy issues.
3. Lack of Sleep and Too Much Sleep-
The temporary lack of sleep causes lethargy, where the person feels sluggish and lethargic each day due to a severe lack of sleep. The body feels tired without proper rest leading to low energy levels each day. Oversleeping causes similar feelings of lethargy where the body's sleep-wake cycle is disturbed, and this disruption leads to lethargy over time.
4. Lifestyle Causes of Lethargy-
- Shift Work - Working at night shifts can upset the circadian rhythm (the internal clock in the brain that regulates cycles of alertness and sleepiness). The body gets naturally adapted to sleep at night. When the cycle changes, the patient becomes vulnerable to lethargy.
- Poor Diet- A poor diet means poor nutrition for the body. Low carbohydrates contribute to lethargy because carbohydrates are the body's main energy source. Some refined carbohydrates and sugary foods act as a source of fuel where they offer quick spikes in energy, and they do not help much in adding energy to the body.
- Sedentary Lifestyle- In a sedentary life, people become very inactive, where they do not exercise properly, where there is a lot of sitting and lying down without any exercise. Nowadays, people are very much involved in sedentary activities. The health risks of activeness are chronic fatigue and lethargy. An inactive lifestyle can cause muscle strength and endurance loss, bones weaken, and metabolism is affected because the body has trouble breaking down sugars and fats. The person might have a hormonal imbalance, inflammation, and poor blood circulation.
What Is Brain Fog?
People experience brain fog as they grow older. Brain fog is not a disease, it is a term that describes the feeling of being fuzzy or sluggish. The person has a lack of mental clarity that affects their concentration and focus. The causes of brain fog are:
- Increased stress.
- Lack of sleep.
- Hormonal conditions like thyroid disorders.
- Vitamin deficiency like vitamin B12 deficiency.
- The symptoms of brain fog are difficulty in focusing, multitasking, following conversations, and recalling things.
What Are the Symptoms of Chronic Lethargy?
Lethargy is unrelenting fatigue or exhaustion, where the person has the low motivation and a sluggish attitude. People with lethargy experience the following symptoms:
- Apathy (lack of interest or enthusiasm).
- Depression.
- Severe drowsiness.
- Cognitive difficulties (trouble concentrating and forgetfulness).
- Sleep problems.
- Sensitivity to cold and hot.
- Inflammation of the eye.
- Weight loss or weight changes.
- The feeling of sadness and irritability.
- Fatigue or tiredness that lasts more than two days.
What Are the Health Conditions That Cause Chronic Lethargy?
There are acute illnesses that make the person feel lethargic. The physical and medical conditions that cause lethargy are:
- Dehydration.
- Hypothyroidism (low secretion of the thyroid).
- Hyperthyroidism (high secretion of the thyroid).
- Kidney failure.
- Meningitis (inflammation of the meningitis of the brain).
- Nutritional deficiencies (vitamin B).
- Traumatic brain injury.
- Sleep apnea (sleep disorder where there are breathing difficulties).
- Postpartum disorder (period after childbirth).
How to Control Chronic Lethargy?
The potential ways to treat chronic lethargy would be managing underlying conditions that ensure people practice good sleep habits. Usually, it does not require any treatment and is often resolved by proper diet and management of stress. The following are the tips for good sleep:
- Relaxing before bed.
- Sleeping with a proper schedule.
- Exercising during the daytime.
- Avoid eating large meals before sleep.
Lethargy can be caused by some underlying cause that needs to be treated. The possible treatments include:
1. Anti-hypothyroid Drugs- Hormone replacement therapy includes thyroid replacement hormone-like Levothyroxine in case of hypothyroidism.
2.Anti-depression Medications- Antidepressant medications are prescription medicines that treat depression and other mental conditions. The feeling of sadness, fatigue, and lethargy are treated with medicines like Lexapro (Escitalopram) and Zoloft (Sertraline). Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are popular medications that increase the neurotransmitter serotonin levels in the body. Serotonin is involved in memory, mood, emotion, and learning. Noradrenaline, also called norepinephrine, is a neurotransmitter released to help manage stress during a crisis. Some common examples of SSRIs are:
- Effexor XR (Venlafaxine).
- Pristiq (Desvenlafaxine).
- Fetzime (Levomilnacipran).
Conclusion:
Lethargy is a state of tiredness, drowsiness, and sleepiness. It is a state where the person has no energy and is exhausted. It is sometimes difficult to nail down a particular cause for lethargy, but when the cause is determined, it can be easily treated. The treatment for lethargy should always address the underlying cause. It is very important to seek medical help when lethargy bothers the person with daily tasks and greatly impacts their life.
