Do you wake up tired? Do you rely on caffeine and sugar to get you through the day? Do you feel like you need a nap after every meal?
Unfortunately, fatigue and exhaustion have become a silent epidemic in our modern lives. We brush off our tiredness as a sign of a productive day, or “just a phase” we’re going through. The truth is, being chronically fatigued robs us of our physical, cognitive, and emotional health.
Here’s the good news: you don’t have to live your life under the cloud of fatigue forever. At Wellnest Denver Acupuncture, we help people break free of the fatigue cycle and create more energy in their daily lives naturally.
Here we’ll show you how you, too, can trade in those groggy days for a more uplifting and fulfilling life!
What Is Fatigue?
Fatigue is a general term we use to describe feeling tired or worn-down. It’s not the same as feeling sleepy or drowsy (although you may feel those, too). In fact, many people who struggle with fatigue have trouble falling asleep. You’re more likely to feel like you have no energy or motivation to get through the day. It might be hard to concentrate or you might feel clouded by brain fog. Many people also feel extremely fatigued after eating.
If you experience regular fatigue, you’re not alone. Fatigue is a very common problem in the United States, with up to 43% of people report feeling too fatigued to do their jobs or daily activities properly. To make matters worse, over 70 million of us also suffer from issues like sleep disturbance, sleep apnea, and insomnia which can make overcoming fatigue even harder.
Mild fatigue is normal, and can usually be improved with proper rest, diet, exercise, acupuncture, and some simple lifestyle habits. If your fatigue doesn’t improve with these shifts, however, it’s important to speak with your doctor to rule out any underlying health conditions that could be causing the fatigue.
What Causes Fatigue?
Fatigue can result from a wide range of health or lifestyle factors, which is why managing it on your own can be tricky. Here are some of the most common causes of fatigue:
Lifestyle Factors that Cause Fatigue
- Not enough or too much exercise
- Lack of sleep or too much sleep
- Stress or grief
- Weight gain
- Lack of nutrition in the diet
- Taking certain medications
- Drinking alcohol
- Too much caffeine
Health Conditions that Cause Fatigue
- Anemia
- Fibromyalgia
- Pain and arthritis
- Infections like a cold or flu
- Thyroid conditions
- Hormone imbalance or endocrine problems
- Depression or anxiety
- Seasonal affective disorder
- Insomnia or sleep apnea
- Autoimmune disorders
- Kidney, liver, or heart disease
- Diabetes
- Cancer or chemotherapy treatment
More Than Tired: Chronic Fatigue and Adrenal Fatigue
For many of us, fatigue is more than just feeling tired and low energy. Chronic fatigue syndrome and adrenal fatigue are two complex health conditions that make daily life challenging for millions of Americans.
Thankfully, acupuncture can be a game-changer for both of these seemingly difficult-to-treat conditions. Let’s see what the research says…
What Is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), or myalgic encephalomyelitis, is a condition that affects multiple body systems. A characteristic sign of CFS is the post-exertional malaise or a “crash” or “collapse” that occurs after doing a task that wouldn’t normally be exhausting (such as going to a social event).
Chronic Fatigue Symptoms
- Extreme fatigue
- Poor concentration or thinking
- Sleep disturbance
- Pain
- Dizziness
- General malaise
- Headaches
- Sore throat
How to Overcome Chronic Fatigue with Chinese Medicine
Treating CFS can be challenging, but Chinese medicine excels because of its unique perspective on the interconnectedness of the body’s systems and of energy itself.
Studies show that acupuncture is an effective natural treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome. Careful acupuncture treatments proved effective for improving both physical symptoms of chronic fatigue (like pain or gastrointestinal issues), as well as mental symptoms (such as insomnia and mood). Overall, participants reported a significant increase in their health-related quality of life after using acupuncture to manage their chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms.
If you struggle with chronic fatigue syndrome, we’ll take a deep look at your symptoms and how your fatigue developed over time. Then, we’ll create a unique treatment plan that gets to the root cause of your fatigue. Along with regular acupuncture for chronic fatigue syndrome, we’ll also help you restore your energy with customized herbal formulas, supplements, and lifestyle tips that help you improve your energy at home.
Adrenal Fatigue
Feeling burnt out? It’s not all in your head. You could be suffering from the effects of adrenal fatigue.
Unlike chronic fatigue syndrome, adrenal fatigue isn’t recognized as a medical condition, but rather a state of imbalance. Adrenal fatigue is thought to be the result of chronic stress that taxes the adrenal glands and causes a range of symptoms – including fatigue.
What Is Adrenal Fatigue?
The adrenal glands sit atop your kidneys and are one of the most important glands in your body. They produce hormones that regulate your metabolism, immune system, blood pressure, and activate your response to stressful stimuli to help you survive a threat.
With adrenal fatigue, chronic stress causes a constant state of fight-or-flight which wears down the adrenal glands. They are unable to keep up with the constant triggers and eventually fatigue. As they fail to function properly, we start to fatigue too. In extreme cases, we may experience mental or physical burn-out.
Adrenal Fatigue Symptoms
- Fatigue
- Mood changes
- Body aches or pain
- Unexplained weight loss
- Low blood pressure
- Lightheadedness
- Loss of body hair
- Skin discoloration
How to Reverse Adrenal Fatigue with Chinese Medicine
Adrenal fatigue is most closely associated with the Kidney system in Chinese medicine. The Kidney system manages your energy stores for the whole body, kind of like a bank account. How we live our life can determine how fast we spend what’s in our “bank account.” Drinking caffeine, alcohol, or using drugs will spend this energy. Getting sick or losing sleep will spend a little energy. And, each time we feel overwhelmingly stressed, we spend our energy stores.
When we are chronically stressed, we spend more and more energy reserves until the Kidney system is weakened. To replenish our resources, we can use healthy lifestyle habits to make a “deposit” and boost our energy.
Regular acupuncture consistently replenishes your Kidney energy and even acts as an interest account. There is a cumulative effect with consistent acupuncture treatment in which each session builds upon the last, teaching your body to create more of its own energy. Acupuncture is also one of the most effective ways to stop stress and build your body’s resilience to it.
Herbal medicine, supplements, and lifestyle changes are also key aspects of our holistic treatment plans for adrenal fatigue.
Adrenal fatigue may be related to other issues, like depression or fibromyalgia. If your symptoms don’t improve with acupuncture treatment and lifestyle changes, it’s best to speak with your doctor to rule out any potential underlying issues.
Tips to Improve Your Energy Naturally
Creating a healthy lifestyle at home is essential to overcoming mild fatigue, chronic fatigue syndrome, or adrenal fatigue. Here are some key habits you can adopt to restore your energy naturally:
- Get regular acupuncture to restore your body’s natural energy.
- Eat a highly nutritious diet full of a wide range of whole foods and plants.
- Drink water throughout the day.
- Exercise daily with moderate intensity.
- Take frequent breaks from work to calm the mind and reduce cortisol levels.
- Get 7-9 hours of sleep each night.
- Avoid your known stressors and practice your favorite stress relief activities daily.
- Reduce your intake of alcohol, tobacco, sugar, and caffeine.
- Ask for help when you need it.
Beat Fatigue at Wellnest Denver Acupuncture
Life offers too many wonderful experiences to drag yourself through each day exhausted and dreary – be it because of fatigue, allergies, or other. With the help of acupuncture and some easy-to-implement lifestyle changes, you could feel like a completely different person in only a few weeks.
Ready to beat fatigue once and for all? Schedule a consultation today to find out how Wellnest Denver can help you regain your energy to live life to the fullest. We will discuss lifestyle changes that you can make, herbs and supplements that will boost your energy, and implement acupuncture, to get you feeling your best and enjoying life!
