Fatigue isn’t the normal sleepiness you feel at the end of a demanding but satisfying day. It’s a feeling of malaise that can last from the moment you wake up to the moment you hit the sack, or strike any time in between. Fatigue makes you feel less than yourself, so that you can’t function at your usual high level.
At Men's T Clinic® , our doctors believe you shouldn’t settle for substandard energy, no matter what your age or how demanding your life. If you have chronic fatigue that interferes with your quality of life, seeing a medical professional lets you find out what’s behind your fatigue and how to beat it. F
What follows are a few common reasons for fatigue and some ways we can help you get your energy back.
The quality of your sleep is just as important as quantity for maintaining optimal health and energy levels. Even if you get around the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep per night, if you have a condition such as sleep apnea, you might not be getting enough rest or sufficiently deep sleep.
Sleep apnea causes you to awaken throughout the night because you stop breathing. Signs and symptoms of sleep apnea include snoring, awakening with a sore throat, or feeling drowsy during your work day.
Traveling across time zones can also disrupt your circadian rhythm, which affects your sleep cycle. In fact, anything that sends your body the wrong signals at the wrong type of day — such as exposing yourself to bright lights in the evening — disrupts your sleep.
Not only do you need sleep to restore your body and clear toxins from your brain and other organs, you produce essential hormones — such as testosterone — during phases of your sleep cycle. We may recommend improving your sleep hygiene by setting a standard bedtime and wake-up time, avoiding blue lights at night, and sleeping in a cold, dark room.
If your sleep doesn’t improve by creating a healthy bedtime routine, we may refer you to a sleep specialist. Sleep apnea is a potentially fatal condition but is usually easy to treat with an oral appliance or CPAP machine.
If you have a persistent feeling of sadness or hopelessness, you may be depressed. In men, depression also often manifests as irritation, angry outbursts, or rage.
Depression saps your energy and makes everyday tasks seem insurmountable. Depression also depletes your zest for life and may make it difficult to find things to look forward to each day.
Depression is a serious health condition that increases your risk for suicide. If you’ve lost hope in life, or feel angry or enraged at the world, call us. Although lifestyle changes can improve your depression, we may also refer you to a counselor.
“Use it or lose it” applies to every organ in your body, including your muscles. If you don't exercise enough, you may not get tired enough to sleep well throughout the night. Your muscles may also atrophy due to lack of use, which leads to fat gain and loss of the hormone testosterone (T).
Conversely, if you over-exercise, you could stress your body beyond a healthy point. If you’re a work-out fiend but are chronically fatigued, be sure you factor rest and recovery into your fitness routine.
If your focus is on calories rather than the kind of food you need, you could eat all day and still not provide your cells with the nutrients they need to stay strong and repair and replace themselves. We talk to you about how to eat a whole-foods diet that gives you the macronutrients and micronutrients your body requires for adequate energy and good health.
Our IV therapy services can deliver the nutrients you need directly into your bloodstream to give your body what it needs to fight fatigue.
When you have to combat an infection or battle a disease, your body needs energy to do it. Even if you’re exercising and eating normally, if you have an underlying health condition that eats up your body’s energy supply, you may feel like you’re never quite stoked.
During your Men’s T Clinic® consultation, we conduct a thorough physical exam and testing to identify all of the factors that could contribute to your fatigue. We can partner with your other medical team members to help you manage or resolve conditions that drain your energy.
Your body produces hormones, such as testosterone and thyroid hormones, at night while you sleep. If you don’t sleep well or deeply enough, you won’t have the hormones you need to function well. Both low T and low levels of thyroid hormones can cause fatigue.
Depending on your blood serum levels of T and thyroid hormones, we may recommend supplements or testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). We may also recommend medications to upregulate or downregulate your thyroid function.
If you’re feeling suboptimal and sluggish, contact us for a fatigue workup and diagnosis today. Contact the Men’s T Clinic® office nearest you -- in Dallas, Houston, Frisco, Grapevine, The Colony, Cypress, Pearland, Pasadena, and Spring, Texas.
