What percentage of people do you know who are tired? Plenty. It is the most common complaint for patients seeking medical help, according to the medical journals.
Most often a medical doctor will find no reason. That is because MD’s look for disease, not wellness. Low-energy, fatigue, exhaustion are all symptoms of a number of problems brewing below the surface. An actual disease state may not appear for years. This affects the quality of life, but also fosters continue wear and tear that will eventually lead to disease.
The first thing to consider is hormone deficiency. Both low thyroid and low adrenals are causes of fatigue. Even if you are told that your thyroid blood work is “normal”, consider that the most common hormone checked, TSH, is a pituitary hormone not a thyroid hormone. The active thyroid hormone is called T3 and it must be formed in the liver. So, if your liver is congested and over-worked, possibly due to the hundreds of chemicals it has to process every day, then your thyroid may be fine, but you are not getting the benefit. And that will make your tired because many cells in your body have a receptor for T3.
If you have difficulty losing weight, cold hands and feet, feel chilled when others are warm, feel foggy mentally or are forgetful, are depressed, retain water, have dry skin, low libido, thinning outer third of eyebrows, consider that you have low thyroid. You may have some of these symptoms even if you are on thyroid medication, which means there are other things to balance in the hormone/endocrine system, or your liver needs help.
Often you do not need a prescription to revive your thyroid and get the thyroid hormones you need. Consider natural thyroid support, including iodine, but use only the bio-available forms. Thyroid protomorphogen is a blue print for making new healthy thyroid cells. And you may need a liver detox or liver support program. So, being tired is only partially a function of how much sleep you are getting.
I will write more about causes of fatigue next time.