Table of contents:
- Causes of excess fatigue
- How can fatigue be a symptom of depression?
- How to deal with excess fatigue due to depression
You may have felt fatigue and fatigue that is unbearable. It is as if the body is unable to get up from the seat. When this happens, you may not realize that one of the causes of excessive fatigue could be depression in disguise. The reason is, most people do not realize that they have depression. Then, what is the difference between ordinary fatigue and fatigue, which is a symptom of depression? Check out the answer below.
Causes of excess fatigue
There are three possibilities when you experience unbearable fatigue. The three possibilities are overexertion, chronic fatigue syndrome, and depression. Tiredness from most activity will generally disappear within a few days or after you have had enough rest.
The second possibility is chronic fatigue syndrome. This fatigue tends to be physical. Simply put, these disorders attack your body systems. So, it's no wonder that other features of chronic fatigue syndrome that people with depression don't experience are sore throats, headaches, joint and muscle pain, bone pain, low-grade fever, and visual disturbances.
Meanwhile, if the cause of the fatigue you feel is a symptom of depression, other signs can be observed from your mental condition. You may feel lingering sadness and hopelessness, lose interest in things you once enjoyed, feel helpless and useless, have trouble concentrating, can't make decisions, or want to commit suicide.
How can fatigue be a symptom of depression?
Fatigue during depression is one way for the brain to protect itself. Thomas Minor, a neuroscientist from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) explained that depression is the body's reaction to acute stress. Stress is a disorder in which the body overproduces stress hormones such as cortisol.
The amount of the hormone cortisol in the body is read by the brain as a threat from outside that needs to be resisted or avoided (fight or flight response). To prevent running out of energy, the brain orders the body to rest. As a result, you become very tired and exhausted. In fact, people with depression are not actually facing threats that must be physically resisted or avoided.
Depression indirectly asks you to pause from things that are weighing you down mentally. Whether it's failure, family problems, financial problems, or trauma from losing a loved one. However, because your body can't "talk" directly to you, one of the signs it shows is fatigue.
How to deal with excess fatigue due to depression
If symptoms of depression are the cause of excess fatigue, you should consult a doctor or therapist. Only by overcoming depression can you get rid of excess fatigue. You may be advised to undergo therapy sessions or take medications prescribed by your doctor for a certain period of time. The doctor will also usually ask you to make lifestyle changes, for example maintaining a healthy diet and exercising regularly.
Remember, if you don't seek help, depression may haunt a person for months or years. So you can't carry out your daily activities properly. Depression can also lead to death. So, don't underestimate the symptoms of depression that you feel.
