I used to enjoy asking patients the question above, just as one of my professors asked each of his new classes. The answers were usually specious: good, sound and educated guesses – but wrong. The number one deficiency is sleep. There are multiple reasons for sleep deficiency; and there are many consequences from neglecting the nightly snooze.

As you read on, keep in mind that:

• Sleep is the mechanism of renewal.
• Fatigue is a feeling of tiredness, which has copious causes including lack of sleep.
• Vitality is the wonderful, uplifting feeling that cannot be accomplished without sufficient sleep.

The body knows how to sleep, just as it knows how to mend a broken bone or heal an infection. We would not leave a wound open to dirt and debris because we know that if the wound is clean, the body will perform its job better. The same is true for sleep. If we remove all the dirt (disturbances to sleep), the body can be left to salubrious slumber-land.

The need for sleep is vastly underrated, indeed often sneered at. Frequently, pride is exhibited ignorantly by those who need little sleep and who think others lazy when they are always tired. Of course, feeling energetic and daily vitality is more complicated than lying in bed each night. We will discuss these complexities shortly. There are many reasons why we may be sick and tired of feeling tired. All of these reasons can be complicated by lack of sleep. Other times they are a direct result of ‘cheap sleep.’ It is important to touch on some of the various reasons for fatigue.

Note: Most of the causes or symptoms of fatigue can be eliminated or abated by following suggestions located throughout the 120 Years – and Holding program.

Fatigue Felons
Approximately one out of every four people visiting a physician say they usually feel tired. That is a lot of us. Frequent fatigue is generally believed to fall into two major groups, physical and emotional. I might add that the emotional type is every bit as real and ‘fatiguing’ as the physical. It is a difficult distinction to make, either for yourself or by a doctor. But you have more time to ask yourself questions, and to listen to the answers, than your doctor will. However, discovering the underlying causes of frequent fatigue can be like peeling the proverbial onion; once you are sure that you have found the answer there is another layer of skin waiting to be peeled away. It is always best to explore any problem and its possible causes without judgement - no exception here. Nevertheless, short-circuiting the problem with preventative measures might be easier. It might be wiser, more cost saving and more effective to ‘do everything right’ (within reason) as presented in this series. Turning these actions into habits will disarm the multiple causes and interlocking influences of fatigue. This approach will provide self-treatment for the principle fatigue causes (e.g.: including inadequate exercise, dietary composition, supplementation, etc.)

Back to the question of emotional versus physical. Again, the 120 Years –– and Holding program will aid both of these underlying causes. Yet, you may still wish to examine the root of your particular fatigue. One method of determining the category is to ask yourself the following questions.

A.)  Am I generally more tired and fatigued at night, finding some relief after sleep?

B.)  Am I generally more tired upon waking, finding some let up of the fatigue toward evening?

These patterns are not written in stone, which is the reason for the word “generally” in each question. However, it may help you evaluate your triggers. The ‘A’ pattern is often someone suffering from physical fatigue, whereas the ‘B’ pattern represents a drain on vitality due to emotional stress.

Physical Causes
Physical causes are perhaps not as numerous as are the scenarios for emotional stress or causes, yet there are a surprising number of physical influences. While we will discuss sleep disturbances in detail, some of the basic physical causes of fatigue are listed below.

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