It’s important to realize that most people who are tired all the time don’t have myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Fatigue is one of the top complaints doctors hear because it can be a feature of so many conditions. In addition, fatigue is often caused by lifestyle factors rather than illness.
Lifestyle factors that can lead to a state of chronic fatigue include:
Poor diet
Obesity
High stress
Too little sleepA lot of people these days live with one or more of these factors, so it’s good to evaluate them when looking for the source of your fatigue. Most of us would probably benefit from eating healthier, getting more and better quality sleep and reducing or better managing our stress.
Just about any illness, whether chronic or short-term, can cause fatigue, so it’s important for your doctor to consider your full range of symptoms and look for likely causes other than ME/CFS.