Memory Loss: Is Your Medicine Cabinet to Blame?
A mounting body of scientific evidence shows that many commonly used prescription and over-the-counter medications are associated with memory loss.
Do you feel like you’re dragging? Too tired to do the things you want to do? Don’t want to get out of bed? Lack the energy to be your best at work, in your relationships, or with your kids?
Being chronically fatigued can really zap your zest for life. It’s no surprise that fatigue impairs physical function, but it also has a negative impact on cognitive ability and emotional control.
Figuring out why you feel drained can be a tiresome effort in itself. Autoimmune disorders such as chronic fatigue syndrome affect anywhere from 836,000 to 2.5 million people in the U.S. But there are many other underlying behavioral, cognitive, and psychological causes of fatigue. Some of them may surprise you.
Over 90% of people diagnosed with major depressive disorder experience fatigue, according to a 2018 study in CNS Drugs. In some instances, fatigue may be a side effect of certain medications used to treat depression.
The relationship between depression and tiredness goes both ways, as chronic fatigue also increases the risk for depression.
A 2011 paper in Innovations in Clinical Science reported that depression-related fatigue is associated with myriad effects, including difficulty concentrating, slowed thinking, apathy, boredom, memory problems, increased irritability, emotional disturbance, and a drop in productivity.
Wake-up call: Get moving, even though you may not feel like being active. Research shows that physical exercise has been found to be an effective treatment for mild to moderate depression.
The most common mental health issue, anxiety disorders affect an estimated 40 million Americans. Research shows anxiety and neuroticism, among other conditions, are significantly associated with fatigue.
With anxiety or panic attacks, fears and nervousness can escalate and cause a fight-flight-or-freeze response that triggers the release of a flood of hormones. This can lead to physical reactions, such as a racing heart, shallow breathing, muscle tension, trembling, and more.
When this resolves, it is often followed by feelings of exhaustion. Even in the absence of these high-anxiety moments, ongoing anxiousness can be accompanied by persistent physical and psychological symptoms that drain energy and leave you feeling tired and overwhelmed.
Wake-up call: When you feel anxious or panicky, practice deep breathing to calm your nervous system and induce a sense of relaxation. Understand that relaxation is different from feeling tired.
Also known as SAD, seasonal affective disorder is a type of depression that occurs seasonally, usually during the winter. Affecting an estimated 6% of Americans, SAD causes increased feelings of fatigue and leads to an additional 2.5 hours of sleep each night in the winter.
People with SAD tend to experience an energy drain, feelings of lethargy, and low motivation.
Wake-up call: Try bright light therapy, which has been found to be beneficial for those with SAD.
Stress levels are rising, according to the 2023 Stress in America poll. This annual survey found that the long-term stress of the pandemic has increased mental health conditions, especially among adults aged 35 to 44 (up from 31% in 2019 to 45% in 2023).
Most people can handle life’s everyday stressors without feeling overwhelmed, but when major stresses stack up it can leave you feeling depleted. For example, getting laid off while you’re dealing with a serious health concern can make you feel overtired and emotionally exhausted.
Wake-up call: Practice stress-management techniques, such as meditation or listening to calming music.
Grief disrupts activity in the limbic system, the brain’s emotional centers, and it can activate the pain centers in the brain resulting in feelings of physical pain. All of this contribute to feelings of exhaustion during the grieving process.
When you’re grieving, you may have trouble sleeping, which leads to daytime drowsiness. You may also feel mentally exhausted as a result of brain overload, as losses often have a wide range of complex implications—such as financial issues, living situations, everyday routines, and more.
Wake-up call: Following a loss, start the healing process as soon as possible and maintain a brain-healthy routine—exercise, nutritious foods, good sleep, and supplements—to preserve energy.
An estimated 50-70 million Americans have some form of sleep disorder, with approximately 10% of Americans suffering from chronic insomnia, and about 22 million diagnosed with sleep apnea.
That’s bad news because a lack of quality rest is a common reason for chronic daytime fatigue. Having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep can have negative consequences, including irritability, brain fog, short temper, trouble concentrating, and more.
Wake-up call: Create a sleep routine that promotes healthy rest and stick with it 7 days a week.
Although these compounds initially induce sleepiness for some people, they have the reverse effect as they wear off. This is why you may wake up several hours after you go to sleep—and not be able to return to slumbering.
Alcohol seriously impairs sleep because it disrupts REM sleep, interferes with circadian rhythm, and increases the need for nighttime urination.
A 2022 study found that people who used cannabis on 20 or more days in the past month were more likely to get either too little sleep (less than 6 hours) or too much sleep (more than 9 hours) each night.
Wake-up call: Eliminate or reduce your use of alcohol or marijuana.
The foods you eat can either energize your brain and body or drain your mental and physical functioning.
Foods that are high-glycemic—think sweets, baked goods, and chips—cause your blood sugar levels to spike then crash, leaving you feeling physically sluggish and mentally dull. Starting your day with doughnuts sets you up for a low-energy day.
Wake-up call: Ditch the high-glycemic foods in favor of more fresh fruits and vegetables. And be sure to eat small amounts of lean protein throughout the day to help keep blood sugar balanced for better energy.
Brain-imaging research shows that people aged 50 and older who experience excessive daytime sleepiness and fatigue are at increased risk of developing dementia.
In the participants with high levels of daytime tiredness, brain scans showed detrimental changes in multiple areas of the brain. For example, fatigue was associated with shrinkage in the hippocampus, an area involved in memory formation.
Wake-up call: Identifying which of the 11 major risk factors for memory loss you have and addressing them can be critical to preserving memory as well as improving energy levels.
By incorporating these wake-up call strategies, you can reclaim your energy and overcome persistent fatigue. With renewed vitality, you’ll not only feel better but also find yourself more capable of achieving your goals and living the life you desire.
However, if these tips don’t provide the boost you’re looking for, it may be time to consult a healthcare or mental health professional. Understanding the underlying cause of your fatigue is the first step toward addressing it and restoring your energy levels for good.
CDC. Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. May 10, 2024, https://www.cdc.gov/me-cfs/about/index.html
Ghanean, H., Ceniti, A.K. & Kennedy, S.H. Fatigue in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder: Prevalence, Burden and Pharmacological Approaches to Management. CNS Drugs 32, 65–74 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40263-018-0490-z
Targum, Steven D, and Maurizio Fava. “Fatigue as a residual symptom of depression.” Innovations in clinical neuroscience vol. 8,10 (2011): 40-3.
Carek, Peter J et al. “Exercise for the treatment of depression and anxiety.” International journal of psychiatry in medicine vol. 41,1 (2011): 15-28. doi:10.2190/PM.41.1.c
Vassend, Olav et al. “Fatigue symptoms in relation to neuroticism, anxiety-depression, and musculoskeletal pain. A longitudinal twin study.” PloS one vol. 13,6 e0198594. 7 Jun. 2018, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0198594
American Psychological Association. Stress in America 2023. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2023/collective-trauma-recovery
Diep C, Tian C, Vachhani K, et alRecent cannabis use and nightly sleep duration in adults: a population analysis of the NHANES from 2005 to 2018Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine 2022;47:100-104.
Carvalho, Diego Z et al. “Excessive daytime sleepiness and fatigue may indicate accelerated brain aging in cognitively normal late middle-aged and older adults.” Sleep medicine vol. 32 (2017): 236-243. doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2016.08.023
A mounting body of scientific evidence shows that many commonly used prescription and over-the-counter medications are associated with memory loss.
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