Fatigue is a sensation that nearly everyone feels occasionally. However, while everybody feels tired at one point or another throughout their day, being fatigued all day long or nonstop for several days is not something that everybody goes through and may be a sign of a serious medical condition. So, if you have noticed yourself feeling unusually exhausted and fatigued recently, and are wondering why, you should get to know some of the potential causes for your fatigue. Then, you can decide whether or not you need to head to your family medicine physician for further testing to ensure that you maintain your health and get to feeling normal and vibrant again sooner rather than later. 

Depression

Sometimes your mental health can have an effect upon your physical well-being in addition to your mood and emotions. Depression is one such mental health disorder that can take a toll on your physical body.

People suffering from a severe depressive state often feel lethargic, fatigued, and want to sleep more and more just to make it through their days. If you have been feeling blue lately, and your mood has become noticeably darker in addition to your fatigue, the cause may be depression. 

If you suspect you are suffering from depression, you can schedule an appointment with your family medicine doctor. They will be able to rule out a physical cause of your fatigue and because family medicine is designed to treat the whole person rather than just the symptoms they feel, your doctor will also be able to help diagnose your depression and work with you and a counselor to get your depression remedied and under control. 

Emphysema

Emphysema is a lung disease in which the air sacs in the lungs become gradually more and more damaged. The more air sacs that get damaged and the further it spreads, the worse your lung capacity. When your lungs are not working properly and your lung capacity is diminished, you not only feel out of breath, but you become easily fatigued and exhausted.

If your fatigue comes along with regular shortness of breath that becomes more frequent with even basic daily activities, you may be suffering from emphysema. This is especially true if you were or are a smoker. A visit to your physician can get you a definitive diagnosis and proper treatment to help strengthen and protect your lungs from further damage if emphysema is the cause of your fatigue. 

When you feel frequently fatigued for days on end, you should head to your family medicine physician, at a clinic like Urgent Care. These are just a few of the many surprising potential causes of your fatigue, each requiring specific and different treatments. So, take care of your health and do not just brush off your chronic fatigue when you experience it.