By Dr. Shreya Batra, ND
Tired of being tired?
Top 7 things you need to test if you are constantly tired.
“I’m a multi-tasker, I work, I cook, I clean, I try to spend quality time with family, of course I’d be tired all the time!” It makes sense that we feel exhausted throughout the day because we are juggling so much, so no need to be concerned, right?”
Wrong! Of course, the work-load and the tasks throughout the day play a huge role in accomplishing general goals, however, being chronically tired and low energy can have many other culprits.
Addressing other reasons of fatigue may help you optimize your productivity and prevent future health complications.
Top 7 things in your next bloodwork you should consider checking out for constant fatigue.
Ferritin – This is the level of your iron stores in your body. Iron plays a huge role in transporting oxygen throughout your body. Low ferritin results in chronic fatigue, cold fingers and toes, hair loss and more. Depending on the presentation, it might be worth also testing the entire iron panel.
Vitamin B12: this vitamin is often deficient in diets that are plant-based. It is a crucial vitamin for the functioning of our nervous system and plays a role of a variety of different processes in the body. Low levels will result in fatigue throughout the day.
Thyroid Panel: Thyroid hormones T3, and T4 are important in assessing the healthy functioning of the thyroid gland. If those hormones are not balanced, it may result in a sluggish behaviour and cause other thyroid-associated symptoms. It is important to also test TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone).
Vitamin D: this is an important vitamin to assess, especially in Canada, given the lack of sunlight in the winter! Low levels of this vitamin affects mood, energy, immune system and more.
Insulin: Insulin levels may help assess what is happening to the glucose in the body after you eat. If the body is not reacting to insulin and are unable to take the glucose from food, the cells are not able to produce energy and fatigue may present as a symptom.
Inflammatory markers: CRP, ESR, ANA, RF…etc. There are multiple inflammatory markers which may indicate chronic inflammation in the body and/or autoimmune disease, contributing to the fatigue and low energy.
CBC: A Complete Blood Count, is usually done on most bloodwork and is a good way to assess the red and white blood cells (size, infection…etc). It would give a good understanding of what is happening at the cellular level which could be contributing to low energy.
What’s Next?
If low energy is a concern, let’s start with your bloodwork and see what the root cause is! It is important to assess deficiencies and prevent future complications.
Book a 15-minute complimentary meet-and-greet to see how we can put together a treatment plan for you!
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