A Must Read: Two Diseases That Make You Tired

Drained, bushed, worn-out. These and a dozen other words describe what almost every human feels on a daily basis: fatigue. Sometimes fatigue and satisfaction go hand in hand, like after a hard day’s work, but in other cases exhaustion is a hounding, inexplicable enemy of our wellbeing.

Although it’s common to feel tired, weariness can sometimes indicate serious health problems. If you're unable to explain constant weariness, here are two common conditions of which you can wary.

Running In the Veins: Anemia

Women need to pump iron too, but maybe a kind more important than the dumbbells found in your neighborhood gym.

Anemia is a problem that occurs when blood cells lack hemoglobin, the iron-rich protein that transports oxygen through the blood stream. This deficiency is usually caused by blood loss, an iron-deficient diet, or the body’s inability to absorb iron. It is estimated that 1 in 5 women and half of pregnant women in the United States suffer from iron-deficiency anemia.

Although men and children can also suffer from anemia, pregnant women and teens are the most anemic groups. Teens use iron rapidly during growth spurts, especially females as they begin their menstrual cycle. This deficiency may be one reason why moms and teens feel so tired.

Anemia may cause symptoms such as:

• Fatigue
• Loss of memory
• Mood problems
• Weakness
• Dizziness
• Pale skin
• During exercise: shortness of breath & chest pains

Iron-deficiency anemia is the most common blood disorder, according to the National Blood, Lung, and Heart Institute. Fortunately, this type of anemia is usually quite simple to cure through a diet rich in iron. Foods such as the following, consumed with vitamins A & C (to help with absorption and distribution) can increase your iron levels, energy, mood, and overall health.

Foods high in iron:

• Lean red meat
• Dark turkey & chicken meat
• Tuna
• Crab, shrimp, halibut
• Oatmeal
• Iron-fortified cereal
• Beans (kidney, lima, navy, black, pinto)
• Dark leafy greens

Iron supplements can help, but unless recommended by a doctor, should not be taken by children, adult men, or postmenopausal women. Soda and other sources high in sugar decrease the body’s ability to use iron. So lay off the pop ladies, and keep pumpin’ that iron.

The Sleep Slayer: Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by intermittent interruptions during sleep, usually for at least ten seconds at a time. This disorder is leading cause of fatigue, with more than 18 million American adults suffering from it, according to the National Sleep Foundation.

There are multiple varieties of the disorder:

Obstructive sleep apnea: This is generally what people refer to when they are talking about sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the muscles in the back of the throat cannot keep airways open. Your body loses oxygen to the brain for a moment, causing the body to interrupt sleeping patterns. The body compensates by gasping for breath. Sleep apnea is usually diagnosed also by very irregular, loud snoring.

Obstructive sleep apnea can result in low blood oxygen levels, along with fragmented sleep. These factors can combine to lead to hypertension, heart disease, mood problems and memory issues, according to the National Sleep Foundation.

Central sleep apnea: This is when the brain fails to properly control breathing during sleep. This is far less common than obstructive sleep apnea.

Symptoms

There are certain indicators that a person has sleep apnea. Chronic snoring is one of the biggest indicators. General sleepiness beyond what is normally experienced is another indicator. A person suffering from sleep apnea may also have trouble concentrating, may be depressed and may be irritable. Here are some other potential symptoms:

• Sexual dysfunction.
• Learning and memory problems.
• Falling asleep during the day in inappropriate situations, such as while on the phone or while driving.
• High blood pressure.

If left untreated, sleep apnea can even contribute to heart attacks, heart failure, cardiac arrhythmia, stroke and depression.

Causes

Certain factors increase the risk of having sleep apnea. For example, unchangeable physical characteristics put people at a disadvantage, such as having a small upper airway or large tongue and tonsils. A recessed chin, small jaw, large neck or large overbite can also increase the risk of developing the disorder.

Obesity, smoking and alcohol consumption are three factors people can change to improve sleep apnea or stop it from getting worse.

In fact, a recent study from the Oivauni Sleep Clinic in Kuopio, Finland, found that sleep apnea was about half as likely to progress to more severe disease in obese people who had an extended weight loss, versus obese people who had little help to change their weight.

"With these results, we can say that if we change our lifestyle... we really can stop the progression of sleep apnea," Dr. Henri Tuomilehto, leader of the study, told Reuters Health.

Diagnosis and Treatment

If you suspect you may suffer from sleep apnea, get help, because the problem’s progression can be a serious blow to overall wellness.

The disorder is generally diagnosed through a sleep study, where doctors will monitor your sleep, possibly even through the night. They will examine breathing, eye movement, muscle activity and more. A common remedy for sleep apnea is a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device, which fits over the nose and mouth and moves air into the airways to keep them open.

Other remedies come in the form of dental devices, which can modify the position of the jaw and tongue. Surgery is sometimes performed to remove tissue in the airway.

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