Fatigue Tests

What Are Fatigue Tests and How Can They Help You?

When was the last time you felt fatigued? Most people experienced unexplained tiredness at least once or twice in the last 7 days. It's normal to be tired after a long day at work or after doing excessive physical effort. However, it's not normal to feel fatigued all the time.

If you find yourself lacking energy throughout the day, it's time to do a fatigue test. These blood tests are specially designed to check your hormonal levels and find out why you feel tired most of the time.

In some cases, your thyroid hormones might be the culprit. In other cases, you might have too much stress hormones running through your bloodstream. In any case, keep reading to learn more about fatigue tests and how helpful they can be.

What Are the Substances Checked by Fatigue Tests?

Your energy levels depend on a fragile balance of hormones and other substances. For example, your thyroid gland produces hormones that influence the metabolism of your entire body. It actually tells your system how to use energy and how to metabolize different nutrients.

That's why one of the most common fatigue tests is a thyroid panel. An underworking or overworking thyroid gland can affect your body and cause different symptoms such as weight gain, fatigue, depression, muscle cramps, etc.

Checking the thyroid hormones such as TSH, T3, and T4 will reveal more information on your thyroid health. Based on this, your doctor can prescribe medicine or lifestyle changes to improve your condition and raise your energy levels.

Magnesium Test

Another important element in your body is magnesium. This mineral ensures the proper functioning of muscles and nerves. When you don't have enough magnesium in your body, you might get tired quickly and develop an abnormal heart rhythm.

Apart from the classic magnesium test, there is also another test called magnesium RBC test. This looks specifically at the magnesium content in your red blood cells. The RBC magnesium test is more thorough and gives you a more accurate view of your body's magnesium levels.

Anemia Test

As you probably already know, anemia is characterized by excessive fatigue, poor muscle performance, loss of productivity at work, and difficulties thinking. This is likely caused by too little iron in your bloodstream.

An anemia test looks at different substances in your blood such as your iron levels, hematocrit, red blood cells, hemoglobin, folic acid, and more. Based on the results, your doctor can prescribe iron supplementation as well as other vitamins and minerals to nourish your body. This will eventually help you stop feeling fatigued all the time.

Complete Fatigue Panel

Apart from ordering tests that look at certain substances, you can also order a comprehensive fatigue panel that checks multiple hormones at once. This type of test is particularly useful for those patients who find it hard to trace the reason for their chronic tiredness.

For example, a complete fatigue panel might look at your cortisol levels, DHEA, thyroid hormones, iron levels, and testosterone levels. As you probably already know, low testosterone can make you feel fatigued all the time as well as affecting your gym performance and muscle mass.

Symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Everyone knows how it's like to feel fatigued. You can barely get out of bed, you find it hard to do even simple housework and you want to go to sleep by mid-afternoon. If you have chronic fatigue syndrome, these symptoms might be accompanied by other similar signs that persist over months.

Let's take a look at these additional symptoms that are commonly associated with chronic tiredness.

• Loss of memory - having difficulties remembering things it's not a big deal in most cases. However, it can be a serious problem if you routinely forget things or feel confused when you try to remember something
• Poor cognitive performance - many people have difficulties when they try to concentrate. This is not normal, especially if you've had a healthy breakfast and a good night's sleep before. Poor cognitive performance could be linked to chronic fatigue syndrome in some cases
• Headaches and a sore throat - excessive fatigue is usually accompanied by migraines and headaches that could persist for days
• Large lymph nodes - you might be able to see enlarged lymph nodes in your neck and armpits. This symptom is usually accompanied by constipation or muscle pain

If you had a long day at work and you feel tired, you have nothing to worry about. However, you should order a fatigue test if your tiredness persists for days, even after a restful weekend. You are urged to order a fatigue test if the symptoms mentioned above accompany your chronic tiredness.

What Are the Complications of Feeling Excessively Fatigued for Days?

Apart from the obvious decrease in the quality of life, experiencing too much tiredness can lead to severe complications. Let's take a look at a few of them:

• Severe anxiety and depression - especially if your fatigue is accompanied by insomnia, you might develop severe anxiety and depression that could lead to social isolation and even suicidal thoughts
• Loss of productivity at work - feeling excessively tired will definitely affect your work performance. In extreme cases, people can lose their jobs, especially if they work in construction or other fields that require high physical effort
• Relationship damage - having little to no energy for anything can also affect your relationships. You might not be able to do things with your kids, spend time with loved ones, or attend social events

Pick Your Fatigue Test Today!

You are not supposed to live with chronic tiredness regardless of your age or medical condition. If you have one or more of the symptoms mentioned above, make sure that you order a fatigue test from below.

These tests will check your health and give you an insight into what's wrong with your hormones. Many patients report improvements after just a few days or weeks of treatment, so why shouldn't you feel full of life and energy again?