What Causes Severe Fatigue?

Posted on Sat, 3 Jun 2017

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 3 Jun 2017 Answered on

Fri, 23 Jun 2017 Last reviewed on

Question : Feeling like I need sleep all the time total exhaustion through out the day just can not seem to get myself to do anything .

Answered by Dr. Dr. Michelle Gibson (-4 hours later)

Brief Answer:
may need blood tests to rule out anemia and thyroid disease

Detailed Answer:
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic

Physical causes need to be ruled out by an assessment from your doctor

Some possible causes of fatigue/tiredness are: (1)anemia- low blood count

(2)hypothyroidism- low levels of thyroid hormone

(3)electrolyte disorders

(4)side effect of medications though this does not seem to be an issue for you

(5)chronic illnesses eg conditions affecting the heart (Eg heart failure), kidneys, liver, cancer

(6)depression- depressed mood can be associated with fatigue but this is only considered if other causes are ruled out

It would be best to see your doctor for an assessment which should include physical examination, history and investigations such as complete blood count , ESR (checks for inflammation), thyroid function test.
Additional tests would be done based on symptoms

I hope this helps , feel free to ask any other questions

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar