Fatigue is quickly becoming one of the most common issues that adults are experiencing.  Fatigue is a subjective feeling that can have mental, emotional and/or biochemical causes.  In many cases, fatigue can accompanies chronic diseases or make us more susceptible for developing health issues.  In some cases, fatigue can be caused by  over taxing our body’s resources by going past our natural rhythms and continuing to work past healthy limits.

In the case of physical fatigue, one might notice a sense of fatigue while performing an activity, such as a twinge in their knees.  Instead of stopping and stretching, they might keep working until the project is complete instead of stopping when the body requests it.

In mental fatigue we might keep working at the computer or on a project even thought we may notice a decrease in productivity, clear thinking and impaired cognition.

Either situation can lead to biochemical exhaustion by drawing on the body’s stress mechanisms to make up the difference.  For instance, we utilize hormones such as cortisol or epinephrine and norepinephrine from our adrenal glands, to allow us to keep going.  These stress hormones, over time, can cause the glands to be taxed and deplete our internal resources for dealing with stress down the line.