Getting plenty of sleep but still exhausted? Before you blame your multi-tasking, super-woman lifestyle, learn more about what might be at the root of your unexplained fatigue.
By Colette Bouchez
WebMD Feature
Reviewed by Jonathan L Gelfand, MD
We are in the midst of a global energy crisis but it has nothing to do with oil. The problem is unexplained fatigue.
"Im so tired; I just cant do what I used to do.”

"Id love to go but honestly, I just dont have the energy."
"Sex? You mean right now?"
If youre like most women, these phrases have become mantras, the echo of our collective yawn growing louder every day.
"The single biggest complaint I hear from my patients, day in and day out, is fatigue," says cardiologist Nieca Goldberg, MD, Director of the NYU Medical Center Womens Heart Program and associate professor at the NYU School of Medicine.
Of course, for some of us the problem is simply multi-tasking to the max and not getting enough sleep, or good quality sleep. "If youre continually logging in just 5 or 6 hours a night, its going to catch up with you, no matter your age," says Rebecca Amaru, MD, clinical instructor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City.
But if you are getting a healthy 7 to 8 hours a night and youre still tired, Goldberg says its time for a check–up to uncover the causes for fatigue.
"If your fatigue goes on for more than a week and there is no explanation for feeling tired, then yes, see your doctor," says Goldberg.
While occasionally fatigue may be a sign of a serious illness, experts say most often its caused by a minor problem, with a relatively easy fix.
To help you zero in on why you cant stop yawning, here are 7 hidden causes of fatigue potential health problems you should discuss with your doctor.
Fatigue Cause # 1: Anemia
"If you are in your reproductive years, and particularly if you experience heavy menstrual cycles, have fibroid tumors or uterine polyps, or if youve recently given birth, the blood loss may have caused you to develop anemia a leading cause of fatigue in women," says Amaru.
Problems occur, she says, when the bleeding leads to a deficiency of hemoglobin, the iron-rich protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to other parts of your body. When your tissues and organs dont get enough oxygen, she says, the result is fatigue.
Other causes of anemia include internal bleeding, or a deficiency of iron, folic acid, or vitamin B12. Anemia may also be caused by chronic diseases like kidney disease, for example. Symptoms can include dizziness, feeling cold, and irritability.
To confirm a diagnosis of anemia, your physician will give you a blood test. Treatment, she says, usually consists of iron supplements if iron deficiency is the cause, and adding iron-rich foods such as spinach, broccoli, and red meat to your diet.

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