There are many possible reasons why you’re yawning right now. You haven’t had your coffee yet. You went to bed way too late (let’s blame the inception of Netflix binge-watching). You have a newborn baby. Or a newborn puppy. Your partner snores. Your allergies are acting up. You had a few too many cocktails at yesterday’s happy hour. Someone else yawned and we all know it’s contagious.
Most likely, you’re just exhausted, and there are a few health issues tied to that: heart disease, for one. A lack of vitamin D (especially common in the winter when you don’t go outside in the sun enough). An iron deficiency. Sleep apnea.
Also, hormones. Progesterone, a hormone made in the ovaries as well as in the adrenal glands of both men and women, is known as a calming hormone because it helps us sleep. When progesterone drops, typically in perimenopause, that 10-year-or-so-span before menopause, women may start finding sleep is harder to come by.
If you also happen to have high cortisol levels, a stress hormone made in the adrenal glands, it can block the receptors for progesterone, making sleep even more of a challenge.
Then there’s low estrogen, which can also occur during perimenopause and menopause. Low estrogen is responsible for hot flashes, night sweats and restless leg syndrome, all of which can hinder how well women sleep at night.
Low energy can also be a result of your thyroid not pulling its weight anymore. The thyroid is a small hormone-producing gland at the base of the neck. Hypothyroidism, or underactive thyroid, is when thyroid hormone levels drop. It’s more common in women, but can also affect men, and is most often seen after we turn 60, though any age can experience it.
The less-than-desirable symptoms that come with this include weight gain and fatigue, which will show up slow enough that you may not realize it’s your thyroid at first. Over the course of several years, you may see other symptoms develop including depression, constipation, muscle weakness, dry skin, feeling cold all the time, slowed heart rate, pain and stiffness in the joints, thinning hair and trouble with your memory.
Men, Too?
Yes, fatigue in men due to low testosterone is also a thing. When men have low T, they can experience myriad symptoms, including increased body fat, decreased motivation and insomnia, which can all add up to feeling run down and exhausted.
Exhaustion is Putting Us at Risk
A National Safety Council survey in 2017 found that almost half of the people in the U.S. were too tired to safely perform the duties assigned to them by their employer. And a 2015 survey by YouGov found that even in those Americans who got at least seven hours of sleep a night, 45 percent of them reported feeling fatigued four or more days a week.
I’m Too Tired to Figure This Out
That’s OK, providers can help. A simple blood test should tell you if your hormones are low or out of balance. If they are, you may want to ask about bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, or BHRT.
BHRT is for both male and female patients of adult ages and it can make a difference in as little as one week in terms of your exhaustion symptoms. The number one thing you want to ensure is that the dose of hormones you receive is correct, and a technology from Simpatra was created just for that purpose. It allows physicians to precisely dose patients based on the unique results of their blood tests.
The procedure to implant hormone pellets typically takes less than five minutes. An area of skin usually near the hips is numbed with local anesthesia. A small cut is made and a 3-millimeter needle inserts the pellets just under the skin. The dose doesn’t need to be repeated for another four months, on average, and results can be seen as early as a week later.
It’s also important to make sure the hormone replacement pellets are of the highest quality, and all Simpatra providers receive their pellets from reputable manufacturers. To learn more about BHRT or to find a provider near you visit us at www.simpatra.health.
Disclaimer: The Simpatra website and blog does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Content from the Simpatra website and blog is not intended to be used for medical diagnosis or treatment.The information provided on this website is intended for general consumer understanding only. The information provided is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. As health and nutrition research continuously evolves, we do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of any information presented on this website.