Tired all the time

Tired all the time or TATT is a phase that patients use that may have a number of different meanings: Feeling constantly tired is often not the result of a medical problem or illness, or may caused by only a brief and mild illness, such as a cold.
 * a constant lack of energy
 * persistent or regular fatigue
 * problems staying awake, for example in the evening
 * exhaustion that lasts longer than a person expects

Symptom recognition
Tiredness is considered a normal part of life for most people, and as a result is often not taken seriously. There is no medical test to assess tiredness, but there are many different tests that can identify many of the possible medical causes of fatigue.

"Tired all the time" is a frequent experience of healthy people, for example the tiredness caused by a newborn baby making someone short of sleep, excessive working hours or exercise; these are fundamentally different to having persistent and disabling chronic fatigue that does not improve with rest or self-care, may be unexplained, and could be a symptom of an illness.

Comparison
"DR E.G. DOWSETT: One of the most striking features of ME is that the patient is not tired all the time! Extreme and sudden variability of energy levels both within and between episodes of illness differentiate this syndrome from other diseases associated with fatigue."

Potential treatments
Persistent tiredness treatment largely depends on the cause of the tiredness, for example
 * lifestyle changes including
 * getting enough sleep
 * adequate rest
 * reducing caffeine or stimultants
 * healthy eating
 * reducing excessive activity (if present)
 * addressing any medical factors including low mood or stress

Chronic fatigue
Chronic fatigue is a medical symptom defined by
 * problematic fatigue
 * persisting for at least three months, which is the medical meaning of chronic
 * may be mild, moderate or severe
 * can have many different causes but is sometimes unexplained.

Chronic fatigue is often harder to address than tiredeness.

Learn more

 * Why Am I So Tired? - WebMD
 * Dec 11, 2012, How Tired Is Too Tired? - Prevention.com