| | Why Am I So Tired? 7 Causes of Fatigue | | 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.
(page 3) Fatigue Cause # 4: Caffeine Overload Many of us grab a coffee or cola for a quick burst of energy, but for some women, caffeine can have the opposite effect. In an article published in the journal US Pharmacist, author W. Stephen Pray, PhD, RPh, reports that caffeine is a stimulant, but if you take too much, the tables can turn. “In some patients, continued abuse results in fatigue," according to Pray. And if you think this means you simply require more caffeine to get the kick, this isn't the case. "Any attempts to solve the problem by increasing caffeine intake causes the fatigue to worsen," he says. The solution: Eliminate as much caffeine from your diet as possible. This means not only cutting out coffee. Chocolate, tea, soda and even some medications also contain caffeine and could be causing unexplained fatigue. Fatigue Cause # 5: Food Allergies While food is supposed to give us energy, some doctors believe hidden food intolerances -- or allergies -- can do the opposite. According to Rudy Rivera, MD, author of Your Hidden Food Allergies Are Making You Fat, even mild food intolerance can leave you feeling sleepy. Eat the offending food long enough and you could find yourself feeling continually exhausted. "Evidence indicates food intolerance as a cause of fatigue, and even suggests that fatigue may be an early warning sign of food intolerance," he says. If you suspect that food may be behind all that yawning, Rivera says to start with an elimination diet, cutting out foods that cause you to feel sleepy within 10 to 30 minutes of eating them. You can also talk to your doctor about a food allergy test -- or invest in a home test such as ALCAT -- which may help you identify the offending foods.
SOURCES: Nieca Goldberg, MD, director, NYU Medical Center Women's Heart Program; associate professor, NYU School of Medicine, New York City. Rebecca Amaru, MD, clinical instructor of obstetrics and gynecology, Mt. Sinai Medical Center, New York City. W. Stephen Pray, PhD, RPh, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Weatherford, Okla.; Rudy Rivera, MD, author, Your Hidden Food Allergies Are Making You Fat. Reviewed on July 24, 2008 © 2007 WebMD, Inc. All rights reserved. | 
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