Fatigue is a common complaint among modern day city dwellers and most of us feel fatigued at one time or another. It is a general feeling of tiredness, exhaustion, or lack of energy.

Some of us feel mildly fatigued because of overwork, poor sleep, worry, boredom, or lack of exercise while ailments like cold or the flu, may cause a more severe form of fatigue. However, if fatigue occurs frequently in a person, it could be the sign of something more serious because fatigue in itself is only a symptom.

Fatigue can be managed in several ways provided you know its causes. We provide a list of the ten most common causes for fatigue:

1. Sleep-deficiency: Inadequate sleep can sap your energy levels and you may feel sleepy and lethargic. It is important to get at least seven hours of sleep a day

2. Diet: An improper diet that is deficient of key nutritional requirements like sugars may keep you low. Try to have breakfast that rich in protein and complex carbohydrates

3. Infections: Certain viral infections can make you fatigued, though in most cases the feeling goes away once you are cured of the disease

4. Anemia: A deficiency of iron in the blood can lean to a condition called anaemia. Iron is essential to make hemoglobin in the blood which carries oxygen to different organs. Oxygen starved tissues cannot function properly and leads to fatigue

5. Depression: A downcast mood can also affect your energy levels. Depression often manifests itself in the form of physical symptoms like fatigue, headaches, and loss of appetite

6. Thyroid: Thyroid is a small gland at the base of your neck. It controls and regulates the body’s metabolism and speeds the conversion of food into energy. When these glands malfunction, the metabolism rate slows down and causes fatigue

7. Diabetes: Diabetics often feel sapped of energy which is the result of improper metabolism of energy-replenishing glucose in the body due to impaired insulin production

8. Dehydration: Excessive dehydration can lead to fatigue. Drinking enough water could solve this, though it is not correct to assume that water deficiency only occurs during summer months

9. Heart disease: If routine activities such as cleaning the house or weeding the yard make you tired, it could be a sign that your heart does not work properly. Inadequate blood supply due to heart problems can cause fatigue