Muscle fatigue is very common after more than normal physical exertion, as muscles are not used to and tire quickly, even for simple activities, such as walking or collecting objects, so most people only experience muscle fatigue when they start participating in new physical activity.
Decreased strength and increased muscle fatigue are also a normal feature of the aging process, as over time, muscles lose volume and weaken, especially if they are not trained. If these are the causes of your fatigue, see what you can do to alleviate the problem.
- However.
- Muscle fatigue can also indicate health problems.
- Especially when it is not caused by these two main causes or when it affects quality of life.
- Preventing normal activities.
- See the most common ones:.
When muscle fatigue occurs very often, one of the first causes studied is the lack of important minerals in the body, such as potassium, magnesium or calcium, minerals that are fundamental to muscle work, allowing to contract and relax muscle fibers. , whenever they are to blame, the muscles have more trouble functioning, which causes more fatigue.
Muscles also need oxygen to function properly, so anemia is another common cause of muscle fatigue. In fact, in anemia, there is a decrease in the amount of red blood cells that carry oxygen from the blood to the muscles.
Because anemia usually develops slowly and gradually, some symptoms, such as muscle fatigue, fatigue, and shortness of breath, may occur even before the diagnosis is made.
Diabetes causes an increase in blood sugar levels that can affect nerve sensitivity, so muscle fibers attached to the affected nerves weaken or stop working, greatly reducing muscle strength.
Some heart problems, especially heart failure, can cause a decrease in oxygenated blood circulating in the body, also decreasing the amount of oxygen that reaches the muscles, in these cases it is common to experience excessive fatigue, even without exercise, and frequent shortness of breath. See what other symptoms may indicate heart problems.
When the kidneys don’t function normally, there may be an imbalance in the amount of minerals in the body, so if minerals such as calcium, magnesium, or potassium are in the wrong amount, your muscles may not work. resulting in a marked decrease in strength and an increase in overall fatigue.
In addition to these causes, there are others that can cause fatigue in the muscles, so if this symptom has been around for more than a week and you haven’t started any physical activity, or gone through extra effort, such as cleaning, for example, you should seek medical help to perform tests and start proper treatment.