Managing Asthenia (weakness symptoms)

Asthenia, the sense of body exhaustion or tiredness, which causes inability to properly move a certain part of the body, lack of energy to move certain muscles or even all the muscles of the body, feeling of tiredness or exhaustion or of experiencing a loss of strength is a serious condition that may cause physical and mental fatigue.

Weakness can occur throughout your body or in specific areas such as the arms or legs and the weakness can localise to a single muscle, such as a calf muscle in the leg.

Weakness can also occur due to physical illnesses or toxic disorders. Long-term (chronic) conditions, such as multiple sclerosis or an underactive thyroid, short-term (acute) conditions, such as a pinched nerve or urinary tract infection, can also cause weakness or due to overwork, stress, or lack of sleep, short-term weakness may occur.

Weakness may be temporary, but it’s chronic or continuous in some cases.  If you’re experiencing possible symptoms of asthenia, it’s important to identify and treat the underlying cause of it. There are several potential causes to consider discussing with your doctor.

Certain underlying health conditions may cause generalised fatigue and weakness, including flu, thyroid disease, anemia, celiac disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, depression, anxiety, lack of sleep, poorly managed or undiagnosed diabetes, congestive heart failure, vitamin B-12 deficiency, cancer, stroke and heart attack as well as side effects from certain medications or overdoses of medications and vitamins.

Other causes include natural aging, certain muscle diseases, arthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), kidney disease, nerve or muscle injuries, poison, not eating a balanced diet or a sedentary lifestyle

Symptoms of asthenia include isolated weakness, delayed or slow movement, uncontrollable shaking or tremors, muscle twitching and cramps, full body weakness and fever.

Asthenia may be primarily identified by weakness, but it may also cause mental and body fatigue which is a condition of being too tired to engage in everyday activities; this level of tiredness persists, despite getting adequate sleep.

Some common causes and treatment are dehydration and you need to increase fluid intake.

Anemia; take iron supplements if it appears that you’re iron deficient.

If your weakness is due to a cold or the flu, treatment may not be necessary but you should see your doctor if any symptoms persist after being ill. If you’re currently being treated for a medical condition, any new or worsening weakness could mean that you need modifications to your treatment plan.

Since asthenia is related to a variety of conditions, the most effective way to prevent it is to treat the underlying causes.