Mental fatigue: symptoms, its relationship with stress and how to avoid it

Perhaps you feel identified with one of these situations in which stress or worries leave you physically and mentally exhausted.

Carlos is an executive responsible for various projects and must meet the agreed deadlines; Carmen faces tough opposition, but she must also resolve her family conflicts; Isabel works and studies, barely has time to eat and sleeps few hours. In all of them, physical and mental fatigue has taken its toll, they feel that they are dragging, that the head does not give for more and that every time everything becomes more uphill.

It is clear that the cause of fatigue in these cases is chronic stress, that is, stress over time… How can we face the challenges of everyday life without losing vitalitywithout letting fatigue become routine?

Chronic stress and mental fatigue

Stress is the way the body prepares to face a difficult situationwhich generates various biological, chemical, enzymatic and psychological processes of adaptation.

In small doses, stress helps increase concentration and motivation to do things as well as possible and achieve goals.

But when the demands are continuous and exceed the person’s ability to manage them, chronic stress appears that causes the depletion of one’s own resources:

An imbalance occurs in the synthesis of neurotransmitters, with alteration of 5HTP receptors, precursor of serotonin.Certain areas of the hippocampus atrophy.Symptoms arise such as insomnia, gastrointestinal problems and memory disorders and concentration.The immune system is suppressed which favors the appearance of infections. insulin resistance and inflammation.

2 Ways to Respond to Stress

The impact that a stressor or stress-triggering stimulus has on our lives will depend on objective factors: hormonal levels, nutritional status, physiological balance…, but also of the subjective assessment that we make of the process lived.

In this sense each person lives “his reality” based on your beliefs, your personality – introverted or extroverted, tolerant or perfectionist, flexible or rigid – past experiences, etc. All this builds the way of responding to stressors:

Some people respond to stressful situations hypertonicwith action and movement. Others respond hypotonicwith inhibition and paralysis.

Both ways of responding to stress lead to an organic imbalance which ends up generating various health problems.

It is important to set limitscontrol thoughts, manage the agenda and be aware that most problems have a solution.

Also, there are lifestyle habits that help maintain good mental hygienesuch as physical activity, sleeping the necessary hours, eating a balanced diet, meditating and spending time doing things we like.

The symptoms of chronic stress: this is how it warns you

It is normal to feel weak, mentally exhausted and less dynamic at times. Throughout our lives we go through circumstances that stress us out and cause us mental and physical fatigue, since they take away the energy we need to carry out our daily obligations.

He mental fatigue It is usually caused by an overload of flow of thoughts, a situation that over time becomes a problem. state of anxiety Very detrimental to mental health.

The tensions and the chain of problems that demand overexertion lead to exhaustion.

Look for solutions before reaching this pointBecause if stress takes over your life it will wreak havoc on your health. Be attentive to the first symptoms:

Apathy and decay. If you feel more unpleasant, with little desire to talk and with less strength than normal, it is possibly because you suffer from mental fatigue.Difficulty to sleep. Lack of sleep causes mental fatigue, but this in turn can cause insomnia.Lack of concentration. Having a foggy feeling in the head, memory loss and difficulty concentrating is common when there is mental exhaustion, which leads to poor performance at work and in everyday life in general.Headaches. The continuous flow of stressful thoughts ends up leading to annoying headaches.Muscle pains. Mental fatigue is closely related to a lack of energy, which in turn causes less cellular oxygenation. A feeling of heaviness appears, erratic pain, it is more difficult to move and stay active.

Increased cortisol and decreased serotonin

The Austro-Hungarian physiologist and physician Hans Selye (1907-1982) created a theory based on what he called “the general adaptive syndrome”, which is still valid today to explain what happens in the three phases of stress:

alarm reaction. In this phase, the adrenalin (hormone that activates the circulatory and respiratory system), there is an increase in the dopamine (engine that allows us to face challenges) and the testosterone (sex hormone that confers strength and energy), lowers aminobutyric acid or GABA (key neurotransmitter for mental relaxation) and there is also a slight increase in serotonina hormone that has the ability to anesthetize pain.Resistance or adaptation. They start to appear symptoms both physically and mentally: irritability, mood swings, insomnia, low intellectual performance, memory loss, headaches, digestive disorders, palpitations, etc. Here there is a sharp decline in all the above hormones, and only one will increase inordinately: the cortisol.claudication either burn out. It produces a immunodeficiency state, due to the influence of cortisol. A depressive picture and various physical and mental illnesses can appear.

Motivation and tiredness

The relationship between fatigue and motivation is complex. On the one hand, the motivation for a task or objective, even though it is attractive, can decrease as obstacles appear and the person feels more fatigued; On the other hand, carrying out a job with little motivation causes fatigue symptoms to appear earlier.

We must also bear in mind that, when motivation is high, we may not notice tiredness until it reaches a high and dangerous level for health.

It seems that the threshold for the feeling of fatigue is different depending on the motivation that one has to carry out an activity.

Hence the importance of manage the hours of dedication well to work and compensate the mental effort with the necessary rest and distraction.

7 natural aids for mental exhaustion

Some plants and nutritional supplements They can be of great help in coping with stress and reduce anxiety levels that lead to mental exhaustion. Always check with your doctor or health specialist before taking supplements.

1. Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA)

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) has a calming effect on the nervous system, it is muscle relaxant and sleep inducer.

Strengthens the brain in times of stress and prevents anxiety attacks due to nervous hyperexcitability.

In supplement form, they are usually recommendede 500 to 1,000 mg dailytaken fasting.

2. Adaptogens

They are natural substances increase the adaptive capacity of cells of the nervous system and improve the physical, hormonal and energy-creating condition of the body.

They are not stimulants, but regulatorssince they provide vital “information” for the survival of the biological system, in such a way that they are capable of inhibiting an excessive response or stimulating an insufficient responsebalancing homeostasis with the goal of achieving balance.

Some of the best known are the ashwagandha (Eschscholzia californica), the rhodiola (rhodiola rosea), he eleutherococcus (Eleutherococcus senticosus) wave equisandra (schisandra chinensis).

The usual dose of these phytonutrients is 300 mg of dry extract twice a day for one or two months, alternating with rest periods.

3. Bacopa monnieri

Bacopa monnieri is a plant of Asian origin that can be a good complement when it is necessary to increase the processing speed of visual information, the learning rate and the long-term memory consolidation.

This is because its chemical components improve communication between neurons and increase the levels of well-being neurotransmitters such as serotonin and GABA acid.

Some are usually recommended 300 mg daily of dry extract.

4. Coenzyme Q10

Chronic stress reduces the synthesis of coenzyme Q10, an essential substance for energy production in mitochondria. Taken as a supplement, it helps to increase vitality in states of chronic fatigue.

They are usually recommended 30 to 120 mg daily.

5. Magnesium

It is the mineral par excellence to combat both stress and fatigue. It improves intellectual performance, moderates adrenaline secretion, modulates the state of neuromuscular tension and helps improve sleep quality.

The most bioavailable way to support the central nervous system is magnesium threonate. They usually recommend 500 to 2,000 mg daily, with meals or half an hour before bedtime.

6.NADH

The nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide Hydrogen is found in all cells and is vital for the generation of energy in the body.

this molecule stimulates the formation of neurotransmitters such as dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin.

Taking it as a supplement provides the body with fuel and can help improve performance, strengthen memory and reduce feelings of tiredness. They are usually prescribed 10 to 60 mg daily.

7. B vitamins

Taking a vitamin complex that includes all the B vitamins helps increase cellular energy and it is very useful to face periods of stress and avoid both mental and physical fatigue.

One or two capsules a day of a B-complex 50 mg is usually recommended.

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