I'm so tired because I'm poisoned!!

Audit expert: Yin Tielun

Unlike the energetic "King of Curl", there is a creature in this world called "King of Tiredness". They often feel tired, weak, and listless. Even if they sleep until noon the next day, they still look sleepy after getting up.

The WTO clearly states that fatigue has become one of the main factors endangering human physical and mental health in today's society.

So why do people feel tired? What can we do to eliminate fatigue and have a happier working life?

What is fatigue? Fatigue is a very common phenomenon in daily life. There is no unified definition at home and abroad. It can be considered as a normal physiological reaction of the body to maintain life or health. It is a physiological state that requires rest due to excessive physical or mental consumption. At the same time, it is also a pathological result that appears as a symptom in certain diseases.

"Fatigue" is a subjective feeling of people. There are many factors that lead to fatigue, which can be summarized as follows:

Work intensity and duration

When the teacher assigns a lot of homework/the leader sends a lot of information/there are a lot of books to read before the exam, just imagining the above scenes, before you start to solve these problems, you will fall into a deep sense of fatigue. Because the smart brain has already sensed it in advance, it will continue to perform high-intensity "Nuwa mending the sky". Or after a long period of intense exercise, the body will also feel tired.

Operation speed

According to research, the higher the speed of the operation, the easier it is to feel tired and exhausted. According to labor quota theory, each operation has an optimal working speed. At this speed, people can work continuously for a long time without feeling tired, but once this speed is exceeded, people will easily get tired.

Work attitude

When you are doing something you are interested in, you often enjoy it, but when you are forced to do something you are not interested in, you tend to feel physically and mentally exhausted. This is the influence of work attitude. The motivation theory of fatigue believes that only when a person reaches a certain level of motivation can the allocated energy be released. When the allocated energy is exhausted, people will feel tired.

So, when you realize that you are going to school or working voluntarily, you may find it easier to study and work.

Working time

The time you work will also affect the generation and degree of fatigue. People who are often called "larks" tend to go to bed early and get up early, while "owls" tend to go to bed late and get up late. It can be seen that choosing the right time to work is very important to prevent fatigue and improve efficiency!

Working Environment

Inappropriate lighting conditions, humidity, temperature, noise, dust, etc. will increase the mental and physical burden on workers and cause fatigue.

How does fatigue occur? Studies have shown that the feeling of fatigue is caused by some special substances, such as lactic acid, ammonia, urea, etc. These substances are "fatigue toxins."

Image source: Paper

Research progress on the mechanism of plant polyphenols in alleviating sports fatigue

>>>>How are fatigue toxins produced?

The mechanisms of sports fatigue mainly include oxidative stress (increased reactive oxygen species (ROS)), decreased energy levels, accumulation of substrate consumption or metabolism (such as lactic acid, serum urea nitrogen, etc.) in skeletal muscle, and increased levels of inflammatory factors, which interact with various substances in the muscles and central nervous system to cause muscle fatigue.

Oxidative stress is caused by an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species in the body and the activity of the endogenous antioxidant defense system. Reactive oxygen species can cause oxidation of lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids, thereby causing damage to the body's cell membranes.

During exercise, the body's metabolism is enhanced, resulting in increased oxygen consumption. A large number of free radicals will attack cellular macromolecules such as lipids, proteins, and DNA in the body, destroying the stability of the body's redox system, thereby causing the loss of function of proteins and nucleic acids that have the ability to resist oxidative stress, leading to cell apoptosis and damage to the functions of tissues and organs such as muscles, ultimately causing fatigue in the body.

>>>>Excessive fatigue symptoms

In addition to sports fatigue, there are also visual fatigue, muscle fatigue (neck, shoulder, waist fatigue) and psychological fatigue caused by work fatigue. If these fatigues are not relieved in time and become excessive, they will gradually turn into chronic fatigue syndrome and death from overwork after accumulation.

The following symptoms may occur:

Sore eyes, swollen eyes, blurred vision

Insomnia, feeling sleepy after waking up

Memory loss and poor concentration

Lack of energy, dizziness, weakness in limbs

Loss of appetite

Throat discomfort, myocardial infarction, cerebral hemorrhage, etc.

How to relieve fatigue?

According to the mechanism of fatigue, it is not difficult to conclude that improving the body's ability to resist oxidative stress and inflammation, replenishing energy in time, and removing free radicals and metabolites are effective ways to restore exercise ability. Nutritional supplementation, timely rest, and sleep guarantee can alleviate work fatigue.

Here are some tips to relieve fatigue:

1. Drink tea

Polyphenols can send signals to regulate oxidative stress, energy levels, substrate metabolism and inflammatory responses, producing anti-fatigue effects, such as tea polyphenols in tea. Although coffee can also refresh you, it is more stimulating and excessive intake can easily age the skin, so it is better to switch to tea.

2. Ensure adequate and regular sleep

Make up for what you lack, let your brain relax, enter the "power saving mode" of sleep, and ensure adequate sleep.

3. Take a break during work

After working for a period of time, take a conscious rest to recover and relax your eyes, such as meditation, music, painting, walking, bathing, etc., to help relieve physical fatigue.

4. Scientific fitness

You can regulate your body through scientific fitness and do aerobic exercises, such as jogging, playing ball, climbing, etc.

5. Dietary supplements

Pay attention to the nutritional combination of your diet to reduce the burden on your stomach. Eat more foods containing protein, fat and rich B vitamins, such as tofu, milk, fish and meat, and eat more vegetables and fruits to reduce fatigue. You can also drink more water. The loss of body fluids can also cause severe fatigue, so you must "drink more hot water."

If you still feel fatigued and unrelieved despite adequate rest and nutrition, and this feeling lasts for more than 3 months, it is best to go to the hospital for a check-up, consult a professional doctor, and receive timely diagnosis and treatment.