PCOS and Fatigue - 5 Energy Zappers (And How to Combat Them)
One thing a lot of my PCOS friends (or ‘cysters’ as we like to call each other) have found that we have in common is that we often feel perpetually tired. We would be unable to sleep at night but then get debilitatingly tired in the middle of the day when there’s external pressure to be or do something productive. For all of us, there was a time when we had no idea what the link between PCOS and fatigue was. And what do we do? We often pushed ourselves even harder for fear of falling into dark and dangerous territory. You know what I’m talking about? The L word…. Yup. We lived in constant fear of being tagged ‘lazy’ (gasp!) If you’re normally high-energy like I am, this will somehow manifest itself in feeling of inadequacy and your natural instinct would be to try harder - work harder, exercise for longer and push yourself even further - to prove to yourself or some invisible ‘they’ that you’re not a lazy or unproductive person.
Well, first of all, I’m glad that we have more knowledge now. But secondly, and more importantly, there’s absolutely no need to be hard on yourself. Having PCOS is enough of a burden already. So here I am as usual, sharing my tips, from what I’ve learnt so far; so you don’t have to learn the hard(er) way. I’m sharing some culprits that are hiding in plain sight and making your energy levels worse. And more so, how to combat them and their effect on your wellbeing.
#1 Energy Zapper: Hormonal Imbalances
This is the number one cause. Surely, this comes as no surprise to you. I’ve talked about Cortisol in a previous blog post and how it impacts our body’s ability to function in a regular routine. The primary stress hormone Cortisol, is typically affected in more women with PCOS than others. Despite being the hormone that helps manage stress, having too much cortisol can cause you to be in a state of constant stress. Also, stress worsens your PCOS symptoms. You see where I’m going here?
What can I do?
So while we know hormonal imbalances exist, we have to develop strategies to deliberately keep our bodies in a state of calm and actively manage our stress levels. Remedies include 1:1 therapy, mindfulness exercises, maintaining a daily routine, and leveraging on support groups and/or safe relationships that allow us to clearly express our complex emotions in times of stress.
#2 Energy Zapper: Nutritional Deficiencies
PCOS and other hormonal imbalances affect the body's ability to absorb nutrients, and other issues that come with having PCOS - e.g. insulin sensitivity and high cortisol may also impact the levels of required nutrients in the body. Most women today have suboptimal levels of magnesium in our bodies. This nutrient has been shown to reduce pain and inflammation, promote better sleep, reduce anxiety, insulin sensitivity, and blood pressure, as well as relieve PMS symptoms. Really important for tackling fatigue, right? Other supplements like Iron offer support for the release and management of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine which impact our mental health and moods. Vitamin D helps your body absorb more calcium and promotes stress reduction.
What can I do?
Incorporate specific nutrients, like iron, Magnesium and Vitamin D, in your diet to combat fatigue. Great sources of these ingredients can be found in food like whole grains, dark leafy greens, legumes, nuts and seeds, avocados, dark chocolate and fatty fish (mackerel, salmon, sardines)
#3 Energy Zapper: Poor Sleep Quality
I feel like I’ve been talking about this one for a while. Research has shown a link between PCOS and sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome. The high cortisol situation also doesn’t help with getting us rested in time for bed; but keeps us wired at night and exhausted in the middle of the day. I used to be able to sleep a lot and even on demand. But as I got older, I found that going to sleep was easy. Staying asleep was the problem. I would typically wake up about 3-4 hours into a nights’ sleep and struggle until a short while before my alarm goes off. Obviously, this means I wake up groggy, sleep deprived and frustrated. What a way to start one’s day huh? Does any of this sound familiar?
What can I do?
Unfortunately, with PCOS, sleep has to be something we are intentional about as it doesn’t come as easy to us as it should. Sleep quality improvement should be next on your agenda. First of all there are good sleep hygiene habits you could practice. Like winding down slowly in the hours leading up to bedtime - limiting screen time, keeping the bedroom dark and cool, eliminating loud and disruptive sounds from your bedroom area, and investing in mood scents and lighting to help convince your brain that it’s time to wind down. You may also consider a sleep study to assess yourself for sleep apnea and develop a plan to address it. My friend invested in a weighted blanket and swears by it.
#4 Energy Zapper: Stress and Anxiety
Beyond the root causes I described above that cause stress and anxiety. Here, I want to point out that this is a vicious cycle. Because what does anxiety do? It causes even more stress. So not managing the root cause, not only brings on these negative effects, but it makes them bring on even more negative effects. I always say that having PCOS is stressful enough; and if we only focused on tackling the stress that comes with not knowing when our next period would be, body image issues etc, that would be enough to keep our hands full.
What can I do?
Incorporate mood boosters into your schedule. Exercise has some amazing mental health benefits with all the endorphins we release when we workout. I’ve been following Jameela Jamil recently on Instagram, and she speaks a lot about decoupling exercise from weight loss and body image; and just working out because of the feel-good benefits for our brains. Mindfulness and therapy continue to be ways to not just react to stress but to proactively address our individual triggers and work towards making contingencies for how to navigate them when they do show up. If I find that I get stressed out about the chaos of the boys’ morning routine on school days, then I develop a new routine to do as much as I can the night before so I can feel more in control at wakeup time, and I can get them to school without feeling overwhelmed every single week day!
#5 Energy Zapper: Sedentary Lifestyle
This one seems counterproductive, right? Like, you thought being sedentary was going to help you stay calm. Staying at home and not going out to the chaos of the world would help you feel more rested. And now you’re wondering why you still feel tired. I used to ask myself, how it was possible that I would sleep longer than I ever had, and wake up tired.
What can I do?
Well, the human body was made for movement. And developing a long term habit of sitting at home, or at a desk from 9-5, or lying down watching TV all weekend, is doing the exact opposite of what your body needs to do to function optimally. Now, I have met people who have had chronic pain issues exacerbated by their PCOS and for those, I would not recommend intense movement, rather a slow incorporation of physical activity into existing routines. This also applies if you have limited mobility or have never worked out in the past.
These 5 culprits not only exacerbate fatigue, but also impact your mental and emotional wellbeing. Now we’re all on the same page, so it is time to take proactive steps to combat them and improve our daily energy levels. From incorporating specific nutrients in our diet to practicing good sleep hygiene habits, we can make small changes that will have a big impact on our overall health. So let's take that extra effort and reclaim our energy, one step at a time.
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