Diverticulitis in itself can be a bad experience, but extreme tiredness along with diverticulitis can be a lot more unbearable. If you feel unusual tiredness along with diverticulitis, you are definitely not alone!
So, are you asking, ‘why am I so tired with diverticulitis’?
Dehydration, anemia, inability to sleep, depression, obesity, allergic conditions, pregnancy, aging, alcohol consumption, antibiotic intake, and other medications can contribute to feeling tired with diverticulitis. In case you are still confused, this article discusses each of them in detail.
So! Let’s read the following article to eliminate your confusion and put you more at ease.
Dehydration can make you feel more lethargic and weak than usual. Illnesses and infections can make us more prone to dehydration.
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Why Am I So Tired With Diverticulitis: Reasons Explained
There can be several reasons for feeling tired, along with your diverticulitis. Some of the reasons are discussed below.
Body is Dehydrated
Keeping the body hydrated is one of the essential tasks which we keep on failing to fulfill. Our body is composed of almost 60% of water.
Dehydration can make you feel more lethargic and weak than usual. Illnesses and infections can make us more prone to dehydration.
With your diverticulitis, if you are not extra careful to replenish your body with sufficient fluids, it can make you dehydrated easily. This will lead to extreme fatigue and weakness throughout.
Check with your doctor if you are intaking the right balance of fluids throughout the day to avoid feeling unusual tiredness along with your diverticulitis.
Anemia
The deficiency of iron in your diet may result in a lack of red blood cells in the body. Red blood cells are essential to delivering oxygen to different cells of the body.
In the absence of red blood cells, body cells do not get enough oxygen, therefore cannot metabolize sugar to release energy. This can lead to extreme fatigue.
If you are a sufferer of anemia, you can check out ways to increase your hemoglobin levels at home in order to treat mild cases of anemia.
Diverticulitis and other diseases that cause poor digestion can interfere with the normal absorption of nutrients like iron in your diet. Other intestinal conditions such as Crohn’s disease, colitis can also interrupt normal absorption of iron from the diet.
Inability to Sleep
Diverticulitis is an inflammatory disease of the digestive tract. Any type of inflammation can interfere with your normal sleep cycle.
Therefore, your diverticulitis can cause you to struggle to sleep at night. Lack of proper sleep can also result in unusual tiredness along with your diverticulitis.
Lack of proper sleep deprives your body of hormones such as somatotropin which assists in the healing processes of the body.
Hence, both your sleep cycles and healing cycles of your body get meddled by diverticulitis, eventually leading to tiredness.
Depression
Chronic health conditions and serious illnesses can be a cause of depression in some patients. Some major symptoms of depression include-
- Loss of interest in daily activities
- Weight loss
- Weight gain
- Inability to sleep
- Fatigue
Depression can be a reason behind feeling tired most of the time and a lack of energy to do daily tasks. Diverticulitis is an illness that can interfere with an individual’s everyday lifestyle. Therefore chronic diverticulitis can lead to depression.
Your doctor might suggest antidepressants along with your treatment plans for diverticulitis.
Moreover, your doctor can also suggest psychotherapy which involves talking to a licensed professional in order to ease your depression.
It is important to let your doctor know if you are allergic to certain foods. Your doctor can help to adjust with a diet plan that is suitable for both your diverticulitis and allergy.
Obesity or Overweight
Being overweight or obese can lead to diseases such as heart problems, diabetes, liver disease, sleep apnea. These diseases can further be a cause of fatigue, especially if you have diverticulitis.
Furthermore, obesity also increases your risk of developing diverticulitis. Therefore, it is essential to keep your weight under control to avoid several diseases and complications.
Your medical personnel, dietician, or nutritionist can help you with weight loss diet plans.
Allergic Reactions
Diverticulitis is a disease that can already restrict your food diet. Along with it, some people can be allergic to certain foods, which will make things more difficult.
Severe allergic reactions can lead to extreme fatigue and discomfort.
It is important to let your doctor know if you are allergic to certain foods. Your doctor can help to adjust with a diet plan that is suitable for both your diverticulitis and allergy.
Medications including antihistamines and adrenaline can help you with minimizing your allergy symptoms.
Pregnancy
Pregnancy can in itself be exhausting as your body needs to support both you and your baby’s needs. During pregnancy, your body needs more nutrients and calories than usual. This can cause you to feel more tired.
Talk to your doctor if you are suffering from diverticulitis along with your pregnancy. Your doctor can help you with medications that can help you manage your pregnancy and diverticulitis in a better way.
Age
As our body ages, several changes within our body make us more prone to chronic illnesses. Moreover, aging also makes us more tired than usual.
The condition of diverticulitis is more common among the aged population than younger people.
Along with aging, additional illnesses like diverticulitis can result in feeling very tired.
Alcohol Intake
Alcohol intake can affect our bodies negatively in many ways. However, for an individual with diverticulitis, alcohol can have more severe effects, including fatigue.
Antibiotic Intake
Antibiotics can help treat a variety of medical conditions such as skin infections, lung infections, sinus problems, urinary tract infections. However, some antibiotics can result in side effects like extreme tiredness.
Patients with diverticulitis need to be treated with antibiotics very often. They can suffer from side effects like tiredness.
One of the possible reasons for which antibiotics cause tiredness is that antibiotics alter the natural balance of microbiomes, especially in the gut. This can interfere with the process of nutrient absorption of the body contributing to lethargy.
Other Medications
There are some other medications that list tiredness as one of their side effects. So be sure to talk with your doctor and rule them out as the cause of fatigue. Few such medications are listed below:
- Antihistamines
- Muscle relaxants
- Antidepressants
- Beta-blockers
- Narcotics
Antibiotics-Individuals with diverticulitis are usually treated with antibiotics in order to clear their infection. Patients with mild cases of diverticulitis are prescribed antibiotics pills at home.
How To Manage Diverticulitis And Tiredness?
- If you feel tiredness along with your diverticulitis, you should increase your water intake. This will help you to stay hydrated and lessen your fatigue.
- Eat a healthy diet. Do not limit your diets to only protein-rich foods such as red meat. Try to have a balanced diet including carbohydrates, fats, proteins, minerals, vitamins, and fiber. Overnight oats topped with supplements can be a great option too.
- Exercise can help your body produce hormones that increase feelings of happiness. Therefore, exercise can boost your energy levels. It will further help your body to eliminate toxins through sweat and improve your overall blood circulation.
- Being very stressed all the time can diminish your energy levels. Stress managing techniques like meditation and yoga can help you feel more energized than at other times.
- Get enough sleep: It is necessary to get at least 6-8 hours of sleep at night. Sleep is an essential process of our body that helps to keep the body functions and keep diseases at bay.
- Take Supplements: Since diverticulitis can hamper your nutrient absorption to some extent, it might be advised to take additional supplements along with your normal diet.
However, consult your doctor before starting on any supplements.
When Should You Visit Your Doctor?
Diverticulitis is a medical condition and cannot be entirely managed at home. Even after following all of the above-mentioned tips, if you continue feeling extremely tired throughout the day, consult your doctor for further treatment options.
- Treatment For Diverticulitis: Once you have been diagnosed with diverticulitis, it is important that you are aware of the treatment options.
- Antibiotics: Individuals with diverticulitis are usually treated with antibiotics in order to clear their infection. Patients with mild cases of diverticulitis are prescribed antibiotics pills at home. However, patients with severe cases and complications are suggested they receive intravenous antibiotics from the hospital.
- Bowel Rest: Bowel rest is also an effective treatment strategy. Your doctor will instruct you to go for a liquid diet for several days. Water, clear soups, non-pulpy juices, plain tea, and plain coffee are a few examples. Gradually, you might be allowed to have low fiber foods such as white rice, white pasta, white bread, eggs, cheese, yogurt, and other foods that are not strenuous for your digestive system.
- Surgery: If your diverticulitis has caused serious complications such as intestinal rupture or peritonitis, you will need surgery to fix it.
How to Prevent Diverticulitis & Tiredness?
As the saying goes, ‘prevention is better than cure’. Few prevention strategies can help you keep the notorious disease at bay.
Some of them are mentioned below-
- Increase fiber intake
- Drink lots of water
- Eat a balanced diet
- Exercise regularly
- Avoid smoking
- Get adequate sleep
- Limit alcohol intake
FAQs
Are diverticulosis, diverticular disease, and diverticulitis the same?
Diverticulosis is a symptomless condition where pouch-like structures called diverticula form in the intestine. Diverticular disease is a condition that causes mild symptoms such as abdominal ache due to the formation of diverticula in the intestine.
Diverticulitis is a medical condition that causes severe symptoms due to infection or inflammation of the diverticula.
Why do diverticula form in the intestine?
When we are on a low-fiber diet, stools become hard. It gets extremely difficult to proceed through the intestine, thus exerting additional pressure on the walls, which may then bulge out to form diverticula.
How long does it take to recover from diverticulitis?
Most mild cases of diverticulitis can be treated within 7days. However, chronic diverticulitis treatment may require a little longer time.
Is walking good for people with diverticulitis?
Less strenuous physical exercises such as walking is a good strategy to lower the risk of diverticulitis.
Take Away
This article attempts to answer your question, ‘why am I so tired with diverticulitis’? by discussing several possible reasons. A better understanding of the disease you are going through will surely make things a little easier for you.
However, always consult your doctor if your symptoms of diverticulitis and tiredness lurk around for a prolonged period of time and cannot be helped with the above-mentioned tips.
