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Experts share guidelines to battle TATT syndrome

Tired all the time? If that’s the case with you, then you might have TATT syndrome. Experts guide you on this

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Do you feel that the motivation, the will has just vanished from you? Do you persistently feel exhausted or sleepy? Do you wake up feeling like you haven’t slept at all? All this may indicate a possibility of you suffering from something called, Tired All The Time syndrome. It is similar to chronic fatigue syndrome, whereas TATT is actually a symptom. What makes them different is the intensity and duration of the symptoms, informs psychiatrist and psychotherapist Dr Anjali Chhabria. 

Case in point
Dinesh Somaiya (name changed), a 28-year-old call centre employee sought professional help for whole body pain, weakness and loss of enthusiasm in work. After investigations, all blood reports came normal except borderline hypothyroidism. After proper counselling it was found out that because of his working timings (3 pm to 2 am) he did not get proper sleep and couldn’t go to a gym. His hypothyroidism was corrected, was asked to change his job, and he did. Now he works from 10 am to 7 pm, goes regularly to gym, sleeps properly and a balanced diet. As a result, he is fine with his thyroid levels under control.

Difference between TATT and Chronic fatigue syndrome
The Tired All The Time syndrome (TATT) is generalised term which may be due to stressful life events (eg. work disputes, family problems, bereavement or financial difficulties or physical illness (eg. respiratory tract infections) without actual pathology and can be reduced by taking rest, proper food and relieve of stress, explains Dr Pradeep Gadge, consultant diabetologist, Gadge’s Diabetes Centre and visiting consultant at Breach Candy and Sevenhills Hospital.
He adds that chronic fatigue syndrome on the other hand is characterised by long term fatigue due to biological, genetic, infectious, and psychological mechanisms but the cause is not understood. And the fatigue is not due to ongoing exertion, not relieved much by rest, and is not caused by other medical conditions.

How common is it?
“In a day, out of 100 patients, we see at least 15 patients who have TATT syndrome (as it is common in diabetic and thyroid patients), so 15 per cent of patients. There is no as such gender or age distribution. This is more common in desk job persons who are sitting all the time, call centre operators whose working timings are in late evening or late night. Sometimes it’s more common in housewives who are on their toes all day and don’t get time to relax,” says Dr Gadge.

Symptoms
- Constant feeling of exhaustion
- Inability to do any work for long hours
- Excess sleep but constant feeling that one hasn’t slept
- Bodyaches
- Lack of energy in the body for physical activity
- Lack of motivation and interest

Causes
“TATT happens because of various reasons like no proper sleep, too many working hours at work, too much partying, too much of consumption of alcohol, caffeine etc. even diabetes, thyroid, anaemia, depression etc. can be the reasons,” says Dr Behram Pardiwalla, consultant Internal Medicines, Wockhardt Hospitals.

Dr Gadge shares a list of causes:
- Wrong diet: It can lead to TATT, like not drinking enough water, eating too little protein, eating too few or too much of carbohydrates, not timing meals well and not eating a balanced diet.
- A sedentary lifestyle: When you have to work for nearly the whole day in front of the computer and you hardly get any time to sleep.
- Sleeplessness: Lack of sleep, more than anything else, contributes to exhaustion. 
- Stress: Too much stress keeps your adrenaline pumping, which in turn keeps you awake. Stress saps energy and robs mental peace and ultimately leads to TATT.

Coping
If one can self-diagnose the problem at an earlier stage then one can seek help to gain focus on feeling energetic and motivate oneself again. But if there are other underlying physical causes which one isn’t aware about then seeking professional help is the better option, Dr Chhabria.

Tips
- Try to stop and do less of the things that seem to trigger your tiredness.
- Have a balanced diet  
- Regular exercise can lessen your body aches and increase your energy levels
- Meditation, calms the mind and relaxes the body.
- Complementary or alternative treatments, such as massage, acupuncture, yoga, stretching also helps.
- If all else fails, it is a really good excuse for a holiday.

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