Asthenia: What Causes Weakness or Loss of Energy and Strength?

Do you ever feel extremely weak and fatigue or feel as if you lost your energy and keep away from your regular works? Well! Possibly you might be having Asthenia which may again be associated with some other medical conditions. Asthenia is actually the term used to refer a condition where one suffers from extreme temporary or chronic weakness and experiences fatigue, loss of energy and strength.

Asthenia or weakness or loss of energy and strength is usually experienced by people who suffer from anemia, adrenal gland diseases, cancer etc. More about the condition will be discussed in the current article where we will talk about asthenia and the causes of weakness or loss of energy and strength.

verview on Asthenia

Overview on Asthenia:

  • Asthenia is the medical term used for the condition in an individual experiencing weakness, fatigue or loss of energy and strength. It is defined as a psychopathological condition that is marked by extreme temporary loss or chronic loss of strength and also marked by disturbance is sleep, hyperesthesia and fatigue. It can be said that patient with asthenia may also have some other associated medical condition and anyone experiencing extreme weakness or fatigue must visit a doctor and get properly diagnosed about the condition for best of its treatment.
  • There is a condition known as Asthenopia which refers to the asthenia of only a specific organ or system.
  • Myasthenia gravis is a condition that relates to progressive fatigue or the muscular system.
  • There is one more condition of asthenia which is known as neurocirculatory asthenia where the patients have insomnia, heart palpitations, breathing issues, and dizziness.
  • Regardless of age and gender; asthenia can occur in anyone and everyone.
  • Asthenia can either be temporary or chronic and continuous.
  • Individual suffering from asthenia may either have true weakness or perceived weakness. In case of true weakness, also known as neuromuscular weakness; there is a limited use of a muscle because of reduced strength due to any defect or damages; while in case of perceived weakness or the non-neuromusclar weakness, there is a perception of finishing or performing certain task with difficulty in relation to the required strength or force to be able to perform the chore.
  • Though Asthenia is not life threatening, it can however lead to reduced ability in performing usual tasks.
  • Usually the most common and first signs of asthenia is commonly seen in the muscles of the eyes and may affect the eyelids or the eye muscles controlling vision. There may be trouble in some people while speaking or swallowing and some may experience weakness in their legs. So, the symptoms may vary from individual to individual in asthenia. More about the symptoms and causes will be discussed in the following arrays of the article.

Signs and Symptoms of Asthenia or Weakness or Loss of Energy and Strength:

So, here we have listed down some of the most common symptoms of asthenia.

  • Slow or delayed movement in performing specific task.
  • Muscle cramps
  • Episodes of tremors or shaking while doing any task.
  • Muscle twitching.
  • Fever may be a common sign of asthenia affecting whole body.
  • Tiredness, loss or reduced energy is a common sign and symptom of asthenia.
  • Physical discomfort, loss or absence of muscle strength is also a symptom of asthenia.
  • Inability to finish a task or a movement.
  • Change in mental state or sometimes confusion.
  • Sudden change or reduced vision
  • Sudden loss of consciousness
  • Difficulty in speech, difficulty swallowing etc.

Causes of Asthenia or What Causes Weakness or Loss of Energy and Strength?

Now, let us take a look on the causes of asthenia. Finding out the real cause of the condition in an individual makes it easier to treat the condition in a much effective and quicker way.

Causes of Asthenia

  • One of the most common causes of asthenia or weakness or loss of energy and strength is a sedentary lifestyle. A sedentary lifestyle usually results in muscle wasting where because of the lack of mobility or inactivity; the muscle fibers are instead replaced with fats that makes the muscle more flaccid than chunky.
  • Aging or advancement in age may also be considered as one of the causes for asthenia or weakness or loss of energy and strength. With the normal process of aging, the body’s muscles loosen and weaken and this in turn results in weakness.
  • Infections can be one common cause of asthenia. With infections, there is an onset of muscle inflammation which can make the muscle weak temporarily until the infection has been eradicated.
  • Pregnancy can be one more cause of asthenia. During and after the pregnancy phase, there is an increase in the levels of steroids in the blood which is known to be associated with anaemia that often results in muscle weakness, loss of energy and strength.
  • Chronic diseases may also lead to muscle weakness. There is a weakness of muscles due to some chronic diseases because of the insufficient blood and nutrient supply towards the muscles.
  • There are also various other common causes for asthenia or weakness or loss of energy and strength which may include chronic pain, anxiety and depression, vitamin deficiency, drug abuse, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, food poisoning, adverse effects of specific medications, etc.

What is Asthenia Reaction or Fatigue from Overwork?

Fatigue from overwork, is also known as asthenia reaction where there is a weakness in the body due to excessive work. This is actually defined by a problem of adaptation, which may be more or less prolonged, caused due to overwork or excessive situations of stress.

Some of the situations leading to asthenia reaction or fatigue from overwork may be a prolonged sporting activity, overtraining, problems of housing and transportation, job change, relocation issues, etc.

The weakness or fatigue feeling may be often more pronounced at night with a feeling of not being able to recover or feel well despite a prolonged sleep and is associated with muscle tension state, irritability and less work efficiency.

A careful examination done by the doctor while diagnosing the condition can make it all clear about the asthenia reaction or fatigue due to overwork. A proper management of time, having special time for self, a short psychological care and improved healthy schedules in life can improve the condition.

Diagnosis of Asthenia or Weakness/Loss of Energy/Strength:

A proper diagnosis would help in appropriate treatment for the condition. So, here in this section, we will look at the diagnosis of asthenia.

  1. Blood tests can detect any increased level of certain antibodies that spark the disorder when the eye is affected by asthenia.
  2. There some diagnostic tests where a substance can be injected in to the patient that causes muscle weakness or fatigue to temporarily resolve the issue in asthenia.
  3. Some tests may be required to diagnose asthenia due to underlying illness which may include Glucose, liver function tests, serum calcium etc.
  4. Creatinine tests for renal function study may help diagnose asthenia.
  5. Ferritin iron deficiency is one more test to detect asthenia due to deficiency.

Treatments for Asthenia or Weakness or Loss of Energy and Strength:

As mentioned earlier that treatment for asthenia depends on the underlying cause for the same. In this current section of our article we will talk about some of the treatment measures for asthenia.

  1. Treating Asthenia Due to Infection: Treating asthenia or weakness or loss of energy and strength caused due to infection includes using antibiotics depending on the pathogen that caused the infection.
  2. Treating Asthenia Due to Autoimmune Disorders: Treatments for asthenia due to autoimmune disorders include Corticosteroids and other medications that are used to suppress the immune system. This may manage asthenia to some fair extent.
  3. Treatment of Asthenia Due to Depression: Treating asthenia due to depression requires antidepressant treatment which will remove the prolonged weakness linked to depression.
  4. Treatment of Asthenia Due to Vitamin Deficiency: There are conditions of asthenia which are caused due to vitamin deficiency. Such cases of asthenia require being treated by correcting the deficiency.
  5. Treatment of Asthenia Due to Overwork: Treatments of asthenia or weakness or loss of energy and strength caused due to overwork requires modifying one’s lifestyle.

Now, though there are a lot of ways to treat asthenia by finding out the underlying causes for the same, it is essential to visit a physician who would go for the best approach in treating asthenia by the best means.

An Effective Natural Treatment for Asthenia or Weakness/Loss of Energy/Strength:

This is one of the most popular and most effective natural ways to treat asthenia or weakness or loss of energy and strength. Hope it can benefit you well if you have been looking for some natural treatments for the condition.

We would require the following ingredients:

  • A glass of water
  • 1/8 teaspoon of sodium carbonate
  • 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda
  • 1/8 teaspoon of sea salt.

All you need to do for preparing this is to mix all these ingredients in a glass of water and drink 3-4 times in a day. You can also add potassium bicarbonate or potassium citrate, 1/8 teaspoon to the mixture.

How to Care Self in Asthenia or Weakness/Loss of Energy/Strength?

Here are some of the special self care tips for people suffering from Asthenia or Weakness/Loss of Energy/Strength. Hope this would help you in managing your symptoms of asthenia.

  • It is essential to manage proper time, have leisure time for self pleasure, improvements and have appropriate life schedules for keeping away from fatigue due to overwork or asthenia reaction.
  • Nutrition keeps a great value in improving conditions of asthenia. Foods rich in vitamins and trace elements are essential to be included in daily diet. Apart from this, foods rich in calcium, protein, less in fats and sugars etc are best to be added in your diet to keep away from weakness, fatigue etc. Your daily diet should include green vegetables, fruits, etc. can be added to your diet.
  • It must be noted that you need to avoid dieting in case you are having asthenia.
  • Try to improve you sleep in case you have asthenia. It is obvious that poor quality sleep contributes to more of weakness and fatigue in asthenia. That is why it can be one of the best ways to manage your symptoms in asthenia if you can try your best to improve sleep.

Conclusion:

Here we discussed about some of the symptoms, causes, and treatments along with the self care tips for asthenia or weakness/loss of energy/strength. Hope this would have helped you to some extent. Take the very best care of self, eradicate your weakness, loss of energy symptoms by managing an appropriate lifestyle and practicing healthy means of living; but be sure to consult an expert medical professional in case symptoms do not reduce in few days or in case of any serious issue of asthenia.

Also Read:

Team PainAssist
Team PainAssist
Written, Edited or Reviewed By: Team PainAssist, Pain Assist Inc. This article does not provide medical advice. See disclaimer
Last Modified On:February 1, 2018

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