Mental Health Impact of Low Energy

If you feel sluggish and fatigued, do you ever wonder if this physical state could have a bearing on your mental health? The answer is yes!

Because we believe in the functional medicine model, we dig to find the deeper causes behind our patients’ complaints and discomfort. Many of us are still startled to hear that our emotional health has a huge bearing on our physical health — but we shouldn’t be. Our emotional health and quality of life are definitely impacted by a persistent lack of energy.

When you visit Dr. Mandeep Walhia-Bhatia at Gain Wellness Center, they are curious to know a lot about what’s going on with your health, from how your gut is behaving on a day-to-day basis and whether you find yourself putting on pounds, to the quality of your sleep.  

Only then can they look at the complex, yet interconnected, picture that is your health and create a treatment plan meant for you and only you. 

Low energy and fatigue: What can they indicate?

You may be devoid of energy because of stress, which seemingly saps all vitality from you. If you don’t manage it effectively, stress can have all sorts of negative physical and emotional consequences, but feeling depleted of energy is a big one. 

Persistent exhaustion can also indicate a hormonal imbalance. Because your endocrine system is constantly sending messages throughout your body to prompt your systems to do what they are supposed to do, when something goes awry, the problem can mean anything from noticing weight gain (for seemingly no reason) to digestive issues, reduced sex drive, and headaches. 

Because we look into health problems deeply, rather than just at a superficial level, we investigate what might be causing your hormonal imbalance. When your hormones are imbalanced, you can suffer from: 

• Weight fluctuations
• Sleep disturbances
• Mood swings
• Lack of focus
• Lowered sex drive
• Headaches
• Infertility

Various conditions have been linked to hormonal disequilibrium, including diabetes and underactive or overactive thyroid (hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism, respectively). You can also suffer from an imbalance if you’re undergoing something unusual like chemotherapy, but normal life transitions, such as pregnancy and menopause in women, also lead to it. 

We know that having low energy is directly related to chronic depression, too.

How can my low energy be treated so my mental health improves?

Since Gain Wellness Center is an integrative medicine practice, we’re invested in finding the root cause of your illness and discomfort, as well as considering how many factors are at play when you experience energy problems and the emotional problems to which they’re tied. 

When you visit us with unrelenting fatigue and impacted mental health, we understand that, because your physical and mental health are inextricably linked. At Gain Wellness Center, we offer a complimentary complete wellness evaluation that looks at your health through diverse, but connected lenses:

• Genetic makeup
• Lifestyle practices
• Your environment (work and home)

We examine your unique nutritional needs, your health on a cellular level, the amount of physical activity in which you’re engaged and your stress levels and how you deal with them. We also take a close look at what’s going on with your hormones and how balanced they are. 

Next, we set about treating the problems that may be causing your fatigue:

With hormonal imbalance, we emphasize cellular and environmental detoxification, proper nutrition and daily movement, addressing stress, and we may prescribe hormone replacement therapy, which restores balance.

Digestive problems may also be triggering your fatigue. We treat leaky gut syndrome (excessive permeability in your intestinal lining), irritable bowel syndrome, and other problems of the gut with a broad approach. Again, we may prescribe hormone replacement therapy, a detox program, and nutritional solutions, among other approaches. 

If your stress has become difficult to manage, we’ll discuss ways to find joy in life again with activities you love, nutrition that supports your health, connections with those you love, and mindfulness practices. It’s also essential to familiarize yourself with what stresses you in particular. 

A chronic condition such as fibromyalgia can also cause exhaustion that negatively affects your mood. A painful disorder, fibromyalgia can be addressed through the use of trigger point injections, which relieve knots of pain that develop in your trigger points. These are locations where tight muscle fibers develop and cause discomfort. 

Your mental health is often shaped by your energy level, so if you’re constantly tired, your quality of life will suffer. We’re here to help.

Call the Gain Wellness Center office to schedule an appointment, or contact us through our website. 

Author

Dr. Mandeep Walia-Bhatia, DC, AFMCP Dr. Mandeep Walia-Bhatia, DC, AFMCP, is the founder of Gain Wellness Center in San Diego, California. At the wellness center, one of Dr. Walia's, greatest goals, as a health care provider, is to provide her practice members with alternative, but healthy and safe choices that will enhance their health and well-being. She likes to motivate and educate her practice members to take charge of their health by providing them with evidence-based information so that they can make informed decisions regarding their own personal health and take control of their health. Dr. Walia was born in India and raised in Canada before moving to San Diego. She attended McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada for her Master of Science degree with specialties in Biology and Physiology. She had various publications in research articles during her time at McMaster University funded by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. She has three kids and enjoys cooking, hiking and going to the beach with her family.