Sportspeople can expect to feel a certain level of tiredness. But what happens when that tiredness doesn’t go away after a brief period of rest? What if you are eating, sleeping and doing all the right things, and yet fatigue persists. Anyone completing heavy training sessions can be tired but usually you can separate the feeling of normal ‘healthy’ tiredness and something abnormal, associated with a deterioration in performance. There are many causes of persistent tiredness together with feeling lethargic and decreased sporting performance in athletes.
Factors
- Degree of tiredness/ fatigue
- Training history – volume, intensity, recent changes, recovery periods
- Psychological – anxiety, depression, impending competition, poor training performance, fear of failure
- Nutritional diary –fluid, carbohydrate, protein and iron intake
- Medical issues
CAUSES OF PERSISTENT TIREDNESS
- Overtraining syndrome – Overtraining is a process of excessive training in high performance sportspeople that may lead to persistent fatigue, decreased performance, mood swings, frequent illness, especially upper respiratory tract infections.
- Viral illness – Upper respiratory tract infectiion, Glandular fever
- Nutritional deficiencies – Inadequate carbohydrate/ protein intake, Depletion iron stores
- Insufficient sleep
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
Recognising the early warning signs and adapting the training schedule accordingly can help keep you healthy. If you are an athlete suffering from persistent tiredness contact one of our Chartered Physiotherapists at Archview Physiotherapy Clinic, Dublin 6 and Dublin 14 for a consultation on 01 4913228 or email [email protected].
