Fatigue And Your Endo
A nap won’t fix it.
You’re drained, worn out. Utterly exhausted.
You cancel plans. Miss out on making memories.
Not performing your best at work.
You find the smallest of tasks so hard.
You’re avoiding movement.
You feel irritated and moody.
Does this sound like you?
You’re not alone. Over 75% of Endometriosis patients experience extreme fatigue which leaves them cancelling plans, falling back in their career, and even missing out on building special memories with loved ones.
It truly makes the smallest of tasks so hard.
In this article we are going to explore why you’re suffering from fatigue, and more importantly, what you can do about it.
But first, let’s make sure you have the foundations covered.
Nutrition
Fatigue is a symptom that many of my female clients struggle with, even if they don’t have Endometriosis.
The first thing I want you to review is your nutrition:
Are you eating protein with every meal?
Are you eating some carbs and fats with your meals?
Are you eating breakfast?
Are you eating regularly throughout the day to support your energy levels?
Are you fuelled before you work out?
Do you eat enough and regularly enough based on how busy you are?
Are you drinking enough water?
The Foundations of Nutrition Module inside Beat Your Endo takes you through all of this, step by step. If you haven’t done this already then start here - I guarantee following these steps will help with your energy day to day, even if it doesn’t solve the Endo related fatigue.
Movement
I appreciate that movement is the last thing you want to to think about when you’re exhausted, but it is so important to combat fatigue.
When your body is fatigued it is in need of energy, energy from nutrients, sunlight, minerals, oxygen, and water. Your body delivers this energy through your blood and lymphatic systems, both of which rely on movement.
Whilst your heart pumps blood around your body, your lymphatic system completely relies on movement. When your lymphatic system is stagnant, your body will feel fatigued and sluggish.
Introducing a 10 minute walk twice a day, ideally morning and after afternoon, is a foundational step in addressing your fatigue.
Sunlight
Did you know, morning light exposure improves alertness and productivity throughout the day.
When your eyes make contact with dusk, your brain begins to produce melatonin, your sleep hormone.
And did you know, getting more light exposure throughout the day results in an earlier shift in melatonin secretion, promoting a more restful and productive sleep - this is only going to help the fatigue.
Exposing your eyes to morning and afternoon sunlight supports your natural circadian rhythm. This means that the hormones that manage your daily sleep/wake cycle become more efficient, which can help combat extreme fatigue.
Habit stacking your sunlight exposure with daily movement by taking regular walks outside is a great tool to help manage your fatigue long term.
Just don’t look directly at the sun, and don’t wear sunglasses - your eyes need to be exposed to the light.
Now the foundations are covered, let's dive into more Endo specific areas that could be contributing to your fatigue.
Pain
When you are in pain your body raises an immune response as a defense, as a way to protect you. This uses up all of your energy, it pulls from your nutrient stores and leaves you feeling utterly exhausted.
Endo lesions themselves raise your immune response as your body is always fighting against them. This is why I am passionate about those of us with Endometriosis eating a nutrient dense and easily digestible diet, so the body can get as many nutrients from the food we eat without spending too much energy in the digestive process.
The key here is to keep the inflammation under control to reduce the pain and immune response so that your body isn’t constantly fighting an uphill battle.
Eating a really simple diet of eggs, meat, fish, cooked root vegetables, fruit and some cooked grains like oats and white rice is the first step in reducing the body's overall inflammatory response. Utilise herbs and spices, bone broth and sea salt to make these dishes delicious and more nutritious. Make sure to check out the membership recipes!
Cooking with extra virgin olive oil, grass fed butter or coconut oil and removing any margarine, sunflower or rapeseed oil from your diet will further reduce the inflammatory load in your body. This is because these oils are highly polyunsaturated fats which contribute to the production of a hormone-like molecule called prostaglandins.
Prostaglandins raise an inflammatory response. Your body naturally raises them to assist with ovulation and your period, and are often the culprit for pain and bloating at these cycle stages, but endo lesions themselves make prostaglandins - adding fuel to the fire. Instead of consuming food that encourages production, we need to consume foods that mitigate the impact they are having.
Freshly grated ginger and turmeric, plenty of fresh fruit like pomegranates and berries, stable saturated fats from grass fed butter, coconut oil, and dark chocolate, and fresh fish like sardines and salmon can also be helpful.
Digestive Integrity
How well your body is digesting food and absorbing nutrients from that food is really important when it comes to your energy levels.
As I mentioned earlier, your body gets energy from nutrients, minerals, hormones, and oxygen.
Just because you’re eating a healthy diet doesn’t mean your body is absorbing the nutrients, and many of the “clean eating” and “endo friendly diets” aren’t designed with this in mind (which is why so many people STILL suffer regardless of all the healthy foods).
Think warm, ripe, well cooked food over raw and cold.
The reason we cook food is to make it digestible so that our bodies can benefit from the nutrients and then eliminate the waste products (fibre) efficiently.
Think about the texture of a raw kale salad vs a cooked carrot or potato in your mouth. That texture that is in your mouth, that you’re having to chew, is exactly what your digestive system then has to break down. The same applies with fruit, think of the texture of a green, under ripe banana vs a soft ripe banana, or an under ripe mango vs a soft juicy ripe one.
The best way to nurture your digestive integrity is to prioritise recipes such as stews, soups, tagines, slow cooked meats, roasted vegetables, and broths, stewed or ripe fruit, warming teas and drinks, and lots of warm herbs and spices.
This step in itself reduces the digestive load by presenting your digestive system with bioavailable nutrients that don't take a lot of energy to assimilate and absorb.
Mineral Imbalance
Two mineral imbalances come to mind with fatigue.
Firstly, heavy blood loss can cause a loss of iron, but there is also a bigger picture with iron dysregulation and Endometriosis which is not acknowledged in the medical system. I have a whole module on this in Beat Your Endo so make sure to watch this.
Essentially, you want to be eating plenty of iron rich food such as red meat and liver, but also consider co-factors such as copper (oysters, shellfish, dark chocolate, liver, chlorophyll), vitamin A (liver, red meat, egg yolks, grass fed butter), and vitamin C (fresh fruit, potatoes, white fish, red bell peppers).
The next imbalance that comes to mind are your electrolytes, specifically sodium and potassium. They are the spark plugs of your cells, they let energy in and out - but they work together with other minerals such as magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus.
An electrolyte drink such as E-Lyte or Oshun could be a good addition to your daily routine, but also check out the mineral in foods handout inside module 4 to see what you can add to your diet to create a mineral rich diet.
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Nutrient Deficiencies
Magnesium is a common nutrient deficiency in those of us with Endometriosis, as is B6, due to genetic mutations. Together these nutrients are responsible for energy production and oestrogen metabolism - both important systems to support in Endometriosis.
There are many forms of magnesium that could be helpful, but I quite like glycinate for the majority of my clients as the glycine molecule is calming. Elivide’s bisglycinate is the best brand I have found for quality and effectiveness - use ABBYFOREMAN for 10% off.
PS - if you don’t feel well from a magnesium supplement then that is a sign that your mineral levels do need tailored support, and maybe a Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis is appropriate for you - just let me know if you have any questions about this.
I appreciate this is far from an exhaustive list of reasons you might be fatigued with Endo, but they are the main factors that I work with and address in my clinic. I’m confident that addressing the above will bring you some relief in your fatigue so that you can improve your mood, move your body with ease, feel lighter in yourself, and enjoy your work, family, and social life with more ease.