An NHS GP has issued a stark warning to those who are constantly feeling tired, advising urgent action because it’s “not normal” to live with.
Fatigue is a common yet frequently ignored symptom – but NHS GP Dr Shireen has emphasised the possibility of it indicating a deeper health issue.
Offering advice on TikTok, where she has amassed a significant number of followers, Dr Shireen identified three potential underlying causes for tiredness that require medical evaluation because it could be due to more than mere lifestyle adjustments or temporary stress.
In her video, Dr Shireen explained: “If you are feeling tired, please understand, this is not normal. There are so many different things that can cause tiredness and actually, it’s one symptom that is really easy for us to investigate.”
She continued: “The first thing your GP has to do is take a full history. Within that history, we might realise that actually, you’ve got a new-born baby, you’re not sleeping at night, you’re stressed, you’re worried about something, it’s keeping you up at night.
“Basically, sleep being a factor in causing your tiredness. That might sound like really common sense but believe me, so often, we find the underlying cause in the history. The other thing is obviously caffeine intake – anyone who is having caffeine after 12pm, 1 o’clock, that can be affecting your sleep.”
The doctor then detailed three health concerns causing unexplained tiredness despite good sleep: ferritin levels, vitamin D deficiency, and thyroid issues.
Other causes of tiredness
Dr Shireen noted: “Say, for example, someone’s got a really good lifestyle, they’re sleeping eight to 10 hours a night, they’re not stressed, they’re happy, there’s no reason for their tiredness; the next thing we would do would be a blood test.”
Emphasising the importance of precise blood tests, Dr Shireen advised people to “ask for specific things” during testing. For those in childbearing years, she stressed: “Women of childbearing age have to have their ferritin levels checked.
“Ferritin is a marker of iron and what we deem as normal – between 13-150 – isn’t necessarily always enough for combatting tiredness. I mean, 150 obviously is but 13 is still a little bit low.” She aims for ferritin levels to be between 40-60.
Highlighting Vitamin D deficiency as an often overlooked cause of fatigue at a GP visit, Dr Shireen explained that local policy and your location dictate when you can get tested, with some areas limiting checks to once every 365 days.
She continued: “Low Vitamin D causes all kinds of problems – tiredness, muscle aches, pains, low immunity – getting loads of coughs and colds – and it is something that really prevalent. I mean, pretty much everyone that’s coming in right now has some form of Vitamin D either deficiency or insufficiency.”
She then emphasised: “If you’re a woman over the age of 33, 34, you might be starting to head towards perimenopause so one of the symptoms of that is tiredness and brain fog. So, a full hormonal profile is really important.”
On the topic of potential underlying health issues, the doctor mentioned fatigue could be linked to an undiagnosed condition, urging for checks on “diabetes, thyroid function, a full blood count for any causes of anaemia, Vitamin B12, folic deficiency”.
Dr Shireen wrapped up her advice saying: “My point is, there are so many things that can cause tiredness and it is not normal for you to be feeling tired. If you are, please speak to your GP.”