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Living with Liver Disease: Why Am I So Tired?
Your fatigue is real. Learn more about a handful of biological phenomena that explain why liver disease frequently causes severe exhaustion.
Although there are many possible causes of liver disease, the most commonly reported symptom ties most liver disease experiences together: fatigue.
We have all experienced fatigue, but the severe, constant fatigue that is endemic to chronic liver disease can be debilitating. If you have a chronic liver ailment and are struggling with tiredness, it is not all in your head. There are a handful of physiological reasons explaining why chronic liver disease and fatigue go hand in hand.
Although liver disease by itself saps energy levels, there is a long list of complicating issues that may exacerbate or contribute to fatigue.
7 Factors Known to Increase Fatigue
- Stress
- Poor nutrition
- Depression
- Inactivity
- Chronic pain
- Medications
- Illness
Even so, those with chronic liver disease are at a particular disadvantage when it comes to having sufficient energy levels. Despite the many different causes (a hepatitis virus, excessive fat accumulation, alcoholism, bile duct problems, etc.), liver disease stresses your liver, making this valuable organ vulnerable to cellular damage and scarring. Injury to its cells reduces your liver’s ability to accomplish the many jobs it is responsible for.
The following four points make it easy to see why there’s a connection between fatigue and liver disease:
- Glycogen Storage – Your liver helps supply your body with energy by converting glucose into glycogen and storing it for later use. If your liver is compromised, it is less able to convert glucose to glycogen, less able to store the glycogen, and less able to release the glycogen when energy is needed.
- Brain-Immune Dysfunction – The continued, long-term response of the immune system to liver injury contributes to fatigue. The release of neurotransmitters (chemicals in the brain) is part of a healthy immune system response. When your body is stressed, your immune system is activated, causing your brain to release chemicals for self-protection. Liver disease inflicts chronic, uncontrollable stress, weakening your immune system and decreasing the release of certain brain neurotransmitters. The reduction in neurotransmitters is a suspected factor in severe fatigue.
- Anemia – A condition describing a deficiency in red blood cells that transport oxygen throughout the body, anemia causes severe fatigue. According to a Spanish research report published in the October 2009 issue of the World Journal of Gastroenterology, anemia occurs in about 75 percent of patients with chronic liver disease. Experts believe that hemorrhage of blood into the gastrointestinal tract is a major cause of anemia in individuals with chronic liver disease.
- Metabolism – Your liver helps create energy via metabolism, the process of converting your food into energy. An impaired liver has fewer functioning liver cells available to metabolize the protein, fat and carbohydrates you consume.
The fatigue you might be feeling with chronic liver disease is not a figment of your imagination. There are several physiological reasons why impaired liver function reduces energy levels. Providing your body with antioxidants, vitamins, herbs and nutrients that strengthen the liver, the cell’s mitochondria and the immune system while also nurturing metabolism, can help restore your energy levels when it is needed most.
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About the Author
Nicole Cutler, L.Ac., MTCM is a long time advocate of integrating perspectives on health. With a Bachelor's degree in Neuroscience from the University of Rochester and a Master's degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine from Five Branches Institute, Nicole has been a licensed acupuncturist since 2000. She has gathered acupuncture licenses in the states of California and New York, is a certified specialist with the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association, has earned diplomat status with the National Commission of Chinese and Oriental Medicine in Acupuncture and Chinese Herbology and is a member of the Society for Integrative Oncology. In addition to her acupuncture practice that focuses on stress and pain relief, digestion, immunity and oncology, Nicole contributes to the integration of healthcare by writing articles for professional massage therapists and people living with liver disease.
