New Delhi: Nearly one in six Americans experienced fatigue most days or every day over a three-month period, according to a study published earlier this month by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It also found that frequent fatigue was more common among women and younger adults.
The report, titled ‘Fatigue Among Adults Age 18 and Older’, analysed data from the 2024 National Health Interview Survey, which included 31,917 adults aged 18 and older. It pointed out that fatigue is not as simple as just being tired and can come with a host of other issues.
“Fatigue is generally defined as physical or mental tiredness or exhaustion that does not improve with additional sleep or rest,” the report said.
It added that anxiety, difficulty thinking and depression were the problems most often reported by people with frequent fatigue. Anxiety symptoms were reported by 69.6 per cent, cognition difficulties by 46.1 per cent and depression symptoms by 45 per cent.
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Degrees of fatigue
The 2024 survey found that 71.5 per cent of adults aged 18 and older said they had felt very tired or exhausted at least some days in the previous three months. This included 54.9 per cent who experienced fatigue some days, 10.7 per cent who experienced it most days and 5.9 per cent who experienced it every day.
The NCHS defined “frequent fatigue” as experiencing fatigue most days or every day. Overall, 16.6 per cent of adults fell into this category.
Women were more likely than men to report frequent fatigue, at 20 per cent compared with 13 per cent, the report found. Frequent fatigue was also more common among younger adults. It was reported by 19.5 per cent of people aged 18 to 34, compared with 17.4 per cent among those aged 35 to 49, 16 per cent among those aged 50 to 64 and 12.9 per cent among those aged 65 and older.
The report also found differences by income, race and Hispanic origin, and geography. Frequent fatigue was reported by 21.7 per cent of adults with family incomes below 100 per cent of the federal poverty level, compared with 13.6 per cent among those with incomes at or above 400 per cent of the federal poverty level.
The report examined how frequent fatigue occurred along with difficulties in other areas of functioning, including cognition, walking, communication, self-care, anxiety and depression.
Overall, 50.9 per cent of adults with frequent fatigue reported difficulties in at least three areas of daily functioning compared with 16.9 per cent of those without frequent fatigue.
Frequent fatigue was also associated with limitations in work and social activities. The report found that 36 per cent of adults with frequent fatigue said they were limited in the kind or amount of work they could do, compared with 15.3 per cent of adults without frequent fatigue.
The report cautioned that the findings do not establish that fatigue causes these difficulties and that their observed associations could reflect fatigue affecting functioning, an underlying condition causing both, or a combination of factors.