Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCausesWhat Is Fatigue?Who Gets Fatigue?Evaluating FatigueTreatment
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Causes
What Is Fatigue?
Who Gets Fatigue?
Evaluating Fatigue
Treatment
Fatigue and headaches often go hand in hand. For most people, headaches and tiredness are occasional nuisances. They may disrupt productivity for a day or cause you to cancel plans for the evening. However, for some people, they can be a chronic, debilitating duo that affects their daily life.
This article explores the relationship between fatigue and headaches. It explains potential short-term and long-term causes of headaches and fatigue. It also discusses potential treatments for fatigue and headaches and when you should see your healthcare provider.
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What Causes Headaches and Fatigue?
Lifestyle factors, temporary illness, or chronic health conditions can cause a combination of headaches and fatigue.
Lifestyle Factors
Lifestyle factors that can cause fatigue and headaches include:
Long-Term Conditions
Headache and fatigue are present in many chronic health conditions, including:
If you experience chronic headaches and fatigue, talk to your healthcare provider.
Medications
Fatigue and headaches can also be side effects of medication. In particular, hypertension drugs like beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, and vasodilators can cause headaches coupled with fatigue. Other medications that may have this effect include:
Hormones
Fluctuating levels of estrogen (a female sex hormone) can trigger headaches and fatigue.This can occur right before your period as part of premenstrual syndrome.It is also common during perimenopause, as the menstrual cycle starts to wind down.
Hormones may also be the culprit behind pregnancy-related and postpartum headaches and fatigue.
In addition, hormonal contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy can sometimes trigger headaches and fatigue.
Short-Term Illnesses
Headache and fatigue are also common in many short-term illnesses. These include:
Fatigue is difficult to define, even within the medical profession.
Many people use terms to describe fatigue interchangeably, including sleepiness, muscle weakness, loss of strength, lack of energy, and loss of interest.
Complicating the problem, even medical researchers don’t really know what actually causes fatigue, and that makes it challenging to treat.
When Fatigue is ChronicFatigue is considered chronic when it lasts for more than six months. (That’s chronic fatigue as asymptom, not the disease called chronic fatigue syndrome.)
When Fatigue is Chronic
Fatigue is considered chronic when it lasts for more than six months. (That’s chronic fatigue as asymptom, not the disease called chronic fatigue syndrome.)
Symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Fatigue is one of the most common complaints healthcare providers hear. Everyone is likely to experience some level of fatigue at some point in their lives.
About two-thirds of people who complain of chronic fatigue have an underlying medical condition (like headaches and migraines) or psychiatric condition that’s causing it. (Less than 10% of those people have chronic fatigue syndrome.)
The other one-third of people may have lifestyle causes of fatigue, which can includetoo little sleep, too much stress, nutritional deficiencies, or low activity levels.
How Fatigue Is Evaluated
If you experience a lot of fatigue, it’s important to see your healthcare provider so they can determine the source of it. For instance, is your fatigue related to your headache disorder? Another medical or psychiatric condition? Or “idiopathic,” meaning no known cause?
Your healthcare provider will ask you questions to better understand what “fatigue” means to you, including:
Your healthcare provider will also inquire about sleep hygiene and any medications or supplements you are taking, as they could be causing or exacerbating your fatigue.
To rule out an underlying medical cause for your fatigue, like cancer or an autoimmune disease, your healthcare provider will perform a thorough physical examination and order laboratory studies.
Finally, to examine the potential role of psychiatric illness in your fatigue, your healthcare provider will screen you for disorders like depression, anxiety, and substance abuse.
Improve Your Slee Hygiene
If fatigue is secondary to a psychiatric or medical condition such as a headache, your healthcare provider will focus on treating that underlying illness.Even with treatment, though, fatigue can still persist. Some therapies may help you minimize it, including:
Other treatment options include:
A Word From VerywellHeadaches and fatigue are common complaints, and they may even occur together. When headaches and fatigue overlap, they tell us valuable information about recent events (such as alcohol use, caffeine withdrawal, or eye strain on electronic devices) or may even indicate underlying conditions, such as lupus, migraines, or anemia. Your healthcare provider will help you take the steps to relieve you of co-occurring headaches and fatigue.—STEFFINI STALOS, DO, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
A Word From Verywell
Headaches and fatigue are common complaints, and they may even occur together. When headaches and fatigue overlap, they tell us valuable information about recent events (such as alcohol use, caffeine withdrawal, or eye strain on electronic devices) or may even indicate underlying conditions, such as lupus, migraines, or anemia. Your healthcare provider will help you take the steps to relieve you of co-occurring headaches and fatigue.—STEFFINI STALOS, DO, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
Headaches and fatigue are common complaints, and they may even occur together. When headaches and fatigue overlap, they tell us valuable information about recent events (such as alcohol use, caffeine withdrawal, or eye strain on electronic devices) or may even indicate underlying conditions, such as lupus, migraines, or anemia. Your healthcare provider will help you take the steps to relieve you of co-occurring headaches and fatigue.
—STEFFINI STALOS, DO, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Monteiro C, Dias B, Vaz-Patto M.Headache as an adverse reaction to the use of medication in the elderly: A pharmacovigilance study.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(5):2674. doi:10.3390/ijerph18052674Johns Hopkins Medicine.Headaches and women: What do hormones have to do with it?Gudipally PR, Sharma GK.Premenstrual syndrome. In:StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2024.Sader E, Rayhill M.Headache in pregnancy, the puerperium, and menopause.Semin Neurol. 2018;38(6):627–33. doi:10.1055/s-0038-1673681Negro A, Delaruelle Z, Ivanova TA, et al; European Headache Federation School of Advanced Studies (EHF-SAS).Headache and pregnancy: A systematic review.J Headache Pain. 2017;18(1):106. doi:10.1186/s10194-017-0816-0Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Diagnosing ME/CFS.Larun L, Brurberg KG, Odgaard-jensen J, Price JR.Exercise therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019;10:CD003200. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD003200.pub8American Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Society.Find a support group.Additional ReadingFosnocht KM & Ende J. Approach to the adult patient with fatigue.I n: UpToDate, Basow DS (Ed), UpToDate, Waltham, MA, 2014.Peres MF, Zukerman E, Young WB, Silberstein SD. Fatigue in chronic migraine patients.Cephalalgia.2002 Nov;22(9):720-4.Ravindran MK, Zheng Y, Timbol C, Merck SJ, Baraniuk JN.Migraine headaches in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS): comparison of two prospective cross-sectional studies.BMC Neurol.2011 Mar 5;11:30.Solomon S, Lipton RB, Newman LC. Clinical features of chronic daily headache.Headache1992; 32:325–9.Spierings EL, van Hoof MJ. Fatigue and sleep in chronic headache sufferers: an age- and sex- controlled questionnaire study.Headache. 1997; 37:549–52.
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Monteiro C, Dias B, Vaz-Patto M.Headache as an adverse reaction to the use of medication in the elderly: A pharmacovigilance study.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(5):2674. doi:10.3390/ijerph18052674Johns Hopkins Medicine.Headaches and women: What do hormones have to do with it?Gudipally PR, Sharma GK.Premenstrual syndrome. In:StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2024.Sader E, Rayhill M.Headache in pregnancy, the puerperium, and menopause.Semin Neurol. 2018;38(6):627–33. doi:10.1055/s-0038-1673681Negro A, Delaruelle Z, Ivanova TA, et al; European Headache Federation School of Advanced Studies (EHF-SAS).Headache and pregnancy: A systematic review.J Headache Pain. 2017;18(1):106. doi:10.1186/s10194-017-0816-0Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Diagnosing ME/CFS.Larun L, Brurberg KG, Odgaard-jensen J, Price JR.Exercise therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019;10:CD003200. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD003200.pub8American Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Society.Find a support group.Additional ReadingFosnocht KM & Ende J. Approach to the adult patient with fatigue.I n: UpToDate, Basow DS (Ed), UpToDate, Waltham, MA, 2014.Peres MF, Zukerman E, Young WB, Silberstein SD. Fatigue in chronic migraine patients.Cephalalgia.2002 Nov;22(9):720-4.Ravindran MK, Zheng Y, Timbol C, Merck SJ, Baraniuk JN.Migraine headaches in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS): comparison of two prospective cross-sectional studies.BMC Neurol.2011 Mar 5;11:30.Solomon S, Lipton RB, Newman LC. Clinical features of chronic daily headache.Headache1992; 32:325–9.Spierings EL, van Hoof MJ. Fatigue and sleep in chronic headache sufferers: an age- and sex- controlled questionnaire study.Headache. 1997; 37:549–52.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Monteiro C, Dias B, Vaz-Patto M.Headache as an adverse reaction to the use of medication in the elderly: A pharmacovigilance study.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(5):2674. doi:10.3390/ijerph18052674Johns Hopkins Medicine.Headaches and women: What do hormones have to do with it?Gudipally PR, Sharma GK.Premenstrual syndrome. In:StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2024.Sader E, Rayhill M.Headache in pregnancy, the puerperium, and menopause.Semin Neurol. 2018;38(6):627–33. doi:10.1055/s-0038-1673681Negro A, Delaruelle Z, Ivanova TA, et al; European Headache Federation School of Advanced Studies (EHF-SAS).Headache and pregnancy: A systematic review.J Headache Pain. 2017;18(1):106. doi:10.1186/s10194-017-0816-0Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Diagnosing ME/CFS.Larun L, Brurberg KG, Odgaard-jensen J, Price JR.Exercise therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019;10:CD003200. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD003200.pub8American Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Society.Find a support group.
Monteiro C, Dias B, Vaz-Patto M.Headache as an adverse reaction to the use of medication in the elderly: A pharmacovigilance study.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(5):2674. doi:10.3390/ijerph18052674
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Headaches and women: What do hormones have to do with it?
Gudipally PR, Sharma GK.Premenstrual syndrome. In:StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2024.
Sader E, Rayhill M.Headache in pregnancy, the puerperium, and menopause.Semin Neurol. 2018;38(6):627–33. doi:10.1055/s-0038-1673681
Negro A, Delaruelle Z, Ivanova TA, et al; European Headache Federation School of Advanced Studies (EHF-SAS).Headache and pregnancy: A systematic review.J Headache Pain. 2017;18(1):106. doi:10.1186/s10194-017-0816-0
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Diagnosing ME/CFS.
Larun L, Brurberg KG, Odgaard-jensen J, Price JR.Exercise therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019;10:CD003200. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD003200.pub8
American Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Society.Find a support group.
Fosnocht KM & Ende J. Approach to the adult patient with fatigue.I n: UpToDate, Basow DS (Ed), UpToDate, Waltham, MA, 2014.Peres MF, Zukerman E, Young WB, Silberstein SD. Fatigue in chronic migraine patients.Cephalalgia.2002 Nov;22(9):720-4.Ravindran MK, Zheng Y, Timbol C, Merck SJ, Baraniuk JN.Migraine headaches in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS): comparison of two prospective cross-sectional studies.BMC Neurol.2011 Mar 5;11:30.Solomon S, Lipton RB, Newman LC. Clinical features of chronic daily headache.Headache1992; 32:325–9.Spierings EL, van Hoof MJ. Fatigue and sleep in chronic headache sufferers: an age- and sex- controlled questionnaire study.Headache. 1997; 37:549–52.
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