Fatigue is one of the most common complaints we see as health practitioners. Unlike ordinary tiredness that resolves with a decent rest or good night’s sleep, fatigue is a persistent sense of physical or mental exhaustion that doesn’t respond appropriately to rest. In additon it can significantly affect work, relationships, and daily functioning.
What Are the Symptoms of Fatigue?
Fatigue rarely shows up alone. It’s commonly accompanied by:
- Poor concentrating/ brain fog
- Muscle weakness/ aching
- Low motivation and mood
- Insomnia which can include difficulty falling or staying asleep
- Headaches
- Dizziness or light-headedness
- Reduced capacity for physical activity, with symptoms worsening after exertion
When fatigue persists for six months or longer and isn’t explained by another condition, it may meet criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS), a complex condition marked by profound, unrelenting exhaustion. It is also important to stress the impact ongoing fatigue can have on every system of your body. It can make you feel more vulnerable, anxious, depressed and affect digestion, body inflammation and even cardiovascular function.
What Causes Fatigue?
Fatigue can stem from a very wide range of options which include:
- Lifestyle: Poor sleep quality, high stress, sedentary habits, and poor nutrition are usually the first considerations.
- Medical conditions: Anemia, thyroid disorders, diabetes, heart disease, frequent and chronic infections can all cause persistent fatigue.
- Mental health factors: Depression and anxiety frequently present with fatigue as a core symptom.
- Medications: antihistamines, blood pressure medications, and antidepressants, as well as other medications may have fatigue as a side effect. It is important to check this with your medical practitioner to assess whether changes may be warranted
- Sleep disorders: sleep apnoea and insomnia prevent regeneration during rest, even if total sleep time seems adequate.
- Chronic fatigue syndrome: A distinct condition involving immune, neurological, and hormonal dysfunction, with no single identified cause.
How Is Fatigue Treated?
Treatment approaches obviously depend on the diagnosis. Some options include:
Addressing the root cause: Treating anemia, thyroid imbalance, or sleep apnoea often resolves fatigue.
Sleep hygiene: creating a regular sleep schedule, reducing screen time and going to bed at reasonable hours before bed can significantly improve energy levels.
Exercise: It is important to start with gentle exercise and slowly increase the frequency and intensity gradually increasing to avoid post-exertional crashes. In the case of CFS it is particularly important for this to be very slow and gradual.
Mental Health Support: As stress can be an underlying contributing factor seeking support can help to identify stressors and create solutions.
Diet: Is one of the most powerful ways to support energy production in the body. It is important to seek advice from an appropriately trained practitioner.
Acupuncture for Fatigue: What Does the Research Show?
Research on acupuncture has increased significantly in the last 2 decades. A 2019 systematic review and meta-analysis (1) in Acupuncture in Medicine, covering 16 studies and 1,346 participants, found acupuncture showed a favourable effect on overall response rate compared with sham acupuncture and also appeared to significantly reduce fatigue severity compared with other control interventions
A more recent 2025 meta-analysis (2) found acupuncture significantly improved near-term fatigue, long-term fatigue, and somatic and mental health in CFS patients, while also potentially reducing depression, though the quality of the studies was considered low.
A separate network meta-analysis (3) of 35 trials and 2,383 patients found both moxibustion and acupuncture outperformed Western medicine in improving fatigue scores.
Bottom line: The evidence leans positive, particularly for CFS-related fatigue, and acupuncture appears safe when performed by a licensed practitioner. However, researchers consistently call for larger, higher-quality trials, so it’s best approached as a complementary option alongside—not a replacement for—medical evaluation of the underlying cause.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between tiredness and fatigue? Tiredness typically improves with rest or sleep, while fatigue is a more persistent, whole-body exhaustion that doesn’t fully resolve even after adequate rest.
What deficiencies can cause fatigue? Low iron, vitamin D, and vitamin B12 are among the most common nutritional deficiencies linked to fatigue, and can be picked up in blood tests.
Can acupuncture help with fatigue? Research suggests acupuncture may meaningfully reduce fatigue severity, particularly for chronic fatigue syndrome, though study quality varies and larger trials are still needed.
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Alayna Gay is a registered acupuncturist with AHPRA. She loves supporting women’s health
and helping them to become all that they can be.
References
- Zhang, Q., et al. (2019). Acupuncture for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Acupuncture in Medicine. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31204859/
- Feng, Y., et al. (2025). Efficacy and Safety of Acupuncture for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Medicine. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12113930/
- Comparative Effectiveness of Acupuncture and Moxibustion for Fatigue-Related Conditions: A Network Meta-Analysis (2025). Journal of Integrative Medicine (via ScienceDirect). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article
Disclaimer: Each individuals’ treatment and/ or results may vary from person to person depending on the specifics of the situation. Results are not promised or guaranteed as a result of receiving a treatment with Evolve Natural Medicine.
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