Your Crohn's Disease will combine with stress to give you fatigue.

When you combine Crohn’s Disease and stress, you get periods of fatigue. All of us with the disease go through it. It is a very important issue in our lives.

People with Crohn's Disease often feel a weariness and an exhaustion, especially when we have a flare up. But even when we don’t have a flare up, our body is still fighting a war against the disease. It is in combat and that combat takes a lot of energy. What’s a person to do? Here are some suggestions.

One thing you can do is see if there is some kind of pattern to your low energy level. Are there certain activities or thoughts that cause you to feel more fatigue than usual? When you know what causes extra fatigue, you can deal with it better. You might be able to eliminate or change the causes in some way.

If something comes up in a period of low energy and it’s not crucial, reschedule it. You are probably doing that already. But do you need to be more observant? Do it more often?

Having the disease can mean a lack of appetite for many people (it didn‘t for me, but most people lose weight). Are you eating enough food (the right food), and drinking enough liquids?

Are you getting enough sleep? Do you need to change your pattern of sleep? Go to bed earlier? Do you need a prescription from the doctor to help you fall asleep? (It helped me.) Perhaps this simple action will help: you can cut down on the amount of caffine you take in. Too much caffine can keep you up at night.

The simple fact is that not enough sleep will cause fatigue. It puts you out of your natural body rhythm. The result is you feel exhausted.

Another key is what you do when the disease is in remission. You need to build up our energy level. You do that through exercise, good sleep patterns, and developing your skill to relax at will (so we can relax better during a flare up). What you do during remission can help you during a flare-up.

You need to look at your beliefs and attitudes about having the disease. Are they causing you more fatigue than necessary? Do you need to change you attitude? How about expectations? Do you need to change those?

Are you having terrible bouts of depression? Would it help you to seek professional help? There are psychologists and social workers who help people deal with the mental aspects of living with chronic diseases. Perhaps your insurance will pay for it.

Also consider the fact that Crohn's Disease starts in many, if not most cases, in a young person or a teenager. We hear so much in the news now a days about depression and teenagers. Add Crohn's Disease to the mix and it just doesn't seem fair.

One recommendation for teenagers is to post on Crohn's forums. It will help to vent to people who have gone through the same situation.

Do you need supplementation?

Most people get the nutrients and energy they need from the food they eat.

However, those with Crohn's disease are prone to becoming malnourished for several reasons, including loss of appetite, the increased need for nutrients due to the demands of the disease, and perhaps most significantly, the inability to properly digest and absorb nutrients due to intestinal problems.

The body's ability to properly digest protein, fat, vitamins, minerals and other important nutrients is often compromised in Crohns sufferers, which could lead to serious additional health complications, not the least of which is chronic fatigue.

That's why it is not unusual for a person with Crohn's Disease to need supplementation to their diet.

One of the best nutritional supplements we have come across is Total Balance by Xtend-Life. It contains a full spectrum of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes and other important nutrients that you may be lacking due to this condition.

We find that Total Balance is able to significantly reduce fatigue and boost energy while providing a synergistic balance of all the important nutrients, including B12, folic acid, potassium and magnesium and other vitamins and minerals of particular importance to Crohn's sufferers.

If you are looking for a high quality nutritional supplement that may help significantly reduce fatigue then Total Balance might just be the answer for you.


As with all health supplements, be sure to consult with your physician or other qualified medical professional before taking anything to treat Crohn's Disease.

more than fighting fatigue on our Crohns Disease information page