What is the reason why a five-year-old child always says they are tired

Five year old children often say that fatigue may be related to reasons such as lack of sleep, nutritional deficiencies, psychological stress, anemia, thyroid dysfunction, etc. Parents are advised to make a comprehensive judgment based on their child's daily performance and seek medical examination promptly if necessary.

1. Lack of Sleep

Preschool children need 10-13 hours of high-quality sleep per day. Long term staying up late, frequent awakenings at night, or insufficient nap time can lead to children feeling lethargic during the day. Parents need to observe whether their children have difficulty falling asleep, snoring, and other sleep problems, and adjust their daily routines to create a quiet and dark sleeping environment.

2. Nutritional deficiency

Being picky and selective about food can lead to insufficient intake of hematopoietic nutrients such as iron and vitamin B12. Children with iron deficiency anemia often have pale complexion and wheezing after physical activity. It is recommended to increase the intake of iron rich foods such as red meat, animal liver, and dark vegetables, and to pair them with vitamin C to promote absorption. Avoid drinking milk immediately after meals as it may affect iron absorption.

3. Psychological stress

During the adaptation period to kindergarten, family conflicts, or excessive expectations may all trigger children's anxiety and fatigue. Manifested as physical symptoms such as resistance to going to school and recurrent abdominal pain. Parents should communicate through games to understand their children's psychological state, reduce scolding and criticism, and help children release emotional stress through picture book reading, parent-child exercise, and other methods.

4. Anemia

In addition to nutritional anemia, genetic diseases such as thalassemia can also lead to hemoglobin synthesis disorders. Children often have signs such as delayed growth and development, and sunken nails. Diagnosis requires blood routine and hemoglobin electrophoresis tests. Mild anemia can be improved through dietary therapy, while moderate to severe cases require iron supplementation or standardized treatment under the guidance of a doctor.

5. Thyroid dysfunction

Insufficient secretion of thyroid hormones can lead to a decrease in basal metabolic rate. In addition to fatigue, children may also experience symptoms such as chills, constipation, and rapid weight gain. Confirmed through the five tests of thyroid function, long-term use of levothyroxine sodium tablets as a replacement therapy, and regular monitoring of hormone levels to adjust medication dosage.

It is necessary to ensure that children engage in one hour of outdoor activities every day to promote metabolism, pay attention to the combination of meat and vegetables in their diet, and consume more than 12 types of food per week. If fatigue symptoms persist for more than two weeks or are accompanied by abnormalities such as fever and weight loss, timely medical attention should be sought from a pediatric endocrinology or hematology department to rule out organic diseases such as chronic infections and myocarditis. To avoid blind use of supplements, all medication treatments must be carried out under the guidance of professional physicians.