This episode breaks down chronic fatigue: what it actually is, how it's different from stress and burnout, and the real medical causes that often get missed - anemia and iron deficiency, thyroid problems, sleep apnea, vitamin D deficiency, and post-infection fatigue, among others. Dr. Sompa also covers how fatigue shows up differently depending on age and gender, debunks common myths about caffeine and rest, and lays out the warning signs that mean it's time to see a doctor rather than wait it out.

Last week, we covered the stress cycle — how your body's alarm system activates, and what happens when it never gets the signal to shut off. This week, we look at the other side: burnout, which is what happens when that unresolved stress goes on long enough that the alarm response itself starts to shut down.

In this special roundtable episode of Morning Rounds, Dr. Sompa Otabil-Nelson is joined by HR consultant Dr. Hazel Berrard Amuah and entrepreneur Marlvin Owusu to ask a question rarely asked out loud: is burnout a real, recognized problem in Ghana — or something we've only just started borrowing the language for? 

Stress isn't the problem — never letting it go is. In this pilot episode of Morning Rounds, Dr. Sompa Otabil-Nelson breaks down the stress response cycle: what actually happens in your body when your internal alarm system switches on, and why modern life rarely gives it the "all clear" signal it needs to switch back off. Drawing from real stories from her clinic, Dr. Sompa unpacks the difference between stress, chronic fatigue, and burnout, debunks common myths, and walks through simple, actionable tools — including a live breathing exercise — for actually closing the cycle instead of carrying it silently. Plus: a stress trivia round, listener call-ins, and real voice-memo questions answered on air.

Topics covered: the stress response cycle, cortisol and fight-or-flight, chronic fatigue, burnout warning signs, stress in men vs. women, stress in kids and teens, and practical coping tools.

Morning Rounds airs on Starr 103.5 FM every Saturday.