Why a urinary tract infection can leave you exhausted, the signs that it has spread or turned serious, and how long it takes to feel like yourself again.
Can a UTI cause extreme fatigue? It can. A UTI is an infection of the urinary tract. Feeling extremely tired is one of its signs. So is feeling weak. Older women are more likely to feel tired, shaky, weak or muddled. Are you worn out and running a fever, with chills or back pain? Then the UTI may have reached your kidneys. See a doctor if you think you have one. Most people feel better a few days after treatment starts.
How a UTI Can Make You So Tired
A UTI can hit your kidneys, your bladder and the tubes that carry pee. Most start when germs get into the urethra. That is the short tube that carries pee out of your body. From there the germs reach your bladder. A germ called E. coli causes more than 90% of bladder infections.
Why Women Get Them So Often
UTIs are common, and most of all in women. More than half of women will get at least one. Women get them up to 30 times more often than men. And as many as 4 in 10 women who get one get another within six months.
A woman’s urethra is shorter than a man’s. It also sits closer to the anus, where E. coli lives. So germs have a shorter trip to your bladder.
The Usual Signs
Most UTIs start in the bladder. The usual signs are:
- Pain or burning when you pee
- Needing to pee often, even when little comes out
- Pressure or cramping low in your belly
- Cloudy, bloody or bad-smelling pee
Tiredness and Other Whole-Body Signs
A UTI does more than change how you pee. It inflames the lining of the tract. So you may get flu-like signs too:
- Feeling extremely tired
- Fever and chills
- Nausea and vomiting
- Muddled thinking
A UTI can also send you to the bathroom more at night. So no, the tiredness is not in your head. Your body is busy fighting something.
Age makes a difference here. Older women are more likely to feel tired, shaky, weak or muddled. In older people, muddled thinking is often the only sign of a UTI.
When Tiredness Means the Infection Has Spread
Bladder infections are the most common kind. A kidney infection is less common. But it is more serious. Left alone, a UTI can climb to the kidneys, and then further.
Signs of a Kidney Infection
If it reaches your kidneys, you may have:
- Tiredness, and a feeling of being unwell all over
- A fever above 101°F (38.3°C)
- Chills and shaking, or night sweats
- Pain in your side, your back or your groin
- Flushed, warm or red skin
- Nausea and vomiting
- Muddled thinking
- Sometimes, severe belly pain
The most common of these are a fever and pain in the back, where your kidneys sit. Put your hands on your lower back. That is the spot.
So being worn out with a fever, chills, vomiting or back pain needs care fast. Call your doctor right away. Some doctors go further. They say to go to the emergency room if a UTI brings a fever, back pain or vomiting.
Get Care Sooner If This Is You
Some women need faster care. Get an urgent appointment if you have UTI signs and:
- You are 65 or older
- You are pregnant
- You have diabetes, or a weak immune system
- Your temperature is very high or very low, or you are shivering
- You have pain low in your belly, or in your back just under the ribs
Some of these can be signs of a kidney infection. Left alone, that can lead to sepsis. In pregnancy, a UTI is more likely to climb to the kidneys. So if you are pregnant and have signs, see your doctor or nurse right away.
Sepsis: The Emergency Signs
Sepsis is your body’s extreme answer to an infection. Doctors call it an emergency that can kill. It starts when an infection you have sets off a chain reaction inside you. Germs called bacteria cause most cases. Most start in the lungs, the gut, the skin or the urinary tract.
Sometimes a UTI gets into the blood. That is rare, but it can kill. Without fast care, it can lead to tissue damage, organ failure and death.
Signs of Sepsis
Someone with sepsis may have one or more of these:
- Clammy or sweaty skin
- Muddled thinking, or not knowing where they are
- Extreme pain
- Fever, shivering or feeling very cold
- A fast heartbeat, or a weak pulse
- Shortness of breath
What to Do
Do you have a UTI and any of these signs? Call 911 or go to the emergency room now. Do the same if you are confused, drowsy or slurring your words. Do not drive yourself. Ask someone to drive you, or call for an ambulance.
Doctors treat it as fast as they can. They give the right drugs, such as antibiotics. And they work to keep blood flowing to your organs.
Who Is at Higher Risk
Anyone can get sepsis. The risk is greater for very old adults. It is greater if your body cannot fight germs well, as during cancer treatment. Most people who get sepsis have another health problem, or a recent hospital stay.
Most cases also start before the person gets to a hospital. So it helps to know these signs, even if your UTI seems mild.
Getting Treated
The best move is to see a doctor. Most UTIs are easy to treat. Treat one right away, and it is not likely to harm your tract. A small UTI can sometimes clear on its own. But most need antibiotics to go. You need them if you also have a fever, chills, nausea or vomiting.
Tests
Your doctor will ask about your signs and your health, and check you over. They will also test a clean sample of your pee. First you wipe the area with a special wipe. Then you catch your pee in a cup, midstream. This test finds an infection most of the time. A lab may also grow the germs to find the best drug for you. It is a quick visit, and most of it is waiting.
Antibiotics
Take them exactly as your doctor says. Finish all of them, even if you feel fine after a day. Stop early, and the UTI may come back and be harder to treat. Do not share your pills. And do not save them for later. Set an alarm on your phone for each dose.
These drugs can bring side effects. Those include a rash, dizziness, nausea, diarrhea and yeast infections. Call your doctor if any show up while you take them.
Something for the Pain
Your doctor may also suggest something for the pain. Could you be pregnant? Then say so before you take anything.
If You Keep Feeling Worse
Call your doctor again if your signs get worse after your visit. You may need a different treatment. And some UTIs need care in the hospital.
How Long Does UTI Fatigue Last?
Our sources give times for UTI signs as a whole. None of them times the tiredness on its own. The good part? Most UTIs answer very well to the pills.
Bladder Infections
Bladder signs most often go within 24 to 48 hours after treatment starts. You may feel better in one or two days. Most people feel better within a few days.
Kidney Infections
A kidney infection takes longer. Its signs may take 1 week or more to go.
If You Are Not Getting Better
Get an urgent appointment if your signs get worse fast. Do the same if they do not lift within 48 hours of starting treatment. Also call if they come back soon after your pills run out. Your doctor may check if the germs resist the drug you took.
When Signs Do Not Go Away
Some UTIs do not clear with treatment. Or they keep coming back. Doctors call those chronic UTIs. They are hard to spot, because pee tests do not always catch them. They can also take over your life. Treatment may mean stronger pills, or a longer course. Still have signs after treatment? Ask your doctor who else you can see.
Still Tired When the UTI Is Gone?
Has your UTI cleared, and you still feel tired all the time? Then the cause may be something else. See a doctor about tiredness when sleep, good food and less stress do not lift it. It is common, though, and most often not a sign of serious illness.
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How to Feel Better While You Heal
Antibiotics treat the UTI. These steps help you feel better while they work.
Rest and Drink Fluids
Rest eases UTI signs. Drink enough that your pee is pale, and that you go often through the day. Water or other fluids both count. Always drink plenty of water with a bladder or kidney infection.
Water helps flush germs out of the tract. So keep a glass or a bottle near you, and sip it all day. Give yourself the evening off too. The dishes can wait.
Empty Your Bladder
Peeing helps clear germs from your body. Each trip carries some waste out. So do not hold it when you feel the urge. Take your time, and empty your bladder fully. Lean forward a little as you finish.
Skip Drinks That Can Irritate Your Bladder
Some drinks can sting a sore bladder. Fruit juice, coffee and alcohol are the ones named. Water is the simple choice while you heal.
If You Cannot Keep Fluids Down
Vomiting can make it hard to drink, or to take your pills. Some people need hospital care. That happens when they are very sick and cannot take pills or drink enough. There, they get fluids and antibiotics through a vein. So call your doctor if nothing stays down.
What About Cranberry?
Do not count on cranberry to treat a UTI. There is no proof that it eases signs, or treats one once it has begun. Store-bought cranberry juice does not prevent them either. But cranberry extract pills may lower your chances of getting one. Overall, the studies on cranberry are mixed. The juice tastes nice. That is the safest thing to say about it.
How to Lower Your Chances of Another UTI
You can take steps to help prevent a UTI. You may follow them all and still get one. But they are worth your time:
- Pee when you need to. Do not wait more than three or four hours.
- Pee before and after sex.
- Wipe from front to back.
- Drink six to eight glasses of fluid a day.
- Do not douche, and skip sprays and powders down there.
- Do not use scented soap around your genitals.
- Wear cotton underwear, and skip tight pants.
- Change out of wet swimsuits and gym clothes quickly.
- Take showers, or keep baths to 30 minutes or less.
- During your period, change pads and tampons often.
If You Keep Getting UTIs
Two UTIs in six months, or three in a year, count as recurrent UTIs. Your doctor may run tests to find out why. You may need a small dose of antibiotics each day. Or your doctor may give you pills to take after sex, or at the first sign of a UTI. Do you use spermicide? Ask about another kind of birth control.
After Menopause
Menopause raises the risk of UTIs. After it, the loss of estrogen leaves vaginal tissue thin and dry. Harmful germs can then grow more easily. A doctor may suggest a vaginal cream with estrogen to lower your risk.
Common Questions
What are the signs of sepsis from a UTI?
Your skin may turn clammy or sweaty. You may feel muddled, or be in extreme pain. You may run a fever, shiver or feel very cold. Your heart may race, or your pulse may go weak. You may be short of breath. Do you have a UTI and any of these? Call 911.
What are the warning signs of a worsening UTI?
A fever, chills, vomiting, or pain in your back or side can mean the UTI has reached your kidneys. Call your doctor right away if you notice them. Also call if your signs get worse fast, or if they do not lift within 48 hours of starting treatment.
How long does UTI fatigue last?
Our sources give times for UTI signs as a whole, not for tiredness alone. Bladder signs most often go within 24 to 48 hours after treatment starts. Kidney infection signs may take 1 week or more. Still very tired after that? Talk to your doctor.
Should you rest a lot when you have a UTI?
Rest can help, and it is part of the standard advice. Drink enough that your pee is pale. Skip the drinks that can sting a sore bladder, like fruit juice, coffee and alcohol. And keep taking your antibiotics exactly as your doctor told you while you rest.
Sources
- Urinary Tract Infections, Cleveland Clinic
- Urinary Tract Infections, Office on Women’s Health
- Urinary Tract Infection, Adults, MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine
- Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs), NHS
- About Sepsis, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Urinary Tract Infection Basics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
