Tiredness is common complaint in the UK, which can make it hard to work out when to actually see a GP about your sleep issues. 

Other potential symptoms ― severe period pain, bruises, and even fingernail changes ― can seem like “normal” signs, but are sometimes worth a trip to the doctor too. 

In a helpful TikTok, Dr Ahmed, a GP, shared some information which might make the “normal or not?” call easier to make. 

He said: “Here are three symptoms you may think are normal, but they are not, and you need to see a doctor if you have them.” 

They are: 

1) Back pain that lasts longer than six weeks

Though the issue is “very, very common” and “can have many causes, and most of them are completely benign,“Dr Ahmed says you really ought to see your GP if it lasts longer than six weeks. 

It doesn’t matter how harmless you think the issue is ― “go to your doctor to make sure there’s no serious underlying cause” after the time ends, Dr Ahmed advised. 

2) A sudden increase in eye floaters

Of course, eye floaters are common and usually aren’t cause for alarm. They “look a bit like squiggly worms ― some may be see-through” while others might be opaque, Dr Ahmed shared. 

“It’s generally much worse when you look at bright light.” 

While they’re usually completely harmless, Dr Ahmed says that if you experience a “sudden increase in the number of floaters” or lots of dark spots in your vision, you should get it checked out. 

This “could be signs of a serious problem with the back of your eye, which could permanently affect your vision if it’s not treated quickly,” the NHS warns.

3) Chronic fatigue

“A lot of people may have” this but “ignore” it, Dr Ahmed says.

“Now I don’t just mean feeling a little bit tired all the time or if you’ve got a very good reason for feeling tired,” he explained. 

He’s talking instead about “extreme fatigue, where you can’t function when there’s no obvious reason or cause, especially when this has started relatively recently.”

Though there could be “hundreds” of reasons for the change, a lot of them are worth speaking to your doctor about, he continued.