Fatigue
Fatigue is a common thing that many people experience, even daily. For some people, however, fatigue goes a little bit beyond this. It can become a chronic condition that robs you of your daily routine and makes even simple tasks seem difficult. A name has been given to this particular ailment, which is now referred to as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Chronic fatigue is characterized by a case of extreme, ongoing fatigue that does not improve with sleep and an adjusted lifestyle. This would suggest that there is something more happening within the body than simple tiredness and thus has given rise to a whole new perspective on what it means to be "tired."
At some point in everyone's life, they will encounter fatigue symptoms. However, sometimes it takes a little exercise and an improved sleep regimen to turn things around. For others, things are not quite that simple, but when you look at the scope of possible conditions, a fatigue problem is much preferred over something more serious.
6 Signs that you are suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome
When you're facing chronic fatigue, the last thing you want to do is get back to work. But most of us can't afford to. According to the National Institute of Health, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a complicated condition that affects almost one million Americans. It's also known as ME, or myalgic encephalomyelitis. It doesn't help much when we're trying to get our lives back on track! If you feel like your energy has been sapped almost every day for at least six months, it might be time to have your doctor look at your situation more closely. You may be suffering from chronic fatigue or another serious medical condition. Below are the telltale signs of CFS:
1. You're constantly exhausted
It's not unusual for people recovering from an illness to feel worn out, but if you've been healthy for years and your energy has been slowly seeping away, there may be more to this than a simple case of the flu. Chronic fatigue makes it hard to do the things you usually enjoy, like exercise or spending time with friends and family, because you just don't have the energy.
You may feel like you have to drag yourself through your day or that you're slogging through the mud every time you try to do something. CFS can also make it hard to concentrate and to remember things, so you may feel like you're thinking more slowly than usual.
2. Your muscles ache
Along with that exhaustion, you may also have muscle aches, tenderness, and weakness. This is common in people with chronic fatigue. Still, it's essential to rule out other conditions with similar symptoms, like rheumatoid arthritis, polymyalgia rheumatic, and fibromyalgia. Chronic fatigue can also cause pain in your joints.
However, people with CFS usually don't have swelling in the joints, and their pain may not be as severe as what you'd feel with a classic joint injury. If you're dealing with chronic fatigue, you may feel more muscle aches and pains during a flare-up of your symptoms. Still, even when you're feeling better, you may not be able to move around as quickly. It can make gardening or playing sports, or even walking around your neighborhood, a challenging task.
3. You have headaches and difficulty concentrating
Brain fog is another classic symptom of chronic fatigue. That's when it feels like you have a fog clouding up your brain and making it hard to think clearly. It may also feel like your brain is working at half-speed like you have a mental version of slowing down the speed of a DVD. You may also have trouble concentrating and remembering things, especially if you have a headache at the same time.
People with chronic fatigue often have difficulty following directions and conversing. They may have a hard time concentrating on a book or movie. If you aren't paying attention or can't keep your mind on what you're doing, it can be difficult to figure out what's happening in the story or remember which page you're on. You may also have trouble with abstract thinking, like coming up with creative ideas or solving problems.
4. You have joint pain without any swelling
Having pain in your joints, especially during a flare-up of your symptoms. However, your joints shouldn't be swollen. People with CFS often have low-level joint pain, even when they're feeling better, and some people have joint pain all the time. You may feel pain in your joints even when you're completely still. If you have chronic fatigue, you're likely to feel joint pain in your wrists, hands, fingers, knees, and ankles, although you may also feel it in other joints. Chronic fatigue can also cause achy muscles, so it's essential to tell the difference between pain from your joints and pain from your muscles.
5. You have fevers that come and go without any apparent cause
You may have fevers without any apparent cause if you have chronic fatigue. You may have had a viral infection in the past or recently recovered from one, but you may also have an illness you don't know about. You may have a low-grade fever that you overlook until you take your temperature. Your doctor should take your temperature and examine you for signs of an infection if you have a fever without any other symptoms. If you have chronic fatigue, you may have unexplained fevers or a fever that goes up and down in response to a flare-up of your symptoms. This can make it hard for you to tell if the fever is severe or not.
6. You have trouble sleeping at night
It may be possible to have sleeping difficulty. Sleep gets disrupted because of pain or joint stiffness or because your heart is beating faster than usual. If you have trouble falling asleep, you can feel tired during the day. CFS can also make concentrating hard, so you may have trouble falling asleep because your brain is racing. You may have trouble staying asleep because you have bad dreams or because your symptoms wake you up and keep you from getting back to sleep. People with chronic fatigue may also have restless leg syndrome or experience hot flashes or night sweats, making it difficult to get a good night's sleep.
Conclusion
Chronic fatigue is a complicated condition, and it can be hard to tell if you have it. See a doctor about getting evaluated for CFS if you exhibit several or severe symptoms. Chronic fatigue syndrome should be evaluated for the presence of other illnesses with comparable symptoms, such as rheumatoid arthritis, polymyalgia rheumatic, and fibromyalgia. If you have chronic fatigue, it's likely to come and go in cycles. You may get better for a while and then have a flare-up of symptoms, and there may be times when you feel better than others. It can be challenging to manage a condition like this, but with advice from Cured.com, you can make it easier on yourself. First, make sure you're getting enough rest. If you're tired, you may need to cut back on work or make other lifestyle changes. And make sure you're seeing your doctor regularly, so they can help you figure out what treatments will work best for you.
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