It seems that if you just wait until the vacation, the constant fatigue will go away. But, alas, this does not always happen. Fatigue often haunts a person even after proper rest. What is chronic fatigue syndrome? Why is this disease considered one of the most mysterious?
Our expert is an immunologist, head of the Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergology at the Institute of Clinical Medicine of the First Moscow State Medical University named after I.M. Sechenov, head of the International Laboratory of Immunopathology, Professor, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexander Karaulov .
The term chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) originated in the United States in 1988, when this unusual condition was first described. Later, an entire scientific center was created in America to study the new disease.
When does it occur
Frequent worries and stress at work and in the family lead to emotional exhaustion. At the same time, the person constantly wants to sleep, he does not have the energy to engage in even ordinary activities. Over time, a person's condition worsens, and fatigue becomes chronic. This is mixed with diseases of the heart, blood vessels, and digestive tract.
Lack of life goals
Constant fatigue and drowsiness occurs in those who are not satisfied with their life. This is what leads to a job you don’t like, when you force yourself to go to the office or enterprise every morning. Those who stop developing, not realizing their potential, become emotionally burnt out.
The same result awaits workers who devote all their strength to the work they love, but do not receive a final positive result. A reduced emotional background causes muscle weakness and irritability.
Nervous tension, shock
Everyone has enough troubles in life. When life goes through a dark period: a loved one dies, a divorce is coming, children bring grief - then the body cannot cope with the stress and fails. It is expressed by the appearance of drowsiness and fatigue. You give up, it seems that life is over. It is in this situation that depression develops.
It’s important to set yourself up for the fact that everything will pass. Problems will subside and life will return to normal.
No support
An adult’s psyche suffers when loved ones do not support him in difficult life situations. When faced with a choice, it is difficult to determine what the right thing to do is. And when there is no person nearby who can understand and forgive, then lethargy and apathy come. At the same time, they feel muscle weakness and a reluctance to think and reason. With a long-term condition, a feeling of anxiety, suspiciousness, and irritability is mixed in.
Weakness of character
Personality traits influence why fatigue occurs. For pampered people it is more difficult to deal with problems. Any deviation from everyday life in one direction or another causes panic. And decision making is difficult.
The weak-willed person always needs support like no one else. Without it, you give up, panic and stress begin. They are accompanied by irritability and anxiety in some, and lethargy and drowsiness in others.
Increased fatigue
Chronic fatigue syndrome is the scourge of modern people, especially residents of big cities. Excessive fatigue due to poor nutrition, prolonged exposure to high or low temperatures, diseases associated with metabolic disorders, major bleeding, and injuries can lead to weakness of the body.
Often, for six months, a state persists when you don’t want to do anything, just sleep. After all, at this time the level of melatonin in the blood is increased. Fatigue syndrome complicates life, lasting for a long time with varying severity of symptoms. Women between 20 and 40 years of age suffer from the pathology more often.
Stress
Everyone knows what it means to feel tired, exhausted, weak and depressed, and what suffering this brings. Everyday stress negatively affects the entire body:
- increased blood pressure;
- increased heart rate;
- suppression of the immune system.
The release of stress hormones leads to the fact that energy reserves are depleted, reducing the protective response. The supply of nutrients, B vitamins, antioxidants, zinc and other substances necessary for the functioning of the immune system is depleted. The body begins to age faster. It’s not for nothing that stress is called the silent killer. If you do not remove stress using reasonable methods, its consequences will negatively affect your health.
Studying the symptoms
To date, the criteria for this disease have been clearly defined. Its main symptom is persistent fatigue and a decrease in performance by 50% or more in previously healthy people. Moreover, this symptom must be observed for at least 6 months. And, most importantly, fatigue should not be associated with other diseases: infectious and non-infectious, as well as with taking medications (primarily psychotropic, cytostatics and others).
There are also small criteria for the disease, including entire groups of symptoms.
- The first group includes : low-grade fever (just above 37 degrees), chronic pharyngitis, swollen lymph nodes, muscle and joint pain.
- The second is psychoneurological symptoms: depression, depression, apathy, sleep disturbances, decreased memory and intelligence.
- In the third group - vegetative-endocrine disorders: loss of appetite and body weight, weakness, arrhythmia, urination disorders.
- There is also a special group of symptoms associated with allergization of the body, increased sensitivity to alcohol and medications.
The diagnosis is made based on a combination of major and minor criteria.
Pathological conditions
Increased fatigue may be a sign of:
Why does my head hurt after a long sleep?
- Insomnia. Sleep disorders appear as a result of stress and loss of interest in life. Without enough sleep at night, the patient suffers from daytime sleepiness.
- Idiopathic hypersomnia. With this disease, a person sleeps fully at night, but during the day he is constantly in a state of doze. It is difficult for him to deal with his studies and work responsibilities. At the same time, he feels irritability and apathy.
- Narcolepsy as a sleep disorder. The patient cannot overcome lethargy and weakness; he sleeps constantly. Feeling anxious and suffering from hallucinations, a person may become frightened by the slightest sound, becoming irritable and nervous.
- Pickwick's syndrome, or hypoventilation of the obese. People with 3-4 degrees of obesity move little. As a result of their heavy weight, they experience difficulty breathing and thickening of the blood. During sleep, breathing stops, apnea. Since sleep is interrupted, they feel overweight and unimportant. In addition to lethargy, they look tired and constantly want to sleep.
- Iron deficiency anemia. A drop in hemoglobin levels leads to a decrease in oxygen supply to tissues.
- Hypotension. Slow blood flow through the vessels prevents the brain from being saturated with oxygen. Hence the hypoxia of the brain. At the same time, headache, dizziness, and nausea appear.
- Thyroid diseases. Due to a lack of thyroid-stimulating hormones, drowsiness, absent-mindedness, and chilliness appear. Along with loss of strength, they suffer from a constant desire to sleep.
- Vascular diseases, osteochondrosis. Narrow vessels, their compression due to inflammation of the spine, impairs blood circulation in areas of the brain.
Fatigue often occurs in spring or autumn, when the body needs vitamins and sunlight. Treatment of diseases of the psyche and nervous system involves taking sedatives. Medicines in this group cause symptoms of hypersomnia and fatigue.
Description
Fatigue is a symptom that everyone has experienced at some point.
What are the causes of fatigue, how to recognize it and deal with it? Let's consider the main issues related to exhaustion of the nervous system and excessive fatigue. Fatigue is a special condition caused by increased tension in the nervous or muscular system, which is expressed as a decrease in performance for a certain time. In this case, the term fatigue is used, which occurs due to overload. Often, pleasant fatigue appears after a good, productive day at work. But in some cases, fatigue occurs even after minor physical or mental stress.
If fatigue appears after work that was previously managed without much difficulty, then this may be a sign of certain disorders. If fatigue appears as a result of a long journey or a hard day at work, then this is normal. But if fatigue accompanies you from morning to evening, regardless of the type of work, then this is considered a pathology. It can be a side effect of medications or body ailments. Very often, fatigue accompanies thyroid pathologies, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, depression and peptic ulcers of the gastrointestinal tract.
If fatigue occurs frequently for no apparent reason, you should seek medical help. The doctor will conduct diagnostics to determine the presence of diseases that require treatment. If no illnesses are detected, then to combat fatigue you should change your lifestyle and diet. Physical activity and a minimum of stress will not be superfluous.
How to cope with fatigue and apathy on your own
You can combat seasonal drowsiness by taking foods containing B vitamins and ascorbic acid. In addition to citrus fruits, the diet includes general strengthening agents.
An infusion of dried calamus roots (10 grams of raw material per glass of boiling water) is drunk a quarter glass 30 minutes before meals. It will help cope with physical fatigue and improve condition after serious illnesses and operations. It is useful to take in old age.
For lethargy resulting from depression, hypotension, and functional disorders of the nervous system, a tincture of Aralia tall or cordate roots is recommended. It is prepared with alcohol in a ratio of 1:5 and taken 30–40 drops 2–3 times a day. The juice of barberry berries, fresh grapes, pomegranate fruits, cherries, and infusion of cinnamon rose hips have a general strengthening effect on the human body.
Severe fatigue goes away after drinking Schisandra chinensis tincture, 30–40 drops per day, or eleutherococcus. Vital tone is increased by the infusion of mistletoe herb. Take a teaspoon of raw material per glass of boiled water at room temperature. After 8 hours of infusion, drink a third of a glass up to 3 times a day.
Stimulation of energy and endurance is needed for those who have constant weakness and drowsiness. Magnesium in purslane, beans, spinach, lettuce, poppy seeds, and coriander can restore vital potential. Cortisol contained in licorice root helps fight stress. You should take 2-3 grams of root in the morning and evening, reducing the amount of herbal remedy after 6-8 weeks.
Changing your lifestyle will help you get rid of chronic fatigue
If you cannot get rid of increased fatigue and apathy with folk remedies, then you need to consult a doctor. Conditions that make it difficult to work, disrupt sleep, or disrupt relationships with others require consultation. It is dangerous when, after a period of good health, severe apathy suddenly sets in.
In this case, you need to undergo a comprehensive examination by visiting an endocrinologist, cardiologist, neurologist, or psychotherapist.
Increased self-esteem
You can get rid of fatigue and drowsiness using psychological methods:
- the ability to forgive oneself for mistakes;
- spending free time with people who inspire and support self-confidence;
- planning to introduce new things into your life;
- reading good books, discussing them with friends.
Only positive emotions and good feelings protect against fatigue and prolong life. We must constantly please ourselves with good deeds. Relieves tension in the evening by taking a warm bath or massage. It is important to be able to keep your back straight. Then apathy and weakness will have no place in life.
Frequent drowsiness and fatigue, apathy, and lack of vital energy are cured when the cause of the condition is identified. Signs caused by external causes can be easily eliminated by changing your daily routine and diet. Internal causes must be dealt with together with specialists.
Diagnosis of fatigue
Diagnosis of fatigue depends on the severity of this symptom, the age of the patient, the individual characteristics of his body and a number of other factors. The choice of diagnostic method is influenced by the suspected causes of fatigue and the type of pathology. Let's consider the main methods for diagnosing fatigue, which are used for both children and adult patients.
- Consultation with a psychologist.
- Blood pressure study.
- Tests for hormone levels, immunogram, urine test and biochemical blood test.
- Electroencephalogram.
- Fundus examination.
- After basic research, consultations with a cardiologist, endocrinologist and other specialists are possible.
Norms and benefits of sleep
Adequate sleep is a relative concept. Traditionally it is believed that the normal duration of night rest is 8-9 hours. But there are people who feel great with 4-5 hours of sleep a day and even with a three-hour rest. Therefore, you need to focus only on your feelings and the needs of the body. If you want to sleep at least 12 hours, it means:
- This is the rhythm that suits a particular person;
- You shouldn’t fit yourself into the generally accepted framework.
Somnologists deal with issues of periodic lack of sleep and chronic lack of sleep . They:
- determine the cause of the problem;
- her character;
- developing effective treatment.
First of all, somnologists strongly recommend that you pay attention to sleep disorders. Because during the period of night rest, very important processes occur in the body:
- active production of serotonin, which is responsible for growth and development;
- strengthening the immune system;
- renewal of tissues and cells;
- restoration of mental functions.
Subsequently, it is impossible to artificially compensate for the lack of sleep.
Lack of sleep and its causes
Lack of time tops the list of reasons. Of course, modern man is in a hurry and does not have time to do anything. As a result, even in the evening he cannot relax, trying to:
- do the work taken home;
- watch movies;
- scroll through social networks and more.
As a result, the correct rhythm gets lost and a person begins to fall asleep only late at night - at 2-3 o’clock. The negative consequences of such a schedule will not be long in coming.
Somnologists note that another cause of insomnia is an incorrect approach to organizing sleep. To fall asleep quickly and deeply, you need to:
- 2-3 hours before, turn off the TV, put aside smartphones;
- ventilate the room;
- first turn off the bright lights, leaving 1 night light or source of diffused light;
- lower the blackout curtains.
Doctors also recommend removing any flashing light sources from the bedroom.
Of course, the factors listed are not the only ones on the list of reasons that have a negative impact on falling asleep. This also includes:
- stress;
- anxiety syndrome;
- nervous disorders;
- pregnancy;
- depression.
As a result, lack of sleep becomes chronic.
Consequences of non-intervention and complications
This symptom, as a rule, does not entail life-threatening consequences. But fatigue can be a sign of diseases that require urgent medical attention. Frequent attacks of unreasonable fatigue and lack of sleep lead to chronic fatigue, which in turn can cause depression. In this case, full treatment and a long recovery period are necessary. Fatigue indicates depletion of the body's physical, emotional or psychological strength. Adequate sleep and rest will restore normal well-being.
Anemia
Anemia is an insufficient number of red blood cells, blood cells that carry oxygen to different parts of the body. The most common cause is a lack of iron or vitamin B-12 in the body as a result of poor diet, but other causes include pregnancy or internal bleeding, heavy menstruation. Sometimes associated with stress and depression.
Recommendations: Fortunately, most types of anemia can be treated with dietary changes, iron supplements, and B-12.
Treatment of fatigue
Treatment for fatigue depends entirely on the cause of the disease. That is, in order to restore the normal state of the body, it is necessary to completely eliminate the factors that cause a loss of strength and energy.
First of all, you should pay attention to your diet. The body must receive all the substances necessary for proper functioning. Your menu should have enough fruits, vegetables, herbs, fish, and cereals. At the same time, it is necessary to give up unhealthy fast food, that is, fast food. Such food consists of fast carbohydrates, which reduce blood sugar levels, which causes fatigue, loss of strength and energy.
Adequate sleep is the best cure for fatigue and loss of strength. Maintain a sleep-wake schedule and go to bed at the same time. Before going to bed, you can ventilate the room, take a shower or do relaxing exercises. At the same time, it is better to refuse to watch programs and films that excite the nervous system.
Loss of strength and rapid fatigue can be eliminated with the help of vitamin preparations. Such remedies are especially relevant for vitamin deficiencies, that is, in the autumn and winter. In this case, minerals and vitamins will not only relieve fatigue, but also strengthen the body’s immune system.
Physical activity and walks in the fresh air will give you vigor and energy. For example, treating chronic fatigue involves doing physical exercise. Therefore, do not be lazy to take a walk for 30-40 minutes in the fresh air.
Good rest, like sleep, is also one of the best methods of treating fatigue. Review your daily routine, try not to take work home, avoid stress and anxiety that cause not only fatigue, but also irritability.
Food fatigue
Our well-being is directly related to the quality of our diet. An unbalanced diet is one of the most common causes of lethargy. People who regularly abuse sugar, fast carbohydrates and excessively fatty foods are susceptible to loss of strength.
How does the body react to an unbalanced diet?
- After eating food, the concentration of glucose in the blood increases sharply, which entails a short-term boost of energy. The feeling of hunger is blocked for the next 1-3 hours.
- The glucose level gradually drops, which provokes a kind of rollback. A person feels lethargic, drowsiness, loss of strength, sudden hunger is possible or, conversely, a feeling of heaviness in the stomach. How quickly does a pullback occur? It depends on the quantity and quality of fast food eaten and the specific reaction of the body.
- If sugary/fatty snacks are rare, the gastrointestinal tract can easily cope with the abundance of glucose and regulate its own energy. If a person does not watch his diet, the body gradually loses control over energy supply and the ability to produce insulin to control glucose.
Is it possible to get rid of lethargy after eating? Yes. Adjusting your diet and introducing healthy habits will relieve the loss of energy. Determine the type of nutrition that is right for you and do not forget to maintain water balance. Try different systems, products, or seek help from a nutritionist. The main thing is to find food that will give energy, lightness and comfort to your body.
Health care
Do not refuse preventive examinations. This will allow timely identification and elimination of the pathology that causes rapid fatigue. In addition, review your first aid kit, as some products cause fatigue. For example, various antidepressants and beta blockers provoke increased fatigue. And some analgesics containing caffeine disrupt sleep patterns, which causes loss of energy. If you suffer from allergies, then do not forget that antihistamines cause fatigue and drowsiness.
