What is fatigue?
Fatigue is an extreme, sometimes overwhelming, physical and
mental tiredness, that doesn’t significantly improve with rest or sleep.
It’s a common problem associated with arthritis and can make
other symptoms, such as pain and joint stiffness feel more severe and limiting.
It can affect your motivation and your ability to
concentrate, this is sometimes described as having brain fog. Some people find
it affects their emotional wellbeing making them feel irritable or depressed.
People with fatigue often say it’s similar to having the
flu, with symptoms such as:
• their
body and limbs feeling heavy and difficult to move
• exhaustion
• feeling
their energy has drained away.
Fatigue is unpredictable. It can start suddenly at any time
of the day. Some days you may feel exhausted from the moment you wake up, even
if you think you slept well.
It can last an hour, a day, or several days. Some people may
find it lasts longer.
It can make you feel as though you haven’t the strength or
energy to achieve even simple everyday tasks.
People with fatigue often feel they have to miss out on
things they enjoy doing, to save energy for jobs or tasks. However, missing out
on the things that lift your mood can make fatigue worse.
Fatigue is more extreme than simple tiredness. However,
there are ways you can manage it and reduce its impact on your life.
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What causes fatigue?
Fatigue is your body’s reaction to a build-up of stressful
events, experiences, health issues or feelings.
Usually there isn’t a single reason for fatigue, it tends to
be caused by a combination of factors.
The causes can be different for everyone. It could be the result
of:
• inflammation,
which can cause swelling, redness, heat and pain as the body tries to heal an
infection or injury by sending more blood and fluid to the area
• anaemia,
where a lack of red blood cells, which deliver oxygen around your body, can lead
to weaker muscles and lower energy levels. It can be caused by iron deficiency.
Anaemia can be linked to conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and
ankylosing spondylitis. It can be a side effect of some arthritis treatments.
• some
treatments, such as some drugs to stop seizures, anti-depressants and anxiety
medications, opioid-based painkillers, some muscle relaxants, antibiotics, and
long-term use of oral steroids. Drug treatments can affect people in different
ways, talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you have any concerns.
• long-term
conditions, such as inflammatory arthritis or autoimmune conditions
• pain
• muscle
weakness caused by pain and inactivity
• overdoing
it with boom and bust behaviour. This is when you carry on with your tasks,
ignoring your pain or tiredness, until you physically and mentally cannot
continue.
• poor
quality sleep
• stress
and anxiety
• missing
meals, poor diet or not drinking enough water and other healthy non-alcoholic
drinks means your body has less energy to rely on.
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Fatigue and arthritis
Arthritis is commonly associated with pain and stiffness. It
can affect your general health, sleep, weight, emotional wellbeing and the
amount of activity you feel able to do.
Many people with arthritis say fatigue is one of their
biggest challenges.
Fatigue can be linked to many types of arthritis and related
conditions. It’s commonly a symptom of autoimmune conditions, such as
rheumatoid arthritis, reactive arthritis and lupus. In autoimmune conditions
the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s own healthy tissues.
It’s also strongly linked to conditions that can cause
long-term pain, such as fibromyalgia, polymyalgia rheumatica and complex
regional pain syndrome.
People with osteo arthritis have also reported having
fatigue.
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Talking to your doctor about fatigue
There are several things that can reduce the impact of
fatigue. Firstly, it helps if you can work out what could be causing it.
There aren’t any specific tests for fatigue. However, you
can help your doctor’s diagnosis by writing down how you feel, what could be
causing it and how it’s affecting your life. They may also be able to provide
you with a self-assessment questionnaire to fill out.
Depending on your symptoms your doctor may recommend you
have blood tests to check your fatigue hasn’t been caused by another condition.
If it has been, treating this condition may improve your fatigue.
There aren’t any specific drug treatments for fatigue.
However, your doctor, physiotherapist, occupational therapist or rheumatology
team, should be able to help you recognise the signs and learn to manage them.
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How can I help myself?
There are a number of things you can do to help manage your
fatigue.
Planning your time wisely to spread your energy over the
course of a day or week can help. It’s also important to factor some gentle
exercise into your day and to have a healthy diet.
There’s a strong link between getting enough good quality
sleep and fatigue. And there are several positive steps you can take to improve
your chances of sleeping well.
Stress and worry can make your fatigue feel worse, so it’s a
good idea to spot anything that is causing you stress and try to deal with them
in good time.
• The four
Ps
• Lists and
charts
• Increase
your physical activity
• Get a
good night’s sleep
• Talk about
how you’re feeling
• Stress
and anxiety
• Join a
support group
• Helping
people around you understand fatigue
• At work
• Eat a
healthy diet