Fatigue

fatigue

What is fatigue?

Fatigue is a state of tiredness and/or mental/physical weakness. It can also be referred to as exhaustion, lethargy, tiredness, languidness, listlessness, lassitude and languor. Fatigue is a side effect that can appear in everyday life even when not sick or taking medication. It is a non-specific symptom, meaning it has many causes. when fatigued a person can no longer function at a normal level and as such gains a feeling of weakness or more often tiredness. The two main types of fatigue are mental fatigue and physical fatigue.

Mental fatigue

is when the fatigue is affecting the mind causing a feeling of tiredness. This form of fatigue is almost always felt as exhaustion instead of weakness.

Physical fatigue is when your muscles and body are affected instead of your mind. It causes a feeling of weakness in mowst cases, but can sometimes be felt as lethargy.

What causes fatigue?

Fatigue is a non-specific symptom, meaning that it is caused by many different medications and diseases. It can also occur because things not related to medicine or disease. such as stress, over/under-stimulation or even jet lag. Fatigue is almost always associated with minor illnesses like influenza, common cold or even allergies. Fatigue is one of many side effects that can also appear to be happening because of a sickness or drug, but really could just be a lack of sleep or too much stress/exercise.

Treatment:

most treatments for fatigue are not medical. they may include yoga, change of diet, lower stress levels and exercise regularly. There are a few medications for treating fatigue but mostly just treat the cause. Other treatments may vary based on cause and medication/patient.