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7 Types Of Fatigue You Should Be Aware Of: The Definition Guide

What's wearing you out?

in Fatigue, Mental Health, Self Care
July 15, 2022
0
7 Types Of Fatigue You Should Be Aware Of: The Definition Guide

by Dr. Tatiana Habanova

“I am so tired even my tiredness is tired”

Fatigue is a universal feeling we all experience at one time or another: from trying to stay mentally alert on Zoom meetings, to that feeling we get after completing an exercise routine, to not feeling refreshed due to a sleepless night. In fact, the Merriam-Webster thesaurus has a long list of synonyms for the word fatigue, so clearly people have tried describing this feeling of tiredness, exhaustion, or lack of motivation for some time.

Fatigue is actually a symptom, not a condition, with  just as many causes as synonyms. Many health care providers believe fatigue is just a combination of lifestyle, social, psychological, and general wellbeing issues rather than an underlying medical condition. Even though fatigue is a normal phenomenon usually resolved with a nap or a few nights of good sleep, for brain injury survivors, fatigue can be debilitating. It becomes a barrier to doing day to day activities, negatively impacting relationships and the ability to work.

Fatigue can be categorized into seven different types:

Physical fatigue: comes from muscle weakness and diminished cardiovascular stamina, usually occurring after strenuous or extended physical activity. Typically, physical fatigue gets worse in the evening or after a busy day, and improves after a good night’s sleep. Physical fatigue sounds like: “I’m tired and I need to rest. I’m dragging today.”

Psychological fatigue: comes with depression, anxiety, and other psychological conditions. This type of fatigue gets worse with stress. Many times, sleep does not help and for many it gets worse in the morning. Psychological fatigue sounds like: “I just can’t get motivated to do anything. I just don’t feel like doing anything.”

Cognitive fatigue: also called mental fatigue or neuro fatigue, this occurs while performing cognitive tasks such as concentration, information processing, and recall. This type of fatigue is common after a traumatic brain injury where the brain is devoting a large amount of its energy reserves to healing itself. With less energy available for thinking and concentrating during this healing time, the brain is less efficient in sending electrical signals, compounding the effects of cognitive fatigue. Researchers found that the severity of fatigue seems to have no relation to the severity of trauma, time since injury, or the area of the brain primarily affected.

The type of fatigue can arise quickly, and when it does, it makes it very difficult for the person to continue with ongoing activities. It also takes a disproportionately longer time to recover. Cognitive fatigue sounds like: “After a while, I just can’t concentrate anymore. It’s hard to stay focused. My mind goes blank.”

Sensory fatigue: comes with irritability, restlessness, or anxiety, usually occurring with sensory overload. This happens when input from your five senses outweighs what the brain can sort through and process. This type of fatigue is seen with various neurological conditions and is also a common sequela that occurs in mild traumatic brain injury survivors when concussion symptoms last beyond the expected recovery period after the initial injury. Multiple conversations going on in one room, flashing overhead lights, or a loud party can all produce the symptoms of sensory overload. Sensory fatigue sounds like: “I need to get out of here. I feel tense. I want to leave now.”

Social fatigue: also called social burnout or post-socializing fatigue, this fatigue happens when you don’t get enough alone time and have socialized to the point that you can’t do it anymore. This type of fatigue tends to affect introverts and brain injury survivors to a greater degree as they tend to invest a lot of energy trying to navigate socially demanding environments, leading to social exhaustion. Social fatigue sounds like: “I feel like I hit a wall. I’m running on empty. I don’t feel like going.”

Compassion fatigue: comes with withdrawal, feelings of helplessness, and lack of self-satisfaction leading to a diminished ability to empathize or feel compassion for others. Commonly seen with health care professionals working directly with victims of disasters, trauma, or illness, it’s also seen with family members and caregivers of a loved one with a chronic illness. Compassion fatigue sounds like: “I feel sad. Nothing I do helps. I don’t enjoy my favorite activities anymore.”

Chronic illness fatigue: also called post-exertional malaise (PEM), chronic illness fatigue is a complicated disorder characterized by extreme fatigue lasting for at least six months that can’t be fully explained by an underlying medical condition. The type of fatigue worsens with physical or mental activity, but doesn’t improve with rest. It is a serious long term illness causing dizziness upon standing and affecting many body systems, sleep, and memory. Chronic illness fatigue sounds like: “I feel unrefreshed when I wake up. I get really tired with any exercise. My muscles and joints are in constant pain.”

Each fatigue type has specific strategies and tools available to help cope with the symptoms and lessen the degree that it interrupts daily function and mental health.

The challenge many face with one or more fatigue types is being mistaken as lazy, unwilling to participate, or apathetic. It can be very difficult for family, friends, or coworkers to understand the limitations caused by different types of fatigue, and often place an expectation on the individual to quickly become “normal” again. Realistically, recovery time can be prolonged and extended.

Attempting to describe fatigue to someone who never experienced it before can be a thankless task. As an invisible symptom, people often don’t understand the sheer scale of what someone with fatigue goes through. Careful communications can help provide the understanding needed to help family, friends and coworkers comprehend the lack of energy needed to complete tasks, go to social events, or provide care for a loved one. This lack of energy does not equate to lacking desire to complete those tasks, attend an event, or continue to be the caregiver.

Dr. Habanova is the host of Brain Health Savvy, a weekly podcast that inspires listeners through real conversations on all things pertaining to women’s brain health. She transforms women in simple, yet real ways. Her sass, wit, and straight-from-the-hip style on women’s brain health and empowerment encourages women to seek their true potential, to be fierce and unapologetic while leading from authenticity, and to embrace change as they buck societal norms in favor of better brain health.
www.drhabanova.com

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  • Neuro fatigue is beyond tired, it’s when you’re brain says “I’ve had enough” and shuts down everything. It often a sneaks up on you when you least expect it, making it hard to manage. 

If you’ve never experienced it, it’s truly hard to understand. But please believe us when we tell you we’re done and need to rest. And that rest may look different for everyone. Some may need a nap. Some may just need a quiet space. There’s no right or wrong way to rest. 

#braininjury #tbi #pcs #concussion #braininjuryawareness #braininjuryawarenessmonth #TBIsurvivor
  • A traumatic brain injury is the ultimate “invisible injury” as no one can see what’s happening inside your brain. Even imaging doesn’t show a TBI (unless you have bleeding or severe trauma). It’s impossible to explain to others, and even doctors don’t take us seriously or know how to help us. 

It is incredibly frustrating to go through life being told “there’s nothing we can do. You’ll just have to give it more time and see what happens” and even more frustrating when you find out that there are doctors out there who truly DO know how to help us!  Like @integratedbraincenters 

#braininjury #tbi #pcs #concussion #functionalneurology #braininjuryawareness
  • I remember how I would literally need to lay down after taking a shower because it was so exhausting. And something like going to the grocery store and bringing them in and putting them away would require me to do nothing else for the rest of the day. It was a one-chore kind of activity. 

These are normal, every day things we take for granted before brain injury, and afterwards they require soooo much energy and effort. It’s truly hard for someone who hasn’t experienced a brain injury to understand. 💚

#braininjury #tbi #concussion #pcs #braininjuryawareness #TBIsurvivor
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Is it gonna be easy? Nope. 
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  • I remember folks would talk to me and my brain would take forever to process what they were saying. They would be into the next subject and I’d still be trying to decipher their first sentence. It was frustrating and exhausting. 

Friends would tell me to “try harder” and concentrate. But that’s not how it works with brain injury. 

It’s like if you drop your laptop and scramble it’s processor. 

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  • #Repost @integratedbraincenters
Recovery as defined in the dictionary is a return to a normal state of health, mind, or strength. 

Missing from this definition is that recovery is a continuum. We often hear in recovery post surgery that a patient is a percent recovered (Sue is 80% recovered post hip replacement) demonstrating that recovery is not an all or nothing situation but is rather a spectrum. 

Not everyone will make a 100% recovery but most people can move forward in their recovery in some way, even if it is only 10% or 70%. 

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  • No two brain injuries are the same, therefore, no two recoveries are the same. Don’t compare yours against someone else’s, as you never know what they’ve already gone through. 

Focus on YOU and your recovery. What could you try differently? What should you maybe give up? I personally gave up alcohol and gluten and that was huge for me and my inflammation. 

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  • I know one of the biggest lessons I had to learn from my TBI was asking for help. 

It wasn’t something I was used to, and the first few friends I asked laughed at me, which made it even harder to try again. 

But it was a beautiful lesson for me — as someone who is fiercely independent it is important to ask for help when I need it it — in allll areas of my life. 

What was your biggest lesson from TBI? 

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