Fatigue: It’s a common symptom of having a chronic illness, yet it seems to be the one we fight the most. It’s almost like we’re ashamed to admit we’re tired. How can a person with arthritis (or diabetes, fibromyalgia, pain, etc.) be tired? After all, the perception is, we don’t do anything to make us tired.
Fatigue can be incapacitating to a person with a chronic illness. It can be overwhelming, affect our moods, magnify our pain and cause depression.
I think talking about my arthritis is tiring, let alone living with it!
In my opinion, ‘acceptance’ should be at the top of the list when it comes to fatigue. Getting past the guilt and justifying why I need to rest is the hardest step for me when it comes to fatigue management.
I try to plan my days so I can either be at home or have a place to rest around the middle of the afternoon. For 20 minutes each day, I need to lie on the couch, recline in a chair or have time alone when I can completely rest my body. Then I go to my ‘happy place’ and relax. It’s almost like taking a power nap. When I have the chance to do this, I am rejuvenated and able to go on with my day. There are times when the opportunity is not there and by the end of the day, I’m feeling it!
I’m sure, regardless of your situation, you know what its like to lack in quality sleep. When I go for days without good sleep, I become more irritable, I’m less alert, more stressed and less productive. Just ask my husband – he’ll confirm this!
Sleep is very important to relieve fatigue caused by arthritis or any chronic illness. Sleep is what replenishes the energy lost during the constant battle of living with a chronic illness.
Having a consistent sleep routine such as going to bed and getting up on a regular schedule does improve my quality of sleep, but that’s not always possible. Over the counter sleep aids have helped me after days of sleepless nights.
Adjusting medications is another solution. I take pills that cause drowsiness in the evening; as a result, they serve two purposes.
I heard somewhere, we move 33 times during eight hours of sleep. That seems like a lot of movement to me. Since I average four, maybe five hours of sleep per night, it’s doubtful that I move that much. In fact, movement is the very culprit that keeps me from staying asleep. Because of my arthritis, the limitations and reconstructions to my body, movement causes pain, which in turn causes me to wake up from a deep sleep.
For many people with arthritis, rolling over in their sleep causes pain. Like I said above, for me staying asleep is hard. When I move, it causes pain then I wake up. As soon as I’m awake, I begin to think. When I think, I get lost in my thoughts and cannot go back to sleep.
James Taylor sings a song called, “Shed a Little Light.” In the song, there is a line that says, “the heart will never rest.” When I hear that song, I often think to myself, my arthritis never sleeps.
Do you battle fatigue? If so, do you feel guilty? How did you overcome it? What suggestions do you have for our readers to aid in this constant struggle?
Leave a Comment