What Is The Difference Between Tired And Fatigued
The difference between tired and fatigue are more substantial than you may first realise. Tiredness is the way we feel when we dont get enough sleep. Fatigue is a daily lack of energy that cant be solved through greater sleep alone. Fatigue, therefore, is caused by more than just our sleeping pattern, including but not limited to: allergies diet, kidney, liver and lung disease bacterial and viral infections a range of other health conditions.
If you believe you are suffering from fatigue, whether chronic or not, its advised that you speak to your GP or a medical professional. Its also worth checking the NHS guide to Chronic Fatigue. Heres their introduction to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome :
Chronic fatigue syndrome is a long-term illness with a wide range of symptoms. The most common symptom is extreme tiredness.
CFS is also known as ME, which stands for myalgic encephalomyelitis. Many people refer to the condition as CFS/ME.
CFS/ME can affect anyone, including children. Its more common in women, and tends to develop between your mid-20s and mid-40s.
Fatigue And Insomnia Tend To Skip Together Hand
There’s a vicious cycle that comes with more chronic fatigue: in essence, you’re so tired you can’t sleep. And because you can’t sleep, you get stuck in this holding pattern of total exhaustion.
“Many people with insomnia but no other medical or psychiatric issues often have fatigue, but not sleepiness,” Dr. Harris. “They try to sleep, but it just wont come”
Is There A Medical Difference Between Fatigue And Tiredness
ANSWER
Medically speaking, fatigue is not the same thing as tiredness. Tiredness happens to everyone — it is an expected feeling after certain activities or at the end of the day. Usually you know why you are tired and a good night’s sleep solves the problem.
National Multiple Sclerosis Society: “Fatigue.”
Cleveland Clinic: “Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis.”
Multiple Sclerosis Foundation: “Fighting Fatigue.”
National Multiple Sclerosis Society: “Fatigue.”
Cleveland Clinic: “Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis.”
Multiple Sclerosis Foundation: “Fighting Fatigue.”
THIS TOOL DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. It is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment and should not be relied on to make decisions about your health. Never ignore professional medical advice in seeking treatment because of something you have read on the WebMD Site. If you think you may have a medical emergency, immediately call your doctor or dial 911.
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When You Are Drowsy You Need Sleep
Weve all been there:
- Dozing on the couch only to wake up what feels like hours later, even if we only nodded off for minutes
- Lying in bed with the TV on, and waking up to find you just missed the ending of that TV episode
The examples above provide no real risk the worst that can happen is you have to force yourself up and into bed. But drowsiness can strike even when you are not expecting it. That includes in the workplace, on the road and in other situations where your safety and the safety of others is in jeopardy.
Difference Between Exhaustion And Fatigue
Categorized under Health | Difference Between Exhaustion and Fatigue
Exhaustion vs Fatigue
In mans everyday life he is subjected to both physical and mental stress. The demands of a job, taking care of the family, the needs of loved ones, and other personal problems and concerns can drain a person of mental and physical vigor.This will make him experience physical and mental weakness and feelings of lethargy, sleepiness, and a decreased level of consciousness which can be dangerous if not addressed. This condition is called fatigue, a condition which is defined as the mental and physical weariness caused by too much activity.It has two classifications:
Physical fatigue which is the lack of strength or the weakness of the muscles which disables a person from continuing his normal activities and causes him to feel muscle pains. The pain can be true or perceived. Perceived is when the individual feels that he has to put more effort into doing the same task.Mental fatigue which causes the lowering of a persons level of awareness and consciousness. Road accidents usually happen due to mental fatigue when a driver feels drowsy and becomes unaware of where he is and what he is doing.
Summary:
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The Difference Between Being Tired And Being Fatigued
Tired is something you can manage, you can go get into bed, sleep properly, and wake up feeling rested and have more energy. You are able to, for the most part anyway control when and where you fall asleep. Fatigue, on the other hand, asks no questions and if my body is sitting/laying down, it is ticketed.
It surely feels more like passing out than falling asleep and when you awake you are more tired than before. Sleep does not make fatigue better. So often when you are fatigued, you struggle to sleep properly and fall into a series of naps instead of consecutive restful sleep.
This in turn can cause anxiety levels to lift and mood changes to appear, while you are left feeling generally demotivated to do anything.
Sleepiness Is Usually About Specific External Or Internal Issues
Often you know why you’re feeling a bit sleepy: you stayed up to watch just one more episode of that show, or you woke up early to make a gym class, cutting into your eight hours of rest. But if you find yourself feeling occasionally drowsy despite clocking in eight hours regularly, Dr. Harris suggests talking to your doctor about issues that could be impacting your sleep quality. Just a few potential suspects might be sleep apnea, circadian rhythm issues, and narcolepsy.
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What Are The Symptoms Of Fatigue
Fatigue can cause a wide range of symptoms.
- Physical: feeling tired all the time, headaches, lightheadedness, sore, aching or weak muscles, loss of appetite, prone to getting sick.
- Mental: slowed reflexes and responses, poor decision making and judgement, short-term memory problems, poor concentration.
- Emotional: moodiness, irritability, low motivation, feeling depressed and hopeless.
What’s The Difference Between Fatigue And Tired
Medically speaking, tiredness happens to everyone — it’s an expected feeling after certain activities or at the end of the day. Usually, you know why you’re tired, and a good night’s sleep solves the problem. Fatigue is a daily lack of energy unusual or excessive whole-body tiredness not relieved by sleep.
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Spotting The Difference: Cancer Related Fatigue Vs Everyday Fatigue
Each Sunday this year, we’ll be looking at a symptom of leukaemia as part of our #LC50 campaign. This month, we’re focussing on fatigue, and how cancer-related fatigue differs from everyday fatigue. Read all about this symptom and how to spot it.
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Fatigue is by far the most common symptom experienced by blood cancer patients prior to a diagnosis. According to our 2018 patient survey, 56% of leukaemia patients will experience fatigue in the lead up to their diagnosis.
The fatigue that comes with leukaemia or any cancer is known as cancer-related fatigue and it is characterised by extreme or persistent exhaustion that disrupts your daily activities and function. People who have CRF have no energy and find it extremely difficult to complete even the simple, everyday tasks that others take for granted. Spotting the difference between harmless and harmful fatigue may be key in diagnosing leukaemia early.
I was a physical guy, and then all of a sudden, no explanation, I felt like I was in treacle. Very fatigued and very tired.
Psychological Causes Of Fatigue
Studies suggest that psychological factors are present in at least 50 per cent of fatigue cases. These may include:
- Depression this illness is characterised by severe and prolonged feelings of sadness, dejection and hopelessness. People who are depressed commonly experience chronic fatigue.
- Anxiety and stress a person who is chronically anxious or stressed keeps their body in overdrive. The constant flooding of adrenaline exhausts the body, and fatigue sets in.
- Grief losing a loved one causes a wide range of emotions including shock, guilt, depression, despair and loneliness.
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What Should I Know About Fatigue
What is the Definition of Fatigue?
Fatigue is generally defined as a feeling of lack of energy and motivation that can be physical, mental or both. Fatigue is not the same as drowsiness, but the desire to sleep may accompany fatigue. Apathy is a feeling of indifference that may accompany fatigue or exist independently. In addition, individuals often describe fatigue using a variety of terms including weary, tired, exhausted, malaise, listless, lack of energy and feeling run down.
How Common is Fatigue?
Fatigue is common. About 20% of Americans claim to have fatigue intense enough to interfere with living a normal life. A physical cause has been estimated to be responsible 20% to 60% of the time, while emotional or mental causes comprise the other 40% to 80% of cases of fatigue. Unfortunately, fatigue can occur in normal individuals that experience intense physical or mental activity .
However, in contrast to fatigue that occurs with some diseases and syndromes, normal fatigue in healthy individuals is quickly relieved in a few hours to about a day when the physical or mental activity is reduced. Also, people occasionally experience fatigue after eating , which can be a normal response to food, especially after large meals and this may last about 30 minutes to several hours.
1. Have severe chronic fatigue for at least six months or longer with other known medical conditions excluded by clinical diagnosis and
Continue Learning About Sleep Disorders
Important: This content reflects information from various individuals and organizations and may offer alternative or opposing points of view. It should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. As always, you should consult with your healthcare provider about your specific health needs.
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How To Tell The Difference
It can be hard to differentiate between exhaustion, fatigue and burnout, but a good indicator is how quickly it takes for recovery.
A good nights rest, nutritious meal and hot shower usually relieve tiredness. A one to two-week holiday or leave of absence from work focussed on unplugging, de-stressing and recharging can alleviate exhaustion. Fatigue requires a more consistent effort to address the underlying lifestyle and wellbeing factors and may take several months to overcome.
Burnout is more difficult to address as it depends on the intensity and length of the burnout, quality of the recovery and the overall situation of the person experiencing it. For some, a joint plan devised between them and their manager may be enough to start feeling on top of things again. Others may need to change company or career completely and start afresh. Some may need additional counselling or to develop new coping mechanisms like a regular meditation practice, a relaxation routine, even new hobbies.
What Are The Signs And Symptoms Associated With Fatigue
Fatigue is a symptom that usually has some underlying cause. Fatigue may be described by people in different ways, and may include some combination include weakness, lack of energy, constantly tired or exhausted, lack of motivation, difficulty concentrating, and/or difficulty starting and completing tasks.
Other symptoms such as fainting or loss of consciousness , near-syncope, rapid heartbeat , dizziness or vertigo may also be described as part of the fatigue experienced by the affected individual. The presence of these symptoms may actually help lead a health care practitioner to discover the underlying cause of the fatigue.
The potential causes of fatigue are numerous. The majority of diseases known to man often list fatigue or malaise as possible associated symptoms. This is complicated by the fact that fatigue can occur in normal healthy individuals as a normal response to physical and mental exertion. However, normal fatigue may begin to become abnormal if it becomes chronic, extreme or prolonged fatigue usually this occurs when a person experiences chronic or prolonged physical or mental exertion. For example, unusually hard physical or mental exertion for one day can result in normal fatigue that may last about a day or sometimes more, depending on the exertion level, while daily unusually hard physical or mental exertion may result in prolonged fatigue . This latter situation may develop into abnormal fatigue.
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Why Are My Muscles So Fatigued
It can be associated with a state of exhaustion, often following strenuous activity or exercise. When you experience fatigue, the force behind your muscles‘ movements decrease, causing you to feel weaker. While exercise is a common cause of muscle fatigue, this symptom can be the result of other health conditions, too.
Fatigue May Be A Little Bit More Difficult To Pinpoint
Feelings of prolonged energy drain might need a bit of trial and error before you really know what’s going on. Dr. Harris suggests that you start by taking stock of your sleep hygiene. You can do this by practicing stress-reducing habits, limiting caffeine, maintaining a regular bed and wake time, keeping off screens for an hour before bed, limiting heavy meals and liquids within three hours before bed.
“Also work to increase physical activity by exercising, going for walks or doing something to move around,” says Dr. Harris. “Physical exercise helps improve sleep and reduce fatigue. The key is to be consistent, say, at least two weeks. If after two weeks of making changes and sticking with them you havent seen any impact on your energy levels, then it’s time to talk with your doctor.”
“Exhaustion is more of a general idea thats extreme and longer-term in nature,” says Dr. Harris. “If youve made the above-mentioned changesworking to reduce stress and improve sleep quality and quantityand are still feeling worn out, struggling to find energy to get through the day, and continue the activities you usually do, consult with your physician regarding possible causes.”
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Careful With Fatigue Around A Child
I am careful. I keep busy when we are alone, and make sure that if we are going to nap that we both have a nap and she knows to wake me when she wakes up and not stop till I have gotten up from the bed.
I try to only nap when I have someone with me in the house so prevent any mishaps. My little love understands that at times her mommy is just so tired she needs to sleep. She is understanding and kind and does her best to let me be. This is however not her fault and I do try to not allow this to affect her life as far as possible.
What Are Tiredness And Fatigue
Tiredness:
Tiredness is usually caused due to too much work or lack of sleep. An individual aged between 18 to 64 years needs to sleep at least 7 to 9 hours in a day. If you dont get enough sleep, you are likely to feel tired. This kind of tiredness usually subsides on its own when you go back to sleep and get adequate rest. Sometimes, tiredness may also indicate an underlying medical condition, such as anemia, diabetes or glandular fever. So, if you are getting enough rest and still feeling tired all the time, then it is not tiredness, but fatigue. You should contact your physician regarding any possible condition relating to tiredness.
Fatigue:
Fatigue is often used as synonymous to tiredness, but there is a difference between the two. Unlike tiredness, you cant cure fatigue easily just by having a cup of coffee. Most of the time, fatigue is long-term and makes you feel exhausted even after a full nights sleep. Depending on the severity of fatigue, it may affect a persons everyday life. You may find a fatigued person taking time off work because they are feeling too tired or weak to continue with their everyday activities. Severely fatigued people may even have difficulty brushing their teeth. According to a study, women have more chances of getting fatigued than men. Most common causes are infection, weak immunity, emotional trauma and hormonal imbalance.
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What Is The Treatment For Fatigue
The treatment for fatigue depends upon the cause. Some treatments for conditions that cause fatigue include medications, antibiotics, vitamins, and exercise. Medical treatment of fatigue depends on the treatment of its underlying cause. Fortunately, many causes of fatigue may be treated with medications, for example, iron supplements for anemia, medications and machines to help sleep apnea, medications to control blood sugar, medications to regulate thyroid function, antibiotics to treat infection, vitamins, and/or recommendations for dietary changes and a sensible exercise program. Again, treatment of the underlying cause is the key to treatment of the symptom of fatigue.
What Are The Main Causes Of Constant Fatigue
When Dr. Winter sees patients who say theyre tired all the time, he often tries to distinguish whether theyre sleepy or fatigued. Sleepiness is pretty easyits a defined group of problems, he says. But if theyre talking about fatigue, you could make a list a mile long of what could be causing it.
When Yvonne Bohn, M.D., an ob-gyn at Providence Saint Johns Health Center in Santa Monica, hears her patients talking about extreme fatigue, she starts asking questions about certain lifestyle factors first. Sleep, stress, and diet can have a huge influence on how some people feel, she tells SELF.
If those types of factorslike using your phone too much before bed, or recent life events such as caring for a new baby or training for a marathonare ruled out, shell typically do a blood panel to dig a bit deeper. Remember, constant fatigue is a symptom, so it can be a sign of a health issue. Here are a few culprits that may easily fly under the radar:
Sleep apneaa condition in which you intermittently stop and start breathing while sleepingis a particularly common sleep disorder to pay special attention to, as the symptoms are often missed. Even though it is estimated that up to 1 in 15 people have moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, researchers believe that 85% of people with clinically significant symptoms have never been diagnosed.1
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