Fatigue is more than
just a desire for a shot of espresso in the morning or the need to hit the sack
a little early to make up for a late night out. Fatigue can be a physically and
emotionally debilitating condition – one that is not easy to solve and it goes
beyond curling up on the couch with a throw blanket and a good movie waiting
for of sleep to take its course. Fatigue can mean that sleep itself is troublesome.
Getting to know
yourself and your limitations, however, and developing the patience and skill
to cope with fatigue will give you the control you need back in your life so
that you can cope with whatever life throws at you. The ability to manage your
time and energy can have profound effects that reach well beyond coping with
autoimmune disease and can give you hope.
What are the causes and
symptoms of auto immune fatigue?
You may actually be
your own best expert in understanding what completely wipes you out, though
having an idea about what affects your energy level may not make it that much
easier to find a solution on your own. Experts speculate that certain
medications and overlapping diseases such as anemia, fibromyalgia,
and/or depression can be the cause of fatigue. Vitamin D sufficiency is a large
contributor to fatigue in auto immune disorders.
Auto Immune fatigue
can manifest itself both physically and/or emotionally. You may physically feel
like your bones and joints are exhausted and worn down from constant pain and
inflammation. You may feel emotionally fatigued from the stress of having an
auto, the difficulties in coping with the changes to your life that a diagnosis
brings, or the guilt you may struggle with because your role in your family or
at work has drastically changed. All of this can understandably cause a
significant amount of anxiety and depression.
Your cognitive function
can also be affected by fatigue as you may experience brain fog. You may find
yourself not being able to think as clearly, quickly, or coherently as you did
before your diagnosis and this can be both frightening and frustrating. It’s
also a vicious cycle because the more fatigued you become, the more you may
experience brain fog – and vice versa.
How Can I “Manage” My Auto
Immune Fatigue?
In Conclusion
Feelings of fatigue
can make everything seem and feel worse. It is no wonder how debilitating and
exhausting dealing with and auto immune disorder on a daily basis can be. Becoming
in-tune with how you are feeling both physically and emotionally – both the
good days and the bad – can be the key to discussion with a trusted healthcare
practitioner, here at The Emperor's Medicine, about how to address the root causes of your auto immune disorder,
not just taking the medications to cover up the symptoms and further damage
your body.
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References
Ahn, G., & Ramsey-Goldman, R. (2012). Fatigue in systemic
lupus erythematosus. International Journal of
Clinical Rheumatology, 2012 7(2), 217-227.
Cunningham, M., & Yuen, H. (2014). Optimal management of
fatigue in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: A systematic review.
Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4199565/pdf/tcrm-10-775.pdf
Fatigue. (n.d.). Retrieved from: https://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/fatigue/basics/definition/sym-20050894
McMillen, M. (2011). Lupus fatigue: Causes and treatment tips.
Retrieved from: https://www.webmd.com/lupus/features/lupus-fatigue-causes-treatments#1
Strategies for managing fatigue. (2018). Retrieved from: https://www.lupus.org/resources/strategies-for-managing-fatigue