Fatigue
What Is fatigue?
Fatigue is a common post-concussion symptom, where your brain does not have the necessary resources to achieve what you would normally do. It takes more effort to think, feel and act.
Fatigue can be:
- Cognitive fatigue: getting tired from concentrating, multitasking, time pressures and complex thinking processes
- Physical fatigue: getting tired from physical activity and exercise
- Emotional fatigue: getting tired from personal interaction, relationship changes and stressors.
We don’t know how quickly your fatigue will resolve or whether it will resolve completely. We do know that if you can learn to listen to your body and pace your way back to your activity, you can sustain a good life balance. If you try and push through the fatigue, it may delay your recovery.
It is important to learn to self-manage fatigue as it can affect your recovery and productivity post-concussion.
When fatigued you are more likely to:
- make errors
- forget important details
- have difficulty accessing a word or memory
- be more emotional and overwhelmed
- be more sensitive to bright lights and loud/abrasive noises
- become dizzy/light-headed
- forget what you are doing or where you placed something a moment ago
- experience headaches
- experience blurred vision.
Why do I experience fatigue?
- Following a concussion, fatigue occurs more quickly and frequently than it would have prior to your mild head injury.
- Your brain is having to work harder to do simple activities. It can seem like fatigue occurs for no apparent reason.
- Your brain does not have the same resources / energy available to complete your usual activities, in the same time and at the same performance level.
- Fatigue can occur when too much effort is used to complete activities. Some tasks are more cognitively / physically / emotionally challenging than others.
- Often fatigue occurs from too much activity. It can happen because you are trying to achieve too much, without enough rest.
Understand your pattern of fatigue
- Identify what triggers your fatigue and what factors make the symptoms worse:
- Is it long conversations?
- Noisy shopping centres?
- Social gatherings?
- Meetings?
- Being on your computer or phone for too long?
- When you are reading?
- When multi-tasking?
- Making decisions?
- Be aware of the first signs of fatigue:
- Do you become dizzy / lightheaded?
- Do your eyes become sore or ache?
- Do you develop a headache?
- Does your speech start to slur?
- Do you become irritable?
- Do you lose your balance or the fine coordination of your fingers?
- If signs of fatigue appear – immediately stop and rest:
Overloading your brain further can result in several days of extreme tiredness. Make a note of how long you can do certain activities before fatigue starts eg If fatigue starts after 30 minutes on your computer, only stay on it for 20 minutes and then rest.
- Resume activity once you have rested:
Also note how long it takes to get back to feeling refreshed, for you to efficiently return to activity.
Questions to ask myself
What happens when I am fatigued?
What are my triggers?
How long can I do certain activities before needing a rest?
What strategies will I put in place?
What jobs/tasks are my priorities or must do?
What can I do differently to reduce the demands on me?
What is stopping me from using these strategies?