However, some lifestyle changes, healthful habits, and medications can help people manage MS fatigue. People who have fatigue feel overwhelmingly tired, typically with no obvious cause. They may find it difficult to perform everyday tasks, perform at work, or socialize. A person with MS may experience both physical and mental fatigue. People with MS may also experience episodes of lassitude, a type of fatigue that is characteristic of MS.
Lassitude differs from other kinds of fatigue because it tends to:. The MFIS is a 21 item questionnaire that covers physical, cognitive, and psychosocial health.
An MFIS questionnaire typically takes minutes to complete and contains statements including:. Patients then describe how these statements have reflected their experience in the prior 4 weeks.
They do so using a scale. The MFIS is a shortened version of a Fatigue Impact Scale first introduced in and remains an effective method of assessing fatigue. They can also separate results into physical, cognitive, and psychosocial categories.
This allows doctors to assess the ways in which fatigue is affecting a patient and plan treatment accordingly. The MFIS is also available in a shorter 5-item version. Fatigue is a major reason some people with MS choose to stop working or to reduce working hours. Many of the medications that people take to manage MS fatigue can also cause side effects, such as:. MS causes damage and scarring of nerves in the brain and spinal cord.
Primary MS fatigue is fatigue resulting from this damage. However, the exact ways in which this translates to fatigue are not well known. According to a review, one possible reason for fatigue could be MS lesions affecting the parts of the brain that control motivation and motor planning.
Others suggest that the way the body adapts to MS damage, and the increased effort required, could also play a role in fatigue. Certain conditions related to MS may cause fatigue. When a person experiences fatigue because of these factors they have secondary fatigue. Here are a few:. Another way of explaining is to try and relate the feelings of fatigue to experiences that most people have had before.
That way they should access their own memories and, hopefully, feel again the heaviness or disorientation or other unwelcome sensations so that they feel it rather than imagine it in a rather theoretical sort of way.
Get them to think about what the circumstances were, exactly how they felt when they tried to get out of bed, how they staggered downstairs and how rough they felt for the rest of the day. Ask them to relive the memory strongly for a moment and then file it for later.
How exhausted and disorientated were they? Did they feel almost sick? Ask them to bring this experience strongly to mind and then store that memory for a moment. How awful they felt all over their body, how getting out of bed was a struggle or almost impossible, how every little thing made them feel worse.
The next step is to get them to imagine what it might be like to have all three a hangover, jet lag and flu at the same time, to recall both the physical and the mental feelings. How bad would that be? Now ramp it up and ask them to imagine that everything is ten times worse than they just imagined. It could be almost like going unconscious — a bit like fainting but without the woozy- sick sort of feeling. This is becoming unimaginable for anyone who has not been there but hopefully it makes the point about how bad fatigue can be.
Although fatigue is very common in MS, it is possible to decrease fatigue and free up some energy. Fatigue management involves pacing yourself and using what energy you have for the most important things. It may involve asking others to help out or just accepting that not everything will get done. Emily was diagnosed with MS in when she used to be very physically active. Since being diagnosed she struggles with mobility issues and uses a wheelchair to get around.
We chat to her about how she find exercising helps with her MS. While everyone around her seems to be having children, Edith is having to consider what impact the decision could have, not only on her life but on her MS too. Nick, was diagnosed with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis at the start of the first lockdown.
In this story we talk to him about how he coped with his diagnosis and how running helps him with his MS. Usually you know why you are tired and a good night's sleep will solve the problem. Fatigue is a daily lack of energy that has an unusual or excessive whole-body tiredness not relieved by sleep. It can be acute lasting a month or less or chronic lasting from one to six months or longer.
Fatigue can prevent a person from functioning normally and affects a person's quality of life. Fatigue is often referred to as "lassitude" or a state or feeling of weariness, diminished energy, or listlessness. For those with multiple sclerosis MS , the characteristics of this "MS fatigue" make it different from fatigue experienced by persons without MS.
It's unique in MS and is generally more severe than "normal" fatigue. It can leave you feeling a sense of tiredness at different times of the day or even all day long. It can last any duration of time and isn't predictable on its occurrence.
It can also be described as an overwhelming feeling or sense of physical weakness for no apparent reason. MS-related fatigue tends to get worse as the day goes on, is often aggravated by heat and humidity, and comes on more easily and suddenly than normal fatigue.
There are two major types of fatigue in MS. These two types of fatigue are probably separate problems related to the MS. It may feel as if one has not slept the night before. This feeling may be worse in the afternoons or after activity. People may feel that they are unable to do as many tasks without getting tired as they did before.
In this type, there is increased weakness after repeated activity. Often, this occurs with walking. People may find that they are dragging one leg or are more unsteady. Think of your personal energy stores as a "bank. Keep a diary for one week to identify the time of day when you are either most fatigued or have the most energy. Note what you think may be contributing factors.
Fatigue warning signs may include tired eyes, tired legs, whole-body tiredness, stiff shoulders, decreased energy or a lack of energy, inability to concentrate, weakness or malaise, boredom or lack of motivation, sleepiness, increased irritability, nervousness, anxiety, or impatience. For example, change storage of items to reduce trips or reaching, delegate tasks when needed, and combine activities and simplify details.
For example, balance periods of rest and work and rest before you become fatigued.
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