Chronic fatigue syndrome is difficult to diagnose, and it’s complicated to treat. It’s sometimes referred to by other medical names. Systemic exertion intolerance disease (SEID) and myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) are both names used to describe chronic fatigue syndrome. While some exhaustion is normal following specific events, illness, or even stress, chronic fatigue syndrome is often unexplainable. You cannot find a reason you are experiencing so much fatigue, you cannot get enough sleep to make it better, and you might even find your stress level increases significantly as a result of never feeling well.
Medical professionals have yet to determine what causes this health issue, but it could be attributed to many things. When a person is finally diagnosed with this syndrome, your doctor might require you spend some time working on different treatment options until one works. It usually takes narrowing down the factors that exacerbate this problem and helping people overcome what they are doing to their lives. From viral infections to stress to a combination of different lifestyle choices and occurrences, many patients find it’s not easy to pinpoint what causes their fatigue. If you believe you might suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome, you may suffer from one or more of the following signs.
1. Joint Pain
Joint pain by itself is not a problem that indicates you suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome. It could be caused by a recent surgery, your weight, and even the physical activity in which you participate. Joint pain occurs as you get older, as your bones begin to break down, and even in people who have an old injury or recently had surgery. By itself, joint pain is not an overwhelming reason to worry. It’s when your joint pain is accompanied by other forms of pain and other symptoms that might make you worry. If you notice joint pain, ask yourself if you have any more symptoms or if it’s the only one.
2. Fatigue
It is one of the most common symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome. When you’re excessively tired, you feel it all over your body. It could be owed to numerous factors. Before panicking about it, ask yourself how you’ve been sleeping lately, how you’re feeling, if you had some late nights or you are overly stressed. Did you just travel into or out of a different time zone or do you have a new baby or a hectic schedule? Any or all of these things could be why you’re fatigued. If you notice you feel this and additional symptoms, you might worry.
3. Inability to Exercise
There’s a difference between your inability to exercise and your lack of desire to exercise. If you’re looking for a reason to stay home and not hit the gym because it’s raining or you worked out three times this week, you’re not unable to exercise. You just don’t want to exercise. However, if you can’t exercise because it’s followed by intense pain or extreme exhaustion that leaves you feeling incapable of functioning for more than 24 hours following exercise, it’s not a good sign. Many exercises leave some people feeling exhausted and ready to lie down and take a nap, but most people overcome that problem within an hour or two of leaving the gym. If it lasts, it might be a problem.
4. Malaise
General malaise is not a problem by itself. If you feel malaise without any other symptoms, it might mean several things. Malaise can occur if you’re going through symptoms of caffeine withdrawal, if you aren’t getting enough sleep, and it can occur if your diet is off track. If you drink too much, eat too much, or just feel sad because of something that happened, it can cause malaise. It’s when this feeling doesn’t go away, when you can’t catch a break from it, and when you can’t find a good explanation for it you might need to see your doctor to discuss the underlying cause of the issue. If it’s accompanied by any of these additional symptoms, it’s a real cause for concern.
5. Confusion
Everyone is confused at times, and there’s no reason to panic and assume you’re suffering from this problem if you can’t find your car keys or forget what day of the week it is. Confusion is common, it happens, and it might even happen every day in certain instances. It’s easy to become confused when you have small kids, you’re lacking sleep because of a new baby, you have too much on your plate, or you’re ill and taking medication. If you’re feeling confused in addition to not being able to remember things easily and you find it difficult to concentrate, it might be indicative of chronic fatigue syndrome.
6. Forgetfulness
Forgetfulness goes hand in hand with confusion. If you’re struggling to get through the day without feeling exceptionally confused and forgetful, you should talk to your doctor. It’s all right to feel this way on occasion, but feeling this way everyday is not normal. Do not make the mistake of assuming this problem is one you can ignore if you don’t suffer from any of the other chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms, either. There are other medical reasons you might feel disoriented, confused, and forgetful that have nothing to do with sleep and everything to do with serious medical problems. Call your doctor right away if this symptom doesn’t go away on its own or if it gets worse.
7. Excess Sleepiness
Excess sleepiness goes hand in hand with fatigue. The problem here is you’re getting enough sleep, and you cannot overcome feelings of exhaustion. It’s difficult to explain how sleepy you feel when you had a full night of uninterrupted sleep the night before. You struggle to keep your eyes open, you find it difficult to concentrate, and no amount of sleep rids your body of this feeling. If you feel this way with or without any other symptoms of fatigue, speak with your medical professional. While you might feel extra sleepy on a rainy day or following a long day of travel, this is not a normal feeling. It’s especially problematic if it doesn’t go away on its own.
8. Depression
Depression is a serious problem, and no one should ignore it if they feel they are suffering from it. Signs of depression are often confusing to many people. You feel stressed, you feel sad, you feel tired, and you can’t seem to find any enjoyment in your life. However, you can’t figure it out because you have nothing to feel this way about. Even if you do have something to feel stressed, sad, and overwhelmed over, feelings like this come and go and are easily changed at any moment during the day. When the problem is ongoing, it might be a symptom of chronic fatigue syndrome. If it’s not this, it might be depression. Depression requires medical help.
9. Headache
Headaches by themselves occur now and again. You might have one if you don’t have enough caffeine, if you have too much, if you’re pregnant, if you’re exhausted, or even if you just don’t eat a healthy diet. Spending time with your family during the holidays might be all it takes to make your head hurt, or a stressful day might make your head throb. When your headaches occur more often than not, when you have no reason to suffer from so many headaches, and when you aren’t sure what’s causing them, it’s something you want to discuss with your doctor. Most headaches are either entirely random and infrequent, or they are frequent and problematic.
10. Sore Throat
There are a half-dozen reasons your throat is sore, and most of them are innocent. You had too good a time at a game or concert, you aren’t feeling well, or you are coming down with something. These are common causes of a sore throat, but a sore throat that lingers longer than you find necessary might be a sign of chronic fatigue syndrome. If you see the doctor and there is no medical reason for your sore throat, or you experience a sore throat with any of these other symptoms, it’s a good reason to call your doctor and schedule an appointment. When they are alone, most of the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome aren’t much of a concern. When you begin noticing a few of them together, it’s time to call the doctor and practice being safe rather than sorry.
