Transcript Managing Fatigue

Managing Your Fatigue
Patient Education Program
2014
Managing Your Fatigue
What is fatigue?
 Extreme tiredness that makes it
hard to do your everyday
activities
 A common symptom of arthritis
and other chronic diseases
What causes fatigue?
Physical Causes
• Inflammation
• Pain
• Anemia
• Too little activity
• Too much activity
• Disturbed sleep
• Some medications
What causes fatigue?
Emotional Causes
• Stress / Worry
• Depression
• Frustration
• Feeling loss of control
in my life
What causes fatigue?
Environmental Causes
• Poor position, uncomfortable
furniture
• Poor ventilation
• Standing in line-ups
The Pain Cycle
Changes you can make to help
fatigue:
• Improve your sleep
• Balance rest and activity
• Improve posture and position
• Improve your general health
To improve your sleep:
• Keep the same bedtime and wakeup time every day
• Avoid caffeine and alcohol
• Avoid eating and drinking too
much before bedtime
• Keep a relaxing bedtime routine
• Avoid stressful activities before
bedtime
• Finish exercise at least 2-3
hours before bedtime
Sleep in a comfortable bedroom
• Dark, quiet and cool
• Supportive mattress
• A pillow to keep head and neck in a
good position
• Pillows to support sore joints
• Talk to your doctor or therapist if pain
wakes you up
To Help You Balance Rest and Activity
• Pace
• Plan
• Set Priorities
Pace Yourself
• Take frequent rests
• Switch between heavy and light
activities
• Choose the best time of day for
a task
Rest before you are tired!
Plan Ahead
• Try a weekly schedule that
spreads out heavy tasks
• Plan for rests and fun too!
• Allow enough time for your
appointments and activities
• Save steps and reduce extra trips
Set Priorities
“What
activities are most important
to me?”
“Is this task really necessary?”
“Who else can do this job?”
How will you spend the energy you
have?
Do you have a good balance between
activity and rest?
Improve Body Posture and Position
• Use good body posture, poor
posture needs more energy
• Adjust height of work surfaces and
chairs
• Keep frequently used tools within
easy reach
• Sitting to work saves up to 25% of
your energy
• Stretch and change your position
often
Guidelines for Working at a Computer
Improve Your General Health
• Eat a healthy, balanced diet
• Drink enough water
• Exercise regularly
• Practice stress management
My Action Plan
• What do I want to try?
“Take more rest breaks while doing chores during
the day”
• How many times each week? Which days?
“I am going to vacuum twice this week, Monday
and Thursday”
• Time of day? For how long?
“Late morning, once I am less stiff, I will vacuum
for 10 minutes, then rest for ten minutes”
• Who will I tell about my plan?
“ I’ll tell my husband and phone my best
friend Betty”
• When will I start?
“Next Monday”
How sure am I that I can do this?
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Need help to achieve your goals?
PEP Class: Setting Goals you can Achieve
Take Home Messages!
• I will rest before I get tired
• I will try to balance activity and rest
• I will use my energy on things that are
important to me
I can be less tired!
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