Coping with fatigue

What is fatigue?

Fatigue is a deep feeling of tiredness that rarely goes away completely, even after rest or sleep. You may feel extremely tired after very little activity or wake up feeling as tired as you did when you went to sleep. It affects people in different ways.

What can I do to help manage this?

1. Keep a fatigue diary

This could be an important first step in managing your energy levels. By rating your fatigue at different times of the day, and in relation to different activities, you might start to see patterns. Your fatigue diary might help you think about ways to manage fatigue.

2. Rest

Plan your activities carefully, spacing them out throughout the day/week. Try breaking your daily tasks/chores into short periods with planned rests in between. Don’t be tempted to overdo things when you feel well - aim for a gradual increase in activity. If you find rest helpful, make this a priority and ensure others understand how much this helps you.

3. Prioritise tasks

Prioritising activities can mean you save energy for the things you really want or need to do.

It can help you plan your activities and your time to rest and recuperate. Try to make a list of all the activities you do in a day or week and look at whether they could be done in a more energy-efficient way, or at different times of the day, to make them easier. Can you get help with any of these tasks? Try to be realistic about how much you can actually do.

4. Organise your living and working space

Look at the environment in which you live and work, consider whether re-organising cupboards or furniture would make life easier for you. Grouping similar activities together can help you conserve energy. Think about using technology where possible - devices such as digital assistants (like Alexa) and labour-saving devices (such as robot vacuums) can be very helpful.

5. Healthy eating

Eating a nutritious balanced diet can help you maintain a healthy weight and get the energy you need. Weight loss and weight gain can make coping with fatigue more difficult. Try to avoid large, hot meals which can make fatigue worse and be careful with high caffeine or sugary snacks that might have an initial 'pick-me-up' effect, but can leave you feeling more tired later. A dietician can work with you to plan a suitable diet. Ensure you are not dehydrated – drink plenty of water.

6. Exercise

It may seem odd when you feel tired, but daily gentle exercise can help. Do balance the exercise with periods of rest and be sure to listen to your body, do not overdo it. Exercise can help improve strength, fitness and mood.

7. Sleep

Try to maintain a consistent routine at bedtime, minimising exposure to bright lights and electronic equipment. Ensure you have a suitable mattress and avoid caffeine and alcohol a few hours before bedtime. Controlling the noise, light and temperature in your bedroom will make you environment easier to sleep in.

8. Reduce stress

High levels of stress can leave you feeling exhausted. Learning to say ‘no’ can help to keep you from becoming overwhelmed. Try stress reducing activities such as yoga or guided meditation. Try some of the free relaxation apps such as Headspace.

9. Medication

Make sure you take your pain killers as prescribed and let your doctor or nurse know if they are not working properly.

10. Ask for help

Do not feel you must struggle alone – ask your friends and family for help.

Further advice

Further advice can be obtained from your doctor or nurse – please ask.

NHS choices has a website dedicated to managing fatigue (opens in a new tab).

Contact us

LDU
Box 135
Addenbrooke’s Hospital
Hills Road
Cambridge
CB2 0QQ

Tel: 01223 274634

Email LDU cambridge

Please note the department is open Monday to Friday 08:30-17:00.

If you are unwell outside of these hours you should seek medical advice from your local healthcare team.

If your emergency doctor needs specific advice they should call the hospital switchboard on 01223 245151 and ask for the metabolic consultant on call.