If you suffer from a chronic illness, then it’s highly likely that you’ll experience fatigue from time to time. Fatigue is different than just feeling tired, and generally it’s not something that can be fixed with an early night or by resting for a little while.

With tips from the pros at prevention.com, we’ve put together a list of six ways that chronic fatigue can affect sufferers on a daily basis.

You feel extremely exhausted. 

Everyone experiences feeling tired and worn out from time to time but chronic fatigue takes this a step further. People will often avoid doing things they enjoy because they don’t have the energy to go out or even get off the sofa. Getting through a day at work or school will leave them feeling extremely exhausted as though they have gone through their energy reserves and have nothing left.

You can’t get a good night’s sleep. 

You would imagine that fatigue could be solved with sleep, but patients who suffer from chronic fatigue often have trouble falling asleep or wake constantly throughout the night. This lack of sleep (or disturbed sleep) only adds to the problem and makes the fatigue worse. Even if you do get to sleep, many find that they don’t feel any better when they wake up.

You can’t concentrate. 

Fatigue also affects people cognitively. Many find it difficult to concentrate, that they forget things, and are easily distracted. Brain fog is a common symptom associated with fatigue and many report being unable to communicate well, often not being able to find the right words when speaking or forgetting people’s names.

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Simple tasks zap your emotional energy. 

Completing simple tasks when you have chronic fatigue can seem like climbing a mountain. As well as being physically taxing, fatigue can also be emotionally and mentally taxing. Stressful situations may have you feeling completely overwrought or agitated.

You can’t balance. 

Extreme fatigue can also cause balance issues. People often report feeling unstable when standing upright, which can be relieved by lying down. Although there is no proven reason for this sensation, it’s thought that it could be due to less blood flowing to the brain when a person is standing up.

You’re constantly in pain. 

Chronic fatigue can also bring about pains and aches. People with chronic fatigue are more likely to suffer from headaches, joint aches, and muscle soreness.

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