When you live with chronic pain, you often also struggle with fatigue because pain and physically and mentally drains you. Fatigue from pain can be very difficult for people without chronic pain to understand and sometimes people think they can relate because they had a long work day. Fatigue from pain is very different from fatigue that you get after a long day at work and is something you are not going to truly understand unless you live with chronic pain. People who are fatigued because they worked a long shift can take a nap and feel better but when you are fatigued from pain, taking a nap doesn’t always help. I struggle with fatigue all the time because of endometriosis but some days it’s not bad and I can be productive On days it is at its worst it’s very hard to function and I don’t have the energy to complete the most basic tasks. What should you do on high-fatigue days? In this post, I am sharing what I do on days when my fatigue is at its worst to get more energy.
I don’t drink more coffee– When you are feeling a little more tired often people think that it means you need to drink more caffeine. If you stayed late and need a pick-me-up to get through your work day drinking a cup of coffee might help you get through the rest of the day. I get fatigued often because my body has to work harder to fight pain and sometimes people may think that I am drinking tons of extra coffee on days my fatigue is at its worst. If I am having a high-fatigue day and have something time-sensitive that I need to do for my blog, I may drink an extra cup of coffee to give me the energy to get that task done. I am not drinking more coffee than I normally would most of the time because coffee doesn’t fix fatigue from pain and often I feel no difference. Drinking too much caffeine may be contributing to your fatigue problem because coffee keeps you up and you might want to cut back on coffee instead of drinking more.
I go for a walk– When you’re fatigued from my pain, it can be very hard to motivate yourself to move because when you are in pain exercising is the last thing you want to do. If my fatigue, is really bad sometimes I will be forced to take a rest day but I do try to move my body because sometimes movement helps improve my energy. On low energy days, I am not able to push myself as hard during my workouts as I would be able to on high energy days but that is okay. My goals on low-energy days are not to push myself as hard as I can but it is to get some movement in even if it’s only for five minutes. Go for a walk and get some fresh air because exercise increases endorphins and is one of the easiest ways to get more energy Before I go for a walk I am feeling very sluggish and most times I don’t want to do it but after it’s done, often I feel more energized.. Movement doesn’t always completely get rid of my fatigue but it can help to get out side because low vitamin D levels cause fatigue.
I don’t try to push through the fatigue– It is frustrating to live with chronic pain, because pain can change daily and you never know how you are going to feel. If you are fatigued because you stayed up too late watching Netflix, you might be able to push through the fatigue but if you are fatigued from pain pushing through is not always a good idea. Pushing through pain is not like pushing through a tough workout and you will make your fatigue worse if you try to push yourself past your body’s limits. On high-fatigue days, you will never see me try to push through the fatigue because it’s so important to listen to your body. You will deplete your energy faster when you try to force yourself to do chores around the house. I get almost nothing productive done on high-fatigue days and that is okay because if you try to fight the fatigue and pretend it’s not there, your pain will always win. Take it easy if you are feeling fatigued because the laundry will still be there if you wait a few days.
Nourish your body to give yourself some energy– When you live with chronic pain and are having a high fatigue day it can be very hard to make a meal because every muscle in your body feels completely drained and you have no energy to do anything. It is easy to skip meals when you are struggling with fatigue but it is so important that you try not to because good nutrition can help support your pain. Some days, I struggle to motivate myself to do anything but I do try to make sure I am eating regularly because not eating enough will make you more fatigued. When was the last time you ate something? If it’s been while, you might want to consider eating a snack because your body needs energy from food to be able to fight fatigue and the only time I would advise not eating is if you can’t keep anything down. You don’t have to prepare a gourmet meal because it’s all about being realistic with what you can do. If all you have the energy to make is a smoothie, that is okay because something is always better than nothing at all.
Drink some water– When you are feeling more tired than usual, sometimes people think that it means they need to drink more coffee but tiredness is not always a sign that you need more caffeine. Sometimes it’s your body’s way of telling you to drink more water because dehydration will cause you to feel sluggish and fatigued. Make sure you are staying hydrated especially this time of year and before you go for a fourth cup of coffee, try drinking some water.
Everyone gets a little fatigued sometimes but the fatigue you get from pain and the fatigue you get after a long work day are very different from each other. If you are fatigued from a long day, often you can get relief by taking a nap but when you are fatigued from pain napping often makes no difference. If you don’t have chronic pain or chronic illness, you will never understand what it’s like to have crippling fatigue all the time and that is okay. People who have a long workday cannot relate to the fatigue you experience from pain because it’s something you have to experience to truly understand the difference. You can’t get relief from chronic pain fatigue and every muscle in your body feels completely drained and you can’t move. You would have to go several days without sleeping to understand chronic pain fatigue and then try to function. What do you do when you are fatigued from pain? If you liked this post, please leave a comment below and share it with your friends.
New posts are shared most Tuesdays and Thursdays. Subscribe to my blog’s email list to be notified when a new post is published. Emails are always kept confidential and never shared with anyone and most importantly I will never spam you!
My Rockin Disabled Life 