Fatigue. Fatigue. Fatigue. I am so freaking tired of fatigue. Almost everyone with Lupus experiences fatigue and it is one of the most common symptoms of Lupus. It can totally disrupt your life. Many different factors cause the fatigue we experience which means there’s no easy answer to treating it. It can be caused by anaemia, depression (another big symptom of Lupus), pain, quality and/or quantity of sleep, severity of illness, recovery from flares, medication and stress. Fatigue isn’t tiredness. It is an all-consuming depletion of your energy that makes even the most basic of tasks completely overwhelming and impossible. And the worst bit is that sleep doesn’t make it go away. Fatigue is a part of daily life for most people with any type of chronic illness, and it can really inhibit our ability to live a ‘normal’ life. So, although there’s no ‘one size fits all’ solution, here are some of my top tips for coping with fatigue and not letting it win!
- Rest – it seems obvious but whether you’re recovering from a flare, coping with symptoms or just battling through daily life with chronic illness you really do have to make sure you get enough rest. You have to accept that life will be different when you have fatigue and you simply can’t function at the same pace you’re perhaps used to. This is OK – it doesn’t mean you’ve failed! It doesn’t mean you can’t have fun or that you have to give up the things you love! It just means you have to listen to your body, take it seriously, and learn to adjust. I need different amounts of rest depending on how I’m feeling and what I’m trying to do/have done. For example, a day at work needs a day of rest. A trip to the supermarket and a blitz of the house need a couple of hours of recovery time on the sofa. Just listen to your body. There are plenty of things you can do to keep busy on a rest day (check out my previous post ‘busy doing nothing’) if, like me, you get restless resting.
- Move your body – there is loads of evidence that tells us exercise is really good for improving energy levels but depending on your severity of illness and state of disease it can be really hard to muster the energy to do it. I find that it’s not so much about raising your heart rate and pumping iron, the important thing is that you simply move your body. I used to work out 4 or 5 times a week and was fit and healthy pre-Lupus but I can’t do that kind of exercise at the moment. I’ve lost a lot of muscle mass and strength, suffer with nausea, get tired quickly, and have an extremely high fast rate. I should avoid exercise that has a high impact on my joints and am building up the exercise that I can do slowly. I personally prefer exercises where I have an easy way out in-case I get too tired – I don’t need to be the one walking out of a spinning class after five minutes! But however I’m feeling, I try to do something to move my body every day. I go for a walk, do some stretching, do some cleaning, do some yoga or do a few reps of exercises with light hand-weights. As I get more strength back I’ll try swimming, some cycling, and maybe even join the gym – we’ll see! So listen to your body and do what feels right, but be sure to move because it really does help.
- Get a good night’s sleep – this is obviously easier said than done, and as someone who suffered debilitating insomnia during the first few weeks of treatment, I know how it can frustratingly worsen fatigue. There are things you can do to establish a good sleeping routine and sticking to it can really help overcome insomnia. Although getting a good sleep won’t cure fatigue, it will set you up for coping with it a bit better. I use a lot of lavender to help me drift off (oils, pillow, lavender tea); I don’t have any screens in the bedroom; I read a few pages of a book under a dim light; I listen to a calming podcast. A soothing bath or a meditation before bed also helps get into the right headspace for sleeping. I also do some breathing exercises to slow my heart rate to help me sleep. Try to avoid sleeping during the day if you can, although I know it can be hard if you don’t feel well and you’re not sleeping at night. As a general rule, if I had managed five or six hours of sleep the previous night I avoided cat-napping. Just listen to your body though, it will tell you what it needs.
- Plan – planning my time including, importantly, rest time has made me feel productive and has helped me to achieve the things I want to. I know that to do things, I need to rest for them so I make sure I plan the time I need. It’s also important to be flexible too so you can take more time to rest if you need it. To help, I try to have back up meals in the freezer and I have a list of ‘5 minute meals’. Making plans gives you something to look forward to and I love the excitement of planning something special with loved ones.
- Eat well – Research suggests that maintaining a healthy weight can really help manage fatigue. Whatever your weight, there’s no doubt that the food you eat plays a huge role in how you feel. There’s no recommended diet for Lupus but I follow a whole-foods vegan diet. I try to eat as many raw fruit and vegetables as possible and avoid processed food as much as I can. Eating healthy, wholesome, tasty and healing food makes my body feel nourished. That said, I don’t believe in denying your body what it needs when you need it, so don’t say no to chocolate! By the way, red wine has anti-inflammatory properties so you can basically consider it part of your medication routine!
- Get a pet – because they’re so cute, will cuddle you when you’re resting, they don’t care if you’re ill or fatigued, and their routine gives you purpose!
What about you? Do you have any tips for coping with fatigue? Let us know!
Livin' La Vida Lupus 