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Fatigue and TBI

Words to understand before you start:

1. Fatigue: an overwhelming feeling of tiredness or exhaustion
2. Cognitive or mental: relating to thinking, memory, or processing information.
3. Psychological: relating to mood, depression, anxiety, etc. This is not the same as "cognitive"

What is fatigue?

Fatigue is a huge feeling of exhaustion. It is tiredness, weariness, or listlessness. It makes it hard to work physically and mentally.

Why does knowing about fatigue matter?

If you have severe fatigue, you have less energy. You may not be able to care for yourself. You may not be able to do the things you enjoy. It may keep you from going back to work.

How common is fatigue?

As many as 98% of people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) experience some kind of fatigue. 70% complain of mental fatigue. It doesn't matter how severe the TBI is.

Are there different kinds of fatigue?

There are 3 kinds of fatigue: physical, psychological, and mental or cognitive fatigue.

These are hints for figuring out what kind of fatigue you have:

1. Psychological fatigue is the kind of fatigue that comes from depression or anxiety. It makes you tired early in the morning. Physical fatigue is different because it gets worse as the day goes on. Mental fatigue also may get worse as the day goes on.
2. Rest usually won't help psychological fatigue. It may help physical fatigue and mental fatigue.
3. Over time, exercising and being more active should help lessen physical fatigue, and probably even mental fatigue.

What can you do?

1. If you think you may be depressed, anxious, or have other psychological conditions, talk to your doctor.
2. If you think your fatigue is physical, or even mental:
   
   • Get more sleep and rest. If you just can't get a good night's sleep, tell your doctor. There may be treatments.
   • Try to change your schedule. Do the things that require the most physical or mental effort earlier when you are fresher.
   • Take rests during the day.
   • Start exercising. Eating a good, nutritious diet also will help. This will help you physically and mentally.
   • Keep your eye on the research. Some new drugs are being studied that may help. Craig Hospital is studying one of them now. In the coming months, we will have a report on what that research finds.

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