Fatigue
Home Care
Here are some tips for reducing fatigue:
• Get adequate, regular, and consistent amounts of sleep each night.
• Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet and drink plenty of water throughout the day.
• Exercise regularly.
• Learn better ways to relax. Try yoga or meditation.
• Maintain a reasonable work and personal schedule.
• Change your stressful circumstances, if possible. For example, switch jobs, take a vacation, and deal directly with problems in a relationship.
• Take a multivitamin. Talk to your doctor about what is best for you.
• Avoid alcohol, nicotine, and drug use.
If you have chronic pain or depression, treating either often helps the fatigue. However, some antidepressant medications may cause or worsen fatigue. Your medication may have to be adjusted to avoid this problem. DO NOT stop or change any medications without instruction from your doctor.
Stimulants (including caffeine) are NOT effective treatments for fatigue, and can actually make the problem worse when the drugs are stopped. Sedatives also tend to worsen fatigue in the long run.