Fatigue Management
Fatigue occurs as a poor balance of intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Intrinsic factors include:
Sleep, (e.g how many hours, what is the quality)
Circadian malalignment, (your sleep-wake cycle over 24 hours)
Ultradian cycle, (like a cousin of circadian rhythm, but has more cycles over a 24 hour period, note, this is an oversimplification of the detail associated)
Sleep homeostasis (our built in drive to sleep that builds up like pressure)
Extrinsic factors include
Shift work,
Workload,
Environment which may include the concept of boreout (a psychological term coined by Ruth Stock-Homburg).
There are six types of fatigue:
Cognitive
Physical
Burnout (emotional exhaustion from workplace)
Emotional (second hand trauma)
Visual
Vocal (think like telecommunications as a job)
Often these types of fatigue occur simultaneously. They are all related as well as carry fundamental differences in terms of solving the problem. Let's talk about ideas for change.
To combat fatigue,
Exercise is often a viable option (however, there are plenty of exceptions here, such as an increased level of nuance associated with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome or MS dealing with fatigue).
Nutrition from both a macro (fats, protein, carbohydrates) and micro nutrient (vitamins) perspective as well as hydration.
Sleep quality. Think dark rooms, minimal to no light exposure inclusive of screens and outdoor lights. Limit alcohol, sugar, and caffeine prior to rest. Even if you do not feel it affects you, research demonstrates it affects your sleep quality and depth of rest state. You may have just gotten used to it and therefore fall into the trap of believing you can manage 5 hours a night. Very few people alive can manage this!
Schedules and stress management. Lifestyle behaviors impact our fatigue and life experience.
Recovery such as cold water immersion has been shown in some literature within rugby players to assist in perceived fatigue.
Consider a wind down routine. Breath work, stretching, calming music, warm baths. Anything to prepare for rest more deliberately.
To summarize, stress management, nutritional health, physical activity, quality sleep hygiene practices, cold water immersion, and optimizing your schedule are all players and opportunities in combating fatigue.
Fatigue is part of the human experience. However, we can take steps in how we manage our routines and lifestyles by preparing/planning how we will fight back against fatigue. A good night's sleep begins the night before.
References
Bouchiba M., Bragazzi N.L., Zarzissi S., Turki M., Zghal F., Grati M.A., Daab W., Ayadi F., Rebai H., Ibn Hadj Amor H., et al. Cold Water Immersion Improves the Recovery of Both Central and Peripheral Fatigue Following Simulated Soccer Match-Play. Front. Physiol. 2022;13:860709. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2022.860709
Marvin, G., Schram, B., Orr, R., & Canetti, E. F. D. (2023). Occupation-Induced Fatigue and Impacts on Emergency First Responders: A Systematic Review. International journal of environmental research and public health, 20(22), 7055. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20227055
Marvin, Graham and F. D. Canetti, Elisa and Orr, Robin and Schram, Ben, Objective and Subjective Measures of Occupational Fatigue. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4937498 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4937498
Nunes R.F.H., Duffield R., Nakamura F.Y., Bezerra E.S., Sakugawa R.L., Loturco I., Bobinski F., Martins D.F., Guglielmo L.G.A. Recovery following Rugby Union matches: Effects of cold water immersion on markers of fatigue and damage. Appl. Physiol. Nutr. Metab. 2019;44:546–556. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2018-0542
Walker, M. P. (2017). Why we sleep: Unlocking the power of sleep and dreams. Scribner, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
