Top tips for management mental health
Anxiety and fatigue
While the symptoms of anxiety disorders change with the specific diagnosis, the common theme is an overwhelming sense of worry and the associated lack of concentration, feeling tired and irritable. To put it simply, anxiety is when you worry about being worried. Feelings of anxiety are common in certain situations throughout life. However, when people……
Meal type and fatigue
It is often promoted that foods high in carbohydrate make you drowsy because they increase the uptake of the amino acid tryptophan by the brain. Tryptophan is a chemical that can work together with another important brain chemical called serotonin, to help promote a calming effect and sleepiness. Foods rich in protein, however, increase production……
Napping
Effective napping is a skill, which cannot be achieved by everyone. Napping cannot replace sleep, but can assist in times of sleep debt, extreme tiredness and/or when heightened alertness is required for your safety, such as driving a car. Naps may improve subsequent performance and alertness for a period of time, ranging from 2 to……
What are the signs and symptoms of fatigue?
Some of the key signs to look out for are listed below. Drowsiness is an impaired awareness associated with a desire to sleep and signs include:errors in familiar tasksrepeated yawningdifficulty keeping eyes open, head nods, microsleepsirritability or impatiencememory loss or forgetfulness (e.g. not being able to remember the last 5min driving)difficulty concentrating/Dream-like thoughtsblurred visions, heavy……
When will fatigue occur?
The time of day affects fatigue, due mainly to the body’s circadian rhythms. Circadian rhythms are natural body rhythms that are driven by the cycle of day and night. The start of the cycle is typically linked to the rising of the sun, and the person getting out of bed after a night’s sleep. During……
Getting enough exercise
We’ve talked about all the benefits of physical activity, but how do we know your fitness is causing you to lack energy and feel fatigued? Ask yourself these questions: Do you breathe heavily after walking up a short flight of stairs?Do you need to take a break or rest if you walk for 1 hour?Are……
How sleep works
Good sleep helps us wake up feeling refreshed and alert for our daily activities. Sleep affects how we look, feel and perform on a daily basis. If sleep is cut short, the body doesn’t have time to complete all of the phases, which can leave us feeling drowsy, tired and fatigued. IMPORTANTExperts have warned that……
Sleep & physical activity
Do I exercise or just have a sleep? It is not uncommon for people experiencing fatigue to put this down to lack of sleep, when in actual fact there are underlying physical and/or functional fitness problems. Physical or functional problems may be related to poor physical fitness, poor strength, inflexibility, injury, illness or inappropriate functional……
What factors increase the risk of a fatigue-related incident?
The following factors have been found to increase the risk of fatigue-related incidents (e.g. lane crossings) and accidents By planning your journey more carefully, you are more likely to stay fresh and vigilant at the wheel, safeguarding your own safety and the safety of others. The strategies outlined in the Journey Planning Guiding Principles document……
Mood and sleep
It’s no surprise that sleep, or a lack of sleep, affects our mood. One sleepless night will cause most people to be more irritable, short-tempered and stressed. After a good night’s sleep, your mood often returns to normal. Whilst sleep does affect mood, mood also affects sleep. People suffering anxiety or stress will experience agitation,……