When will fatigue occur?
What can you do to manage fatigue?
Taking action against fatigue happens in two forms: 1) the action you take when you experience fatigue; and 2) the action you take to prevent fatigue and therefore become more fatigue resistant. Figure 1 below summarises the causes of fatigue and identifies the areas that need to be focused on to build fatigue resistance. Although……
Avoiding injury when exercising
Regardless of your exercise choice, one truth applies to everyone: preparation can prevent injury. Many common exercise injuries stem from overlooking two basics: warm-up and stretching. Warm-up: The idea of a warm-up is to swing your body into gear gradually – not suddenly. A good warm-up consists of slow, deliberate, rhythmic movements that are similar……
Top tips for management mental health
Putting it all together Depression, anxiety and stress are major risk factors of fatigue. The good news is that they are all treatable conditions and many people overcome mood disorders through proactive management. However, there is no quick fix. Treatment of mood disorders often takes time and includes a combination of techniques to manage the……
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……
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……
Depression and the impact on fatigue
While we all experience low mood from time to time, it is important to understand that this is not depression. Depression is more than just a low mood. Depression is a very serious illness where low mood continues for long periods of time for no particular reason (See Figure below). To be diagnosed with clinical……
Mood & physical activity
Think about the last time you took a brisk walk. How did you feel afterwards? I bet you felt good! You don’t have to wait for the good feeling physical activity brings. It starts right away – and then gets better. Studies have shown that regular physical activity reduces stress-related symptoms and decreases the risk……
Food quality and quantity
The quality and quantity of food you choose can make a huge difference to body weight. The difference between the two diets on the right is 5700kJ. Someone that eats 5700kJ more than another person will weigh 56 kilograms heavier or would have to walk 5 hours each day to burn this amount of energy……
Optimising sleep for night shift
In a 2018 article in the British Medical Journal (BMJ 2018;360:j5637 doi: 10.1136/bmj.j5637 [Published 1 March 2018]) the topic of optimsing sleep for night shift was covered with the aim to provide sleep management skills for the individual. The article presents the best evidence from trials, guidance material and expert opinion, but outlines the limited……
I don’t have enough time to exercise?
I am too busy at work and my work hours are too long. Despite advances in technology, many of us still spend more – rather than less – time at work. However, there are ways in which you can be more active: Go for a walk in your lunch break – your afternoons will be……