One of the well-recognized symptoms of multiple sclerosis is fatigue. MS fatigue can make everyday life tremendously difficult for MS patients. Not only do they suffer physical fatigue and exhaustion, but they also experience difficulty concentrating and may experience symptoms like mood swings and depression. It should not come as a surprise that MS fatigue makes it difficult for many people to remain gainfully employed.
MS fatigue has certain features that distinguish it from the fatigue experienced by generally healthy people. For one, it has absolutely nothing to do with the number of hours of sleep an MS patient gets. MS patients with this form of fatigue could get 8 hours or more of sleep a night and still feel fatigued when they get up in the morning. They typically feel much more fatigued than a person suffering from regular fatigue would. Additionally, their fatigue gets worse with the passage of the day. Afternoons are typically worst for MS patients.
MS fatigue is also exacerbated by situations and conditions associated with elevated temperature. Thus, if it happens to be a hot day, MS patients are more likely than not to feel fatigued. If it is humid, the same is bound to happen. Strenuous exercises and other activities that make MS patients break out in a sweat have the capacity to trigger various symptoms of MS, including multiple sclerosis fatigue.
Is It Always MS Fatigue?
It is important to note that, even though this form of fatigue is characteristic to MS, it is possible for MS patients to experience other forms of fatigue. For various reasons, they may fail to get enough sleep at night and, if this is the case, they will be exhausted. Incontinence and the pain and discomfort associated with spasticity are examples of factors that might keep MS patients awake at night. Other factors that can cause MS patients to feel exhausted are the side effects of the medications they take. These could cause them to feel drowsy and exhausted, impairing their capacity to work and to think. MS patients may also suffer from medical conditions like anemia, which happen to be characterized by fatigue.
As fatigue in MS patients can be explained by more than one factor, the best course of action for MS patients who experience it is to consult their doctors. The doctors will help them determine whether it is multiple sclerosis fatigue or some other form or fatigue, and will subsequently prescribe the appropriate treatment.
