Very interesting synthesis of some recent finding regarding fatigue, specifically "post-exertional malaise" in CFS. "Post-exterional malaise" refers to extended fatigue and general craptastic feeling after exertion - exercise, work, whatever - that lasts longer than would otherwise be considered normal. It's a very common issue for people with CFS.
The article notes that there are now some ways of actually quantifying and objectively identifying differences in PEM among patients with CFS vs. normal control groups.
There also seems to be a connection between aerobic exercise and PEM for people with CFS, which is not so much the case for people with other conditions with a large fatigue component, like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and MS.
I have a tendency to avoid aerobic activity because it's in the category of exercises that "suck; a lot" for me. I tend to have more physical discomfort and feel generally shittier after things that I consider highly "aerobic" (what I think is "aerobic" and what actually is may be different things). So, things like the Obstacle Course, Step Aerobics, Running, etc., in Wii Fit Plus or in "actual: practice tend to make me miserable. Actually, in general, anything that significantly elevates my heart rate and breathing tends to make me miserable and tire me out a lot faster. I thought that just meant I was a wuss. :P
Interesting.
Yoga, stretching, walking, range of motion stuff I can do for longer and tend to feel less discomfort during and after.
I may need to try paying attention to this more. It may be that I'm out of shape or it may be CFS-related.
1 comment:
It helped me to keep a details diary for a couple of weeks, scary how quickly patterns emerged. Also made it easier to avoid the activities that made me feel even more crappy once once I had worked out what they were!
good luck with this.
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