Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – Symptoms, Treatment and Prevention

Although Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a relatively new condition, it is something which more and more people seem to be suffering from and classing it as a sleep disorder. For this reason, it is important that you know about this condition and the treatments for it, as well as ways to prevent yourself from getting it. As with any new condition, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (which has only been recognized since 1994) can be difficult to pinpoint and understand.

CFS Symptoms

When a health care professional is working to find a diagnosis for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, or CFS, it is usually because a patient has been feeling tired and lethargic on a continuous basis for more than six months. This fatigue doesn’t get better with rest, in fact, sometimes it will get worse and the fatigue is commonly found with sore muscles, joint pain without swelling, headaches that are new or worse than ever before, inability to concentrate and problems with the short term memory, inability to sleep well, severe exhaustion lasting more than 24 hours after physical or mental exertion and sore or swollen lymph nodes.

You should know that there are also other symptoms which a person with CFS might experience, but that may also be absent in some cases. These include abdominal pain, bloating and diarrhea, nausea, new allergies, coughing, dizziness and balance issues, ear infections, jaw pain or stiffness, chest pain, abnormal heartbeats and shortness of breath, tingling sensations, temperature fluctuations such as the chills or sweating, depression, trouble with vision and weight changes. Keep in mind that you can have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and not have any of these symptoms. On the other-hand, you might have many of them, but they are not considered in the diagnosis of this condition.

CFS Treatment

Since doctors don’t know exactly what causes this condition, it can be difficult to treat. There are no prescription medications for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, so the treatment of this condition is geared more toward easing the symptoms than curing the condition. For instance, pain an allergy symptoms can be treated as well as dizziness, depression and blood pressure problems, which can all be addressed with medications.There are natural supplements that are aimed at CFS and that are designed to promote ‘more natural energy.’

Learning to deal with stress is also widely recommended and it is usually advised that people with this condition slow down their daily lives and get more sleep. Exercise and healthy diets are also widely recommended.

It is thought that the key to properly treating Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has a lot to do with teaching people to do most of their strenuous activities during the “good” part of their day and take it easy or engage in smaller activities when they are feeling at their lowest.

CFS Prevention

It is hard to know exactly what you can be doing to prevent Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, but it is thought that if you learn to properly deal with stress and make sure to get plenty of sleep, you will be doing yourself a favor when it comes to this condition. You should also know that a healthy diet and exercise program are thought to go a long way toward helping to ease the symptoms of CFS.

If you think that you might be suffering from this condition, however, it is important to see your health care provider so that you can begin to treat the many symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and find yourself on the path to feeling good again.