Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disorder characterized by extreme fatigue or tiredness that doesn’t go away with rest and can’t be explained by an underlying medical condition. CFS can also be referred to as myalgic encephalomyelitis or systemic exertion intolerance disease. The causes of CFS aren’t fully understood yet. Some theories include viral infection, psychological stress, or a combination of factors.
Causes
The cause of CFS is unknown. Researchers speculate that contributing factors may include:
viruses
a weakened immune system
stress
hormonal imbalances
It’s also possible that some people are genetically predisposed to develop CFS.
Though CFS can sometimes develop after a viral infection, no single type of infection has been found to cause CFS. Some viral infections that have been studied in relation to CFS include those caused by:
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)
human herpesvirus 6
Ross River virus (RRV)
rubella virus
Infections caused by bacteria, including Coxiella burnetii and Mycoplasma pneumoniae, have also been studied in relation to CFS.
Fighting Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Lifestyle changes
As well as specialist treatments for CFS, making lifestyle changes can also help.
Diet and supplements
It's important you eat regularly and have a healthy, balanced diet. You should be offered practical advice about how to achieve this if, for example, your CFS symptoms are making it difficult for you to shop or prepare food.
If you feel sick, eating starchy foods, eating little and often, and sipping drinks slowly may help. If this doesn't work, medication can be prescribed.
Diets that exclude certain food types aren't recommended for people with CFS. There's also insufficient evidence to recommend supplements, such as vitamin B12, vitamin C, magnesium, or co-enzyme Q10.
Sleep, rest and relaxation
You may have sleep problems that make your CFS symptoms worse. For example, you may:
have problems getting to sleep
have unrefreshing or restless sleep
need an excessive amount of sleep
sleep during the day and be awake at night
You should be given advice about how to establish a normal sleeping pattern. Having too much sleep doesn't usually improve the symptoms of CFS, and sleeping during the day can stop you sleeping at night.
You should change your sleep pattern gradually, and your doctor should review how it's going regularly. If your sleep doesn't improve after making changes, you may have an underlying sleep problem that will need to be addressed.
It's likely you'll need to rest during the day, and your doctor should advise you about the best way to do this. For example, they may suggest limiting each rest period to 30 minutes and teach you relaxation techniques, such as breathing exercises.
If you have severe CFS and need to spend much of your time in bed, it can cause problems, including pressure sores and blood clots. These problems, and how to avoid them, should be explained to you and your carers.
Other ways to manage Chronic Fatigue Syndrome include:
equipment – some people may need a blue badge for parking, a wheelchair, a stairlift, or other adaptations for their home
changes in your place of work or study – when you're ready and well enough to return to work or studies, your doctor should be able to advise you on changes that could ease your return
There's limited or no evidence to recommend:
pacing – this is a technique that many people with CFS find helpful for managing their symptoms; the general aim is to balance rest and activity to avoid making your fatigue and other symptoms worse, but there hasn't been enough research into pacing to confirm whether it improves CFS or has any risks
resting completely – there's no evidence this helps
complementary medicine – there isn't enough evidence that it's helpful for CFS
You shouldn't take up vigorous unsupervised exercise such as going to the gym or for a run as this may make your symptoms worse.
