Fatigue
One of the most common symptoms of suffering a stroke is fatigue. You may feel you tire easier, potentially even from basic household tasks, or you may feel like you are napping more than usual. This is called Post Stroke Fatigue. While it may take time for the fatigue to improve, there are some basic hints to help you manage your fatigue.
Pacing
One of the main things to work on is learning to pace yourself. With fatigue you may find that you can function well one day, achieving a lot in your day, and then be very fatigued the next and feel you can manage less. Pacing involves breaking down tasks into more manageable chunks, or breaking them up throughout the week. This can help to create a steady level of activity day to day, which is a more effective way to manage fatigue and can help you to improve it.
Exercise
While it might feel like exercise is the last thing you want to do when you are fatigued, it is actually quite the opposite. Engaging in physical activity helps to improve your fitness, heart health, lung health, muscle strength and boosts mood. All of these things help to boost energy levels, and can help you to get more out of your day. The key is to gradually increase activity levels, as throwing yourself into a lot of exercise on day one will likely cause you to feel fatigued.
Rest
Post stroke fatigue doesn't tend to be something that you can fight through and overcome. When you feel fatigued it is important to allow the body to rest and recuperate. This will help you to build some energy for later in the day.
See the Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland leaflet in the link below for more advice on managing fatigue.
See the Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland leaflet in the link below for more advice on managing fatigue.