Give yourself plenty of time to recover from your stroke. It can take many months before post-stroke fatigue starts to lift. Accepting that it takes time to improve can help you to cope better. Find out how much you can do in a day and stick to it.
Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is a prevalent symptom among stroke survivors. This symptom is an independent risk factor for stroke and may reduce stroke survivors' quality of life, cognitive functioning, and daytime functional performance.
Recovery time after a stroke is different for everyone—it can take weeks, months, or even years. Some people recover fully, but others have long-term or lifelong disabilities. Learn more about stroke rehabilitation from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Some examples include being physically active, doing yoga, stretching and relaxation exercises, eating a healthy diet and getting enough rest. Physical activity can clear your mind, reduce tension and boost your energy.
It is common for patients to have poor health after a stroke, but patients with better sleep quality tend to recover more quickly. This is because a good night's sleep improves neuroplasticity (the brain's ability to 're-wire' itself and re-learn movements and functions).
Fatigue after a stroke is likely a mix of physical and emotional factors. In the weeks and months following a stroke, the brain and body are healing. This recovery process takes a lot of energy out of a person and can lead to months of chronic fatigue.
Apathy is a behavioral syndrome characterized by a loss of motivation that occurs in one-third of patients after stroke. Post-stroke patients with apathy suffer from greater functional impairment and demonstrate slower recovery times to normal functioning.
Even after surviving a stroke, you're not out of the woods, since having one makes it a lot more likely that you'll have another. In fact, of the 795,000 Americans who will have a first stroke this year, 23 percent will suffer a second stroke.
Many stroke survivors experience overwhelming fatigue, both physically and mentally. Symptoms can include difficulty with self-control, emotions and memory. Some report feeling tired even after a good night's sleep. Others say they feel tired when they perform a task requiring physical or mental focus.
Sleep is critical, but sleep problems may follow after a stroke. Poor sleep can slow your recovery and lead to depression, memory problems and night-time falls. The good news is there are ways to improve your sleep.
You or your loved one may experience feelings of irritability, forgetfulness, carelessness or confusion. Feelings of anger, anxiety or depression are also common. The good news is many disabilities resulting from stroke tend to improve over time. Likewise, behavioral and emotional changes also tend to improve.
It found that people who slept for too long or not long enough were more likely to have a stroke. Researchers reported those who had five or more sleep symptoms could have five times the risk of stroke compared to those with no sleep issues.
Walking outside or on a treadmill, stationary cycling, recumbent cross training and many other forms of exercise that get your heart pumping are extremely beneficial for stroke recovery.
Strokes can cause weakness or paralysis on one side of the body, and can result in problems with co-ordination and balance. Many people also experience extreme tiredness (fatigue) in the first few weeks after a stroke, and may also have difficulty sleeping, making them even more tired.
There may be help available with healthy eating, being more active and increasing your fitness and strength, such as physiotherapy or a cardiac rehabilitation programme. If you feel that emotional changes play a part in your fatigue, you can ask about treatment for depression, including medication and counselling.
The main reason for you being tired is simply that you have had a stroke. In the early weeks and months after a stroke your body is healing and the rehabilitation process takes up a lot of energy so it is very common to feel tired.
Regarding the duration of fatigue after stroke, acute fatigue can last up to 6 months, whereas the chronic type can persist in 40% of patients after 2 years. Another study reported fatigue to be still present in one-third of patients up to 6 years after stroke onset.
The stroke recovery process is long and can come with many challenges, including the feeling that symptoms are getting worse instead of better. However, know that regression after stroke is common and often temporary. This can be impacted by factors such as new medications, schedule changes, or excess fatigue.
For this reason, the 60 minutes after the onset of stroke symptoms are known as “the golden hour.” If treatment can be initiated within this brief window, the patient's outcome is likely to be better.