What is fatigue? Fatigue is a common symptom of many different infections. It is a normal part of the body's response to fighting an infection. Usually the fatigue goes away quickly once the body has dealt with the infection.
You should make a full recovery within 2 weeks – while your body may have fought off the infection successfully, you may not feel 100% for up to 2 weeks after being infected. Most of your symptoms should have subsided by this point, but it's normal to feel weak and tired while your body recovers from the infection.
Infections and illnesses are amongst the most common causes of temporary muscle fatigue. This is usually through muscle inflammation. Even though recovery is usual, if inflammation is severe (such as a bad bout of influenza), the weakness can last quite a while.
Leg weakness can be caused by inflammation, which is the body's normal response to injury or infection. Sometimes the body's immune system is activated when it's not supposed to which leads to autoimmune inflammatory disease.
So you will need to be patient with yourself as you ease back into your normal routines. A good rule of thumb is to give yourself 2-3 days of reduced exercise intensity for every day you were sick. So if you were sick for five days, you should take 10 to 15 days to build back up to your previous workout intensity.
For this reason, you require sufficient protein in your daily diet. Harvard School of Public Health recommends getting at least 46 to 56 grams of protein every day. You may need slightly higher amounts after an illness. Best found in: Lean meats, spinach, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds.
To regain your energy and strength, begin to resume daily activities as soon your healthcare team gives you the green light. Then, slowly but surely, you can increase the time you spend each day doing some form of physical activity.
When you're feeling your worst, staying in bed will likely be a no-brainer. As you work toward recovery, however, it's important that you avoid lying on your back, especially if you are experiencing shortness of breath.
No matter the root cause of your nausea or nauseous symptoms, you should usually try to sleep on your left side. Why? Your stomach is located below and slightly to the left of your esophagus and diaphragm. When you sleep on your left side, gravity can help settle your stomach.
When people are sick, they are not likely to wake up feeling particularly rested. One recommendation is to try to add 1 hour of sleep a night to usual sleep times, along with at least one, if not two, naps during the day.
Do not eat or drink anything for several hours after vomiting. Sip small amounts of water or suck ice chips every 15 minutes for 3-4 hours. Next, sip clear liquids every 15 minutes for 3-4 hours. Examples include water, sports drinks, flat soda, clear broth, gelatin, flavored ice, popsicles or apple juice.
At night, there is less cortisol in your blood. As a result, your white blood cells readily detect and fight infections in your body at this time, provoking the symptoms of the infection to surface, such as fever, congestion, chills, or sweating. Therefore, you feel sicker during the night.
Body temperature rises at night
For most people, body temperature naturally increases by 1.5°F at night. Combine that with your body's revved up immune system in the evening, and your low-grade fever is more likely to become a full-blown fever at night. This means more achiness and more of that all-around sick feeling.
A healthy diet, regular exercise, sleep and social support can relieve or manage the symptoms of illness or injury and help improve recovery. Taking a positive view can also make a huge difference to recovery from illness.
Although it's a common misconception, scientists disagree with the idea that sweating can help an illness leave your body more quickly. Making yourself work up a sweat won't hasten your recovery. Instead, it could exacerbate your symptoms and perhaps make you ill.
Magnesium is a natural anti-inflammatory, which means it helps to reduce inflammation and swelling (through reducing the key inflammatory marker C-reactive protein). This means it is great for muscle recovery - relieving tired, stiff, and sore muscles, such as in cases of delayed onset muscle soreness.
Low-fat chocolate milk consists of a 4:1 carbohydrate:protein ratio (similar to many commercial recovery beverages) and provides fluids and sodium to aid in post-workout recovery.
Fatigue is a feeling of constant tiredness or weakness and can be physical, mental or a combination of both. It can affect anyone, and most adults will experience fatigue at some point in their life.
Several medical conditions can make a person feel weak, shaky, and tired. They include dehydration, irregular heart beat, Parkinson's disease, and chronic fatigue syndrome. Treatment will depend on the condition a person has.