chronic fatigue cuties, what helps you the most?

Question

Meg · Answer

NAD+: Ok so I’m not a doctor. I do, however, have chronic fatigue and have recovered from disabling autistic burnout. NAD+ is one of the main things that keep my (still limited but functional) capacity afloat. I have tried ALL methods (oral, nasal, IV etc..) and 10/10 recommend intramuscular injections as the most effective. You need a prescription and can get this from a compound pharmacy and do it at home. It targets mitochondrial function which is kind of everything. Talk to your ND or MD. Even a Psych can prescribe. Contraindicated if you have cancer

Kate H. · Answer

Getting tons of sleep: Once I admitted that I need at least 9 hours of sleep a night, my fatigue abated slightly.

Pair this with some exercise the day before, go to bed early and sleep in a bit, and I can be functional the next day.

Vera · Answer

A few off the top of my head::

Pacing as explained by Uplift Virtual Therapy YouTube channel

FreeME app or Curable app

Daily journaling (Nicole Sachs’ JournalSpeak or as instructed in above apps)

Unlearn Your Pain by Howard Schubiner

Every morning: 5 minutes to tune in with self compassion to physical sensations, emotional sensations and any parts that are present, followed by 15 mins of some vagal toning, gentle movement, and mood elevation

Targeted medications depending on primary symptoms, eg sleep meds, SNRI/SSRI, LDN

Lida Richardson · Answer

A big list lol: Hii I don’t want to assume anything about what you deal with (and know people can mean something different from chronic fatigue syndrome when they talk about chronic fatigue), but I have ME/CFS from long covid and I can list some of the things that have helped me and expand on them if anything feels relevant!

Pacing is a big thing for ME/CFS specifically, but I think it’s generally helpful for a lot of chronic pain/illness. For me it’s been a lot about learning how to listen to my body and also to pause and rest a lot more often than my instincts tell me. I can think I’m fine in the moment but then get a lot of symptoms later on from overdoing it, so I have to be kind of conservative with how I expend my energy and always err on the side of less exertion. Can totally send links and stuff, but again don’t want to assume this is what you’re looking for! But generally resting is something I will always recommend.

Sleeping on a pretty strict routine. Idk this is hard, I know so many people struggle with sleep, but waking up at the same time and going to sleep at the same time does make it a bit better for me. Even if I can’t stay asleep and wake up before 8, I make myself stay in bed till then. I always drink coffee at the same time too & always drink the same amount, which is also a migraine thing. I also just like, need 9 hours of sleep, and really always have, even before long covid. Some people just need more!

Sleep mask. I love my sleep mask. It also helps me actually rest during the day. This is the one I have (I also have some matching silk pillowcases ☺️). I think generally making rest as lovely and cozy and nice as possible has been helpful for me.

Keeping a symptom/activity log. Kind of goes with the pacing thing. But it is helpful to have a record of everything and try to wrap my head around what’s triggering what. And it might be helpful to figure out what’s energizing for you versus what’s just wearing you out. Ie for me, because I get post exertional malaise, exercise just makes me worse, but before I got long covid, going on long walks was great for depression/ other fatigue. I try to log when I wake up/go to sleep, any medication changes, activity (whether mental or physical exertion), and then all my symptoms, which gets kind of depressing lol. But helpful for doctors! Again, idk how relevant this is, it’s kind of an overarching chronic illness thing for me.

Electrolytes. Idk, I think they help? These are the ones I use, but tons of people on here have electrolyte recs.

Eating regularly/keeping snacks on hand. I am bad at this, but it is very useful for me to have easy snacks handy. One of my go to's is these fig bars.

Various supplements and meds - this is for ME/CFS/long covid, so I won’t get into it unless you want me to.

I don’t know exactly what you deal with, so apologies if any of this is irrelevant/old news. But as a lifelong tired person and a current extremelyyyy tired person, I am with you!!!