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Fatigued vs. Tired When Living with Pulmonary Fibrosis
One of the most commonly talked about difficulties of living with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is dealing with the fatigue. It can regularly interfere with our daily abilities to complete tasks around the home or at work. It sometimes makes driving difficult and forces patients to be strategic about when they try and accomplish the things they need to get done (ie. only going out in the morning). Fatigue and sleepiness can also interfere with our social calendars, as it can be hard to keep up with the physical abilities of our peers due to the fatigue we experience.
It is not uncommon to hear patients with IPF talk about how exhausted or tired they are. However, according to a recent article published on Well+Good, there’s a difference between the two! The article found HERE talks about the 4 key differences of feeling tired vs. fatigued according to a sleep specialist.
A few of the statements within this article really resonated with me. One was comparing the feeling of fatigue to running on approximately 8% battery or dragging a bunch of bricks behind you. The statement continues to clarify that when you’re fatigued and trying to nap, sleep doesn’t always come easily to you. Much of my experience and living with IPF is summarized in these few sentences alone.
Can you relate to this article on whether you feel fatigued or tired?
Which one is more reflective of your experience when living with IPF and dealing with fatigue/exhaustion/sleepiness?
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3 Replies
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Yes! That’s exactly how I feel. It’s fatigue when I go upstairs with even a small load of laundry. My legs feel so weak and I’m so out of breath. Then laying down and no matter how ‘tired’ I feel, I can’t sleep…. but at least I can rest. It makes a little more sense to me now when not much else about PF does!
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I have both. I can recover with a small rest after dragging the bricks. But I also sleep long hours at night and it’s still hard to get up and get going in the am.
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Completely agree with you Jean! Sorry to hear this is something difficult that you navigate as well. Sometimes others just don’t understand the difference between being fatigued and exhausted and I often have to explain it to them. However, I know many of us living with IPF get it intrinsically. I hope you’re doing as well as possible.
Charlene.
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