When Fatigue is an Indication of Something Worse
A feeling of mild fatigue that passes after
a while is quite common – but it turns out that if it strikes you too
frequently or persists for a long time, it may predict some significant
dangers lurking for you, and it’s worth being aware of them. A new,
long-term study from a researcher in the Department of Epidemiology at
the University of Pittsburgh found that severe and persistent fatigue
can have very negative consequences. While the results here are not
encouraging, it’s worth knowing them to understand what to watch out
for.
A New Model for Assessing Fatigue
Dr. Nancy W. Glynn, an associate professor at the University of
Pittsburgh’s School of Public Health, has been researching fatigue for
many years. Early in her career, she identified that researchers and
professionals in the field lacked a reliable tool to measure fatigue
levels. Therefore, at that time, she defined the phenomenon with the
vague definition: "whole-body fatigue anchored in quantifiable
activities." During that period, to assess a person’s level of fatigue,
researchers would ask general questions like, "How tired are you?" or
"How weak do you feel?"
Dr. Glynn was not satisfied with this
situation at all: "We really wanted to measure fatigue more accurately
in our research projects," she says. Therefore, over time and as she
progressed in her work on this topic, Dr. Glynn succeeded in developing a
more qualitative method for assessing fatigue levels. In 2014, she even
compiled everything she had learned to create a new tool called the
"Pittsburgh Fatigability Scale" - Pittsburgh Fatigability Scale – which
is currently available in 12 languages (Hebrew is still not one of
them). This scale consists of a 10-question questionnaire designed for
adults aged 60 and older. It is self-administered by the participants
and examines their physical and mental fatigue in the context of
activities with defined intensity and duration. In the test,
participants are asked to respond and rate their answers to questions
like: "How fatigued did you feel after a brisk one-hour walk?" or "How
fatigued did you feel after watching TV for two hours?"
In recent years, Dr. Glynn and her
colleagues have used the scale she developed to conduct several studies.
In the most recent one, which was particularly extensive, Dr. Glynn
served as the lead researcher, and it included no fewer than 3,000
participants. This study was published in December 2021 in the Journal
of Gerontology (the study of aging) – and its results are very
interesting, albeit somewhat concerning. We will now tell you how it was
conducted and what the data revealed.
How the Study Was Conducted That Determined:
Excessive Fatigue Can
Indicate Premature Mortality
Dr. Glynn and her colleagues examined
thousands of participants aged 60 to 108, with an average age of 73.5.
The participants answered questions taken from the "Pittsburgh
Fatigability Scale," rating their level of fatigue from 0 (not fatigued
at all) to 5 (extremely fatigued) in relation to their feelings about
specific activities. Thus, the higher a participant’s score on the
scale, the greater their level of fatigue.
All data collection on mortality among the participants was completed by
the end of 2019 to avoid results being influenced by the effects of the
COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the study took into account other
variables that could affect mortality rates, such as depression and
other medical conditions. And what were the results? The researchers
found that those who scored 25 points or higher on the fatigue scale
were at a 2.3 times higher risk of mortality in the 2.7 years following
the study’s conclusion compared to those who scored 25 or lower.
This may sound frightening, as the results
point to premature mortality among those who suffered the most from
fatigue, but Dr. Glynn offers some reassurance, stating that she still
cannot definitively determine the extent of the connection between
fatigue and death. "It’s very tricky to understand whether this is the
chicken or the egg. Does physical activity affect fatigue, and then
people become functionally unfit? Or is it the other way around? Are you
fatigued, or is there something that makes you fatigued and leads to a
decline in physical activity?"
Is the Answer to Fatigue Physical Activity?
The Study Says Absolutely Yes!
Dr. Glynn and her fellow researchers tried to address this "chicken and
egg" question in other research projects – for example, in an article
published earlier in 2021 which suggests that increased levels of
physical activity lead to a reduction in physical fatigue. "These are
definitely points in favor of the fact that physical activity may be a
practical model for reducing fatigue," says Dr. Glynn.
According to Dr. Scott Kaiser, director of the Geriatric Cognitive
Health Unit at the Pacific Neuroscience Institute at Providence Saint
John’s Medical Center in Santa Monica, California, the good news from
these studies is that there is hope for older adults and seniors
experiencing frequent fatigue. "It’s something you can adopt, right?" he
says regarding sports training and physical activity. "If you’re not
fit, you can start getting fit."
Dr. Glynn, for her part, now hopes to
create, based on the research program, activities for people seeking to
improve their resilience and perseverance. "My ultimate goal is to
design a physical activity intervention aimed at reducing fatigue so
that we can truly quantify and identify the type, dose, and frequency
needed to lower fatigue among older adults."
Another thing Dr. Glynn hopes for is that her research will lead medical
professionals to talk more about the phenomenon of fatigue: "This is
something that usually doesn’t get addressed by treating physicians
during physical exams," she says. "People shouldn’t just have to live
with it." Dr. Kaiser adds that fatigue is also something people should
consider when undergoing periodic health checkups to assess their health
status: "A state of fatigue that develops easily can be added to the
list of potential warning signs," he says. "Then you’ll know it’s time
to act."
So, if you want to start getting rid of
your fatigue and muster renewed energy to get moving, we recommend
starting with the yoga exercises mentioned in the following article that
will help you combat fatigue, as well as applying the following tips
that will contribute to your fight against mental fatigue.