Other people may have constant symptoms with very little change over time.
Decreased Activity Level and Fatigue
You develop fatigue that was not present beforehand.
You feel an unusual tiredness that can be severe and incapacitating.
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An episode of PEM can range from mildwith extra fatigue, achiness, and brain fogto completely disabling.
You might describe it as how it feels to have mono or recover from a severe bout of influenza.
Sleep Problems
Unrefreshing sleep is a key symptom.
Get our printable guide for your next doctor’s appointment to help you ask the right questions.
You may wake up feeling like you haven’t slept at all, no matter how long you slept.
You might also have insomnia, with difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep.
Cognitive Impairment
Problems with memory and thinking ability seen in chronic fatigue syndrome are commonly called brain fog.
Experts believe there is a slowing of information processing that leads to this symptom.
You might feel lightheaded, weak, or dizzy.
You may feel muscle aches, joint pain, or new or worsening headaches.
Your pain is not triggered by an injury.
Flu-like symptoms are common, but not everyone has them and they are not required for a diagnosis.
These symptoms are not experienced by everyone and are not required for a diagnosis.
They may be due to overlapping conditions.
While chronic fatigue syndrome is not a psychological condition, it is debilitating.
Good days or bad days can be unpredictable.
Many with ME/CFS describe feeling demoralized or even, at times, hopeless.
you’re free to work with your healthcare provider to get treatment for depression and anxiety.
While this will not cure chronic fatigue syndrome, it can be helpful.
The symptoms of ME/CFS are shared with many other conditions, some of which may require monitoring or immediatetreatment.
If your symptoms are generally mild and fluctuating, you may question your need for an evaluation.
But chronic fatigue syndrome is more than just being tiredit’s feeling sick.
Get our printable guide for your next doctor’s appointment to help you ask the right questions.
ME/CFS is diagnosed by symptoms and excluding other conditions.
You may discover your symptoms are due to a condition that has an effective treatment available.
Keep a record of your symptoms, noting dates they began or worsened and what may have triggered them.
Chronic fatigue syndrome is often misunderstood, even by some healthcare providers.
You may need to be persistent to ensure your symptoms get appropriate attention.
Chronic fatigue syndrome differs from general fatigue or tiredness after mental or physical exertion.
Your healthcare provider can use several different evaluation tools to help you come to adiagnosis.
It may take days or weeks to recover from a CFS crash.
ME/CFS is generally considered to be a lifelong condition for which there is no standardtreatment.
2017;5:121. doi:10.3389/fped.2017.00121
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.IOM 2015 diagnostic criteria.
American Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Society.Symptoms of ME/CFS.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Symptoms of myalgic encephalomyelitis/Chronic fatigue syndrome.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.ME/CFS basics.
