A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine 
National Institutes of Health
Fatigue
You're tired, weak, exhausted, weary, worn out. You have a lack of energy and as a result you feel distressed. You're not functioning as well as you should. It's called fatigue, and everyone feels it at times.
Acute fatigue is normal tiredness with occasional symptoms that begin quickly and last for a short time. Rest may help ease acute fatigue and let you return to your normal activities. Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a disorder that causes extreme fatigue. This fatigue is not the kind of tired feeling that goes away after you rest. Instead, it lasts a long time and limits your ability to do ordinary daily activities. Fatigue may also accompany other conditions, including pregnancy, anemia, or cancer, or may result from medicines or emotional problems.
Fatigue is a common symptom. Your health care provider can help find the cause and recommend ways to relieve it.
-
Start Here
- Fatigue
- Also available in Spanish
-
Fatigue: More Than Being Tired(National Institute on Aging)
- No links available
-
Overviews
- Fatigue(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- What Is Fatigue?(Beth Israel Medical Center, Dept. of Pain Medicine and Palliative Care)
-
Latest News
- L-Carnitine Doesn't Beat Fatigue in Cancer Patients(09/19/2012, Reuters Health)
- Even Without Anemia, Iron May Help Fatigue(07/20/2012, Reuters Health)
-
Disease Management
- Assisting Families to Manage Fatigue(Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association) - PDF
- Also available in Spanish
- Fatigue: Conserving Energy(Multiple Sclerosis International Federation)
- How Can I Manage Fatigue?(Oncology Nursing Society) - PDF
-
What to Do When You Feel Weak or Tired (Fatigue)
(National Cancer Institute)
- PDF
- Also available in Spanish
-
Specific Conditions
- Anemia and Fatigue(InteliHealth, Harvard Medical School)
- Brain Tumors and Fatigue(National Brain Tumor Society)
- Cancer Fatigue: Why It Occurs and How to Cope(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Crohn's Disease Symptom: Is Fatigue Common?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Fatigue(Muscular Dystrophy Association)
- Fatigue(New Mexico AIDS Education and Training Center)
- Also available in Spanish
-
Fatigue (PDQ)(National Cancer Institute)
- Also available in Spanish
- Fatigue and Multiple Sclerosis(National Multiple Sclerosis Society)
- Fatigue Fighters in Sjogren's Syndrome(Sjogren's Syndrome Foundation) - PDF
-
Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Fatigue (Feeling Weak and Very Tired)(National Cancer Institute)
-
Preventing Fatigue Due to Lupus(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
- Return to top
-
Health Check Tools
- Fatigue Test(Beth Israel Medical Center, Dept. of Pain Medicine and Palliative Care)
- Weakness or Fatigue(DSHI Systems)
- Weakness or Fatigue(Harvard Medical School)
- Return to top
-
Clinical Trials
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Fatigue(National Institutes of Health)
- Return to top
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Fatigue
-
Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
-
Seniors
-
Fatigue: More Than Being Tired(National Institute on Aging)
- Return to top
-
Fatigue: More Than Being Tired
-
Patient Handouts
- Fatigue
- Also available in Spanish
-
What to Do When You Feel Weak or Tired (Fatigue)(National Cancer Institute)
- PDF
- Also available in Spanish
- Return to top
-
You may also be interested in these related encyclopedia pages:
MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
Languages
