Americans are getting more tired.

So says a new report published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Does this sound like you? Feeling tired all the time no matter what you do? Is it making it difficult to enjoy life? You might want to talk to your health care provider about chronic fatigue syndrome. Experts say it’s a tough ailment to live with and a tough one for science to grasp, but there are ways to ease the symptoms.

“It is challenging, for sure,” says Aminat Ogun, MD, a family medicine physician at OSF HealthCare. “Feeling that intense fatigue day to day for normal activities that other people can tolerate.”

Symptoms and diagnosis

Dr. Ogun says there’s no known, specific cause for chronic fatigue syndrome. But it’s associated with other health issues: viral infections like Epstein-Barr, coronavirus and retroviruses; Lyme disease; depression and sleep disruption. Dr. Ogun says the disorder impacts women more than men and is most often seen in ages 30 to 50.

There’s no test to diagnose chronic fatigue syndrome, so providers will look at five symptoms:

• Persistent fatigue
   
• Malaise (feeling discomfort or ill) after exerting yourself

“If you’ve done any mental or physical activity and you have that sudden onset of feeling fatigued and very tired,” Dr. Ogun explains.

• Feeling unrefreshed after sleeping
   
• Memory and concentration problems
   
• Orthostatic intolerance. This is a disorder where your blood pressure rises when you stand up.

“If you’ve had six months of these symptoms with moderate to severe intensity at least half of the time,” you’d likely be diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, Dr. Ogun says. “It’s through history taking. When you see your primary care provider, they ask questions. That’s how it’s diagnosed.”

Treatment

Treatment for chronic fatigue symptoms can include medicine and lifestyle changes.

• A provider may recommend medication to help with the joint and muscle aches, nausea, headaches and depression that can come with chronic fatigue syndrome.
   
• Seeing a mental health professional
   
• Diet changes
   
• Graded exercise therapy. A provider will work with you to increase physical activity over time. This can help with overall energy.
   
• Improve sleep habits.

“Go away from screen time a couple hours before sleep. Don’t exercise right before sleep. That can also affect your sleep pattern,” Dr. Ogun lists as two examples.

Dr. Ogun says each treatment plan is different. Medical experts don’t know when, on average, chronic fatigue syndrome will go away. You may have to manage symptoms for the rest of your life. Dr. Ogun says you should stay in close contact with your primary care provider about your treatment plan.

Learn more

Read more about managing chronic fatigue syndrome on the OSF HealthCare website.

Interview clips

Related stories

Chronic fatigue is nothing to sleep on
Is sleep alliance the cure to nighttime issues?
Getting a wake-up call
Recognizing the mind-body connection to manage chronic illnesses
How do I know if I have chronic fatigue syndrome?

The statistics are alarming. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the percentage of children and teenagers in the United States classified as obese has more than tripled since the 1970s, with nearly 15 million children and adolescents in the U.S. considered obese.

What’s driving the trend? For many, it’s a simple matter of eating too much and moving too little. During the school year gym class, recess and other classroom activities provide time for movement and active play. Now that school is out for the summer, however, the responsibility often rests at home.

“When kids are out of school, it's critical to make sure that they're outside playing every day. We want kids to get a minimum of an hour every day of physical activity, but it would be great to see more,” says Dr. Rebecca Sierra, an OSF HealthCare pediatrician in Bloomington, Illinois.

An hour a day may sound like a lot, but children may already be meeting the recommended physical activity levels with every day play. Activity doesn’t need to be organized, nor does it require time in a gym. For kids, it’s a matter of moving. 

“Any kind of play is physical activity. If they're out on the swing set, walking the dog, playing at the park, any of that. It doesn't take organized sports, they don't have to be on a soccer field. Just getting kids outside or creating activities at home for them to just be active.”

One thing parents can do to help get their kids more active – hit the off switch on electronics. The time kids spend watching TV, playing video games or surfing the web is time they could be physically active. 

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, on average, kids ages 8-18 now spend an alarming seven and a half hours in front of a screen for entertainment each day. That adds up to 114 full days of screen time over the course of a year. Dr. Sierra points to recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to say that number needs to be much, much lower.

“If they're not outside being active, are they inside spending time on screens? And we really want to try to limit that,” she warns. “The AAP recommends no more than two hours a day of screen time for most kids. So that's a lot of hours left in the day for kids to get outside and have physical activity.”

Compared to those who are inactive, physically active kids have higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness and stronger muscles. They also typically have lower body fat and stronger bones. Physical activity also has brain health benefits for school-aged children, including improved cognition and reduced symptoms of depression.

Despite its importance, keeping kids on the right activity track might sound daunting. Dr. Sierra reminds busy parents they can set the pace for the whole family. She recommends making health and fitness a family affair. Have your children join you on walks or working around the yard; even the youngest ones can pick up sticks.

“So much of getting kids active is doing things as a family. Personally, I know my kids love to join me when I'm going for a walk with the dog or if I'm outside doing anything in the yard, they're on the swing set. They follow me and they want to do what we're doing as adults, so I think if parents are getting outside and being active, the kids are going to follow.”

Learn more about making family fitness fun here.

Interview Clips - Dr. Rebecca Sierra

Active Kids B-Roll