How to Design a Fatigue Test

There are two types of fatigue that can make someone feel exhausted even after resting.

Fatigue is a condition that causes a person to feel tired even after resting. It can be one of two types: adrenal fatigue or psychological fatigue. Adrenal fatigue occurs when the adrenal glands are not working properly. Psychological fatigue occurs when one's body gives in to the stresses of life. You can design your own fatigue tests in many ways, using basic components and symptoms to determine what is making the patient feel fatigued.

Things You'll Need

• Pen
• Paper

Instructions

1. Write down the main symptoms of fatigue that your patient is having. They might include not feeling like getting out of bed in the morning, labored breathing after climbing stairs, and/or poor muscle control or weakness.

2. Choose a place to start. You can check if your patient is getting enough rest during the night; if she gets enough rest but never at the same time each night; or if she is dealing with lifestyle stressors such as relationship issues, a physically demanding job such as working in construction, or financial hardship.

3. Make up a few charts to plot your next step. Let's say that the patient presents with tiredness, and does not feel like getting out of bed most days. He is getting adequate rest some nights, but he goes to sleep and wakes up at random. From here, you may want to suggest to your patient to see how he feels after a month of sleeping during a specific period every night, such as 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. If he is feeling a bit better, but still has some symptoms of fatigue, you may go on to suggest better eating habits. If the regulated sleep pattern is not helping at all, then you should go back to square one and try a different test.

4. Make at least two more charts for different tests that will help combat the symptoms so you can understand the type of fatigue and whether medications are needed to help regulate the bodily chemicals causing fatigue. These medications can include adrenal gland regulators and antidepressants.

Tips & Warnings

• The point of designing your own fatigue tests is to see which type of fatigue the patient has and to what degree. However, you should never skip steps in your employer's protocol.

• Inform your patient that self-diagnosis should never be considered the final diagnosis, and that she should always consult a health-care professional before taking any medication.

References

• The Body: Fatigue
• My Adrenal Fatigue: Adrenal Fatigue Treatments