Techniques to improve fatigue following a brain injury
By Kira Kunzman. This article was initially published in our Concussion Update newsletter; please consider subscribing.
Did you know that “87% of brain injury survivors feel that fatigue has a negative impact on their life”? This high percentage was a finding from a study about fatigue after TBI by the UK charity Headway. However, we are unaware of the study being published in a peer-reviewed publication. A web page from Headway’s informational website shares important recommendations regarding coping with fatigue following a brain injury. These helpful instructions come from Headway’s Managing fatigue after brain injury booklet, written by Jacqui Wheatcroft and Donna Malley, and provides in-depth information––for both patients and caretakers––about how to deal with fatigue after brain injury.
Listed below are the eight main recommended steps for navigating fatigue:
Watch your mood
Pace yourself
Sleep hygienically
Exercise
Monitor your nutrition and hydration
Discuss medication
Modify your environment
Not only does Headway offer advice on improving the conditions of a person experiencing fatigue, but it also provides actionable advice for making progress towards these goals. For example, “pacing yourself” includes planning regular “rest breaks” and “prioritizing where to use your energy.” Although minor changes, these things can ultimately have a meaningful and helpful impact. While these recommendations are directed towards people of all levels of brain injuries, this information is highly relevant to people with concussions who often experience fatigue.
