Fighting End of Year Fatigue

As we wind up another year, so many people find themselves limping, in fact falling over the finish line, dragging their bodies towards the promise of a well-earned Christmas break.

What is fatigue, and is there a difference between mental and physical fatigue?

And, what can you do to stay energised and motivated if you feel fatigued and have to keep working through the summer break?

End of Year Fatigue Scrapheap

Three events in the past 10 days have reiterated to me that people are falling in a fatigue scrapheap.

1. Archie’s underpant meltdown – getting my 6 year old son ready for school last Monday morning was much harder than normal. The morning routine started beautifully, but was quickly derailed when Archie couldn’t find matching sports socks, exacerbated by the discovery his favourite underpants were “suddenly too small”. The result? A meltdown of cataclysmic proportions that even the promise of pre-school milk shakes couldn’t fix, as he bellowed “I caaaan’t find matching socks and my favourite Octonauts undies are too small”. Seems poor little Archie is at the end of his tether after a big year of kindergarten.
2. The walking dead – the past fortnight I’ve stopped asking colleagues and clients how they are because every time I mutter the words “so, how are you?” I am peppered with a cacophony of adjectives including “tired, fatigued, flat”, and sayings like “end of the line, falling in a heap, limping to the finish line”. Seems most of the corporate world is at the end of their tether too, after surviving another big year.
3. Queenstown Quandary – thinking I was coping just fine (with no underpants or matching sock meltdowns to date), I was sitting at Queenstown airport late last week ready to fly home after a successful conference. As I went to board the plane, I realised not only had I been sitting at the wrong gate for 30 minutes, but I wasn’t even inside the international part of the terminal. As my name was called as the last boarding passenger on QF122, it occurred to me that maybe I too was at the end of my tether, after a big year, and ready for a well-earned summer break.

Whether you’ve had a big year at work, in your personal life, or scraping through your first year of school - it is normal for most people to feel tired at this time of the year. But what is the difference between tiredness, and being in a state of fatigue?

Understanding Fatigue

“Fatigue is a feeling of constant tiredness or weakness and can be physical, mental or a combination of both”. The Victorian Government Better Health Channel reports around 1.5 million Australians see their doctor every year in relation to fatigue. It is important to understand fatigue is a symptom, and not a condition. Fatigue is multifactorial and can be caused by a combination of lifestyle choices, social, psychological and general wellbeing issues.

While physical and mental fatigue are interconnected, they are governed by different underlying processes and separate biological functions.

Physical Fatigue

Physical fatigue is a muscular fatigue/failure, caused by the type, intensity and volume of exercise (or physical labour/activity) and is determined by mitochondrial density, capillarisation, muscle fiber composition, proton accumulation, depletion of glycogen stores in muscle and neuromuscular characteristics. In other words, physical fatigue is a physiological limitation process of energy generation to meet needs.

Mental Fatigue

Mental fatigue is a change in psychophysiological state. Sports science refers to mental fatigue as ‘reduced alertness, reaction time and effectiveness – all of which manifest in the form of sub-optimal performance’. Mental fatigue can be caused by inadequate sleep, inconsistencies in circadian rhythm (body clock), poor motivation and a number of psycho-social factors.

“Mental fatigue is associated with low-performance efficiency, high presenteeism and greater number of days absent. Fatigue is also a significant contributor to increased perceived stress at work, negative work-life balance, poor well-being outcomes, decreased life and job satisfaction, decreased happiness, and higher prevalence of work-related ill health".

Factors Causing Fatigue

Belmarra Health outline the following biological and psychosocial factors that underpin fatigue.

• Skeletal muscle changes: skeletal muscle is a reserve of energy so reduction in muscle mass can influence our level of energy and therefore feelings of fatigue.
• Neuromuscular mechanisms: largely associated with old age, neuromuscular fatigue is best defined as a decline in skeletal muscle function with repeated effort. It can include decreased muscle strength and size, as well as an increase in fat deposits outside the muscle cell.
• Dehydration and electrolyte disturbances: bodies need water to work well and stay cool. We also need electrolytes to help retain fluid, control our muscles, as well as our blood PH and transmission of nerve impulses. Dehydration and electrolyte issues increase with age.
• Inflammatory mediators: chronic inflammation has been known to influence fatigue.
• Psychoneuroimmunologic mechanisms: a person’s state of mind can have an influence on disease and therefore impact the level of fatigue. For example, immune function can be affected by chronic stress and depression.
• Psychosocial influences: the interaction between social and psychological factors can have an impact on fatigue. Studies have shown that some people with chronic pain or diseases experience less fatigue during social interaction, but more fatigue the following day.

Sleep Fatigue Basket

Lack of sleep most often gets the blame for fatigue, and while it may be true in many cases, I think it needs to be recognised that poor sleep may be a symptom of physical or mental fatigue, as much as a contributor to fatigue. Normalisation of sleep to an individual’s normal patterns is essential for emotional stability and physical restoration. All sleep debts need to get paid back, to avoid fatigue triggering chronic health issues.

Fatigue, and Motivation…

Feeling ‘so fatigued’ at this time of year is predominantly in the context of mental fatigue. When people say they are fatigued, what they often mean is that they are not motivated. This is most likely the case in December where societal culture allows or almost promotes demotivation. Motivation results from the interaction of both conscious and unconscious factors including the (1) intensity of desire or need, (2) the incentive or reward value of the goal, and (3) expectations of the individual and of his/her peers. All of these are affected this time of year where desire decreases, reward decreases, and output drops.

7 Ways to Freshen Up and Reduce Fatigue

Fatigue is a challenge for many people, from kindergarten to the board room. Most people know why they are fatigued, but if you experience exhaustion for a period of time, much more than the run of the mill ‘end of year fatigue’, please see your doctor and have a thorough medical check-up. 

A number of people reading this article will also be working over the summer break in occupations including hospitality, tourism, media, self-employed, etc. and not have the luxury of a pending break. So, what are a few proven (and legal) ways to move from fatigued to fresh?

1. Move your Mitochondria

Your body has millions of mitochondria, referred to as ‘the powerhouses of cells’ and mitochondrial dysfunction can lead to fatigue. Mitochondria generate energy for the cells in our body and the best way to increase energy is to move constantly throughout the day. Aim to get 10,000+ steps every day.

2. Flush your body

Dehydration and electrolyte disturbances can cause fatigue. Our bodies need water to work well and stay cool. If you work in air conditioned offices, exercise regularly, fly in aeroplanes, drink coffee and alcohol – you need to drink at least 8 to 10 glasses of water a day (minimum). We also need electrolytes to help retain fluid, control muscles, stabilise blood ph and transmission of nerve impulses. Dehydration and electrolyte issues increase with age.

3. Good Night

Try going to bed 30 to 60 mins earlier each night for a week and get on top of sleep deprivation. Lack of sleep increases risk of accidents and is the major cause of daytime fatigue.

For the average person, less than 7 hours of interrupted sleep per 24-hour period will have a high homeostatic drive for sleep as the body struggles to restore balance. Not being able to stick to a consistent bedtime due to travel or social engagements, and traveling between different time zones, this can result with lack of impaired judgment, reaction time, and situational awareness—the hallmarks of poor mental effectiveness.

4. Go Fishing

Omega-3 oils in deep sea fish are not only good for your heart, they can also help boost alertness. A 2009 study at Italy’s University of Siena showed participants who took fish oil capsules for 21 days had faster mental reaction times and self-reported high energy levels.

5. Dial up the Dopamine

Nuts are high in protein and fuel the body with dopamine, a neurotransmitter that helps with alertness, creativity, learning and concentration.

Foods don't actually contain dopamine. Our body creates it by breaking down the amino acid Tyrosine. Dopamine is linked to brain processes that control movement and emotional responses. Eating nutrient-dense foods like nuts also increases the satiety index (feeling of fullness), which results in more control over potential hunger cravings, which is something you don't get from a packet of crisps or a chocolate bar.

So to help with brain processes, eat more of the foods that increase dopamine, such as:

• Protein such as beef, chicken, cheese, eggs, fish
• Folate-rich vegies including broccoli, spinach and cauliflower
• Fruits including apples, blueberries, watermelon, bananas, prunes and strawberries
• Nuts and seeds

Eat less of the foods that may reduce dopamine, including:

• High-sugar snacks and soft drinks, artificial sweeteners, processed carbohydrates and additives

6. Job Design

Design jobs around controlling the mental and physical demands associated with the job, e.g. ensure adequate staffing and resources to do the job without placing excessive demands on workers. Place strong importance on job rotation and task variation. And leave enough time between shifts for workers to have the rest time they require to recuperate before their next shift, and educate your workers on fatigue management.

7. Have fun, laugh, play

If all else fails, tap into that inner child (without losing the plot over your Octanaut undies) and remember to focus on what you have (a paying job, family and friends, live in a great country) and even if you don’t have the luxury of a summer break, regular doses of fun and laughter will change the chemical state in your body (endorphins) and make you feel great.

References:

https://www.fatiguescience.com/blog/the-difference-between-mental-and-physical-fatigue/

https://www.healthandsafetyhandbook.com.au/how-to-reduce-the-risk-of-fatigue-in-your-workplace/

https://www.belmarrahealth.com/the-link-between-mental-and-physical-fatigue/