Feeling Fatigued and Burned Out? Inflammation May Be Playing a Role
Nearly three in five U.S. adult workers surveyed in 2021 by the American Psychological Association reported negative impacts of work-related stress, including a lack of interest, motivation, energy, and effort. Employees also reported experiencing cognitive weariness (36 percent), emotional exhaustion (32 percent), and physical fatigue (44 percent).
Somehow, the pandemic-related burnout has felt different, and people can’t quite account for why they feel this way. And, until recently, there was no information clear enough to point to a possible reason, until this study from Massachusetts General Hospital in collaboration with King’s College London, The Maudsley NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre, and other collaborators.
This study compared 57 pre-pandemic and 15 pandemic data sets from individuals originally enrolled as control subjects for various completed or ongoing research studies available, with a confirmed negative test for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies.
This study provided preliminary signals that the lockdown had the effect of increasing brain inflammation, and this was probably due to immune mechanisms that were activated because of social isolation. And also showed that fatigue associated with the COVID-19 pandemic may be due to brain inflammation.
Social isolation has also been associated with impaired memory and immune dysfunction in other studies. Memory immune dysfunction.
Aside from checking in with your primary care physician to clarify what is happening, there are a few things that you may try to help to get yourself out of his fatigued state:
- Socializing- To the extent that you can safely socialize, it could help to be around other people
- Diet- Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Uma Naidoo recommends anti-inflammatory and fiber-rich foods.
- Nature-based imagery- Studies have shown that viewing nature can have beneficial effects on the brain
- Physical exercise- Physical exercise can improve the neuroimmune response and can be anti-inflammatory
What I've learnt from this article;
- I understood that fatigue may result from inflammation of the brain
- I learnt that the inflammation was due to to immune mechanisms that were activated because of social isolation.
- I've learnt tips on how to reduce inflammation
#PhysicalHealth #Fatigue #Inflammation
@comfortableNight4463 Thank you for sharing this post. I agree. Sometimes internal inflammations can go unnoticed and reflect as fatigue, burnout, mood swings, etc.
The suggestions mentioned are extremely helpful for various conditions. Hoping more people get aware of this.
@DonaldDraper Thank you! I hope it reaches those who might need it!
@comfortableNight4463
This is a great post. As a researcher who studies inflammation I agree that inflammation affects everything in our life from our health, mental health and everything. A lot of major diseases are caused by inflammation such as cancer, diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases.
@sunnyWriting4806 Thank you! Wow! Thanks for sharing! It's amazing how one thing can lead to so many diseases
@sunnyWriting4806 Woah. It's such an honor to come across someone who just might be in the line for nobel prize. :D
But seriously, we would love to hear about your findings in detail. Feel free to make a post about it and I will try to make it reach to max people. (Only if you comfy doing that)
@comfortableNight4463 Wow I really enjoyed this article and thank you for sharing what you learned! I think it's so important to remember that physical and mental health are so highly connected. We forget that taking care of one part will lead to improvement with the other. Our society works so hard today and I don't think we give ourselves enough breaks. I'm sure the reducing our stress levels would produce a much better outcome for all of our physical and mental levels!
@fruityPond7887 Well said! Most people tend to ignore their mental health which will then lead to physical complications. It's important to treat mental health just like our physical health
@comfortableNight4463 I agree! We don't condemn someone for missing school for a fever, but it's frowned upon if someone is just feeling "sad."
@fruityPond7887 Exactly! And then people will try to say "Oh, everyone feels sad sometimes but they still go to school/work everyday" and guilt-trip you into feeling bad about taking care of your mental health. It's sad and I hope this mentality changes.
@comfortableNight4463 I really don't like the way that society views those who struggle, especially when people, like you said, say they are "sad" too. If you don't truly struggle with a mental health disorder, it's difficult to understand how others may feel.
@fruityPond7887 agreed. I hope society changes its way of thinking. Many people still give in to the stigma and are afraid seeing a therapist is only for 'crazy' people
@comfortableNight4463
Very interesting article! It is unbelievable how important social contact is. As the study showed, social isolation impacts us widely and manifests itself in physical symptoms such as inflammation as well. I think it is very important to know it.
When I feel burned out, socializing and nature-based imagery (or connecting to nature in another form) work the best for me.
@globalBraid3744 Thank you for sharing! I hope others see this and try these methods!