Casefile 6: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

I'm still young. But does that mean that I don't need sleep?

I slept at 3am this morning, just to complete my History project. It was a horrendous experience. I wonder how many times I knocked my head on the table, because I was dozing off. Now, I have a blue-black on my forehead. It's so painful and ugly! :(

Anyway, nowadays, it is rather common for youths to become nightbirds. They stay up all night, whether to complete assignments, do project work and even just to play computer games. And the reason is very often "It's just one night. I'm still young. I can do without sleep." However, does youth cure fatigue?

This apparently is not the case. Lack of rest and excessive mental stress may lead to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). This is a long-term tiredness that does not go away with sleep or rest and affects your daily life.

Besides feeling tired all the time, patients may have insomnia, sleeping disorders, severe muscle aches and headaches, which can reduce concentration and brain activity.

And the worst thing is: ANYONE CAN GET CFS, although it’s twice as common in women than men. It usually develops in the early twenties to mid forties. Children can also be affected, most commonly around the age of 13 - 15. THAT's US!

In addition, CFS can be aggravated by inbalanced or irregular meals and, also, environmental pollution.

So, sleep well, eat well and save the Earth!


Tired,
Detective CxY.

--

By the way, the Association of Young People with ME (pronounced -aim-) is the largest charity for CFS patients in UK!

http://www.ayme.org.uk/

http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/articles/article.aspx?articleId=102&sectionId=30283