Exhaustion / Burnout / Long-Covid
At a glance:
- Burnout, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), long-covid and post-covid are forms of exhaustion. They have severely reduced mitochondrial function as a common cause.
- Burnout is the result of physical and emotional stress.
- Chronic fatigue syndrome can arise from burnout and is more severe.
- Exhaustion is a multi-system disease and must therefore be treated in a cross-organ, holistic manner.
Chronic fatigue syndrome or burnout?
The two faces of exhaustion.
What is the difference between chronic fatigue syndrome and burnout?
When stresses such as environmental factors, chronic stress, inflammation or pain are present over a long period of time, diseases such as burnout, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS, also called myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME)) or fibromyalgia occur.
Burnout and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) are two distinct conditions characterized by persistent exhaustion, however, there are some differences between the two conditions.
Burnout
Burnout is a condition usually associated with occupational stress and manifested by persistent emotional and physical exhaustion . Burnout often occurs as a result of prolonged stress that is not adequately managed. Symptoms of burnout include exhaustion, withdrawal from activities, feelings of hopelessness, cynicism, and performance problems. When there are fewer and fewer energy reserves in the body over a long period of time, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) develops..
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), on the other hand, is a condition that is not limited to occupational stress only, but can be triggered by a combination of factors such as genetic predisposition, environmental factors, immune system dysfunctions, and viral infections. The condition is so severe and complex that the feeling of fatigue and exhaustion cannot be relieved by rest or sleep.
Symptoms of Chronic fatigue syndrome are similar to burnout, but CFS can also include symptoms such as muscle and joint pain, headaches, memory and concentration problems, sleep disturbances and tender lymph nodes, gastrointestinal problems, and a general decline in health. Symptoms may vary from day to day or week to week and may worsen after physical or mental exertion.
Chronic fatigue syndrome also occurs in people who have undergone chemotherapy or radiation. Other stressors that lead to chronic fatigue can include an accident, surgery, severe psychological stress (including trauma), chronic infections and tumor diseases.
Another form of multisystem disorder is fibromyalgia, which is characterized by episodic pain in muscles and joints.
Exhaustion - a multi-system disease
Burnout, chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia are all forms of exhaustion. All three are multi-system diseases. This means that several organ systems become ill at the same time. Therefore, a one-sided therapy of one organ, as it is often applied, is not promising.
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Symptoms & Measures
What symptoms do you have and what are possible measures?
In the area of exhaustion / burnout / long-covid.
Symptoms
- extreme fatigue and exhaustion: no recovery through sleep
- Sleep disorders
- Depressive moods
- Concentration disorders
- Susceptibility to infections
- chronic pain
Measures
- Determination of the individual hormone profile (especially adrenaline, noradrenaline, dopamine, serotonin and cortisol)
- Balancing hormone imbalances and imbalances with bioidentical hormones
- Measurement of heart rate variability (HRV measurement) to determine the regenerative capacity throughout the day and especially overnight. In this way, one can reliably identify "stress sleep".
- Determination of the immune status
- Localizing Silent Inflammation
- Questioning one's own lifestyle in (professional) everyday life, working out strategies for stress management, creating opportunities for regeneration
