Fatigue and Head Injuries

 

Head Injuries

People that have suffered a head injury generally complain about fatigue. Fatigue, will usually decrease over time, it can still be a persistent problem. There are many patients that recover from an injury, gaining back their other functions, only to have fatigue prevent them from returning to work and regular activities. Some individuals will return to work, but only on a part-time basis. Many people generally work 50 60 hours a week, plus in addition to their 9 to 5 job, they have a second job or work in the home. This type of lifestyle is seriously altered for people that have fatigue, due to a head injury.

Physical and Mental Fatigue

The two types of fatigue are physical and mental, with physical fatigue being caused by some type of physical labor, like working at a labor job, or mowing a lawn. When a head injury occurs the physical fatigue may be bothersome, especially if relearning to walk, building up strength and relearning to coordinate muscles, is tremendous effort. Physical fatigue for most people that suffer a head injury will often go away after approximately 6 months. Along with the physical fatigue, there is also mental fatigue, which most people do not realize as a part of this type of injury.

The person may spend an entire day doing a simple task that would normally have only take a short amount of time, prior to the injury. This could be balancing a checkbook that takes thirty minutes that causes mental exhaustion, but at the same time they could spend the day doing something more physical and not feel tired. Mental fatigue usually lasts for long periods of time. This is like having a half a tank of gas in one vehicle and another vehicle with a full tank, the one with the half tank is going to run out in half of the distance. The person that has a head injury may only be able to do half the amount of mental work, than they would have been able to do prior to the injury. It is like the brain runs out of chemicals to keep it going, and instead just shuts down.

Telephone Analogy

The reason this happens, can be explained by looking at the brain as a telephone line system, and when the phone lines are working correctly, a call can be placed from one location to another. When the telephone line breaks, the connection is lost, and the phone company computers are prepared for this and can reroute the call. This will mean instead of a direct connection it may be routed to different locations, before it reaches the telephone being called. When this happens, it is no longer a direct call, just as broken connections in the brain will mean information is no longer direct and it will take more effort to arrive at the same answer.

Long Term Effects

The fatigue over time for most people will get better, but does it completely go away? In most cases it does not completely go away. The person that is affected may work for a few hours and then they are exhausted, and eventually they may be able to increase to working 4 hours, 5 or 6 hours. In some cases the individual may even be able to work 8 hours, but at the end of the day are so worn out it will take them a couple days to recover. When this person becomes ill, even with a cold, or require surgery, this fatigue disorder will return, even being worse than before.

Can Anything Be Done?

People suffering from this type of fatigue, will normally be affected by it in the afternoon, at approximately 2:00 or 3:00. This means the best suggestion is, if something has to be done that is either difficult or stressful, it should be done during the morning hours, when the mind will be clear and fewer mistakes will happen. The feeling of fatigue, will affect the memory and learning information should be done when the mind is rested and fresh. Then it is more likely to be retained, such as staying up late to study and then the next day when the test is taken, having difficulty recalling the information.Improving the ability to think increases with exercise, but for the person that has a head injury, exercise is crucial. The doctor will need to clear the person to exercise, and then an effort should be made to do so.

Biological Factors

The brain weighs under 5 percent of the entire body, and uses 30 percent of the oxygen in the body and approximately the same amount of glucose or energy that is used to run the body. Exercise can provide more oxygen into the bloodstream, thereby providing more for the brain. This is similar to a car, with a clogged air filter; with the filter clogged the vehicle is not receiving the oxygen it needs to run properly. When the filter is changed and replaced with a new one, the car will receive the oxygen it requires to run properly. People that suffer from chronic fatigue will benefit from exercise and the individual with neck or back pain can benefit from swimming. The important part of this is to discuss with the physician what type of exercise would be best.

Diet is Important

Diet is also important, not necessarily to lose weight, but rather to eat properly and feed the brain what it needs. It is essential for the person to eat 3 good meals, every day, which does not include the usual diet of doughnuts and coffee at breakfast, which gives a brief rush of energy. This type of energy does not last and just as in children, adults can have a sugar high, and then have a crash. This means having a burst of energy for a limited amount of time and then crashing from it, and feeling depleted of any energy. It is tricking the brain that it will have a constant supply of energy.

The Brain Needs Time

It is important to gradually increase stamina, when going from not working to working 40 hours a week, it is extremely stressful. The person that has suffered a head injury, this is almost an impossible task to take on. The brain will need time to build a tolerance to the fatigue that is experienced. This individual might begin returning to work between 1 and 3 hours, and then gradually add hours as it can be managed. The problem with this is maybe that the employer the wants employee there full time at 40 hours per week or not at all.

One thing is that employers are beginning to realize this type of thinking or hiring basis is discriminatory. There are head injury programs that will work with employers, which will give them a better understanding of the employee’s condition. Businesses are starting to realize how difficult it is to find a good employee and working with the restrictions of the head injury patient can have great benefits, which outweigh their working hours. The person that has a head injury, but cannot return to work could volunteer, which helps to build job skills, it will help to improve self-esteem and will assist in reducing fatigue.