Fatigue in People Living with HIV - A.J.
Fatigue is common in people living with HIV. You may find that you experience fatigue from time to time. Described as tiredness that isn’t relieved by rest, fatigue can affect your quality of life and prompt you to look for ways to improve your energy levels. Personally, I have been feeling fatigued for the last 3 weeks and am still working on it.
Although not nearly as common among people with HIV as it was in the past, fatigue can still be a frustrating symptom. Luckily, if you experience fatigue while living with HIV, you and your health care provider can work together to help you manage this symptom.
What Can Cause Fatigue in HIV? Fatigue can occur at varying degrees among people with HIV or AIDS, with several factors playing a role in causing or worsening this symptom:
Mental Health Issues
Living with a chronic health condition like HIV can present a number of financial, emotional, and social challenges. The stress caused by receiving an HIV diagnosis, managing treatment interventions and appointments, and disclosing your HIV status to others can have negative impacts on your mental health. Approximately one-third of people who have a serious, chronic health condition experience symptoms of depression. Mental health issues, including depression, stress, and anxiety can contribute to fatigue. Depression is the most common source of fatigue among people with HIV and fatigue can worsen depression and other mental health struggles.
Comorbid Health Conditions
Comorbidities, or co-occurring health conditions, are common among people with HIV. Conditions like chronic kidney disease, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, and their treatments, can contribute to fatigue.
HIV Itself
Experts have found that HIV itself can be a cause of fatigue, although researchers are still trying to learn exactly how HIV-related fatigue occurs. Scientists have found that in people with HIV, the immune system mounts an attack against the virus, leading to inflammation. Even low levels of inflammation can drain you of energy, potentially leading to fatigue.
How to Manage Fatigue
As always, talk with a healthcare professional if you experience new or worsening fatigue so they can determine the cause of your exhaustion and work with you to find the best ways to combat it. Taking antiretroviral (ART) medications as prescribed by your doctor so that your viral load remains consistently undetectable during monitoring is important. Other ways include:
1. Get Physical Activity
If you’re feeling fatigued, exercise may be the last thing on your mind. fatigue can make exercising a challenge, even if the incentive is there: “Prior to being diagnosed with hiv, I was extremely active.
Although it may seem daunting at first, being physically active offers one of the best ways to help lessen fatigue while living with HIV. Exercise can also help manage co-occurring health conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease, that may contribute to fatigue.
2. Listen to Your Body Regarding Rest
Allowing your body to rest when needed is important. Letting yourself rest can play an important role in self-care while living with HIV. What I’ve been working on lately is listening to my body, pushing through when I need to, but making sure I rest when my body tells me to rest. For me, giving myself the care I would give to someone else is not easy, but I am practicing self-compassion. It does get easier with practice.
3. Set Yourself Up for a Good Night’s Sleep
Getting plenty of quality sleep is also important for staving off chronic fatigue. If you have trouble sleeping, you may want to work toward developing a consistent bedtime routine — this is referred to as practicing sleep hygiene. Do your best to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day, and create a comfortable environment that helps you fall asleep and stay asleep. You can dim your lights as bedtime approaches and keep your bedroom at a cool, comfortable temperature, as well as reducing alcohol and caffeine intake, particularly three or four hours before bedtime.
4. Eat a Healthy Diet
A healthy, nutritious diet plays an important role in maintaining your overall quality of life and well-being while living with HIV. A balanced diet can help reduce fatigue and prevent conditions like anemia (a low red blood cell count), which can be caused by a lack of iron, vitamin B12, or vitamin B9 (folate). Proper nutrition can strengthen your immune system, helping you fight off infections and combat disease progression
5. Take Care of Your Mental Health
Because depression is the most common cause of fatigue in people living with HIV, it’s important to address these feelings if you experience them. Depression can make it difficult to perform daily tasks and cause you to sleep either too much or too little, leading to exhaustion, sleepiness, or fatigue. Other mental health issues such as stress and anxiety, combined with the difficulty of living with a chronic condition, can also contribute to fatigue.
If you are struggling with mental health issues like depression, anxiety or stress, talk with your doctor as they have helpful tips to share or may refer you to a mental health specialist. Joining a support group to help you manage the challenges of life with HIV is another option.
6. Discuss Side Effects With Your Doctor
In particular, certain ART medications may make it difficult to sleep, can disrupt sleep or cause vivid dreams, nightmares, or insomnia as side effects.
If you believe HIV treatments such as ART drugs may be causing difficulty sleeping or affecting your energy levels, talk to your doctor. Your health care team can work with you to find your most effective treatment and symptom management plan while minimizing side effects like fatigue.
Source: https://www.myhivteam.com/resources/fatigue-and-hiv
