For many people, fatigue is the most troubling of all MS symptoms. These expert tips may help to boost your energy level.
The majority of people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) — a chronic autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system — say that fatigue is their most prominent symptom, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS).
Research published in March 2021 in Multiple Sclerosis Journal confirms this finding: In a Norwegian study of nearly 1600 people with MS, researchers found that 81 percent of respondents experienced fatigue.
“Other MS symptoms may come and go, but fatigue seems to be a constant, no matter what stage of MS they’re in,” says neurologist Jeffrey Cohen, MD, director of the Cleveland Clinic’s Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis Treatment and Research in Ohio.
For many people living with MS, however, the word “fatigue” doesn’t quite capture the feeling of being completely depleted.
“I’ve always wished there was another to term to describe MS ‘fatigue,’” says Michael Wentink, a 42-year-old writer with MS who lives in San Antonio, Texas, with his wife and two children. “When people hear fatigue as a symptom of MS, they often think, ‘Oh, sure, I’m tired, too,’ but it’s not at all the same feeling,” he says.
“I remember what it was like to feel tired or fatigued before I had MS, and this is totally different,” says Wentink.
The kind of fatigue that comes with MS isn’t the kind that comes from exertion, Wentink explains. “I can wake up from a night of sleep and feel fatigued. After my shower and shaving, sometimes I literally need to go lie down on the bed for a little bit afterward to recover.”
What Causes MS Fatigue?