By Chris Coetzee, OHSS Consultant
Fatigue – both mental and physical – can have an impact on you and your business.
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It’s a new year and you are no doubt working on new ideas, as well as a potential new you. With the challenges that any company will go through as well as the struggles of daily life in South Africa, fatigue can be a slow and dangerous killer of our time, finances and even our lives.
You may be wondering why we are discussing fatigue right at the start of the year. For many, the new year offers opportunities for personal and business growth, but it also comes with constraints, such as insufficient time to get everything done. Insufficient finances to achieve our new year’s goals can also be a factor. You may even spend too much time on planning for growth and never get to the starting point of implementation.
Regardless of what comes in the year, we want to point out that you should be taking care of yourself and what is in your immediate control first, then plan for the slow growth of yourself and your business; otherwise, fatigue is waiting patiently to make you its next victim.
The main symptom of fatigue is exhaustion after a physical or mental activity. You do not feel refreshed after resting or sleeping. Severe fatigue may undermine your ability to carry out usual activities. Fatigue has a direct impact on progress and production.
Patients describe fatigue, especially chronic fatigue (chronic fatigue syndrome), as overwhelming, and describe the tiredness as completely different from what they have experienced before – not a result of overdoing things, but simply a loss of motivation. Fatigue is a common symptom among people with clinical depression.
Physical fatigue – the person’s muscles cannot do things as easily as they used to. Climbing scaffolding and carrying heavy equipment or plumbing materials to be installed may be much harder than before. Physical fatigue is also known as muscle weakness, weakness, or lack of strength. Doctors usually carry out a strength test as they go about diagnosing and trying to find out the causes of individual cases of physical fatigue.
Psychological (mental) fatigue – concentrating on things has become harder. When symptoms are severe the patient might not want to get out of bed in the morning or perform their daily activities. Mental fatigue often appears together with physical fatigue in patients, but not always. Employees may feel sleepy, have a decreased level of consciousness, and in some cases show signs similar to an intoxicated state. Mental fatigue can be life threatening, especially when the sufferer must perform some tasks, such as working at heights. Fatigue among plumbers working during dangerous situations is a serious health concern; both for the health of the employee and those who work around them.
Fatigue signs and symptoms may be physical, mental, or emotional. Below is a list of some possible signs and symptoms:
- Bloating, abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhoea, nausea, possibly problems like IBS (irritable bowel syndrome)
- Aching or sore muscles
- Painful lymph nodes
- Apathy, lack of motivation
- Chronic (long-term) tiredness
- Difficulty in concentrating
- Dizziness
- Hallucinations
- Hand-to-eye coordination may be impaired
- Headache
- Impaired judgment
- Indecisiveness
- Irritability
- Loss of appetite
- Moodiness
- Poor immune system function
- Short-term memory impairment – there may be problems organising thoughts and finding the right words to say (brain fog)
- Sleepiness, drowsiness
- Slow responses to stimuli
- Slower-than-normal reflexes
- Some vision problems, such as blurriness
Fatigue – The Cause
The possible causes of fatigue are virtually endless. Most diseases listed in medical literature include malaise or fatigue as one of the potential symptoms. Causes are sometimes classified under several lifestyle problems and/or some broad disease entities.
Below are some (by no means all) possible causes of fatigue:
- Mental health (psychiatric)
- Grief (bereavement)
- Eating disorders
- Alcohol abuse
- Drug abuse
- Anxiety
- Moving home
- Boredom
- Divorce
A certain amount of stress can invigorate us. In fact, most of us need some kind of mental pressure to get going. When performing any type of plumbing task, lifting and loading, working at heights, be mindful of the potential to feel stressed out or overly stressed about the workload. When stress levels become excessive, it can easily cause fatigue.
Stress and worry are two emotions that commonly cause tiredness. Stress can reach a point in which you flounder and become unable to see the light at the end of the tunnel, which leads you towards despair. Despair is draining and will eventually cause fatigue if it is present for long enough. Not being in control over a situation can be frustrating, annoying and tiring.
Clinical depression can cause tiredness for several reasons. Fatigue may be caused by the depression itself, or one of the problems associated with depression, such as insomnia and some medications – some antidepressants, antihypertensives, steroids, antihistamines, medication withdrawal, sedatives, and anti-anxiety drugs – can have fatigue as a side effect.
When going for your a medical, ensure that you notify the medical practitioner of your conditions or medication when you are getting a medical examination – Annexure 3 for construction – to establish if any conditions or medications will hinder or inhibit your abilities to work at heights or perform other functions of your daily tasks.
Chronic pain
Those with chronic pain typically wake up tired, even after having slept for a long time. For many, pain disrupts their sleep, which also leaves them tired. The combination of disturbed sleep and having to endure persistent pain can be extremely draining, leaving you exhausted for much of the time. Some diseases and conditions where pain is the main symptom, such as fibromyalgia, are also linked to other conditions – such as sleep apnoea or restless leg syndrome – which further worsen symptoms of fatigue.
Tips to Preventing Fatigue
Step 1
Eat a healthy and balanced diet. Most of your calories should come from nutrient-dense foods, which provide steady energy, including whole grains, fruits, vegetables, as well as lean sources of protein, low-fat dairy and unsaturated fats. Try to drink six to eight glasses of water every day. Finally, limit consumption of sugary, fatty, fried or processed foods to occasional treats; these foods are low in nutrients and tend to provide a quick energy fix that just as quickly leaves you feeling fatigued and sluggish.
Step 2
Eat frequently throughout the day. Eating six small meals rather than three large ones can help regulate your blood sugar and in turn, regulate your energy supply. Avoid skipping meals and keep convenient snacks, including nuts, whole-grain crackers or apples, at work and in your car to satisfy hunger.
Step 3
Exercise every day. Even if you can’t commit to a full hour at the gym every day, find a way to work exercise into your daily routine. Regular exercise can help decrease fatigue and even help you sleep better, according to the National Centre on Physical Activity and Disability. Exercising doesn’t have to mean running 5km or lifting weights; getting active can be as simple as taking a walk around the block during your lunch hour, gardening or even housekeeping.
Step 4
Maintain a consistent sleep schedule. Getting adequate and regular sleep is one of the most important steps you can take to prevent fatigue so try to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day, even on weekends, and avoid oversleeping. Eliminate sleep disturbances, including outside noise, by running a fan or a white noise machine and avoid caffeine in the afternoon and evening. If you experience frequent waking or have trouble falling asleep on a regular basis, speak to your doctor about possible solutions.
Step 5
Identify sources of stress and take steps to cope with them. The body’s emotional response to stress uses a tremendous amount of energy, leading to persistent fatigue. It may be impossible to live a stress-free life but learning to deal with it can help you fight fatigue. Consider relaxation techniques like meditation, tai chi, yoga, massage, aromatherapy and progressive muscle relaxation.
Tips for Plumbers
Rest
For some people, rest helps relieve fatigue and is an important part of fatigue management. Resting can prevent you getting to a point of complete exhaustion and coming to a sudden halt, mid task.
A few small breaks are best for some people; or you might feel better after just one longer rest at a particular time.
For example:
- Try taking a few short rests or ‘power naps’ through the day
- Try just one longer rest, at the same time each day
- Take a break between coming home from work and getting ready for an evening out
Prioritise tasks
Prioritising activities can mean you save energy for the things you really want or need to do. It can help you plan your activities and your time to rest and recuperate. You might find it useful to make a list of all the activities you do in a typical day or week. Can they be done in a more energy-efficient way, or at different times of the day, to make them easier? Can you get help with any of these tasks?
Whatever your priorities are, try to be realistic about how much you can get done – don’t try to take on too much.
This could be a tough one, as a plumber has no idea what their day might bring, but try to get all the heavy lifting of plumbing materials done early in the day when you feel rested and satisfied. During the afternoon period, focus more on tasks that require less strenuous actions. Perhaps offer the routine geyser installation in the morning, only.
Posture
You could save energy on a lot of everyday tasks if you have a good, relaxed posture. Keeping a good posture takes practice, but with time it can become easier, as your body re-aligns itself. Make sure you have a good posture when lifting sheeting or equipment; when using tools and handheld power tools such as drills, avoid bending over or awkward positions.
A physiotherapist can help you identify any problems you might have with posture and suggest suitable exercises to help.
Exercise
It almost goes against common sense to exert yourself if you experience fatigue, but exercise helps keep your body working at its best and can improve strength and fitness and mood. It’s possible to do too much exercise, so balance the exercise with rest, and keep cool while you exercise, especially if heat makes your fatigue worse.
Ensure that you first and foremost confirm all health-related conditions or needs with your medical practitioner or doctor before taking any advice offered in this article. Ensure that you maintain a healthy lifestyle within the boundaries of what your doctor prescribes.
As part of the plumbing industry, we should be committed to providing information and instruction to employees regarding fatigue management and endeavour to assist plumbers to get the needed health care or advice necessary. Plumbers should ensure that no medication other than what is given by a doctor is taken while performing plumbing related tasks.
- Reference: The Impact of Worker Fatigue on Workplace Injuries and Employment-Related Accidents
- References: Weycer Law Firm
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