Everyone feels fatigue once in a while. Lack of sleep, stress, and a busy lifestyle can prevent us from getting enough rest. In most cases, we recover quickly and go on with life. In cases of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), the fatigue does not go away for months or even years.
CFS, also called systemic exertion intolerance disease, or myalgic encephalomyelitis, is a severe and disabling fatigue that cannot be attributed to other health issues, gets worse with stress or physical activity, and does not improve with rest. It affects over 2.5 million people in the United States. Once called “yuppie flu”, it was not fully supported by the medical community until recently. Researchers now confirm that CFS is a real illness and believe it is quite serious.