WHY BEING FATIGUED IS NOT THE SAME AS BEING TIRED
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I regularly hear the word “fatigue” being used interchangeably with the phrase “being tired”. It is a common misconception that the 2 words are the same.
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WHAT IS FATIGUE?

Fatigue is an unrelenting, extreme level of “being tired”. It is a level of exhaustion that does not clear from rest or sleep. It is a symptom that is debilitating in its very nature. Fatigue can destroy a person into a skeleton of who they once were. 2/

For that reason, the phrase “chronic fatigue syndrome” can seem almost insulting to those who suffer it, purely because the use of the word “fatigue” is so more complex than it seems.
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Fatigue is an invisible symptom, with no specific evidence to demonstrate it. It therefore requires a trust in a person’s description of their symptoms and day to day life to understand it fully. Fatigue is needing to nap once, twice, or even all day just to get through.
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It’s the overwhelming weakness constantly, even if you’ve had your recommended amount of sleep every night. Fatigue is the extreme exhaustion that isn’t simply a case of having slept too much, too little, or not at all.
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WHAT IS "BEING TIRED"?

Being tired is what we all are at the end of the day, a feeling that everyone is very much used to. Tiredness happens to everyone and is expected at the end of certain activities or a long day. However, tiredness is something that goes away.
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It relieves from a good night’s sleep, or a nap, or even some rest. Tiredness does affect concentration and attentiveness but will generally clear.
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Tired all the time was what I was when E was a tiny baby, sleepless nights, cluster feeding and all that. Fatigued all the time is what I am now, despite sleeping 8 hours a night, eating (relatively) well, getting fresh air daily.
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