Prehabilitation and Rehabilitation: Feeling tired? (fatigue)

What is fatigue?

Fatigue is a feeling of tiredness or exhaustion. It can be caused by the cancer itself, or the side effects of treatments. As many as 9 out of 10 people with cancer get cancer-related fatigue.

Cancer-related fatigue usually gets better after treatment finishes. But it may continue for months or even years. Everyone is different and there is no way to know how long fatigue may last for each person.

Some common effects of fatigue include:

Difficulty doing simple things, such as brushing your hair or getting dressed
Feeling you have no energy or strength
Difficulty concentrating and remembering things
Difficulty thinking, speaking or making decisions
Feeling breathless after light activity
Feeling dizzy or lightheaded
Difficulty sleeping (insomnia)
Losing interest in sex
Feeling low in mood and more emotional than usual.

This may have an impact on your work, relationships and social life, but there are things that can help. It is possible to manage fatigue. Here are some resources to support you to manage fatigue here:

If you need more support, your cancer clinical nurse specialist or cancer support worker may refer you to a Physiotherapist, an exercise programme or to an Occupational Therapist to help with managing tiredness.

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