Exhaustion of the body: causes, symptoms and treatment

Forms of nervous exhaustion

Many factors influence a person's state of mind. When entering society, people are exposed to physical and psychological stress. Nervous overstrain for a long time leads to depletion of nerve cells and the development of psychological diseases. Patients often do not suspect that the situation is out of control and medical attention is needed.

Depending on the severity of the disease, mental disorders take different forms:

VSD and weather dependence

A person suffering from vegetative-vascular dystonia is not affected by the weather.

Weather dependence in VSD is observed only if vegetative-vascular dystonia in adults is combined with cardiac, vascular, respiratory, and joint diseases.

VSD and weather, VSD and weather dependence - all this is relevant mainly for older people. But young people can suffer from VSD and magnetic storms. At their peak, a person complains of poor health, powerlessness, and weakness.

Some people suffering from VSD feel worse after a few days, when the magnetic storms stop.

Depending on the type of VSD, the reaction to magnetic vibrations may be different:

• with the cardiac type of VSD, painful sensations appear behind the sternum. The heart rate increases and blood pressure rises. Additional symptom: sweating during VSD;
• with the vagotonic type of VSD, headaches of varying intensity appear.

The functioning of the gastrointestinal tract is disrupted: pain appears in the abdomen, diarrhea or constipation develops.

Magnetic storms are an invisible stress factor for a person suffering from VSD. Catecholamine is activated in the body. This provokes an increase in blood pressure, the development of sweating during VSD and increased heart rate.

Working capacity decreases sharply. Night sleep is disturbed (a person’s condition worsens with night sweats during VSD), adynamia is present, and the panic-anxious nature of incoming thoughts intensifies. At this moment, there is a high probability of developing contrast obsession neurosis, which brings severe suffering to the person.

Due to blood thickening, oxygen metabolism deteriorates, and disruptions in brain activity are observed.

Causes of nervous exhaustion in women and men

Nervous exhaustion, the symptoms of which look the same in women and men, develops slowly, since visible signs are not perceived by patients as a disease. A nervous breakdown only at first glance seems unexpected and short-lived; in fact, depletion of the nervous system begins long before its manifestation.

Prolonged exposure to one or more stressful situations on the psyche leads to continuous nervous tension and gradual wear and tear of the nervous system. It doesn't matter how much self-control a person has or his ability to get out of difficult situations.

The body is a mechanism that wears out after prolonged overload, and the nervous system is no exception. It is very important to know about the causes that can lead to nervous exhaustion in order to be able to prevent the development of the disease.

Most often, factors surrounding a person exert prolonged stress and lead to a nervous breakdown:

• Constant overwork associated with heavy physical labor.
• Activities associated with great moral and material responsibility.
• Mental overstrain at work or school.
• Financial difficulties.
• Tensions in the team.
• Strained relationships with loved ones or relatives.
• Breakdown of relationships between spouses or partners.
• Problems with personal relationships.
• Death of a loved one.

Stress is not always caused by unpleasant events. A stressful situation that provokes nervous tension can be considered moving to a new place of residence or the birth of a child.

Nervous exhaustion: variety of manifestations

Nervous exhaustion manifests itself both as intellectual impairments (cognitive disorders) and psycho-emotional disorders, which manifest themselves mainly as depressive states. Such disorders, in particular latent (larved, masked) depression, the manifestations of which are hidden behind a “façade” of various symptoms, occupy one of the leading places in the clinical picture of all forms of psychosomatic diseases, along with cognitive disorders.

Nervous exhaustion is “hidden” under a great variety of symptoms. With nervous exhaustion, you may experience discomfort in the heart area, arrhythmia, surges in blood pressure, a feeling of numbness and coldness in some part of the body, sleep disorders, migraines and cluster headaches. Changes in body weight, neuralgia and muscle pain in the arms, as well as various visual impairments are also common.

Among the “masked” symptoms of nervous exhaustion there are also dry mouth, noise and ringing in the ears, attacks of vomiting, pain and discomfort in the abdomen, impotence, movement disorders, etc. Therefore, diagnosing depression in nervous exhaustion is not so easy: patients come to not immediately to a neurologist or a psychotherapist, but to doctors of other specialties who are looking for the cause of these symptoms of nervous exhaustion in “another place.”

Symptoms indicating nervous exhaustion

Many people prefer not to advertise all psychological stress, but to keep it to themselves. You can guess about an approaching nervous breakdown by observing symptoms indicating internal tension.

Increased irritability

Nervous exhaustion, the symptoms of which in women are often associated with pregnancy or the approach of menstruation, is accompanied by frequent mood swings. Increased irritability is one of the first signs of nervous system overload.

Outbursts of anger are caused by ordinary things that were previously ignored. A negative reaction to an event is many times greater than the strength of the stimulus that provoked the emotional outburst. In men, this can manifest itself in a strong blow to the table with their fist; a woman can break dishes.

Fast fatiguability

A symptom of the approaching critical moment is severe weakness and fatigue. It is especially important to discern this symptom against the background of an absolutely healthy body. Reluctance to work is often mistaken for ordinary laziness. Fatigue sets in after minor physical or mental stress. After sleep or long rest, strength is not restored.

The precursors to this condition are usually severe stress.

Constant rush

A constant fussy state makes it impossible to concentrate on specific work. A person is in a hurry to finish one thing and at the same time grabs onto another.

The figure lists the symptoms of nervous exhaustion.

As a result of a lack of control over one’s own actions, the ability to work is reduced, and the quality of work performed deteriorates. Despite the fact that all things seem equally important to a person, due to nervous haste, the desired result does not occur. The consequence is low self-esteem.

Pain in the head and muscles

A prolonged stressful state is called prolonged stress. Against the background of prolonged stress, the production of adrenaline in the blood increases, which puts the body on alert to resist external influences. Nervous shock prompts the body to take defensive actions: fight, flee, or hide.

When the process of nervous tension drags on, a person feels aching joints and headaches. Due to tension, all parts of the body begin to ache. Muscle pain can be of different types: aching or acute. Only targeted treatment of a nervous disorder will get rid of the problem. Muscle spasms in the cervical-collar area cause headaches.

Pressing pain in the temporal and parietal region can be short-term, but recur with a certain periodicity. Sometimes patients suffer from continuous pain, which many try to relieve on their own with medications. Such symptoms require immediate consultation with a doctor, as self-medication will only complicate the situation and delay recovery.

Insomnia

Nervous anxiety impairs quality of life. With nervous disorders, a person is unable to relax and fully rest. Thoughts about the events taking place during the day do not leave the head, a tired brain thickens, and instead of resting, a person continues to accumulate negative information.

When stressed, hormones enter the bloodstream, which have a stimulating effect on nerve cells, causing insomnia.

Treatment of exhaustion

To restore the body, you will need a whole range of therapeutic and health measures, as well as the spirit to fight for health. Correct diagnosis, combined with consistent treatment, can significantly improve the patient’s general condition and stop weight loss, so the first thing you need to do is visit a specialist doctor. In case of significant nervous exhaustion accompanied by mental disorders, consultation with a psychiatrist is necessary.

General recommendations for illness concern the organization of daily routine, sleep and nutrition. To recover, it is necessary to restore the disrupted life cycles:

• get up and go to bed at a regular time;
• avoid taking stimulants;
• take regular walks at a leisurely pace;
• avoid malnutrition, take care of normal nutrition;
• practice relaxation: yoga, stretching, taking baths.

A few days of proper rest can show amazing results when exhausted! Supplement them with aroma bath sessions that will help you regain your strength. Oils of eucalyptus, bergamot, lavender, cloves, and oregano will be useful for you, which will help restore strength and renew your body. An emergency remedy for a sudden feeling of powerlessness will be aroma lamps with ginger, rosemary, sage, thyme, and pine.

In case of physical exhaustion, medications that improve digestion and metabolic processes must be prescribed. Depending on the cause of exhaustion, treatment can be done with hormonal drugs. In the presence of a pathological nervous condition, nootropic and vasodilator drugs are used. Colon cleansing with enemas often has a beneficial effect.

To restore your metabolism, you need to take a course of vitamins. Treatment with folk remedies is available at home:

• Peel 50 g of castor bean seeds, rinse and pour 0.5 liters of warm milk. Add flour, knead elastic dough. Form small cakes and dry them in the oven without using oil. It is recommended to eat two tortillas every day
• Buy Chinese lemongrass berries (20 g) at the pharmacy. Place in a thermos and pour one glass of boiling water. After half an hour, strain and take a tablespoon 3 times a day.

Consequences of mental disorder

Mental disorders, unlike physical illnesses, cannot always be quickly diagnosed, since the symptoms of nervous diseases can be applied to signs of many diseases. You should be attentive to changes in behavior in yourself and your loved ones, since many people do not consider mental overload a reason to see a doctor.

Nervous exhaustion, the symptoms of which in women and men are similar to physical diseases of the body, is not in itself considered a disease of any organs, but a failure of the nervous system as part of a general mechanism affects the health and physical condition of people.

• Blood pressure increases, which threatens the functioning of the cardiovascular system.
• Feeling feverish tremors, a mentally ill person sweats profusely.
• Lack of appetite or uncontrolled consumption of large amounts of food leads to disruption of the digestive system.
• A mental breakdown leads to conflicts at work, which can lead to job loss.
• A person begins to have financial difficulties, which further depresses an already depressed person.
• Physical condition worsens, and problems grow like a snowball.
• The future begins to look bleak with no way to improve.
• A difficult life situation forces the patient to look for a way out. Many people try to solve the problem with alcohol or drugs. Some patients contemplate suicide.

A person with mental exhaustion feels uncomfortable in society, his social position changes for the worse. For prolonged depression, regardless of its origin, the help of a specialist is necessary.

Characteristic manifestations

I present to your attention the typical signs of nervous exhaustion.

1. Irritability that appears spontaneously, without a proper reason. The individual begins to feel nervous about his family members, work colleagues, friends, passers-by; he is characterized by increased temperament, and general exhaustion of the body is observed.
2. Excessive sensitivity, aggravation of perception occurs. Low-frequency sounds cause irritation, and weak light seems too intense. Sentimentality increases, and resentment also increases.
3. Problems with concentration, a person has difficulty learning new information, comprehending it, it is difficult for him to cope with simple tasks, he is constantly distracted by something, and his memory deteriorates.
4. A depressed mood appears.
5. Problems arise with sleep, the person suffers from insomnia, and has nightmares at night.
6. Weakness, excessive fatigue, even with minimal exertion.
7. Characterized by low self-esteem and increased anxiety. Even basic things cause fear; an individual may be afraid that he will suddenly die or become ill with a terrible illness.
8. Headache, which occurs from time to time, occurs with light exertion. A feeling of tightness is typical. The epicenter of pain is the temples.
9. There is an exacerbation of chronic ailments.
10. Skin problems arise, vision deteriorates, allergic rashes appear, and problems with appetite appear.
11. The rhythm of heart contractions is disrupted, pressure changes are possible, and a feeling of numbness appears in the limbs.
12. Problems in the sexual sphere.
13. Impaired functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, nausea, and possible vomiting.

Nervous exhaustion in women

It is believed that young ladies are more resistant to the development of nervous system exhaustion than boys. However, women are characterized by a more pronounced manifestation of symptoms due to the presence of increased emotionality. You may have noticed that girls who are excessively whiny or act nervously are treated as something familiar, while the manifestation of similar behavior in men will be discussed.

Signs of nervous exhaustion in women may include:

• trembling of the chin, hands, frequent blinking during a stressful situation,
• a woman stops taking care of her appearance,
• she isolates herself
• the girl ceases to be interested in everyday life,
• she devotes less and less time to work and family,
• Losing interest in what you love,
• the development of expressed fears may occur,
• an acute reaction to external stimuli cannot be ruled out.

In men

Representatives of the stronger sex quite often experience nervous exhaustion. Often the weight of responsibility placed on their shoulders triggers the process of nervous system disorder. Due to the fact that men are more reserved, they rarely complain about their well-being, and, even more so, do not want to report problems with the nervous system and psyche. This leads to the fact that male representatives seek help from a specialist quite late, when the disease is at a late stage of development.

Characteristic manifestations of nervous exhaustion in men include:

• severe decrease in performance,
• physical endurance decreases,
• a non-standard response to what is happening develops, outbursts of aggression, excessive irritability, anger,
• self-confidence decreases,
• there are difficulties concentrating, planning tasks,
• doubts arise regarding one’s masculine viability.

Diagnostics

Diagnosis of psychological disorders is based on the explanations of the patient himself or his loved ones. Often the patient’s own behavior does not seem wrong to him and it becomes difficult to convince him of the need for treatment.

The main signs of mental disorders are two opposing conditions:

• Prolonged depression, which is accompanied by indifference to everything around.
• Bewildered and fussy excitement with senseless and inconsistent activity.

In any case, the patient believes that he is at the peak of his capabilities and failures lead him into severe depression, which cannot go unnoticed in his immediate environment.

How to treat nervous exhaustion

Attempts at self-medication lead to irreversible phenomena such as depression and neurasthenia

combined with irritability.

A comprehensive approach to treatment is required. For the success of treatment, it is necessary first of all to stop the impact of stress on the patient and create an environment conducive to recovery. The right approach to treatment

helps reduce the severity of symptoms and promote recovery.

• the cause of the disorder should be identified and neutralized - conflicts in the family and at work will have to be eliminated, psychological trauma and stress must be avoided, perhaps take a vacation, change the environment;
• correctly organize the daily routine, observe the work and rest schedule, find time for both active recreation and relaxation;
• train yourself to fall asleep and wake up at the same time;
• Minimize caffeine consumption and eliminate alcohol;
• get into the habit of walking in the fresh air;
• establish regular nutrition, monitor the adequacy of the diet;
• establish regular sex life;
• rest regularly.

Pharmaceuticals

should only be used as directed by a specialist. The following means can be used:

Treating nervous exhaustion yourself

If a person is familiar with the signs of nervous exhaustion, then it is possible to independently apply methods to combat a psychological crisis in order to prevent a nervous breakdown.

Balance of rest and work

A nervous breakdown is a consequence of the body’s struggle with excessive fatigue from constant nervous tension. Strengthening the nervous system and maintaining working capacity with a high productivity coefficient largely depends on the correct distribution of time allocated for work and rest.

No matter how important the work is, it will not be done efficiently and on time if the body begins to overwork. Weakening concentration and absent-mindedness leads to aimless and fruitless pastime.

As a result, with large amounts of time spent, a person receives low labor productivity, which contributes to the accumulation of negative emotions. When the first signs of fatigue appear, you don’t need to force yourself to concentrate and finish the job you started at any cost. A short break from work will bring more benefits.

Any distracted activity will help relax the nervous system.

• Breathing exercises.
• Switching attention to another type of work.
• Walk in the fresh air.
• Physical exercise.

By giving the body a break, a person can be at the peak of his capabilities for a long time without harm to health.

Normalization of sleep

The main sign of nervous system overload is insomnia. When sleep is disturbed, the human brain does not rest, but continues to reproduce the events of the day, as a result of which disturbing thoughts do not leave the consciousness either day or night. To normalize sleep, you need to relieve excitement and relax. Simple procedures performed before bed will help make the process of falling asleep easier.

• Deep inhalations and exhalations while holding your breath for a short time can be done while in bed.
• Evening walks in the fresh air.
• Muscle relaxation therapy.
• 5 hours before bedtime, it is advisable to avoid factors that excite and irritate the nervous system: caffeine, alcohol, nicotine.
• Regular swimming helps restore sleep.
• A relaxing warm bath with the addition of decoctions of medicinal herbs: string, hop cones, valerian helps improve the quality of sleep.
• Herbal teas and homeopathic soothing remedies.

If measures to restore sleep do not work and the person continues to suffer from insomnia, you should seek help from a specialist and resort to more complex treatment methods.

Physical exercise

The goal of measures to restore the exhausted nervous system is to reduce emotional stress. Physical education classes will help you shift your attention and concentrate on positive actions. Features of relaxation exercises are considered to be an appropriate atmosphere and the absence of heavy force loads.

• Workouts aimed at combating stress last from 10 to 20 minutes.
• During classes, nothing should distract or irritate. For a short period of exercise, you need to provide a calm environment and eliminate distractions: a barking dog, a crying child, borscht boiling on the stove.
• Lighted candles or an aroma lamp with essential oils and calm music have a positive effect.

There are many options for comprehensive exercises to relieve stress.

You need to start with simple ones and gradually increase the load if necessary:

1. Breathing is one of the few functions of the body that can be controlled. In a state of stress, a person tries to do everything faster, his breathing becomes shallow and frequent. First you need to do some breathing exercises. While sitting on a chair, you need to straighten your back and relax the muscles of your neck, arms and legs. A deep breath is replaced by an exhalation while simultaneously counting inhalations and exhalations. Having counted to 10, you need to count down in reverse order: from 10 to 1.
2. Lying on your back, place a small weight (a book or dumbbells) on your stomach and spread your arms to the sides. Inhale and exhale, straining the abdominal muscles with pushing movements.
3. Swing your legs.
4. Squats.
5. Tilts.
6. You should always complete your exercises with a breathing exercise. In a standing position, while taking a deep breath, raise your arms up, and as you exhale, touch your toes with your hands.

Diet

With nervous exhaustion, issues of proper nutrition fade into the background. Symptoms of an impending breakdown include complete or partial refusal to eat, or excessive and uncontrolled consumption of food in large quantities. It is during this difficult time for the body that disturbances in the functioning of internal organs cannot be allowed.

Metabolic and digestive system disorders associated with poor nutrition will further complicate the healing process. In women, the menstrual cycle may fail due to an excess of the hormone cortisol and adrenaline in the blood, which are produced under stress.

To maintain immunity, the body needs vitamins and minerals:

• Potent sources of B vitamins include bananas, nuts, eggs and dairy products.
• To maintain vigor and efficiency, a person needs to eat protein foods: chicken, eggs, cheese. Protein foods should be supplemented with fresh vegetables, herbs and fruits.
• It is better to replace carbonated drinks with freshly squeezed juices.
• Seafood and nuts will help restore strength.
• The main enemies of a weakened nervous system and the body as a whole are alcoholic drinks, fatty and smoked foods.
• Don’t get carried away with flour products; it’s better to eat oatmeal or muesli for breakfast.

Food intake should be limited to 3 times a day. If you need to eat something during the day, you can place a bowl of cashew nuts nearby for this purpose. You can’t go headlong into extremes: fasting to lose weight or torturing yourself with physical activity. This will only harm your health. Unusual changes will become additional stress for the body.

Treatment of nervous exhaustion with folk remedies

Nervous exhaustion, the symptoms of which in women appear more clearly and earlier than in the stronger half of humanity, does not go away without a trace. At the first signs of overwork in yourself or your loved ones, you need to take measures to eliminate them. After all, the problems are not decreasing; the attitude towards them needs to change.

Folk methods and remedies can be your first helpers:

• A positive result will be achieved by drinking rosehip infusion, which, in addition to its beneficial components, has a pleasant taste. 15 pcs. Pour dried rose hips into a 0.5 liter thermos, add boiling water and leave to infuse for a day. Take 0.5 cups throughout the day. The infusion will be more tasty and concentrated if you repeat the preparation procedure again with the same fruits.
• The essential oils contained in chamomile flowers are good for calming the nerves. Pour 1 teaspoon of dry raw material into a glass of boiling water, cover with a lid and leave for 15 minutes. Take instead of tea as a tonic drink. When combined with honey, a chamomile drink helps with insomnia.
• Grind calamus root and pour 3 tsp. 500 ml boiling water. Cook with the lid closed for 15 minutes. Strain and take 2 tbsp before meals. l.
• A course of massages is excellently relaxing and has a positive effect on the nervous system.

Drug treatment of nervous system exhaustion

It is not possible to quickly get rid of nervous exhaustion, since negativity sometimes accumulates over a long period of time and represents a large volume of failures and sadness that befall the patient.

First of all, you need to eliminate influencing factors and direct a person’s energy towards the positive. There is a set of methods for this: gymnastics, proper nutrition, drug treatment. Most often, doctors prescribe antidepressants.

• Drugs that eliminate the symptoms of the disease (headaches, muscle pain, arrhythmia) with an additional calming effect. The most popular are Corvalol and Glycine. The drugs reduce psycho-emotional stress and improve brain activity. The tablets do not need to be taken with liquid; they are placed under the tongue and dissolved 2-3 times a day. The duration of treatment is 3-4 weeks.
• Strong antipsychotics are prescribed by a doctor and have many side effects. Such drugs are prescribed for serious disorders if other methods do not bring results. The drugs have an anti-anxiety, antipsychotic and sedative effect, and restore consistent thinking. Antipsychotics and tranquilizers are prescribed during the progression of the disease and in subsequent recovery periods.
• Homeopathic medicines made from medicinal plants can be bought at a pharmacy without a prescription. Their action is aimed at supporting the immune and nervous systems. Valerianahel is considered one of the most effective homeopathic medicines. The product contains medicinal herbs and mineral components that relieve nervous excitement, help with insomnia and normalize cardiac activity, without overloading the body.

Vitamins

The spectrum of influence of vitamins on the human body is wide. With nervous exhaustion, the body works at the limit of its capabilities and consumes a large amount of energy that needs to be replenished. As a result of a violation of the diet, there is a lack of minerals and vitamins that affect brain activity.

The missing substances begin to be consumed by extracting them from the internal organs.

The body's resources are depleted and asthenia develops. The main substance responsible for the normal functioning of the nervous system are B vitamins. In order to help the body recover, you must first achieve a balance between work and rest, then start taking medications containing vitamins.

The most popular means are:

• Neurovitan.
• Milgamma.
• B-50.
• Tianshi.
• Doppelhertz with magnesium and vitamins.
• Folic acid.

Cachexia - symptoms and treatment

The goals of treating cachexia are:

• restoration of normal body weight (at the same time, menstruation and normal ovulation in women, as well as libido and hormonal balance in men are restored);
• increasing the patient's motivation and willingness to cooperate to restore normal eating patterns and participate in treatment;
• training in healthy nutrition and its organization;
• correcting irrational thoughts, attitudes and beliefs;
• treatment of concomitant mental disorders;
• stimulating family support, conducting consultations;
• preventing relapse of the disease.

When determining a treatment algorithm, first of all, it is necessary to find the underlying disease that led to the development of cachexia in a particular patient:

• limiting the amount of food or completely refusing to eat in order to lose weight;
• increased breakdown of muscle tissue (catabolism) against the background of concomitant pathology;
• the development of sarcopenia - atrophy of skeletal muscles, in which older people gradually lose muscle mass and strength;
• mental and physical development disorders.

Treatment of cachexia begins with the selection of a method of nutritional support , since not only the digestive function is disrupted, but also the absorption of nutrients by cells and tissues, metabolism and the vital functions of the body. Nutritional support includes two methods:

• parenteral nutrition - the introduction of nutrients into the body by intravenous infusion through a dropper, bypassing the digestive tract;
• enteral nutrition is the introduction of nutrients into the stomach or intestines through a gastric tube or gastrostomy tube, i.e. food will go directly into the stomach, bypassing the oral cavity and esophagus [11][12][13].

Patients who are able to eat are recommended to frequently consume high-calorie foods in small quantities - eggs, liquid nutritional supplements, etc. Although these supplements and an increase in caloric intake have a positive effect on the body, the underlying process of cachexia cannot always be stopped, as it can cause syndrome of other diseases. For example, cachexia naturally develops in a cancer patient.

Eliminating nausea, constipation, changes in taste, shortness of breath, and depression can significantly improve the patient’s condition. For patients with persistent anorexia, the optimal treatment method is pharmacotherapy , which is primarily aimed at stimulating appetite. Numerous studies confirm the effectiveness of this treatment in individual patients, but it does not reverse the development of cachexia.

Synthetic progestins, megestrol acetate and medroxyprogesterone, can stimulate appetite They are used only in complex therapy with other drugs. In 5% of patients, side effects may occur due to their use: skin rash, disruption of the menstrual cycle and adrenal function, increased blood glucose, and a tendency to form blood clots.

Corticosteroids, hormonal anti-inflammatory drugs, are used to treat anorexia. These include: dexamethasone, methylprednisolone and prednisolone. They also improve your appetite and overall quality of life. The effect of their use occurs during the first two weeks of treatment. However, these drugs can also cause a number of undesirable effects: myopathy (muscle atrophy), decreased skin elasticity, adrenal insufficiency, decreased cell sensitivity to insulin, insomnia, deterioration of memory, attention, and disability [15][18].

Appetite stimulants with antiemetic effects include cannabinoids (such as dronabinol). They can be used in cases of cancer. Taking them can be complicated by euphoria, hallucinations, psychosis, and disruption of the cardiovascular system.

Correcting metabolic disorders involves supplementing with fatty acids such as omega-3. They stop the rate of muscle breakdown and have a positive effect on the metabolism of fats and proteins.

Complex treatment also needs to include a drug that normalizes energy in the cell - hydrazine sulfate. The dosage of this medicine is gradually increased.

In addition to pharmacotherapy, full treatment of cachexia includes consultations with other specialists - a psychotherapist or psychologist, palliatologist, gastroenterologist, etc. They will help correct factors that indirectly affect the progression of cachexia. For this purpose, it is necessary to select a pain therapy regimen and prescribe various drugs (according to indications):

• gastrokinetics, stimulating gastric motility;
• antiemetics - antiemetic drugs;
• enzyme preparations that improve the digestion process;
• hepatoprotectors that protect the liver;
• intravenous iron, cobalamin (vitamin B12) and folic acid to treat anemia;
• means for the treatment of diarrhea and diarrhea.

When you can't do without a doctor's help

Stress accompanies a person to varying degrees throughout his life. The nervous system reacts equally to positive and negative stimuli: the adrenal glands begin to actively produce adrenaline and cortisol. Depression or aggression is the body’s reaction to a malfunction of the nervous system. The average duration of a depressive state is 2-3 weeks.

By observing changes in one's own behavior, a person can provide primary assistance to himself. If you pay attention to proper nutrition in time, start taking vitamins and soothing medicinal decoctions, you can recover without additional help from a psychotherapist.

If the means used do not help and no changes for the better are observed within a month, you should urgently seek the help of a specialist. There are many methods of psychological therapy that help to get out of a depressive state without resorting to the help of powerful antidepressants.

Nervous exhaustion: the gold standard of treatment

Today, a drug has been developed that practically does not reveal unwanted side effects in the treatment of nervous exhaustion, which is accompanied by cognitive disorders, depression, etc. The new drug belongs to the latest generation of nootropics and is characterized by high antidepressant activity. Pramistar acts in two directions at once - it improves the patient’s intellectual function and relieves him of the negative psycho-emotional background that accompanies nervous exhaustion.

Treatment with Pramistar is effective and safe even when used in elderly people. Pramistar will relieve symptoms of nervous exhaustion within 4-8 weeks after starting a course of taking this drug.

Pramistar is structurally similar to piracetam. However, its action is selectively aimed at specific metabolic links in the central nervous system, which are “nodal” in ensuring memory and higher mental functions and, at the same time, play an important role in the pathogenesis of various forms of dementia. Compared to piracetam, Pramistar causes a more pronounced reduction in the intensity of headaches, dizziness and asthenic disorders. When using Pramistar, cognitive functions (concentration and memory) improve more effectively than piracetam, and mental and physical performance increases.

An important advantage of Pramistar is its cerebroprotective, angioprotective, antiadhesive and antiplatelet effects, which leads to an improvement in the neurological status of patients with a wide variety of pathologies. Pramistar stands out from other nootropics due to its very high safety indicators associated with its favorable pharmacokinetic parameters. Pramiracetam is not metabolized in the body and is excreted unchanged. It also does not interact with other medications. This ensures high safety of the drug, especially in conditions of polypharmacy in elderly patients.

Every day people experience stressful situations, worries, increased mental and physical stress, and negative emotions. And all this is reflected in the activity of our nervous system. Normally, a healthy person is constantly depleted of energy reserves, but with the right rhythm of life and adequate stress, everything is quickly restored during sleep and rest. These processes are in balance, which allows the body to function normally.

Nervous exhaustion occurs when increased stress on the nervous system is not compensated by an increase in recovery time. Thus, the main reason is overwork. Unfortunately, most people do not pay enough attention to this problem; people want to do everything and do not pay attention to their mental state. It seems to everyone that the body’s reserves are limitless, and one can easily continue to work at a frantic pace to the detriment of sleep and rest. But against the background of prolonged nervous exhaustion, depression can develop, which is very difficult to treat.

Symptoms and signs of nervous exhaustion:

The clinical picture of the disease is quite diverse and can be hidden under the guise of pathology of many organs and systems:

1. Psycho-emotional manifestations of depletion of the central nervous system appear first, but in most cases go unnoticed, because even the patients themselves, when visiting a doctor, very rarely focus on them:

• irritability for any reason, something that previously did not cause any special emotions begins to provoke outbursts of aggression;
• rapid fatigue, when a person cannot fully perform his duties at work and at home, he needs to take frequent breaks. People with nervous exhaustion feel tired even in the morning after seemingly full sleep;
• inability to concentrate, there is a feeling that everything around is interfering, distracting: cars are making too loud noise outside the window, extraneous sounds are annoying;
• lethargy, general weakness, when it seems that even to perform a simple movement one has to make incredible efforts;
• unreasonable fears, anxieties, fear of making a mistake;
• insomnia, especially difficulty falling asleep, constantly tormented by unpleasant thoughts that are simply impossible to get rid of. If sleep does occur, it is shallow and short-lived, may be accompanied by scary and incomprehensible dreams, and after waking up you feel tired and exhausted;
• low self-esteem, a person feels like a failure, focuses on his shortcomings and repeatedly exaggerates them;
• fog in the head, when there is no clarity of thinking, everything seems blurry and incomprehensible.

2. Symptoms from the cardiovascular system:

• stitching pain in the region of the heart;
• feeling of heaviness, pressure behind the sternum;
• heart rhythm disturbances;
• fluctuations in blood pressure with a tendency to decrease;
• excessive sweating, pallor, marbling of the skin;
• coldness of hands, feet.

3. Gastrointestinal manifestations:

• stool disorder - there may be either diarrhea or constipation;
• colic, cramping abdominal pain;
• decreased appetite.

4. Changes in the central nervous system:

• headache of a paroxysmal nature (migraine type), aggravated by psycho-emotional stress - as with astheno-neurotic syndrome;
• dizziness;
• “veil” before the eyes;
• noise, ringing in the head.

5. Signs of a lack of vitamins, nutrients and general exhaustion of the body:

• weight loss;
• increased fragility of teeth and nails;
• hair loss;
• allergic reactions;
• herpes;
• decreased immunity.

Stress and depression with nervous exhaustion

Stress, nervous exhaustion and depression are parts of one pathological process. You could even call these stages of the disease. Constant stressful situations give rise to exhaustion of the nervous system, and prolonged existence in conditions of constant lack of substances necessary for the normal functioning of nerve cells ultimately leads to a worsening of the condition and the development of depression. Being in a depressed state provokes new stress. This creates a vicious circle that can be very difficult to break without qualified medical care.

Treatment for nervous system exhaustion

Therapy in mild cases is carried out on an outpatient basis; in more severe situations, treatment is indicated in specialized departments of hospitals. Basic principles:

1. Normalization of work and rest regime

- the main key to success in the treatment of nervous exhaustion. Mental stress should alternate with physical labor, i.e. It is important to change the type of activity throughout the day, not forgetting about breaks.

2. Sleep at least 8 hours at night.

Before you go to bed. It is advisable to walk in the fresh air for at least 20-30 minutes, you can drink weak tea with mint, take a warm bath with chamomile infusion.

3. Nutrition during the treatment of nervous exhaustion should be balanced,

contain a large amount of vitamins and minerals. Fatty, fried, salty foods and excessive use of seasonings are undesirable.

4. Refusal of alcohol and nicotine.

5. Psychotherapy.

6. Medications must be used strictly as prescribed by the doctor:

• antidepressants (amitriptyline, sertraline);
• sedatives (grandaxin, adaptol);
• drugs that restore energy reserves in nerve cells (mildronate, actovegin);
• vasodilators (sermion, cavinton).

7. Alternative treatment for exhaustion of the nervous system,

including the central one, is based on the following recipes:

• Angelica officinalis: 1 tbsp. Pour a glass of boiling water over a spoonful of chopped rhizomes and leave until it cools completely. Drink during the day in 4-5 doses (after meals), for a course of 21 days;
• heather: 3 tbsp. spoons of crushed dry grass, pour 500 ml of water, let simmer for 10 minutes, wrap and leave until completely cool. Drink in small portions per day. The course of treatment is 2 weeks.

Taking vitamins

If you have nervous exhaustion, you should not buy vitamin-mineral complexes, which are full of pharmacies; it is better to focus your attention on certain groups of vitamin preparations that are beneficial for the nervous system, which in high doses can help in the treatment of the disease:

• B vitamins (milgamma, neuromultivit, magne B6);
• vitamin C (ascorbic acid).

Take courses for less than 3-4 weeks

Neuro-emotional fatigue. Many people still don't even consider this a fact worthy of attention. They say about such a person “just tired,” and all health problems are attributed to fatigue. Meanwhile, this is a rather serious condition that can lead to very unpleasant consequences.

The International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) distinguishes two types of nervous exhaustion:

1. Exhaustion due to prolonged exposure to unfavorable conditions.
2. Exhaustion due to excessive exertion.

Forecast

The body is able to cope with minor and short-term depressions after mild stressful influences on its own. A deep and prolonged depressive state leads to nervous exhaustion, and this is already a disease.

If treatment is not started on time, all mechanisms of the human body will suffer from nervous exhaustion: the cardiovascular system, the digestive and reproductive systems.

Although nervous exhaustion is not a disease, it should be taken seriously, as nervous breakdowns can cause great harm to health. People who lead a healthy lifestyle cope much better with stressful situations without the use of potent drugs.

You need to regularly monitor your life rhythm:

• Combine mental and physical activity with rest.
• Eat properly.
• To refuse from bad habits.
• Exercise.
• Organize your leisure time (hobbies, interests).

When the first symptoms of a nervous breakdown appear, you need to consult a psychotherapist who will help you cope with the impending problem. The nervous system, regardless of the age category of men and women, needs constant support.

Author: Vishnevskaya Galina

How to help a patient

Treatment of VSD begins with a comprehensive diagnosis. Doctors pay attention to the patient's physical health. If chronic diseases are under control, you should consult a psychotherapist. A doctor (a specialist in the field of anxiety disorders) studies the underlying causes of the development of vegetative-vascular dystonia. There is no need to treat the symptoms separately: this will essentially do nothing.

When the underlying causes are worked out, the symptoms of nervous exhaustion will go away on their own – as unnecessary.

If necessary, the specialist prescribes medications. For insomnia, sedatives are prescribed. Depending on the accompanying symptoms, drugs that accelerate metabolic processes may be prescribed.

If depression is present, it is possible to prescribe antidepressants (not always - mild depression can be treated without medication)

Advice from a psychologist for exhaustion

1. General Tips

• Get enough sleep.

It is believed that an adult should sleep from 6 to 9 hours a day, each person has his own norm. If you are generally exhausted, you may need more time to sleep. You need to sleep in silence in a dark room. Light, sounds and interrupted sleep interfere with the production of the sleep hormone melatonin. This hormone is necessary for normal well-being.

• Have a rest

Walk regularly. Find time to go to the cinema, sit with a book, swim in the pool. If you are busy with mental work, find yourself a pleasant activity with physical activity. If your job is physical, give yourself time to watch a comedy.

• Relax

Do yoga, Pilates. Master meditation and visualization techniques. Learn relaxing breathing. Use auto-training or progressive muscle relaxation techniques. Take a massage course or treat yourself to a spa treatment.

1. Reduce expenses

Reducing spending is necessary to reduce stress and reduce anxiety.

What should you give up? If this is difficult to understand, answer the following questions:

What do I really need for life, and what can I do without?

What can I give up for a while?

What is my cost structure? To understand the structure of your expenses, write them down over a month or two.

1. Look for resources

When you are exhausted, you expend much more energy than you take in. Your task is to restore the balance between “giving” and “receiving.” Think about how you can get what you need for free. Let others take care of you. The main thing is that you feel that you are receiving more than you are giving.

For example, trips to the mall can be replaced with free online delivery. This is a way to save time, effort and not waste money on impulse purchases.

Let's say you have a goal that requires investment from you. For example, you want to relax by the sea. Before you buy a trip, brainstorm about who or what can help you. Maybe your work offers cheap travel packages? Or can you ask to see your cousin from Koktebel? Or can your friend who has a house in Montenegro take you for free for company?

Think about who can help you with cleaning, who can help you pick up your children from school.

1. Avoid unimportant and non-urgent tasks

Use the Eisenhower Matrix to analyze your employment. Divide upcoming tasks into important and unimportant, as well as urgent and non-urgent. Give up unimportant and non-urgent tasks without regret.

1. Apply Pareto's Law

Pareto's Law states: “20% of effort produces 80% of the result, and the remaining 80% of effort produces only 20% of the result.” Find those 80% of things that you can abandon with virtually no losses, at least for a while. Is it really necessary to wet clean your apartment every day? Is it really necessary to spend half a day preparing lunch? What task will your boss not remember in a month or two?

Put your efforts only into those things that bring in the maximum amount of money with a minimum investment of effort and time.

Psychological causes of exhaustion

1. Constant experience of anxiety and despair.

The inability to cope with anxiety and despair leads to fatigue and indifference. This is how the body protects itself from unbearable experiences. Anxiety occurs when it is impossible to be sure about the future. Despair arises from the need to give up your goals or familiar things: a car, an apartment, a vacation abroad, or sausage for breakfast.

1. Insensitivity to your body.

There are people who were raised in such a way that they stopped listening to their body. They do not feel tired or pain. Some of them don't feel hungry. They just get very sick at some point. Sensitivity to your body can be restored through long-term psychotherapy.

1. All by myself, all by myself.

If you have a lot of responsibility, you may experience symptoms of burnout. Sometimes unbearable burdens are associated with objective necessity - for example, paying a mortgage in foreign currency and feeding children. But truly hopeless situations are extremely rare. In most cases, it is simply difficult to see the resources around you. Or it’s scary to share responsibility with other people. Or you lack the ability to ask for help. Or asking for help is humiliating for you, the same as admitting that you are a “weak”.

1. Unrealistic demands on yourself.

If the word “should” is more important to you than the word “want,” then this is a path to exhaustion.

"I must be successful." “I should buy a luxury car.” “I simply have to send my child to the best paid school.”

Constant demands on oneself may be a habit that appeared in the parental family. Or they can serve to maintain unstable self-esteem: if self-esteem depends solely on your successes and failures, then you are forced to waste a lot of energy.

1. The idea of ​​“everything depends only on me.”

Nowadays the idea is popular that we shape our reality, that everything depends on us. This is partly true, but it is also true that each person has his own limitations. If you “see the goal, believe in yourself and do not notice obstacles,” then reality can remind you of itself either as a lump on your forehead or as exhaustion.

1. Denial of the changed reality.

It happens that exhaustion is associated with an unwillingness to give up your goals and ambitions no matter what. Have you heard the phrase “The crisis is in your head”? Denial of reality is a defense mechanism of the psyche.

If you decide: “I will do everything possible to live as before, I will pay all the bills and go on vacation the same as before,” then you increase the likelihood of asthenia.

1. Refusal to mourn losses.

Some of the causes of exhaustion are related to the reluctance to grieve over fading opportunities. The experience of anger and sadness is so frightening that it is easier to drive yourself to exhaustion than to accept the new reality.