We’ve all experienced fatigue at one point in our lives, a condition that can affect us physically, mentally, and emotionally. You might feel fatigued after a few hours of speaking with other people, which is social fatigue. You might also feel fatigued after running long distances consistently, which is physical fatigue. Being overworked, such as working more than 55 hours per week, can also bring about constant fatigue.

Those who have chronic or complex illnesses also experience fatigue. People with breast cancer, for example, feel a certain kind of exhaustion that affects their physical, mental, and emotional states. Fatigue is the most common symptom of cancer and its symptoms, and can happen before, during, and even years after breast cancer treatment. Nurses who can recognize fatigue in breast cancer patients can encourage patients to report it to their doctors and assist patients in managing their fatigue levels. Doing so can help improve patients’ quality of life and ensure that treatment remains unhampered.

This article serves as a cancer-related fatigue breast cancer nursing guide that aims to help nurses differentiate cancer-related fatigue from normal tiredness. It also provides evidence-based nursing interventions that can help breast cancer patients manage their fatigue better.

Cancer-Related Fatigue vs. Normal Tiredness: What Nurses Need to Know

Although some patients may use these terms interchangeably, tiredness and fatigue are not the same thing.

Cancer-related Fatigue vs Normal Tiredness: Nursing Guide

Normal tiredness can be typically described as:

• A feeling of exhaustion following a tiring activity or a poor night’s sleep
• It is usually temporary — a tired person will experience relief after resting or sleeping
• Its level is commensurate with the level of effort exerted. The heavier or longer the activity, the more tired you’ll feel.
• It is normal and expected to feel tired after physical activity or after losing sleep.

Fatigue, on the other hand, can be described as:

• A kind of exhaustion that does not resolve or improve after sleep or rest.
• A level of exhaustion that feels draining, demotivating, and debilitating.
• Fatigue is not temporary — it can persist for days, weeks, months, or even years.
• It is not commensurate with a person’s level of activity. A person with fatigue can feel exhausted and drained after minimal activity.

Cancer-related fatigue, based on patients’ accounts, is more intense and debilitating than regular fatigue. According to studies, cancer-related fatigue affects a person’s physical, mental, and emotional states and heavily impacts day-to-day function as well as impairs mood, making it a more severe form of fatigue. Cancer-related fatigue affects 25% to 99% of cancer patients and may be debilitating enough to lead patients to discontinue treatment. Hence, nurses need to spot signs of fatigue in breast cancer patients to ensure continuity of care and adherence to treatment.

Evidence-Based Nursing Interventions for Breast Cancer Fatigue

During medical appointments, it’s important for nurses to screen breast cancer patients for symptoms of fatigue and understand how fatigue affects their daily activities, sleep, mood, and overall quality of life. Nurses can help patients raise specific health concerns with their doctors as well as recommend evidence-based strategies that can help patients manage their fatigue levels.

The following are some nursing interventions to address cancer-related fatigue in breast cancer patients:

• Ensure that treatable contributors to fatigue are properly identified and referred to doctors/specialists, such as poor nutrition, dehydration, poor sleep, infection, and other health conditions. For example, anemia, a common side effect of chemotherapy and radiation therapy, can cause fatigue in breast cancer patients. By properly addressing anemia, cancer patients will have a better handle on their fatigue levels.
• Recommend appropriate low- to moderate-impact physical activity tailored to the patient’s interests and baseline fitness levels, such as walking or yoga.
• Improve sleep quality. Breast cancer patients are prone to having trouble sleeping or developing insomnia. When patients experience disrupted sleep, they are at risk of developing increased inflammation and compromising their immune systems, which can negatively impact cancer treatment and recovery. Creating a sleep routine, ensuring that your bedroom is comfortable and cool, undergoing relaxation therapy, or getting medication from your doctor can help address sleep disruptions.