Lecture-consultation “Children's fatigue. Consultation on the topic: External signs of fatigue in children

Psychologists pay close attention to the mental health of modern children. Heavy workload at school leads to overwork. But even those children who do not yet go to school, constantly spending time in kindergarten or in clubs, by the end of the year are tired of emotional and physical stress. Not everyone can talk about their fatigue due to age and other characteristics. Kids, for example, begin to act up. How to detect symptoms of overwork?

What are the symptoms of fatigue?

First of all, pay attention to subjective and objective signs. Subjective indicators include the appearance of general discomfort, headaches of varying severity, and sometimes a slowdown in speech, facial expressions and movements is detected. The child may experience apathy, lethargy, decreased attention, and irritability.

Objective signs of overwork include medical symptoms. For example, changes may affect blood pressure and increased heart rate. This can be detected using electrocardiography. Also, when examining children with overfatigue, doctors sometimes note heart murmurs and increased respiratory activity.

Accordingly, detect symptoms severe fatigue in a child it is possible not only by behavior, but also by physiological changes.

How to determine whether a child can cope with stress?

If you notice that the child cannot or, on the contrary, asks to sleep during the day, he becomes poor appetite and weight loss is observed, this may indicate overwork. The resulting imbalance can lead to the baby often getting sick. The manifestation of all the above-described signs indicates that daily loads should be reviewed and distributed taking into account physiological and psychological characteristics your child.

Thus, it is quite easy to detect symptoms of overwork. If parents notice signs that fit the description, it is necessary to reduce the load. Of course, everyone has the right to feel tired sometimes. But pediatricians point out that if this happens constantly, then you should carefully check your health and adjust your daily routine.

Signs of fatigue can be a symptom of other diseases, ranging from allergies to changes in hormonal background. In older children, the same manifestations are found in chronic fatigue syndrome. To correctly determine the diagnosis, be sure to show your teenager to a doctor.

Let's open a guessing game for the next writing competition. the main theme is Group, there are zero complicating elements.
stories here
12 competitive + 3 out
the authors are here
Yuka
Lizard
Anonymous
Arsalana
Some people
Nadine Guber
Ladybug
Airini
Mu Mu
Zoya Kalashnikova
Goat Agatha
Inessa Fedorovna

Go! (and waved his horn!)

Veronica Solovykh

Judge whether I'm right or wrong.
My parents and grandmother live 30 km from us. There is a car. Every weekend they come to our city. Either to the theater, then to visit relatives, then to some exhibition, then just for a walk, a cafe, a shopping center there... that is, the distance is not a problem at all. They used to visit us periodically. Well, once every 2-3 weeks somewhere. They cuddle their granddaughter for 2 minutes, drink coffee and continue to hang out. Leaving me dirty cups. Okay, I'm not offended. They still help - sometimes they bring diapers and onesies. OK.
Those. Basically, my husband and I take care of the child alone. More precisely the husband at work all day, he is with the child in the evening. And me during the day. The child practically does not sleep during the day. Well, there’s no way to get it done. Sleep regression, teeth are still emerging... That is, sometimes I can’t calmly eat, wash, tidy up the house, and, excuse me, go to the toilet, because as soon as I disappear from sight, I immediately or...
OK. The last time my parents and grandmother came was on March 8th. As it turned out, the mother had a fever, but the grandmother (old people are like children) was capricious, “why don’t we go?” and they arrived. And the child became infected and fell ill. Then from her I. Then my husband.
I calmly, but still told my mother that if you are sick, there is no need to come. The child was 4 months old at the time. There is really nothing to treat it with. A river of snot, fever. Well, why the hell is this??? Why couldn’t the visit be postponed for a week? What kind of tears from grandma out of nowhere?! What kind of whims? How baby...
OK. They haven't come since then. Apparently they were offended, although I asked, they said no.

So here it is. As I said, the baby doesn't sleep. She already weighs 8 kg. It's hard to carry. Plus, after pregnancy I have a hernia. I'm getting tired. I just want to sit in silence and drink hot tea. I think many will understand me. Grandma calls sometimes. I physically cannot always answer. Then I feed and the child just begins to close his eyes... Of course, I hope that he will fall asleep and do not answer the phone. Then we swim. Something else. Yes, I can even just, excuse me, sit on the toilet. Or wash a child's bottom. You never know... no. She starts calling non-stop until I answer the phone. And when she picks it up, she starts scolding me like a schoolgirl, “WHY DON’T YOU pick up the phone! I CALLED!”
The desire to talk disappears, of course. My parents stopped visiting now. Although in the photo on social networks I see that they regularly visit our city. I can only walk to the nearest store, that’s all my entertainment))). The mood spoils, of course. But I don’t complain to anyone, I don’t express dissatisfaction. I take care of my responsibilities and do not force my child on anyone. It's just me and my husband who do it.
So my mother calls, I start with complaints, “What’s going on??? What’s wrong with your mood??? You’re not calling! You’re not writing! I’m calling you!” When should I call? Sleep regression, teeth have appeared... the child does not sleep at all. I'm not rude, I speak dryly and only to the point... Lack of sleep and fatigue take their toll.
I asked, “Do I have the right to be tired? Do I have the right to be in a bad mood?” The answer is yes. The mother ended the conversation and hung up. Now she is offended, and I feel guilty.
I will repeat that I never made any complaints to them. This is my child, I gave birth to him for myself, and I am taking care of him myself together with my husband. But parents can help, they can find one hour a month to come, take a stroller and walk for an hour in the park with their child. For now, I’ll eat in peace at home, or wash the floor, and wash myself, and maybe just take a nap. And if not, if you don’t come, don’t want to, or can’t, then why don’t I call me and why don’t I write...? Whenaaa?? And no questioning why she didn’t pick up the phone! I couldn't, that is.
I have something to do. I think so.
By the way, I grew up with my grandparents. My parents only took me on weekends. Like they had to work, but there was no time to look after me and my studies. In short, it turns out that their parents were involved with their child.
In general, judge... Maybe I'm wrong. Or maybe it was like this for someone. Am I obliged to rush to the phone and report like a first-grader, why didn’t I pick up the phone or why didn’t I call?? Obliged to make excuses for your bad mood and fatigue??

Sorry for the whole sheet... It's just boiling

Ekaterina

The situation is this: my daughter just recently turned 15, she’s an excellent student, she usually shares everything with me, and I just recently found out that she already has some kind of relationship.
In general, since she is in 8th grade, it was carried out Parent meeting regarding further certification, etc., is not the point. Of course, in addition to this, the conversation was about children. The class teacher gave out information that in her daughter’s class there were already people dating boys and girls. Among them, she named my daughter, but she is dating a boy not from her class, and not even from parallel, but from 9. I became interested, and after the meeting I decided to approach the leader and ask about this boy.
It turned out that he also studies with her, he didn’t study very well for the time being - until later, when my daughter and her boyfriend started dating, he began to improve in 2 class subjects (Russian and literature), maybe in some other subjects, even this the teacher didn’t know, but she found out that he had smoked before and also stopped when they started dating.
What is the question, how to talk to your daughter about a guy about this, especially who had bad habits? I’m worried that maybe, God forbid, I might end up in the wrong company. And is it worth having such a conversation at all?

IN modern world, when the requirements for the level of education and intellectual capabilities of children are constantly growing, the child is often at the mercy of parental ambitions. The baby has not yet begun to walk and talk, but they are already trying to send him to groups early development. Later the study of foreign languages, computers, choreography, swimming pool and much more are added. It is not surprising that nowadays the vast majority of children do not want to go to school. Their life already before school was scheduled by minutes, time for games and children's creativity there was none left. Undoubtedly, the intellectual potential of a child at the beginning of the 21st century is much higher than, for example, in the middle of the last century. However, what will be the cost and consequences of such an educational race? The psyche of a preschooler is still very weak, therefore, due to overload, fatigue quickly sets in, which in turn contributes to the appearance of bad behavior: whims, irritability, increased excitability, and so on.

Fatigue develops not only as a result of intellectual overload, it is also facilitated by a decrease in the duration of night sleep, disruption nap, insufficient stay on fresh air. Here are the norms for the duration of classes, sleep and walking for children before school age.

The duration of classes in preschool age should be:

at 3-4 years - 10-15 minutes;

at 4-5 years old - 20 minutes;

at 5-6 years old - 20-25 minutes;

at 6-7 years old - 25-30 minutes.

Of course, when a child is passionate about something, he can do it for much longer. And if it does not harm his health, then there is no need to interfere.

Sleep duration in children

Staying outdoors (walking) is the most effective form of recreation. Walks are especially important for preschool children: in winter - at least 4-4.5 hours, and in summer - but possible all day.

How younger child, the faster he develops fatigue. For example, a baby infancy Staying awake for 1.5-2 hours leads to fatigue even without vigorous activity. Fatigue sets in most quickly in response to monotonous activity. Five-year-old children get tired faster than six- or seven-year-olds.

From the age of 5-6 years, many children begin to actively master the computer. Unfortunately, recently a large number of families have appeared where children with early age spend most of the day at the computer. Naturally, they develop a computer addiction, and if the mother refuses to turn on the next cartoon, the child becomes aggressive and uncontrollable. Of course, computer games for preschoolers are an interesting and exciting activity. He gives the child new way assimilation of knowledge, allows you to independently study various phenomena, directly participate in the events taking place on the screen. However, working on a computer causes a lot of stress and quickly leads to fatigue, which adults do not always notice. Children, however, also do not notice fatigue. The child’s eyes are no longer looking, his back is numb, and he exclaims in joyful excitement: “I’m not tired!” It is clear that parents willingly believe this, since the child is busy with business and does not bother anyone.

Physiologists have already proven that computer games require the greatest amount of attention compared to other types of computer activities and are considered more tiring than solving mathematical problems.

Moreover, in Japan and England, children who are addicted to computer games from an early age were diagnosed with “video game epilepsy” syndrome, manifested by headaches, prolonged spasms of the facial muscles, blurred vision, and the appearance of negative character traits.

The time of onset of fatigue can vary not only among different children, but also among the same child, depending on his state of health, mood and other reasons.

Signs by which you can determine if a child is tired:

- increased distractibility;

- frequent change of position;

- unusual movements of the arms and legs (shaking, tapping, etc.);

- unpleasant facial expressions (grimacing, tics);

- uncontrollable outbursts of emotions (screaming, crying, jumping, etc.).

To prevent overwork you need to:

Establish the child’s daily routine, completely eliminate lack of sleep, reduce workload, properly organize a change in mental activities and rest, increase time in the fresh air;

Alternate mental work with physical exercise, and after classes provide children with a sufficiently long rest;

Exclude passive rest (for example, in the form of sitting or lying down) for babies in the first year of life - this causes even greater fatigue. A child of this age must be constantly busy with something; he can be on the move all day long and not get tired.

Frequent fatigue leads to overwork and deep behavioral disturbances, so it is important to recognize the causes of this pathological condition in time and help the child.

The maximum duration of work on the computer should not exceed 10 minutes for children 5 years old, and 15 minutes for children 6 years old.

It is also important to know that the visual system of children during preschool and primary school age is intensively improved.

Since it is computer activities that cause the greatest visual fatigue, you need to do the following exercises.

"Brooms." Keep your head straight. Blink without straining your eye muscles for a count of 10 to 15.

"Far close". Children sit freely near the window. The presenter first names a distant object and offers to look at it, and after 2-3 seconds - a nearby one. Repeat 6-8 times.

"Owl". Close your eyes without straining your eye muscles and do not open them on a count from 1 to 4; open your eyes wide and look into the distance while counting from 1 to 6. Repeat 2-3 times.

“Dress up the Christmas tree.” When performing this exercise, the reference points for turning the head and body are toys, fairy-tale characters, and so on. They hang out in different parts rooms. For example, a game object can be a Christmas tree that needs to be decorated. Children should look for the toys and animals needed for this purpose throughout the room. The image of the Christmas tree is placed on the wall (in the center or slightly below). Toys are hung in the corners of the room, under the ceiling, so that it becomes necessary to turn your head in one direction or the other. The presenter asks to observe the following conditions: “Stand straight. Turning only your head, look for toys in the room that could be used to decorate the Christmas tree, and name them.” The pace of the exercise is arbitrary. Duration - 1 minute.

"Catch the bunny." Children sit on the carpet. The presenter turns on the flashlight and lets the “sunny bunny” go for a walk. Children, having “caught” the “bunny” with their eyes, follow it without turning their heads. The game lasts 45 seconds.

Of course, it is important to maintain children’s interest in learning using modern information technologies. You just need to not overdo it in this matter and remember that mental and physical health are more important than all knowledge combined.

A child living in the 21st century is faced with a huge information flow from an early age, the sources of which are most often television, the Internet, school, kindergarten, books, parents and teachers. Of course, broadening one’s horizons and acquiring new knowledge has a positive effect on intellectual development child. However, prolonged exposure to a saturated information environment may be unsafe for him. Why? As I write these lines, my 7-year-old daughter is sitting next to me at the computer and also deftly presses the keys. She already has her own, albeit toy, educational computer, on which she can solve logical and mathematical problems, train her memory, reaction speed and much more. This is great - it’s easier for a child to learn school curriculum, thanks to intensive mental development he is capable of perceiving more complex information about the world around him. But at the same time, I see and understand very well that interest in the computer and TV can so absorb a child that he will not notice anything around him. This danger is not in scientific books - it is before my eyes.

When a child is 6-7 years old, we can and must manage the situation; when a child is 13-14 and older, it will be more difficult to do this. Entering the virtual world is a real threat to the mental and physical health of modern children. If a child, with the TV and computer turned off, says that he is bored and has nothing to do, it means that we did not help him find and love alternative activities: reading, sports, walks or something else.

Today, for example, Sunday, soft wet snow fell, and it’s time to go make a snow woman. Forgetting about the Internet and TV, my daughter and I first took shovels and cleared the paths, and then in the clearing we created a wonderful snow beauty, whose hair was made of branches and moss. The mood after that was wonderful. Flushed and happy, we came home, and my daughter enthusiastically began writing a small book “about sculpture,” accompanied by original drawings. This little book, made with passion, is now kept in my desk.

Forming interest in something in children if you don’t have it yourself is a pointless undertaking. "Let's dance to the music!" - I tell the child on the next weekend. "Hooray! Let's!" - the child answers joyfully. There are so many opportunities when a child is 6-8 years old!

In the modern world, when demands on the level of education and intellectual capabilities of children are constantly increasing, the child is at the mercy of our parental ambitions. The child has not yet begun to walk and talk, and we strive to educate him in early development groups. Later the study of foreign languages, computers, choreography, swimming pool and much more are added. It is not surprising that nowadays the vast majority of children do not want to go to school. Even before school, their lives were scheduled minute by minute; there was no time left for games and children's creativity.

The son of my friends was a little over 4 years old when his childhood ended. All week he was obliged to attend clubs: acrobatic, drawing, speech development, dance, etc. Of course, after the first intense useful activities Weeks ago, a real hysteria happened to him, he refused to go anywhere or do anything. He's loud

screamed, threw things around and didn’t hear the adults at all. Mom tried in vain to explain to him that “everything has been paid for,” and therefore he must go. For a child, such a load is unbearable! The mental reserves of a preschooler are still very small, and therefore, due to overload, fatigue sets in, which in turn entails all the signs of bad behavior: whims, irritability, increased excitability, etc.

Fatigue is caused not only by intellectual overload, but also by a decrease in the duration of night sleep, disruption of daytime sleep, and insufficient exposure to fresh air.

Here are the norms for the duration of classes, sleep and walks for preschool children.

Duration of classes in preschool age

At 3-4 years old, the duration of classes should be 10-15 minutes, at 4-5 years old - 20 minutes, at 5-6 years old - 20-25 minutes, at 6-7 years old - 25-30 minutes. Of course, if a child is passionate about something, he can do it for much longer. If it does not harm his health, then there is no need to interfere.

Sleep duration in children

Children's stay in the fresh air

Walking is the most effective form of relaxation. Walks are especially important for preschool children: in winter, at least 4-4.5 hours, and in summer, if possible, all day.

How smaller child, the faster he develops fatigue. For example, in an infant, staying awake for 1.5-2 hours leads to fatigue even without vigorous activity. Most quickly, a child becomes tired in response to monotonous activity; 5-year-old children get tired faster than 6-7 year olds.

From the age of 5-6 years, children begin to actively master the computer. Unfortunately, recently there have been many families in which children, from an early age, spend most of the day at the computer. Naturally, they develop a computer addiction, and if the mother refuses to turn on the next cartoon, the child becomes aggressive and uncontrollable. Of course, computer games for preschoolers are an interesting and exciting activity. It gives the child a new way of acquiring knowledge, allows him to independently study various phenomena, and directly participate in what is happening on the screen. However, working on a computer causes a lot of stress and quickly leads to fatigue, which adults do not always notice. Children, however, also do not notice fatigue. The child’s eyes are no longer looking, his back is numb, and he exclaims in joyful excitement: “I’m not tired!” It is clear that this has a calming effect on parents, especially since the child is busy and does not bother anyone.

Physiologists have long proven that computer games are among the most strenuous activities compared to other types of computer activities and are considered more tiring than solving mathematical problems.

Moreover, in Japan and England, a syndrome of “video game epilepsy” was identified in children who are addicted to computer games from an early age, manifested by headaches, prolonged spasms of the facial muscles, blurred vision, and the appearance of negative character traits.

The time of onset of fatigue can vary not only among different children, but also among the same child in different periods. different cases; Depending on his condition, mood and other reasons, fatigue occurs at different times.

What signs can be used to determine if a child is tired:

Increased distractibility;

Frequent change of posture;

Unusual movements of the arms and legs (shaking, tapping, etc.);

Unpleasant facial expressions (grimacing, tics);

Uncontrollable outbursts of emotions (screaming, crying, jumping, etc.).

What can you do to prevent fatigue?

To prevent overwork, it is necessary to establish a child’s daily routine, completely eliminate lack of sleep, reduce workload, properly organize a change in mental activities and rest, and increase time in the fresh air. It is necessary to alternate mental work with physical exercises, and after classes provide children with a sufficiently long rest.

Frequent fatigue leads to overwork and deep behavioral disturbances, so it is important to recognize the causes of this condition in time and help the child.

The maximum duration of work on the computer should not exceed 10 minutes for children 5 years old, for children 6 years old - 15 minutes. It is also important to know that the visual system of children during preschool and primary school age is intensively improved. Since it is computer activities that cause the greatest visual fatigue, it is necessary to perform the following exercises.

"Brooms" . Keep your head straight. Blink, without straining your eye muscles, on a count from 1 to 10-15.

"Far close". Children sit freely near the window. The presenter first names a distant object, and after 2-3 seconds - a nearby one. Repeat 6-8 times.

"Owl". Close your eyes, without straining your eye muscles, on a count of 1-4, open your eyes wide and look into the distance on a count of 1-6. Repeat 2-3 times.

"Dress up the Christmas tree". When performing this exercise, the reference points for turning the head and body are toys, fairy-tale characters, etc. They are hung in different parts of the room. For example, a game object can be a Christmas tree that needs to be decorated. Children should look for the toys and animals needed for this purpose throughout the room with their eyes. The Christmas tree is placed or depicted in the center of the wall or slightly lower. Toys are hung in the corners of the room, under the ceiling, so that there is a need to turn your head in one direction or the other. The presenter asks to observe the following conditions: “Stand straight. Turning only your head, look for toys in the room that could be used to decorate the Christmas tree, and name them.” The pace of the exercise is arbitrary. Duration - 1 minute.

"Catch the Bunny" . Children sit on the carpet. The presenter turns on the flashlight and lets the “sunny bunny” go for a walk. Children, having “caught” the “bunny” with their eyes, follow him without turning their heads. The game lasts 45 seconds.

Based on materials from the book by E. I. Shapiro “How to awaken a child’s interest in learning”

Overwork is often not taken seriously. And in vain, because this condition is a serious disorder of the functioning of the nervous system and causes many serious diseases: chronic fatigue, depression, neurosis, in the long term – leads to muscle atrophy and the development of mental illness.

That is why it is important to recognize the symptoms of fatigue in time in order to take action and prevent it from worsening. After all, this is not just a bad mood or temporary fatigue, but a real disease of the nervous system that requires treatment, like any other ailment.

Overwork is called pathological condition, which is expressed in exhaustion of the nervous system and disruption of excitation-inhibition functions. In practice, this means that the human nervous system, under the influence of constant stress, is under tension, but practically does not relax.

It is literally “overwhelmed” with signals from the brain, muscles, and sensory organs and does not have time to process them. As a result, nerve impulses reach muscles and organs late or in a distorted form. Outwardly, it looks like impaired concentration, memory impairment, drowsiness, muscle pain and other signs.

Doctors distinguish four types of overwork:

• physical;
• emotional;
• mental;
• nervous.

Despite the fact that these types are formally separated, in reality they are closely related to each other. As a rule, a person develops two or several types of fatigue - simultaneously or one after the other.

The nervous system permeates all other systems and organs of a person, so it is quite natural that nervous exhaustion causes a decrease in muscle tone (accordingly, physical fatigue) or problems in functioning endocrine system, which is responsible, among other things, for mood (from which it is not far from emotional fatigue). It is also obvious that nervous exhaustion has a negative effect on brain function.

Therefore, if you discover signs of one type of overwork, you should not hope that you are protected from another. Rather, on the contrary - this indicates that you are in a high-risk group.

How different types of overwork manifest themselves

Different types of overwork have their own characteristic symptoms, from which it is easy to understand the nature of the disease. It is extremely important to pay attention to them and not confuse them with ordinary fatigue.

Physical

Signs of physical fatigue:

• A persistent feeling of fatigue that cannot be relieved with the usual types of rest.
• Muscle pain.
• Sleep disorders (restless, interrupted sleep, nightmares, insomnia).
• Weakness, lethargy of muscles.
• Slowing reactions.

There can be many reasons for physical fatigue. Among them:

• Long lasting physical labor without rest and the opportunity to relax or redistribute the load (for example, irrationally planned training for athletes).
• Monotonous physical work, even if it is not difficult, can lead to overwork.
• One-time, but very strong physical activity is also very risky.

Constant tension in the muscles leads to stagnation of blood in them and “hardening” of muscle tissue. Muscle spasms and “tightness” are also common, leading to severe pain. In addition, with excessive loads, microtraumas are caused to the muscle fibers - they “tear”.

With proper alternation of loads and rest, the fibers have time to recover, “healing” the breaks with the help of protein, but if you do not give the muscles rest for a long time, they will not have the opportunity to regenerate.

Emotional

Emotional exhaustion is no less destructive than physical exhaustion. The reason for this is excessive stress, which leads to persistent emotional burnout. It must be said that burnout in such a situation is a kind of defense mechanism.

The fact is that any emotion is a set of biochemical reactions: various hormones are involved in the experience of emotion, as well as many nerve pathways and endings.

Remember adrenaline, which mobilizes all body systems, serotonin and many other hormones that are produced in various situations and, in essence, shape our emotions.

Now imagine that under the influence of the same type of unpleasant situations, the same set of hormones is produced in the body, and the same type of signals are transmitted along the nerve pathways. By the way, this set of hormones often includes adrenaline - it should help cope with stress.

But in reality, a kind of poisoning of the body with hormones occurs, and an unbearable load falls on the nervous system. To prevent the nervous system from “burning out,” the body partially “turns off” it. This helps for a while, but the consequences of such “protection” in the long run are even more disastrous.

Emotional fatigue, or exhaustion, manifests itself in the following signs:

1. Lethargy, apathy.
2. Inhibited reactions.
3. Loss of tactile sensitivity.
4. Sometimes there is a weakening of taste sensations.
5. Flattening and weakening of emotions.
6. In cases of severe overwork, some emotions may simply disappear (in fact, they do not disappear anywhere - all biochemical processes continue to occur, but the person does not feel them and does not feel any experiences).
7. Irritability, frequent and unpredictable mood swings.
8. Desire for solitude (a person spends less time in the company of other people, becomes unsociable, does not tolerate being around someone else).
9. Sleep disorders - restless, interrupted sleep, insomnia, nightmares.

Emotional fatigue is a very dangerous phenomenon, which, if not paid attention to, leads to depression. Depression is by no means a “bad mood”, it is a serious disorder of brain function in which the production of many important hormones (for example, serotonin) stops.

This leads to biochemical changes in the brain itself, and often these changes are irreversible. Therefore, it is so important to recognize overwork in a timely manner - its symptoms are often clearly visible, the main thing is not to make the mistake of attributing them to “laziness” or “mood.”

There are a lot of reasons that cause emotional fatigue, but they all boil down to one thing - a person experiences a state of stress for a long time. Stress can be caused by a variety of situations:

• Nervous, stressful work associated with communicating with a large number of people and/or constantly making serious decisions.
• Unfavorable family environment.
• Some kind of severe shock.

Stress can be not only negative, but also positive. An excess of positive emotions can also lead to overwork.

Nervous

Nervous fatigue is similar to both types described above. It is closely related to the physical, and very often these two types of disorders occur simultaneously or one entails the other.

Overstrain of the nervous system is expressed in disruption of the transmission of nerve impulses.

Often, the body, as in the case of emotional exhaustion, partially “turns off” the nervous system.

All this manifests itself in the form of the following symptoms:

• general weakness;
• a constant feeling of drowsiness, an increase in the amount of time required for sleep (instead of the usual eight hours, a person begins to sleep ten to twelve);
• weakening of emotions;
• impaired tactile sensitivity;
• muscle fatigue;
• headache.

Nervous exhaustion can be caused by stress, hard work (especially monotonous work), as well as constant adverse effects on the senses. For example, high level noise, strong unpleasant odors and similar irritants.

“Overload” of the senses gradually leads to nervous exhaustion, which easily develops into neuroses, tics, and asthenic conditions. An unfavorable emotional background - fear, anxiety, irritation - also provides excellent conditions for the occurrence of nervous fatigue.

Mental

Mental fatigue occurs as a result of intense intellectual stress to the limit of capabilities. Very often it develops “in combination” with nervous fatigue. Overfatigue of this kind can be caused by both excessively high and excessively prolonged intellectual stress.

In addition, its development is facilitated by insufficient oxygen supply to the brain. Stuffy room and lack of physical activity(and, as a result, blood stagnation) spurs the development of mental exhaustion.

Mental exhaustion can be recognized by the following signs:

• deterioration of concentration and memory;
• absent-mindedness;
• sleep disturbances, constant feeling of fatigue (while there may be no drowsiness);
• decreased tactile sensitivity;
• appetite disorders.

All types of overwork are characterized by a decrease in the “pace of work” of the body. The body seems to go into energy saving mode.

Common symptoms of different types of fatigue

This manifests itself in symptoms that are the same for all types of fatigue, regardless of the cause and nature:

• An increase in the length of time required for sleep, and at the same time the inability to get enough sleep.
• Decreased or increased blood pressure.
• Heart problems: changes in heart rhythm, murmurs, etc.
• A decrease in the level of platelets in the blood and at the same time an increase in the number of leukocytes.
• Despite the large number of leukocytes, decreased immunity.
• Problems concentrating.
• Problems in the functioning of the digestive system.
• Decreased muscle tone.

It is extremely important to recognize the signs of overwork in time - this is the only way to avoid it turning into more serious illnesses. Severe overwork usually develops into depression, neuroses and other diseases that often require hospital treatment.

Another sign of the disorder is an increase in temperature. The temperature rises infrequently during overwork, but if it does exceed normal indicators- this is a very formidable sign.

This may mean either an excess of blood in the vessels of the brain (which happens with mental and nervous fatigue), which leads to headaches, nosebleeds and other unpleasant consequences, or that the body, weakened by fatigue, has been attacked by a virus, and somewhere inside there is an inflammatory reaction. a process that can also cause the temperature to rise.

Overwork in children

It is difficult for many to imagine that from overwork various types Not only adults, but also children can suffer. However, overwork in adolescents and schoolchildren, unfortunately, is a very common disorder.

It must be remembered that the nervous system of an adult is already mature and “trained”; it is easier for it to cope with many loads. The child's nervous system is much more sensitive and more susceptible to disturbances. Therefore, various disorders affect children’s nerves faster, develop more actively and are much more difficult to treat.

And the reasons that cause these disorders (for example, fear of answers at the board or ridicule of peers) seem “frivolous” to adults only because adults have a nervous system that is already formed and quite strong, and almost no one is able to fully feel the sensations of a child.

Fatigue in a child can be caused by the following reasons:

• Troubles at school: conflicts with peers, bad relationship with teachers, etc. Since the child spends a lot of time at school almost every day, his body finds himself in a state of constant, daily stress.
• Lack of sleep. Lack of sleep is much more dangerous for a child than for an adult.
• Poor nutrition. It does not in itself cause fatigue, but interferes with normal recovery after ordinary stress.
• Excessive intellectual workload: too many lessons, homework, extra clubs, and so on.

Children, like adults, are susceptible to all four types of fatigue. Likewise, they are often diagnosed with multiple types at the same time. Treatment and prevention methods for children are the same. Treatment of fatigue in adults and children follows the same principles.

How can you overcome overfatigue?

Different types of overwork require different approaches. In case of physical fatigue, the main attention should be paid to relaxing tense muscles, restoring normal blood flow and providing oxygen. In case of mental stress – a decrease or change in the nature of the intellectual load.

For nervous conditions – minimizing irritating factors and restoring normal reactions of the nervous system. For emotional fatigue, treatment aims to equalize and stabilize emotional background, normalization of the hormonal system.

For physical fatigue, the following remedies are useful:

• taking a bath;
• massage;
• reducing or, if possible, avoiding physical activity;
• change in diet, consumption large quantities vitamins

Even just being in warm water helps your muscles relax. You can take pine baths - they are very soothing and very useful for overwork, and simply for tiredness. A warm bath relaxes muscles, while a hot bath, on the contrary, tones. It is recommended to take baths for 10-15 minutes.

Be extremely careful if you have a heart condition! If you have heart problems, very hot baths are not advisable.

Massage helps normalize blood flow in the muscles, relieve tension and restore tone. It is best to contact a professional massage therapist, but sometimes it is enough to just stretch your muscles.

For mental fatigue, the first thing you need to do is:

• reducing the volume and intensity of intellectual loads;
• change in the nature of loads, change of activity;
• physical exercise;
• Fresh air.

Switching between types of activity allows the brain to change its “operating mode,” which is very useful in case of mental fatigue. Physical exercise and walks in the air (or even simple airing) help normalize blood circulation in the brain and improve its oxygen supply.

For nervous and emotional fatigue, it is recommended:

• Cessation or reduction of contact with a source of irritation (sound, smell, etc.) or situations that cause tension.
• Low-intensity physical exercise, walking.
• Consumption of B vitamins and vitamin C.
• Devoting time to an activity that brings positive emotions.
• High-quality, complete, preferably long (at least two weeks) rest.

Ways to Prevent Overtiredness

Is it possible to prevent overwork? Of course, it is possible, moreover, it is necessary.

The most simple ways Prevention of overwork looks like this:

• increasing the amount of vitamins in the diet, especially B vitamins, vitamins C and D;
• changing sleep patterns;
• mandatory rest; in case of hard, intensive work – short but regular breaks;
• clear dosing of physical and mental stress in accordance with the characteristics of the body.

Vitamins are very useful for the nervous system, they improve its stability and enhance “conductivity”. If your diet does not contain enough vitamins, you need to take vitamin supplements.

It is extremely important to sleep in the dark. Only in low light conditions do the hormonal processes necessary for the restoration of the body begin. Therefore, it is not even how much you sleep that matters, but when you do it.

Any work requires breaks - it is not necessary to make them long, it is much more important that they be regular and approximately equal in duration.