Chronic fatigue syndrome is a tricky disease to diagnose because many of its symptoms are similar to the symptoms of other disorders. As the name suggests, chronic fatigue syndrome involves excessive tiredness (or fatigue) that develops over time and can become debilitating to a person’s quality of life. Unfortunately, fatigue or prolonged fatigue, can also be a factor in literally hundreds of different kinds of illnesses.

How does CFS fatigue differ from regular fatigue? The fatigue of chronic fatigue syndrome is incapacitating and intense, bordering on severe and is not relieved with a good night’s sleep. Taking naps will not help.

Chronic fatigue syndrome can be aggravated by mental or physical problems. With little or no energy, a person will begin to change the way she lives her life. Often activities that were once enjoyed suddenly disappear. CFS affects all areas of a person’s functioning, including her personal life, her social life, her occupation and so forth.

The characteristic chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms are often referred to as primary symptoms. There are eight in total. First, if a person suffers from cognitive dysfunction, which includes problems concentrating, or impaired memory or even memory lapses, CFS could be to blame. Second, if a person suffers from “post exertional malaise” that lasts more than 24 hours (and it occurs after a strenuous mental or physical exercise) then CFS is likely. If a person wakes up feeling unrested and unrefreshed morning after morning, this can be another symptom of CFS.

Other characteristic symptoms of CFS include persistent pain in the muscles, pain in the joints that does not include any degree of inflammation or swelling, headaches that are different than the person has previously experienced or more intense headaches, a sore throat unrelated to a cold or other respiratory condition while the cervical or axillary lymph nodes are tender.