MENTAL TIREDNESS: SYMPTOMS, CONSEQUENCES AND TREATMENT - DUDAS - 2024

The mental fatigue or mental exhaustion is declining mental and physical functional efficiency over a period of time. When the person is mentally tired, their ability to cope with the cognitive demands of the environment or task, intensity or duration is diminished.

Mental fatigue is the result of the interaction between the person and the work they do, understanding as work both the task they do and the conditions in which the person does it.

Mental fatigue is mainly due to the demands that the person makes at work, mainly of a mental nature, although it is accompanied by physical demands that are usually sedentary. Tasks with variable cognitive functions (where you must understand, reason, solve problems, mobilize resources such as concentration, attention and memory.

This exhaustion occurs when the person has a great mental load at work. Mental load can be defined as the amount of mental effort that a person must make in order to achieve a goal.

A person presents an excess of mental load when the demands of the task in the work that must be carried out, the pace that the person must carry, the tension that he supports or the continuous attention are greater than those that he can cope with.

We must be clear, in any case, that mental fatigue is not always caused by work and in no case is it due exclusively to work, because the person's life habits, their way of facing situations, their personal circumstances also influence, etc. And all this is important in terms of prevention and intervention.

Symptoms

Mental fatigue affects the entire body, both physically and mentally. Among the symptoms that are associated with mental fatigue, we find:

- Loss of concentration.

- Decreased attention.

- Decrease in motivation.

- Less ability to assimilate and retain information.

- Increase in errors.

- Sleep disorders.

- Eye fatigue.

- Feeling tired.

- dizziness

- Headaches.

- Paresthesias (numbness).

- Irritability, generally emotional instability.

- Worse relationship between effort and the result obtained.

- Digestive disorders.

- Musculoskeletal pain.

- Psychosomatic disorders.

The feeling of tiredness and exhaustion that occurs is part of an adaptation and balance mechanism on the part of the body, since it appears so that it is able to adapt, giving signals of the need for rest.

The feeling of monotony, decreased alertness or being "saturated" are states that resemble mental fatigue.

Factors that determine mental fatigue

First of all, it should be clarified that although there are several factors that contribute to the appearance of mental fatigue, it is a multicausal phenomenon. Risk factors for mental exhaustion include:

The demands of the task

We include here tasks that require responsibility, sustained high attention, dangerous activities. The duration of the activity and its content must also be considered.

We refer to complex tasks or with a high level of concentration or to those meticulous tasks that require more attention and visual fixation.

Physical conditions of the workplace

Here we include lighting, temperature, smell or noise, all of which can also affect mental fatigue.

Organizational factors

It also influences the type of organization and the organizational climate and culture, the group and the conflicts that take place. Labor relations, such as those involving workers or with management, can also play a role.

Individual characteristics

The age of the person, their training, the attitude they have, their personality, their state of health, their experience…

Time

The time that the worker must be paying attention to the task and the time available to perform the work must be taken into account.

The information it handles

In their work, both in quantity (if it is a lot of information or less) and in complexity (if the degree of complexity varies).

Mental fatigue can occur in those jobs where there is a strong emotional involvement on the part of the worker. Also in jobs with great intellectual demand or in those that although simple, are monotonous.

Consequences

Mental fatigue has different consequences, not only at a physical and psychological level, which we have already seen in the previous section, but also at an organizational level.

Mental fatigue has consequences on a personal, financial and material level.

A person with mental fatigue will have a worse performance, in addition to a greater number of errors at work. It can affect data analysis and decision making at work.

Due to mental exhaustion, occupational accidents can occur that could be prevented by attending to the effects of mental exhaustion.

In addition, mental fatigue also has effects on people's motivation, so that the greater the fatigue, the lower the motivation of the person.

Mental fatigue is also related to absenteeism from work, specifically with the short-term one (missing several hours or days from work without any physical pathology).

Treatment: tips to combat it

Take breaks several times throughout your workday

One of the fundamental tips to deal with mental fatigue, both to intervene when it has already happened and to prevent it, is to take breaks.

Times are often set by the company, however, it is essential that you take breaks or short breaks during your work day.

The most appropriate thing would be that you could choose these breaks according to your needs and that during that time you can truly disconnect from your work and routine. This is how it will truly be effective.

Keep in mind that “going to the bathroom,” or sitting while waiting for a phone call from work, for example, should not be considered a break from work. That is part of your basic needs or work.

The breaks should be time where you can really disconnect and where you can spend it resting or doing something that makes you feel good.

The appropriate thing would be to establish rest periods of around 10 minutes every approximately 90 minutes of work, depending on the type of task that the person performs.

Many times pauses are made when fatigue has already appeared. A good alternative is to prevent them with pauses before it appears.

Eat well

Another factor that should be addressed to deal with mental fatigue is a good diet.

The role of food is really important. When we eat food in a disorderly way or we do not eat a balanced diet, this can negatively affect our body and our mind.

Our body slows down when it notices deficiencies of nutrients necessary for its proper functioning and loses strength, feeling tired and faint.

Not only is what you eat important, but also the times and the way you do it. Eating irregularly or not chewing food well can also affect you: for example, heavy digestions.

Get regular physical exercise

Regular, moderate physical exercise can also help prevent fatigue. The fact of having an active and non-sedentary life is a recommendation for anyone. However, when work is sedentary, the recommendation is even more important.

When the person does not do physical exercise, the muscles lose strength and the person feels more tired. When you do physical exercise, it affects your energy.

Physical exercise is not only beneficial on a physical level, but also on an emotional level. Exercising helps to overcome daily difficulties.

Get enough hours of sleep to be rested

Both the way we eat and rest, sleep and regular physical exercise are factors that can help us strengthen our resistance. If we don't pay attention to them, we can feel tired.

It is necessary to rest and sleep an adequate number of hours, around 7 or 8 hours, although there are individual differences, since some people may feel good with a smaller number of hours and others may need a few more.

Use relaxation techniques

There are different relaxation techniques that can help you cope with mental exhaustion.

Relaxation techniques are methods that can help the person to reduce physical and mental tension, so that they reach a situation of tranquility and calm by controlling anxiety and stress.

Training is required to achieve this, but with time a day satisfactory results can be noticed.

There are different techniques for this, one of the best known worldwide is the Jacobson's progressive muscle relaxation technique, which is proposed alternating tension with distension.

In this way, it is intended that the person is able to recognize the tension in order to loosen it and end up feeling better.

Take time to yourself

Dedicating time to yourself within the daily routine is something necessary that increases the well-being of the person. We spend most of the day at work and that generates stress and sometimes the performance of tasks that do not produce well-being in the person.

Spending time a day doing enjoyable activities: listening to music, reading a book, being in contact with nature, a hobby, being with family or friends… All of this can help to cope with fatigue and provide mental well-being.

Mindfulness will help you to be in the present moment

Mindfulness or mindfulness is paying attention with full awareness to the present moment. Thinking about “all that you have left to do”, that “you don't have time” or “you don't get to everything”, for example, can influence your mental fatigue or exhaustion.

Mindfulness exercises will only take you a few minutes a day, and it would be recommended that you try to do them several times a day. You can do it even at work, in those moments that you spend to rest.

Through mindfulness it is intended that you learn to become aware of the present moment, without living in the past or the future. If you practice them, also paying attention to your breathing, you will achieve a state of well-being each time that can help you feel better.

Get organized and learn to plan

Planning and organizing tasks can be very beneficial in preventing mental fatigue.

Many times mental fatigue appears due to the stress generated by work and day to day. To do this, even though times and goals are set at work that must be met, the person always has a certain margin of maneuver.

To do this, use the agenda and set partial, short-term and easy-to-meet goals, so that you can get quick feedback on your work that helps you feel better.

Organizing and planning allows the person to prevent tasks from piling up, which can then lead to overwork and high levels of stress.

Attend to the environmental conditions of work

Something as simple as lighting or noise can help mental fatigue to appear.

For this reason, it is important that you take care of the conditions where you work. That you attend to noise, lighting, temperature… and adapt, as far as possible, the workplace so that it is beneficial for you and that it does not hinder your work.

Using adequate lighting and taking breaks from screens such as computers is necessary.

In addition, you must also attend to noise trying to avoid doing mentally demanding tasks in places with excessive noise. If necessary, hearing protectors (eg earplugs) should be worn.

It is also important that on the work screens, the positioning angles and the furniture is suitable.

For example, pay attention to the distance at which you work, orient the screen well, set an angle of 60 degrees to work when sitting.

Rest your eyes

An important aspect to which you must attend is the rest of the eyes. For example, when you finish the day, dedicate an exclusive time to it. Make small massages, pressing the eyebrows with the index fingers and thumb with the eyes closed.

Visual fatigue is also something quite common and that accompanies mental fatigue. It is the response that the eyes have due to the excessive effort they make and can be ocular symptoms such as tension and heaviness, itching or redness of the eyes and also visual symptoms, such as blurred vision, seeing black shadows, etc.

Rotation of positions and expansion or change of tasks

In many cases this advice cannot be carried out, but it is likely that in some jobs it is possible. Rotating jobs and expanding tasks in order to break the monotony of work would be a beneficial solution.

As on some occasions this will not be possible, the person himself can alternate between the different tasks that he has to do throughout his working day.

Adapt your work rhythm

Rest we have put it as one of the essential conditions to prevent and treat mental fatigue.

However, other alternatives that can also be taken into account is to adapt the pace of work. Sometimes it may not be possible because the time pressure to deliver the work is too great.

However, at other times it can be done. For example, you can check in more detail the work you do to prevent errors, to download the memory use the calendar, alarms or any other external aid that helps you eliminate it from your head.

You can also postpone those more critical tasks, either because a lot of cognitive resources are needed or because they discourage you a lot and choose those that are more pleasant or simple for you.

References

1. Alonso Castaño, L. (1995). Occupational safety and hygiene in the hotel and restaurant industry. AMV Ediciones, Madrid.
2. Arquer, MI (1999). Warning note: Mental workload: fatigue. National Institute of Safety and Hygiene at work. Ministry of labor and social affairs.
3. Delegation of the Rector for Health, Social Welfare and Environment. Work fatigue: concepts and prevention.
4. Foundation for the Prevention of Occupational Risks (2011). Information sheet: risks related to mental and visual fatigue. Preventive measures. Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations.
5. Garrosa, E., Moreno-Jiménez, B., and González, JL Mental load and work fatigue: relationship, sources, facilitators and associated consequences.
6. General Union of Workers. Mental load. Trade Union Policy Secretariat of FSP / UGT Almería.