What are the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)?

• Feeling very tired for more than a day (24 hours) after physical or mental exercise
• Forgetting things or having a hard time focusing
• Feeling tired even after sleeping
• Muscle pain or aches
• Pain or aches in joints without swelling or redness
• Headaches of a new type, pattern, or strength
• Tender lymph nodes in the neck or under the arm
• Sore throat

• Visual disturbances (blurring, sensitivity to light, eye pain)
• Psychological symptoms (irritability, mood swings, panic attacks, anxiety)
• Chills and night sweats
• Low grade fever or low body temperature
• Irritable bowel
• Allergies and sensitivities to foods, odors, chemicals, medications, and noise/sound
• Numbness, tingling, or burning sensations in the face, hands, or feet
• Difficulty sitting or standing straight up, dizziness, balance problems, and fainting

Symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome vary for each individual, and can even shift within someone's experience. The most common symptoms include: extreme fatigue that persists long after mental or physical activity, difficulty sleeping or concentrating, mild memory loss, headaches, or pain occurring in muscles or joints. Some people also experience chronic fatigue syndrome with an array of cold-like symptoms such as a sore throat, swollen lymph nodes, nausea, earache, dry mouth, or fever. Psychological symptoms may include depression, anxiety, social isolation, irritability, mental stress, or even panic attacks. The duration of symptoms differs with each individual, as does the severity of the symptoms.

The hallmarks of chronic fatigue syndrome include the paradoxical combination of severe exhaustion and insomnia. Most people with this illness also have "brain fog." This reflects as difficulty with word finding and substitution, loss of short-term memory, and, in a small subset of people, episodic disorientation. Other common symptoms include widespread pain, headaches, nasal congestion and sinusitis, spastic colon, numbness and tingling in fingers, an average 32 1/2 pound weight gain, loss of libido in 73%, and other symptoms.