What is cns fatigue

If you are a frequent reader of my blog posts, you will come to understand that I am a physical fitness enthusiast. Being a physical therapist by trade, I am able to recognize flaws and shortcomings in numerous physical fitness and training approaches, which will potentially be detrimental. My personal fitness philosophy is simple: less is more. I have written about this before in a previous post, The Dangers of Overtraining.

So if you want more information, please consult this blog. The intent of this particular blog is to shed light to a relatively new phenomenon that occurs in individuals who do overtrain, which is central nervous system fatigue, or CNS fatigue and how to recognize it. What is CNS fatigue? You may have heard of serotonin and dopamine, which are the neurotransmitters that regulate your mood and behavior. A sudden boost in serotonin levels and a decrease in dopamine levels have been reported to be associated with CNS fatigue.

As we have already mentioned, because excessive training can lead to CNS fatigue, one of the most obvious solutions is to schedule your training properly. Regular recovery days are essential to both your program and your well-being. Speak with your coach and make sure the regime you have works for your lifestyle and physical abilities. Are you feeling stressed out? Stress could be contributing to your CNS fatigue. Your body needs to be firing on all cylinders so you can properly recover.

Try to eliminate any stress you have in your life. Of course, that is not always possible, but avoid situations that cause you unnecessary stress or anxiety. You could also try meditating, getting better sleep, and taking regular breaks from work to help.

As the name suggests, CNS fatigue occurs in the central nervous system: the brain and the spinal cord. If your CNS is fatigued, it has trouble activating your muscles.

In other words, CNS fatigue is a decrease in voluntary muscle activation. Muscle damage and metabolic stress within your muscles are an example of peripheral fatigue. Their effects are local and specific to the muscle in which they occur. In contrast, CNS fatigue can affect your entire body. CNS fatigue is commonly said to occur from exercise with large neural demands, namely high intensity exercise. So the theory is that low reps induce more CNS fatigue than high reps. It sounds very plausible.

Low intensity, high duration exercise causes far more central fatigue than short, high intensity exercise [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]. CNS fatigue is readily observed after endurance exercise, like marathons, but scientists often really have to go out of their way to reliably induce central nervous system fatigue with strength training.

A similar study found central fatigue after a 4-minute dorsiflexor contraction. A more realistic training design compared 3 sets of 12 with 1 minute rest in between sets vs.

Which caused more CNS fatigue? Trick question. Neither workout caused any CNS fatigue. Other research has also failed to find CNS fatigue during resistance training regardless of the intensity used. In fact, in both of these studies there was upregulation of central motor output, presumably to offset the peripheral fatigue. So not only was all the fatigue peripheral, the CNS was actually working overtime to compensate for the local fatigue.

You may object that most of this research was in weak individuals performing isolation exercises. How about some guys and ladies that actually lift heavy iron? Howatson et al. The guys were were squatting well over 8 plates kg and running the m in For reference, the world record is 9.

The ladies were rocking an over 4 plate squat kg and running the m in You may also consider turning to low-intensity exercises like swimming or cycling for short periods of time. Many people who suffer from CNS fatigue also have busy, stressful lives. Being more mindful about what you do and how you spend your time can retrain the brain to act normally, rather than overfiring. Additionally, neurotransmitter imbalances are associated with CNS fatigue.

Changing your diet can help you rebalance serotonin and dopamine to get back to feeling your best. Strengthening the brain and the motor cortex in particular can also help you overcome CNS fatigue so you can return to your normal workouts.

Repeating the same low-intensity workouts on alternating days can retrain the brain to work out without getting excessively fatigued. It can also help you create muscle memory in new areas of the body. Fatigue is a normal side effect of exercise. Fortunately, getting enough rest and taking care of your body can help you overcome this challenging, yet common condition so you can achieve optimal health.

Skip to content. Michelle Polizzi November 5, fitness , health. Overcoming the Side Effects of Overtraining. Understanding the Central Nervous System Most mental and bodily functions are controlled by the central nervous system CNS , which is comprised of the brain and spinal cord. Central Nervous System Fatigue The brain and spinal cord are designed to give us freedom of movement, but chronic overtraining can fatigue the central nervous system to the point of inefficiency.