Fatigue , and exercise.

@dkelban Good afternoon and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect! We’re glad you found us. I, too, have afternoon fatigue , but the only pattern I found was that I did too much and just ran out of energy and/or the dog wanted to sleep and wanted me to lie down. Moderate exercise really does help me. Often, if I feel very tired, I’ll go for a walk instead of a nap. Works every time! Does moderate exercise work for you? I never said, but i also have an autoimmune disease. It’s called Clippers—chronic inflammation of my brain. If you would like, there are some discussions on MCTD.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mctd-mixed-connective-tissue-disease/
What else can we help you with?

Hello ..Yes the afternoon is when I am very drained. That is why I do my yoga routine late morning. I do Yin yoga which is floor based because my balance is not great .. yoga is my "medicine" it gives me a sense of achievement and wonderful flexibility .. one positive in my life that truly helps.

Thanks for your help. I have to force myself (about 50% successful) to walk or play guitar, both of which I loved to do regularly... Till this. It's strange that the fatigue and lightheadedness is in mid day when ordinarily you'd expect that to be upon awakening or later at night, when I'm NOT tired. Go figure. Hydroxycloraqine(plaquanil) has been helpful.

I have been conservative with exercise after I experienced a big drop in energy from an aerobics class. I have limited my activity to walking the dog and shopping. Does a half a mile walk in my neighborhood sound like too much? I need help on how to judge when my exercise is too much.

That is a great question - how much is too much? when it comes to exercise. For me at 81, I do most of my exercise on an indoor recumbent cross-fit trainer and 30 minutes is close to my limit at one time. Sometimes I feel a little better and go longer. I would walk more if I was able but that is harder for me than riding the exercise bike. How do you feel after you have walked half a mile? When the weather is nice I do like to walk in our neighborhood but when I started feeling a little tired I make sure I slow down and head back towards home.

I know it's different for each of us but you might find it helpful to look through the symptoms in the following article to see if they can help you determine how much is too much for you.
-- Are you getting too much exercise?: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000807.htm

Thank you so much. This article is a great resource as I attempt to maintain a reasonable fitness level without crashing.

Thanks. Exercise can help, if I can summon up any motivation.

Your body's reaction will tell you how much exercise is right for you. It's an individual matter. Overdoing it will not be helpful.

Thanks for your input. Exercise can help but I have to force myself. I used to exercise a lot and often. Now... not so much. Lack of motivation. Do you find that mental effort is causes fatigue also? I now get quite fatigued after practicing guitar for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Dkelban,
I understand. I can read, talk on the phone, watch LC videos, for 1 to 1 1/2hours… then, the fatigue starts to creep in. The best solution for me is a 30 minute nap. I used to balk at the thought of lying down during the day, but it makes the difference on how the day plays out.
I am not crazy about exercise, but 3 months into this, I see and feel my body lose conditioning. So I force myself to do the exercises my physical therapist shows me. And…. take another rest. No sleep, just meditate.