Click the image to view the full CDC “Could you have ME/CFS?” worksheet or visit https://www.cdc.gov/me-cfs/pdfs/could-you-have-mecfs_508.pdf.

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1. Not being able to participate in routine activities that were possible before becoming ill, such as work, school, social life, and/or personal life, that:

• Lasts for more than 6 months

• Is accompanied by fatigue that is:

  • Often serious

  • Just started (not lifelong)

  • Not the result of ongoing activities

  • Not from more than usual effort

  • Not made better by rest

2. Post-exertional malaise (PEM): Worsening of symptoms after physical, mental, or emotional effort that would not have caused a problem before the illness. This is sometimes referred to as “crashing” by people with ME/CFS.

3. Unrefreshing sleep. People with ME/CFS may not feel better even after a full night of sleep (e.g., feeling just as tired upon waking up as before going to bed).

This is not medical advice. Please see a doctor for assistance.