From fatiguing during a race to experiencing political fatigue, the f-word seems to be bandied around increasingly often these days. It’s come to refer to feeling jaded, done, over it. But for those of us who live with medical fatigue, it has a far more visceral meaning.

Fatigue is a form of extreme exhaustion and tends to be a symptom of chronic health conditions, such as endometriosis, Hashimoto’s disease and lupus. Being anaemic or deficient in vitamins such as B12 also causes fatigue, while chronic fatigue syndrome is a condition characterised by exhaustion so intense it makes you feel ill.

What’s the difference between fatigue and tiredness? 5 women on their experiences of chronic fatigue