Ever feel like you can't possibly manage to walk across the room because you're so tired? Can't remember where you set your glasses down or why you are standing in the bathroom and what you are doing there? You are not alone—and you don't have to be a dottery elder to feel that way.

Stress, lack of sleep and hard physical and mental labor can lead to deep exhaustion. And it's not good for you. Prevention is better than treatment. But we are often in deep, deep denial about the state of our own health when we're caring for our brain-injured family member. Many caregivers talk about how they ignore their own exhaustion because they don't want to fail their family member by not being there. But research shows that by denying exhaustion, you're simply contributing to the likelihood that your health will eventually decline to a point you can't take care of anyone else.

The time you spend feeling exhausted will lead to bad decision making, forgetfulness, overemotional responses to suggestions of friends and family that you take care of yourself, stress-induced illness and many other debilitating reactions. Please don't deny exhaustion. Almost every caregiver suffers from it at one time or another, but none more than caregivers of brain-injured family members. During the "dark years" I ignored my exhaustion until I became somewhat delusional at times. It leads you to do crazy things and makes you sick. Don't let yourself fall into that trap by ignoring it.

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