Table 7.
Oxygen needs (expressed in METs) required to complete common activities of daily living (85), and assessment whether they occur under ventilatory anaerobic threshold (VAT) in individuals with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and sedentary individuals.
| Activity | MET requirement (ml/kg/hr) | Under VAT? | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ME/CFS | Sedentary | |||
| Pre PEM | Post PEM | |||
| Circuit training | 4.3 | No | No | No |
| Driving automobiles | 2.5 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Folding laundry | 2.3 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Food preparation | 3.5 | No | No | Yes |
| Food shopping | 2.5 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Light bicycling | 3.5 | No | No | Yes |
| Light calisthenics | 3.5 | No | No | Yes |
| Lying quietly | 1.0 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Making the bed | 3.5 | No | No | Yes |
| Mild stretching | 2.3 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Moderate bicycling | 6.8 | No | No | Yes |
| Moderate cleaning | 3.5 | No | No | Yes |
| Playing with children | 3.5 | No | No | Yes |
| Scrubbing floors | 3.5 | No | No | Yes |
| Showering | 2.0 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sitting quietly | 1.3 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sleeping | 0.95 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Standing quietly | 1.3 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sweeping | 3.3 | Yes | No | Yes |
| Vacuuming | 3.3 | Yes | No | Yes |
| Vigorous bicycling | 8.8 | No | No | No |
| Walking <2.0 mph | 2.0 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Walking 3.0 mph | 3.5 | No | No | Yes |
| Walking 3.5 mph | 4.3 | No | No | No |
| Washing dishes | 2.5 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Washing windows | 3.5 | No | No | Yes |
| Watering plants | 2.5 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Activities falling under the 95% confidence interval for VAT from data reported by Snell et al. (26) were considered under VAT. Likely differences in activity tolerance between individuals with ME/CFS and sedentary individuals appear in bold. ME/CFS, myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome; METs, metabolic equivalents; PEM, post-exertional malaise; VAT, ventilatory anaerobic threshold.