Can wake-up sunshine help with MS?

  

Pulling back the curtains or running up the window shades immediately upon awakening in the morning has become a popular natural elixir for lots of folks. It’s not exactly a new discovery, but lots of health experts are trumpeting the merits of catching a glimpse of sunlight right after waking up.

 Starting the day with a glimpse of natural light can be soothing and cheery at the time, but it also may provide some significant ongoing health benefits.

 

Sunlight (or UV lighting) isn’t just a treatment for seasonal affect disorder anymore.

 Experts agree that, although excessive exposure to sunlight may cause skin cancer, sunlight can aid in resetting the body’s circadian rhythms (internal clock), adding vitamin D, generating emotional well-being (by boosting serotonin and melatonin in the brain), improving vision, easing certain skin conditions (eczema, psoriasis, and vitiligo), treating jaundice, reducing blood pressure, and perhaps helping with weight management.

 Scientific American says it may help with cognitive fog, fatigue, inflammation, lethargy, and other symptoms common to MS. The National Library of Medicine offers support of the theory that sunlight (or light therapy) can reduce MS-related fatigue.

 A 2021 study published in Neurology magazine suggested that children and young people spending considerable time outdoor in summer months might be less likely to develop MS than those who did not.

 Some actually use ultraviolet light boxes to self-treat autoimmune diseases like arthritis, Crohn’s, colitis, diabetes, and more. Oh, and multiple sclerosis.

 

Step outside, if you can!

 Direct sunlight is a known source of vitamin D, which is healthy for everyone, but especially difficult to build up for many MSers. It seems we can’t get enough of it. A short jaunt outdoors (or perhaps a brief stop to read a chapter of a good book) can be just the ticket.

 

Sunshine before screen time

 There’s something to be said for taking a few moments to breathe deeply and enjoy a peek at the outdoors before picking up the phone, tablet, laptop, TV remote, or other screened device. Starting the day with a pause seems like a healthy thing to do – especially as a stress-buster. It’s a way of changing the channel before jumping into the plentiful concerns of the day.

 Personally, I love to open the blinds and let the sunshine in (or just natural light, if it’s a cloudy day) and then crawl back into bed for a few minutes. Sometimes I can spot birds, rabbits, or other delightful sights. It’s a great time to ponder the day to come and think through my plan of attack, so to speak. Even that is likely to start a new day in an intentional and deliberate way.

 Hey, it can’t hurt.

 

Related items:

• Bright lights, big pity
• Learning to plan down-days
• MS is like a carnival thrill ride without the thrill.
• MS style: Sporting shades in the shade ... or fog or rain
• What is it with MS and sleep apnea?
• What's a weather-related migraine?

Hot tubs can put MSers in the soup

  

Jumping in the Jacuzzi may sound appealing when muscles spasm and joints ache. Whiling away time in a steamy whirlpool can sound soothing.

 

 

  Lounging in a steamy hot tub may rejuvenate some folks, but it can utterly wipe out someone with MS.

 

Not so for anyone living with multiple sclerosis.

 The hot tub can be one of our worst enemies, when it comes to managing life with MS. It’s pretty much on par with a sit in the sauna, when it comes to triggering MS troubles.

 Heat is not our friend. (Actually, extreme temperatures in either direction can set off our symptoms.  But overheating is a big baddie for us.) 

 Is a sauna soothing for someone with MS? Not so much.

 Uhthoff’s Phenomenon (aka Uhthoff’s Sign) is a classic experience among MSers. When the body temperature goes up, our neurological symptoms generally increase too. That means a cozy dip in the hot tub can invite extra balance problems, blurred vision, confusion, dizziness, fatigue, numbness, pain, tingling, weakness, and other MS woes.

Once our bodies cool down again, some of those symptoms may subside, usually within 24 hours.

 Is it worth all that, just for a short jaunt in the jetted tub?

 

Related items:

• Autumn brings MS relief
• Heat intolerance - Facing MS symptoms from A to Z
• Remember hot showers? Not with MS.
• Remember when bathing didn’t make you blind?
• Thermostat wars and MS
• With MS, a hot flash may not be a hot flash at all.

 

 

Image/s:  Public domain photos, Pixabay

 

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MS can be a ticket to de-stress

 

Life with multiple sclerosis can be exhausting. Add the occasional (or frequent) sudden onslaught of MS-related fatigue of biblical proportions, and it’s almost unimaginable.

 High-energy people may find it difficult to empathize or understand what the MSer means, when he or she describes a titanic tiredness that saps all strength and sends energy and motivation limping away.

 Physicians may call this lassitude, and it's a hallmark of MS. It’s physical and mental weariness, a crippling sluggishness. And it can come on suddenly, seemingly without warning.

 One thing we know for sure – MS hits us the most when we are tired and stressed.

 

Maybe it’s time to let MS be our ticket to de-stress and recharge.

 Here are a few strategies for minimizing the stress that can aggravate and increase the fatigue that goes with MS (and that can leave the MSer extra vulnerable to a full-blown flare-up).

1. Clutter is confusing and chaotic. Simply clearing off a kitchen counter, putting away clean laundry, or tossing out junk mail helps remove stressors.
   

2. Multitasking can be unmanageable. Efficiency is lauded as a virtue, but too much multitasking can send our minds awhirl and our energy away.
   

3. Tackling to-do lists reduces stress. Sometimes it helps to make to-do lists and then knock off one task at a time. By listing even the smallest chores, we can gain satisfaction with each completion. At the end of the day, we can review what’s done and feel a bit of accomplishment. If MS has us homebound, sidelined, or otherwise restricted, this strategy can be extra important.
   

4. Realistic goals are our reality. Sure, we like to stretch ourselves, often past our own limits. But setting more reachable objectives can be rewarding and simplifying. The net result is often less stress. The tricky thing is, MS can change our energy resources spontaneously and unpredictability. (Ever heard of The Spoon Theory? We never know how many we’ll have in a day.)
   

5. Learning to say “no” is life-changing. Boundaries can be a new best friend to the MS warrior. They don’t come easily, because we tend to want to volunteer and participate and be active helpers. That’s one way we get worn out extra quickly, so we have to choose carefully when to say “Yes,” if someone asks.
   

6. Granting ourselves permission to rest is powerful. Stopping our self-expected activities isn’t easy. Who doesn’t want to feel productive and useful? Yet those living with MS may need more rest than those whose myelin isn’t threatened and compromised? We may need to curl up with a book, stretch out under a blanket, or even catch a catnap to regather ourselves and avoid the overdoing that can invite MS to wreak its havoc on us again.

 Self-management is tough, especially with the ever looming challenging that the MS MonSter brings to our lives. And it’s not like we want to cop out of life, escape all responsibilities, and sit idly by. But it’s critical to be deliberate about our mental and physical exertions, if we are to reduce stresses and build ourselves to battle the dreaded beast as best as we can.

 Preaching to the mirror here. I know. Remind me again … soon.

 

Related items:

• Can MS show you how strong you really are?
• Excuses: Ever played the MS card?
• Learning to plan down-days
• Life with MS: Sometimes you feel like toasting, but other times you're just toast.
• Somebody stop me. I've done too much. Again.
• Stress brings MS to excess

 

Image/s:  Adapted from public domain image.

 

Feel free to follow on X. Please visit my Amazon author page as well. You are invited to join the Kicking MS to the Curb page on Facebook.

Can MS mess with your handwriting?

 

I’m pretty sure living with multiple sclerosis has something to do with my penmanship becoming nearly illegible chicken scratch.

 I’m having flashbacks to elementary school, where we sat and scratched out basic cursive writing on those tri-lined newsprint note pads for hours on end. We weren’t allowed to quit until our letters matched those on the cursive ABC strip that lined the top of the blackboards at the front of the classroom. 

  Now in middle age, I find my never-perfect, but perfectly acceptable, penmanship has turned into a sketchy scrawl. Can I blame this on MS, or could it be attributed to some other factors?

 Is my sloppy scribing from aging and arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, writer’s cramp, or MS spasticity?

 Or perhaps I’m simply out of practice, because of my current reliance on typing and dictating to Siri (who has a frequent affinity for homonyms, which can be downright hysterical at times).

 If you live with MS, have you noticed a change in your own handwriting?

 

Related items:

• It's not writer's cramp. It's M.S.
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• MS episode: Is it a relapse, a new lesion, or what?
• MS makes me clumsy sometimes.
• My hand is numb. Is it MS again?
• Trail tumble: No wrist for the wicked

 

Image/s:  Adapted from public domain image.

 

Feel free to follow on X. Please visit my Amazon author page as well.

You are invited to join the Kicking MS to the Curb page on Facebook.

What is it with MS and sleep apnea?

 

Sleep can be a common concern among those with multiple sclerosis. Possibly up to 60 percent of MSers struggle with some sort of sleep disturbance. Sleep apnea is a frequent contributor to this issue.

 

What is sleep apnea?

 This is a condition that causes a person’s breathing to stop and start unpredictably during sleep. During those intervals (which may last for several seconds or more), the body is deprived of ample oxygen. An individual may gasp and awaken, or slightly stir and resume breathing. Each time this happens, it’s called an apnea, and it can occur many times each hour throughout the night.

 Experts say approximately one in five American adults may suffer from sleep apnea, although many may not be aware they have it. (Often, it's identified after a sleeping partner complains enough about intense and sudden spurts of snoring that a person seeks medical advice for it.)

 

What are the symptoms of sleep apnea?

 People with sleep apnea find themselves extra tired during the day. They might wake up with frequent dry mouths and nagging morning headaches.

 

What are the risks of sleep apnea?

 Untreated sleep apnea can be deadly, or at least add to potentially fatal conditions. Some researchers claim it can take as much as 10 years off a person’s life, largely because it increases a person’s vulnerability to high blood pressure, strokes, and heart attacks. (This has something to do with decreased blood oxygen levels that occur during each apnea episode.)

 

How does sleep apnea play into MS?

 Specialists have identified two types of apnea.

1.  Obstructive apnea occurs when the muscles in a person’s throat and nose relax (usually during sleep), blocking the airway and stopping breathing momentarily. This is the type that is commonly associated with loud, sputtering snoring and most often with obesity. Smoking is a risk factor as well.
2. Central apnea occurs when the brain fails to direct the body to breathe for a short interval. This may be more of a neurological issue. (That concept sounds familiar to anyone with MS and how it can pay tricks on all sorts of body part and functions.)

 MSers are widely regarded to be at higher risk for both kinds of apnea. Neuroscientists have pointed to reduced brainstem function issues as possible reasons for this, such as may be caused by demyelinating lesions that may be caused by MS over time.

 Whether obstructive apnea, central apnea, or some combination of both, this sleep disorder wreaks havoc when it strikes someone living with MS. Even without MS, sleep apnea tends to make people extremely sleepy all day long, due to the diminishing of quality sleep overnight. MSers already face bouts of (or ongoing struggles with) a crushing fatigue that is nearly indescribable.

 When sleep apnea prevents quality sleep, it considerably complicates this battle. The lack of rest can also aggravate memory loss, increase accident risks, lead to depression, and worsen diabetic symptoms (for MSers with that comorbidity).

 Certain medications frequently used to alleviate MS symptoms may make sleep apnea worse. These include those prescribed for insomnia, pain, spasticity, and more.

 

What can be done about sleep apnea?

 Once sleep apnea has been diagnosed (usually through an at-home of in-lab overnight sleep study, ordered by a neurologist or other physician), the patient will likely be prescribed treatment using a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine. This regulates breathing during sleep, piping humidified air into the person’s airway via a special mask. In many cases, sleep apnea may also be lessened somewhat when a person stops sleeping on his or her back.

 It can take time and practice to adjust to CPAP treatment, especially the wearing and breathing through the mask while sleeping. (Trust me. It can take weeks or even months to get used to it!) But this adaptation has been shown to reduce sleep apnea episodes (as well as their duration), and eventually to improve restorative sleep and rest.

 That’s worth plenty to an MSer.

 

 Related items:

• 15 things never to say to anyone with multiple sclerosis
• Got up. Got dressed. And got back in bed.
• Learning to plan down-days
• MS comorbidities: Welcome to the party!
• MS has made me more body-conscious.
• The perfect storm can bring on an MS maelstrom
• Thermostat wars and MS

 

Image/s:  Public domain photo

 

Feel free to follow on Twitter. Please visit my Amazon author page as well. You are invited to join the Kicking MS to the Curb page on Facebook and the Making the Most of MS board on Pinterest.

Learning to plan down-days

 Multiple sclerosis can really get you down. You can almost plan on it. That’s why plenty of long-time MSers recommend planning down-days.

 

What are down-days?

 These are those days when we lighten our calendars on purpose. We might stay home and pursue low-stress calming activities. Maybe we do some simple crafting, read a book, binge a favorite TV series, or even take a nap.

This isn’t slacking.

 We’re recharging our batteries, stepping away from stresses, and setting ourselves up for future activities and responsibilities. Essentially, we are becoming better stewards of our own bodies, particularly with MS playing non-stop in the background. Even when we aren’t enduring a full-blown exacerbation, most of us still combat symptoms. And the possibility of a flare-up always lurks nearby.

 Down-days are extra important for the MSer. Even while we are stepping back for rest, we are still at war with this crazy disease.

 

When are down-days most needed?

 Personally, I have found that I can pretty much count on needed a down-day (or more) after a busy week or a full weekend.

 Here’s an example. Last weekend, I went to an evening movie with a friend on Friday. I participated in a choral music festival on Saturday afternoon and evening, followed by chugging my way home (solo) in a blizzard. Sunday I vended at a saddle and tack sale. All this came after a full week that included some important meetings, plus a couple of medical appointments and a funeral for a friend.

 These were all worthwhile activities with people I appreciate.

 Still, it was no surprise that I was completely trashed on Monday. MS had me whirling with vertigo. My head throbbed with migraine. Various muscles were cramping, and that weird tingly nerve pain came alive again. Worst of all, the classic MS fatigue was at full peak.

 Fortunately, I was able to clear most of my calendar for Monday and part of Tuesday. That need was easy to anticipate.

 Occasionally, life becomes complex enough that we can’t just simplify our schedules. We know we’ll be overwhelmed by a few overdone days. But we go ahead and slug things out the best we can anyway. That’s when down-days become especially essential, if we can just hold on long enough to reach them.

 

Down-days are easier when they are planned.

 Ask anyone battling MS, and you’ll hear that it’s a whole lot simpler to set aside preventative rest days than to wait till the MonSter sidelines us with serious symptoms.

 

Forgive me for preaching to the mirror again.

 I’m still not so good at this. It’s hard to sit out of amusing, interesting, or exciting events. It’s tough to turn down projects. It’s disappointing to miss out on fun gatherings. Deliberately declining any of these isn’t easy. But it’s important.

 People with invisible illnesses like to talk about the Spoons Theory. Basically, this holds that each of us starts each day with a handful of spoons. The spoons represent the energy we possess for that day. We never know how many, and this varies with each day. When the spoons are done, so are we. The trick is to pay attention and budget those spoons wisely.  

 

It’s a challenge. It’s hard to say no – even to ourselves.

 With this in mind, it stands to reason that planning frequent down-days can help to set us up to greet upcoming days with a few more spoons.

 

People will struggle to understand our need for down-days.

 MS is known as an invisible disease, because it can be difficult for onlookers to notice. (Other invisible diseases include chronic fatigue syndrome, Crohn’s, diabetes, fibromyalgia, lupus, Lyme, migraines, narcolepsy, rheumatoid arthritis, and more.) As a result, many folks may have difficulty understanding or commiserating with MSers, even during flare-ups. What’s more, people may not comprehend why we might suddenly bow out of a social commitment, cancel a business meeting, opt out of a trip, or decline an invitation.

 They may suspect we are merely making excuses. Some will even say so.

 Whether folks get the picture or not, we have to find ways to manage our lives with MS.

 

Sometimes we just have to step away, whether we plan it or not.

 By dedicating portions of our future scheduling to down-days, we hope to set ourselves up to manage MS triggers ahead of time. Fatigue and stress are universal precipitants for MS symptom aggravations. And down-days help to stave those off.

 

Remind me again.

 The tricky part is that we tend to want to make the most of our best days. When we feel pretty good (as in, when our worst MS symptoms are not raging), we like to pack all of the projects, errands, outings, and other highlights into our schedules. But when we overdo it, we almost always pay the price later.

 Down-days can help to keep the MS warrior up and running.

 

Related items:

·        Can MS show you how strong you really are?

·        Excuses: Ever played the MS card?

·        Life with MS: Sometimes you feel like toasting, but other times you're just toast.

·        Maybe it's one of those imMeaSurable Mondays

·        Nerve pain feels like coming apart at the seams

·        Somebody stop me. I've done too much. Again.

 

Image/s: Word cloud generated by this user

 

Feel free to follow on Twitter. Please visit my Amazon author page as well.

You are invited to join the Kicking MS to the Curb page on Facebook and the Making the Most of MS board on Pinterest.

Thermostat wars and MS

 

 It’s midwinter, and that means the thermostat wars are in full swing. In our house, it's one of life’s ups and downs. There may be a chill in the air, but our house is hot – way-ay too hot. And it’s turning up the heat on a daily debate.

He turns the heat up.

I turn it down. 

He turns it up. 

I turn it down.

 

You get the picture.

 I’ve explained the ins and outs of Uhthoff’s Syndrome, the medically proven perils of overheating that face those of us living with multiple sclerosis. I’ve even printed out scientific papers documenting this. I’m pretty sure I’m talking to a wall (like the wall on which our home thermostat is mounted).

 He cranks it up to the mid-70s (F). I dial it back to 68 (F). It’s endless.

 Some medical experts say 68 (F) is the ideal home temperature for someone with MS. That’s about 20 (C). 

I must admit: I’m growing a bit hot under the collar over it. (One might say it's getting out of control.)

 

Nope, I’m not nitpicking. This is a real thing.

 You could say I'm venting, and that may be true. Or possibly, I'm simply letting off steam. But MS heat intolerance is factual.

 In fact, before neurologists grew so fond of magnetic resonance imaging and lumbar punctures (spinal taps), they used to put patients into hot baths to diagnose multiple sclerosis. Those who experienced worsened symptoms in this steamy setting were tagged as MSers.

 Heat sensitivity is why MSers try not to sit near heating output vents in restaurants. It’s the reason we choose the beds farthest from the heating units in hotel rooms. It’s why we don’t find high-temperature baths, steamy saunas, and hot tubs to be particularly inviting. It also explains why we open kitchen windows while baking or cooking and why lots of us sleep with fans all year round.

 To a person with MS, a slight increase in body temperature can bring on a whole host of unpleasant symptoms. It’s a real nightmare.

 It may be difficult to help a non-MSer understand our symptoms, because these manifestations of MS frequently come and go. They are unpredictable and hard for even us to fathom sometimes.

 

We’re not making this stuff up.

 One of the curiosities of this crazy condition is the way it jumbles our own internal thermostats. We can feel hot when everyone else is cold. And vice versa. We may be peeling off sweaters, while others are reaching for their coats.

 Even so, a genuine elevation of heat (even a small one) sets the worst of MS in motion.

 

What happens when the house is too hot?

 For me (and many other MSers), my world begins to whirl (from vertigo). My vision blurs. My color perception dulls. Various body parts grow numb or pins-and-needles tingly. Fatigue attacks like a beast. Even my speech can be affected. (Some MSers experience tremors, absentmindedness or even incontinence as part of this well-known heat intolerance.)

 

It’s no fun.

 It can be a sub-zero winter day, and I’ll step outside for a moment of relief. When I cool off, the symptoms usually subside, as long as I don’t heat up again.

 

What about cold temperatures?

 Now don’t get me started about what extreme cold temperatures (or sudden temperature shifts in either direction) do to the MSer. Those days of uber-frosty air conditioning are coming, along with their own set of related MS symptoms flare-ups.

 Meanwhile, I think I’ll go check that thermostat again.

 

Related items:

·        Cooking with MS: It's all about timing

·        Life with MS: Sometimes you feel like toasting, but other times you're just toast.

·        My shower looks like a crime scene

·        Remember hot showers? Not with MS.

·        Remember when bathing didn’t make you blind?

·        With MS, a hot flash may not be a hot flash at all.

 

 Image/s: public domain photo/s

 

Feel free to follow on Twitter. Please visit my Amazon author page as well.

You are invited to join the Kicking MS to the Curb page on Facebook and the Making the Most of MS board on Pinterest.