Sleep, Fatigue & Tension

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Sleep

Body exhausted but the mind wont stop - simple meditation techniques can help here. I include a relaxation section in my videos but here is a simple trick that might help.

Focus on your breathing and then simply open your eyes on the in-breath and close them on the out-breath. Within a few minutes you will be reluctant to open your eyes and, if you have been focusing on the breathing, your mind will have forgotten what you were worrying about. Another trick to try in the same vein is to open your eyes as you count to ten and then close them for another count of ten. Repeat this until your eyes refuse to open.

Spasms and cramps - see the section on exercises for some tricks to ease this but one thing that can help to break a bad cramp or spasm is to pull your leg right up to the chest and hold it for a moment

Too hot/too cold (or bits of both) with people reporting feelings of burning or freezing in their legs, feet or hands. Techniques to improve the circulation can assist in this problem and I will be showing you how to do this at a later date.

A bladder that wakes you up every couple of hours and a difficulty getting back to sleep. See the section in the exercise section and talk to your Continence Advisor ? there are drugs to help dull down an over-sensitive bladder.

Sleeping during the day due to fatigue resulting in poor sleep at night. See the next section.

Please feel free to tell me of any other reason for your sleeplessness (in the forum).

Fatigue & Tension

The symptom of fatigue is very common yet difficult to explain to anyone who has not experienced it. It can be the cause of great frustration and misunderstanding - you look the same but suddenly the battery has gone flat!

People describe fatigue as a feeling of walking through thick mud, a sudden sagging of all the muscles or even a total failure of the body and mind. This symptom can lead to a lack of confidence (what do I do if it happens when I am out?).

It is very easy to get angry and frustrated both with yourself and the MS and the people who are trying to help you OR becoming upset and depressed. Both of these reactions simply use more of that precious energy and need to be avoided.

Vitamin B12 injections are known to help people control the levels of fatigue. There is some research that has found that pwms do not assimilate B12 normally through diet and supplements so it is worth talking to your GP about having regular injections.

It has been reported that some GPs limit these injections to three monthly intervals although others are happy to administer them weekly. YOU are the best judge of this and if, as some people report, there is a noticeable wearing off of the benefits between injections ask to have them more regularly.

Too much physical and/or mental tension will add to your fatigue levels and sometimes you are not even aware when you are tense:-

Driving - take a moment to decide if you are holding the steering wheel too tightly or the tension in your ankles is running up into your hips. A simple decision to correct this and relax slightly will reduce the amount of effort in your journey.

Walking Aids such as walking sticks, elbow crutches and walking frames are useful but can create a great deal of unnecessary tension if gripped too tightly or they are the incorrect height for you - seek out expert advice on the use of these aids from a fully trained physiotherapist - do not simply go off and purchase one or, worse still, use one that someone has found in their garage!!!

Wheelchairs can be a godsend especially for those long haul shopping trips and days out at the zoo but make sure that you are relaxed into the seat and not holding yourself tense in case you fall out. All wheelchairs are supplied with a waist strap and you should make sure you use it ? even if it does not look cool. As in the item on walking aids, it is important that a wheelchair fits you and the footrests are adjusted to the correct height so there is no pressure on the back of your thighs (or your legs will swell up) and the armrests are comfortable and not pushing your shoulders up causing tension.

Pushing yourself to do something that really does not matter can cause great tension. On-line shopping (especially for groceries) can take some of the strain off, paying someone to do your ironing and cleaning can really help (and is preferable to nagging the family) and has the benefit of you remaining in control and independent. Learn to prioritise and do not let trivia wear you down. The windows will need cleaning next week even if you do them today, leave em til next week!!!

Plan your days and schedule in the rest times. Even a short break every hour (or even half hour) will extend the length of time before fatigue sets in or even prevent it happening at all and your family and friends will quickly learn to accept that this is a sensible way of you managing your symptoms and is far preferably to you becoming totally exhausted.