Lifestyle Changes for Fibromylagia

I often talk about lifestyle changes and adjustments for helping manage fibro symptoms. I found this great link on about.com detailing the top 10 lifestyle changes. I've highlighted the list below, but it really is worthwhile to read though the article with details and more links for each.

http://chronicfatigue.about.com/od/copingwithfmscfs/ss/lifestylechanges.htm

1. Pace Yourself
I have learned to do this, I am/was a type A personality pre-fibro, so was always on the go go go, but have learned now to balance activity (work, errands, dinner out with friends etc.) with periods of rest. This keeps me from fibro flares. Sometimes going out to dinner on a Friday night means not scheduling plans on the following Saturday for anything. Or dinner out on a Tuesday means not going out on Wednesday as well.

2. Holding a Job / Disability
This has been a struggle, but I have noticed having a job to go to helps keep my mind off the fibro for a few hours, and helps give me more purpose for the day.

3. Change Your Diet
Big proponent of this, less chemicals and processed foods, more fresh fruits and vegetables!

4. Exercise
I have settled on yoga for this, it really, really helps! It gently stretches my muscles and keeps them active, but its not too strenuous, and I can pace myself. I think the meditative part of yoga helps too, calm my mind, and even helps me sleep easier.

5. Focus on Better Sleep
I think my natural inclination has always been to be a night owl, but I've learned that maintaining proper sleep habits is an ESSENTIAL part of managing fibro. I try to start settling down by 9:00pm and start heading to bed @ 10pm, aiming to fall asleep no later than 11pm.

6. Learn Coping Skills
I've learned to accept my fibro, learn what I can do, and can't do, how to balance my social life with the fibro.

7. Little Things/Changes Can Have  a Big Impact
Foods, clothes, drinking lots of water. I've learned changing my diet helps, paying attention to how my clothes feel on and changing those if it makes me feel better, and drinking lots of water daily, all help me manage my fibro. IT really is amazing how different I feel on days that I drink a lot of water vs days I do not.

8. Surviving the Holidays
I order online for gifts (the amazon wish list is an AMAZING tool that everyone in my family now uses!) I always bring a dish/foods to get togethers that I know I can eat, and I usually try to eat a bit before I go to a get together just in case there are a lot of foods and dishes there that are on my no-no list.

9. Manage Stress
I've learned to realize what in life is worth worry about and getting upset over (not much is worth the effort and accompanying stress I've found!) and the meditation and deep breathing exercises from yoga helps calm my mind and eases stresses a lot too. I'll even listen to some calming music during times of stress, which helps refocus my energies.I'm a sucker for the Tibetan Bells music from yoga :)

10. Find Support
I have found a local support group as well as a few online that are amazing. To speak with others with the same struggles, and share stories and successes makes me feel less alone with my struggles. I highly recommend http://www.chronicbabe.com

Foods that Help You Sleep!

A friend shared this with me, it is GREAT!! I am running right out to get bananas and cherries!! I think the info came from www.caring.com

Should you let yourself have that midnight snack if you're having trouble sleeping? Here are five foods that can actually help you drift off:

1. Cherries. Fresh and dried cherries are one of the only natural food sources of melatonin, the chemical that controls the body's internal clock to regulate sleep. Researchers who tested tart cherries and found high levels of melatonin recommend eating them an hour before bedtime or before a trip when you want to sleep on the plane.

2. Bananas. Potassium and magnesium are natural muscle relaxants, and bananas are a good source of both. They also contain the amino acid L-tryptophan, which gets converted to 5-HTP in the brain. The 5-HTP in turn is converted to serotonin (a relaxing neurotransmitter) and melatonin.

3. Toast. Carbohydrate-rich foods trigger insulin production, which induces sleep by speeding up the release of tryptophan and serotonin, two brain chemicals that relax you and send you to sleep..

4. Oatmeal. Like toast, a bowl of oatmeal triggers a rise in blood sugar, which in turn triggers insulin production and the release of sleep-inducing brain chemicals. Oats are also rich in melatonin, which many people take as a sleep aid..

5. Warm milk. Like bananas, milk contains the amino acid L-tryptophan, which turns to 5-HTP and releases relaxing serotonin. It's also high in calcium, which promotes sleep.


Also this link lists the top 5 foods to AVOID in order to get good sleep:

http://www.caring.com/articles/foods-that-prevent-sleep 

Herbal Sleep Remedies

A friend recently shared this article with me from NewsMax Health. I wanted to post the link here, as I have tried some of these but did not realize that all these aided in sleep. Very interesting. I have tried the Valerian (caution - it smells funky! :) and Melatonin (I think I built up a tolerance?) and I take Skullcap for pain (anti-inflammatory) and sometimes I sip Chamomile tea at bedtime.

These made me tired for sure, but to get my deep restful sleep I still need my Lunesta script :(

Has anyone else tried any of these?

Please don't forget to consult your doctor though before trying anything new, as even herbs like these can interact with other herbs and prescriptions.

http://www.newsmaxhealth.com/headline_health/drug_free_sleep_remedies/2010/08/05/338930.html?s=al&promo_code=A6E1-1

For details check out the article above

1. Valerian
2. Melatonin
3. Chinese Skullcap
4. Theanine
5. Lavender
6. Chamomile
7. PassionFlower

Please remember to consult your physician before trying anything new. I am not a doctor and no information I provide here should be considered medical advice.The information I share on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice.  It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from my research and experience. Links to other sites are provided for ease of research. Information on those sites is the opinion of those who publish the sites and is NOT necessarily that of FibroChick. I offer what I can as help. I believe in educating myself on all my medical issues and being my own advocate, for no one else will do that on my behalf. I recommend we all do the same! I encourage you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.   

Improve Your Sleep

Soaking in a hot bath before bed can help you transition into a deeper, more restful sleep, a study at Loughborough University found. This bedtime ritual, inspired by the super-luxe Indochine Indulgence treatment from La Costa Resort and Spa in California (LaCosta.com) will help you get your zzz's.

Here is your shopping list:

- 3/4 cup sea salt
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup whole dry milk
- a lavender-based body oil



STEP 1
Whip up a sea-salt scrub by mixing 3/4 cup fine sea salt, 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup olive oil; set aside.

STEP 2
Draw a hot bath, adding 1/4 cup dry whole milk to the running water. Step in and soak for about 10 minutes.

STEP 3
At the end of the bath, scoop up a handful of your homemade salts and use them to exfoliate your elbows, knees and other rough spots.

STEP 4
Before wrapping up in a towel, cool down by rubbing on a lavender-based body oil. As your body temperature drops, your blood pressure lowers, signaling to your body that it's time for sleep.

ENJOY & RELAX!

Yoga for Sleep

This is a good blurb about how Yoga can help you sleep better. I love my yoga :)

http://altmedicine.about.com/od/insomnia/a/yoga_insomnia.htm?nl=1

Sleep and Chronic Pain Connection

I found this article interesting and wanted to share, due to its relevance with sleep disturbance and chronic pain connection. I can definitely tell a big difference in how much better I feel when getting GOOD sleep. I have found 1/2mg of Lunesta (prescription) per nite helps me get GOOD restful sleep and I have been having a lot more GOOD days!

For migraineurs, definitely check out James' Migraine blog (link below), he provides EXCELLENT information.

from http://headacheandmigrainenews.com/ 

Migraine and REM Sleep

by James on 6 July 2010

It’s no secret that sleep issues are connected to migraine.  For example, check out Sleep apnea and migraine? and Solve child’s sleep problems = solve migraine?.

Building on previous studies, researchers from Missouri State University recently reported on a study that connected a lack of REM sleep with chronic pain.  The research was done on rats, which were deprived of REM sleep for three nights.

What happened?  There was an increase of expression in certain proteins which help regulate sensory response in facial nerves.  The same thing happened with another protein linked to starting chronic pain.

This type of response could cause problems with the trigeminal nerve, which is key in the migraine chain reaction.

Lead researcher Dr. Paul L. Durham says,"People with headaches often have a hard time sleeping.  It is easy to see how several nights of interrupted sleep can make people more susceptible to developing a chronic pain state."

Yet more information showing us how migraine and various types of chronic pain may be links to interruptions in sleep.

Start Your Day in the Best Way!

As we head into the weekend I thought this would be a good article to share:

(from "Fibromyalgia & Fatigue Centers Inc." http://www.fibroandfatigue.com)

Your Mornings…StartYour Day the Best Way Possible!

Rather than awake refreshed from a nights’ sleep, Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue sufferers frequently feel exhausted in the morning. Sleep studies of Fibromyalgia and Fatigue patients show a consistent pattern of disruption during the delta “deep sleep stage.” Because your deep sleep is often disrupted, it minimizes the time your body has to rest, repair and rebuild leading to ongoing fatigue and discomfort.

Here are more suggestions to get you moving in the morning:

    1.    Starting your day with a positive attitude, remind yourself that you will control the pace of your day.

    2.    You now need to begin to loosen those muscles. Hopefully, the bed and room temperature are at a comfortable level allowing you to slowly remove some of your bed linen without causing your body to tense or cramp.

    3.    Stretching exercises while lying in bed will loosen and warm muscle fibers to avoid strain upon rising. Take as much time as you need to work from your neck down in a slow, consistent manner. Avoid any quick movements and never stretch to a point of pain. The muscles may feel tight or stiff, but with repetitive movement, stretching and relaxing, you should feel them loosen.

    4.    If you don’t already know your shower intimately, you should! A hot shower upon rising is a terrific way to treat your body and prepare it for the day ahead. Not only will the heat penetrate your muscles, but also the calming effect of the running water is great for mental relaxation. If someone is available, ask him or her to turn the shower on for you before you even get out of bed.

    5.    Continue your stretching while in the shower. You should see a noticeable difference in your movements while under the hot water.

    6.    Don’t forget to jump start your day with a nutritious breakfast and consumption of your Vitamin and Mineral Supplements. The morning is the most effective time for absorption and for you to gain the greatest benefit with this consistent morning boost.

Remember; give yourself plenty of time in the morning. It’s up to you to decide if it’s going to be the worse time of your day or the absolute best time for you to take care of YOU!

Sleep and Fibromyalgia - "Alpha Delta Sleep"

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/fibromyalgia/2010/04/23/dr-victor-rosenfeld-on-sleep-and-fibromyalgia

(Is @ 30 minutes, WELL worth the listen!!)

Sleep plays a HUGE role in fibromyalgia.

The first studies on firbomyalgia involved looking at sleep patterns in fibro sufferers.

Fibromites' delta waves (deep sleep) has alpha wave (awakeness!) intrusion!

Deep sleep/delta waves is restorative, so without it you develop fatigue, chronic pain, cognitive problems and more (sound familiar?!)

Interestingly enough, most Fibromites actually list fatigue and non-restorative sleep as worse and more debilitating than the pain from FM!

So what came first, the pain or the sleep disturbance? Do we not sleep because of the pain, or do we have the pain because we don't sleep....

Clinical studies are currently been done on Xyrem (http://www.xyrem.com/) which is a med currently being used for treatment of narcolepsy, but can be beneficial for helping fribromites treat their sleep problems. It is looking promising, so lets cross our fingers!

Please remember to consult your physician before trying anything new. I am not a doctor and no information should be considered medical advice. Any information provided should not be used to take the place of advice from your personal physician or other professional. Links to other sites are provided for ease of research. Information on those sites is the opinion of those who publish the sites and is NOT necessarily that of FibroChick. I offer what I can as help. I believe in educating myself on all my medical issues and being my own advocate, for no one else will do that on my behalf. I recommend we all do the same!

REST FOR LESS! WIth Lunesta. OK, I'll try it.

So got the results back from my sleep study. No sleep apnea and no restless leg (which I kind of already knew, even though my Dad sufferers from these, I did not think I did.) But I did show a very porr sleeping pattern (duh! is why I did to the sleep study!) Anyhoo :) So neuro doc wants me to try Lunesta. I told him I tried Ambien to no avail. He said Lunesta is a little different. Ok, so sure, I'll give it a whirl. Esp since I found these savings programs:

SAVE UP TO $50 on EACH of your next 12 Lunesta Prescriptions! EVEN IF You have insurance with a copay! $50 OFF EACH COPAY!!
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