I’m recently diagnosed and obviously I’ve got lots to learn! I keep reading about the importance of resting at times during the day and was wondering what does this means to you. Do you lie on the settee and read/watch tv or do you actually take yourself off to bed for a nap. How often do you rest during the day and for how long?
Currently for my rest time I have been lying on the settee but I just find my legs can’t stop moving and so I’m really not resting at all!
To me rest is whatever my body tells me I need and just go with it.
If you are suffering from restless legs, then magnesium can help calm them down. It’s beneficial mineral, so no harm in trying.
I don’t work any more, so resting for me is basically any time I’m not using my limbs, or at least not much.
I keep 2 stools in the kitchen (a high one and a low one) and sit on them frequently in between washing dishes, cooking, or sometimes just walking through the room. After a few minutes, I get back up. I’ve begun eating lunch in my armchair, and when I’m finished with the food, I just prop my feet on the footstool and watch TV and maybe doze for an hour or two. When I’m having a bad day, I’ll actually crawl in bed and nap in the middle of the day.
For me, resting is mostly just sitting down when I feel the need and then staying there as long as it takes to want to get back up. While I was still working, it was very important to sit as often as possible so that I could recharge my batteries a little bit to keep going through the day. It made a difference, even when I didn’t feel tired at the time. Since we weren’t allowed to use stools at my last job, I’d sometimes go in the bathroom and just sit on the toilet for a few minutes.
My legs get me up at night sometimes, so I’ll pace for a minute or two and then sit in the nearest chair. Pace, sit. I do that until they seem to have calmed down enough to let me get some sleep. There were times in my younger days when I’d lay in bed the wrong way and prop my legs against the wall. It’s the ultimate in elevation and actually helped!
Being recently diagnosed it’s all a bit worrying and confusing but as time goes on you’ll know exactly when you need a rest, it will become fairly obvious to you.
I’m a bit of a rebel when it comes to resting, I tend to keep pushing myself to what I call my “crash point”, which is basically to the point where I’m proper struggling to walk and can possibly start tripping, stupid, yes, but thats how I’ve always been, stubborn and a bit of a fighter.
Over the years I’ve certainly noticed that the length of time that I can try to keep going has definitely become shorter, I’ll still try to do the things I used to before MS, but if I do succeed it would of taken me far far far longer, more effort & determination is needed in bucket fulls, but when you do manage to succeed it’s a poke in the eye for MS.
My sister who also has MS, has to have a few hours everyday, around midday in bed, it’s something she did from when she was first diagnosed, personally I feel she sort of gave in right from the start.
I saw what MS did to her, so when I was diagnosed I was, and still am determined to keep pushing for as long as I can.
I find it very difficult somedays to walk even short distances or climb the stairs, but I WILL walk those distances and I WILL climb those bloody !
Don’t get me wrong, there are days and situations that I’ve put myself into where I just cant push anymore, but in my head I think, “there’s always tomorrow” for round 2 !!
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I work 4 days a week and I am stood up for 7 to 9 hours per day. To say I am ready for rest at 915pm when i get home is an understatement.
I have RRMS and I’m drained at night. I am off today abd still in bed after 11 hrs.
So rest when you can, just try to unwind.
Writing this the day after a “crash”.
Fatigue can either be weariness and an accelerated tiredness when compared to pre-MS, or it can be “I need to lie down NOW!”
Yesterday, I had a busy day by my standards. Had 3 meetings, lunch out and a fair bit of walking & standing. I got home, limped into the house, make a cup of tea (kettle boiled, poured onto teabag) and went upstairs to get changed, fully intending to come down, fetch the tea and sit down with my feet up. I took my clothes off, slipped into bed and that was it for 2 hours. Took paracetamol as I was shivery. It was as sudden as that.
Woke up, quite disorientated, when my wife came home and she could tell immediately that something was up. She’s not seen many of my proper fatigue episodes and thinks that I’m being inconsiderate, sleeping at the wrong times, being out of step with the family, missing meal times etc. But I think she learned a bit more yesterday. We just don’t have a choice sometimes.