As meditation continues to be an important part of my recovery, I decided to devote another post to it. Instead of the usual post, however, I thought I'd use an infographic to convey my ideas concisely. I hope you find it of some benefit. If you like it, please share it or feel free to pin the graphic on Pinterest.
Showing posts with label brain fatigue. Show all posts
Showing posts with label brain fatigue. Show all posts
Sunday, August 4, 2019
Benefits of Meditation
As meditation continues to be an important part of my recovery, I decided to devote another post to it. Instead of the usual post, however, I thought I'd use an infographic to convey my ideas concisely. I hope you find it of some benefit. If you like it, please share it or feel free to pin the graphic on Pinterest.
Sunday, July 14, 2019
Brain Fog?
There's a lot out there about brain fog. It seems to go along with several chronic conditions, including vestibular disorders like PPPD. My experience has been a little different and I'm hoping by sharing it I might find others who have had a similar experience.
I have never felt "foggy" in conjunction with the PPPD. I can think just fine. My problem since the PPPD began has been that thinking makes me tired. Still does. And I don't know what to do about it.
As part of my appeal process for my disability insurance, I underwent a neuropsychological exam. If you are experiencing brain fog, you might be interested to have this done. It measures whether or not you are suffering from any cognitive difficulties as a result of your condition. It isn't easy. It's an 8 hour exam which for me took almost 15 hours over 2 days. It was grueling and needless to say, exhausting. But I wanted to know.
As it turned out, my memory and other brain functions were mostly fine. It showed some impairment of executive function. Oddly, there was no mention in the report about how long it took me to complete the tests, how often I had to take breaks or how many hundreds of times I yawned or put my head down. But actually I was glad my brain was working right for the most part. So why do I get so tired from thinking?
Since I am unable to work, fortunately I don't HAVE to think most of the time. There are occasions when I have to, like trying to select Medicare plans, prescription plans, etc. That was a treat! But it does hold me back. For example, I love puzzles and have several puzzle books, but I have stopped doing them because I noticed that I could hardly stay awake after doing one. Even spending much time on Twitter or my Facebook groups wears me out.
Anybody else out there? Has this happened to you? Because I really want to know. How do I make this better? I am feeling better physically now and am able to do more. I am seeing my grandkids more and am able to do some crafts. We even go out to lunch sometimes. But thinking still makes me tired.
I would love to hear from you. And as always, if you like this post, please share it using the buttons below.
I have never felt "foggy" in conjunction with the PPPD. I can think just fine. My problem since the PPPD began has been that thinking makes me tired. Still does. And I don't know what to do about it.
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| © 2005 paukrus, Flickr | CC-BY-SA | via Wylio |
As it turned out, my memory and other brain functions were mostly fine. It showed some impairment of executive function. Oddly, there was no mention in the report about how long it took me to complete the tests, how often I had to take breaks or how many hundreds of times I yawned or put my head down. But actually I was glad my brain was working right for the most part. So why do I get so tired from thinking?
Since I am unable to work, fortunately I don't HAVE to think most of the time. There are occasions when I have to, like trying to select Medicare plans, prescription plans, etc. That was a treat! But it does hold me back. For example, I love puzzles and have several puzzle books, but I have stopped doing them because I noticed that I could hardly stay awake after doing one. Even spending much time on Twitter or my Facebook groups wears me out.
Anybody else out there? Has this happened to you? Because I really want to know. How do I make this better? I am feeling better physically now and am able to do more. I am seeing my grandkids more and am able to do some crafts. We even go out to lunch sometimes. But thinking still makes me tired.
I would love to hear from you. And as always, if you like this post, please share it using the buttons below.
Wednesday, June 6, 2018
Beating the Fatigue Part One - Exercise
As I mentioned previously, after experiencing some success in reducing the dizziness through vestibular rehabilitation, I still found myself unable to live a normal life due to extreme fatigue. No one prepared me for this and I couldn't figure it out. The doctors at the Mayo Clinic and my physical therapist all said that it was because my brain was having to work extra hard to fight the dizziness and to deal with all the external stimuli.
Explanatory note: in PPPD, you have to retrain your brain to balance correctly. For whatever reason, the balance system becomes compromised and the brain begins to use the eyes to balance rather than the inner ears. This does not work well, because everything moves, so the eyes and brain are constantly trying to keep up. You have to retrain your brain through vestibular therapy to go back to balancing with the inner ears. And because the brain is working hard, it becomes extra sensitive to stimuli.
I found it hard to believe that brain fatigue was causing all this physical fatigue. But I'm here to tell you, it can! I had started a regimen of walking early on in my fight against PPPD just because I thought it might help me get in better shape and make me feel better. It did, and it actually helped my balance as a side benefit. But a couple of months ago, I finally decided to accept the brain fatigue theory and started thinking of my brain as damaged. When I researched recovering from brain trauma, two things came up over and over - exercise and meditation. I decided to focus on those two things and I have had excellent results.
I worked my way up to walking 30 minutes a day. Sometimes I walk outside, sometimes in the mall and sometimes just inside my apartment. I am now working on increasing my speed. Now, here is my inexpert, non-medical, understanding of how it helps. We know that exercise is good for the brain and helps it regenerate itself. That's why they say exercise is the best way to prevent dementia. I know that exercise strengthens your heart. I figure that as my heart gets stronger, it helps improve blood flow to my body and my brain. That helps feed oxygen to my cells, helping me to heal. And as my brain gets stronger and more healthy, I figure it can work more efficiently, helping diminish the fatigue. And it is working. I can finally see progress!
The other exercise I do is Tai Chi. I do the 24 form I am learning from a DVD. Tai Chi is known to improve balance and increase energy. And I love it because it's calming and beautiful. It is also improving my flexibility and stamina.
In my next post, the other part of the magic formula - meditation.
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| © 2012 Hisakazu Watanabe, Flickr | CC-BY-SA | via Wylio |
Explanatory note: in PPPD, you have to retrain your brain to balance correctly. For whatever reason, the balance system becomes compromised and the brain begins to use the eyes to balance rather than the inner ears. This does not work well, because everything moves, so the eyes and brain are constantly trying to keep up. You have to retrain your brain through vestibular therapy to go back to balancing with the inner ears. And because the brain is working hard, it becomes extra sensitive to stimuli.
I found it hard to believe that brain fatigue was causing all this physical fatigue. But I'm here to tell you, it can! I had started a regimen of walking early on in my fight against PPPD just because I thought it might help me get in better shape and make me feel better. It did, and it actually helped my balance as a side benefit. But a couple of months ago, I finally decided to accept the brain fatigue theory and started thinking of my brain as damaged. When I researched recovering from brain trauma, two things came up over and over - exercise and meditation. I decided to focus on those two things and I have had excellent results.
I worked my way up to walking 30 minutes a day. Sometimes I walk outside, sometimes in the mall and sometimes just inside my apartment. I am now working on increasing my speed. Now, here is my inexpert, non-medical, understanding of how it helps. We know that exercise is good for the brain and helps it regenerate itself. That's why they say exercise is the best way to prevent dementia. I know that exercise strengthens your heart. I figure that as my heart gets stronger, it helps improve blood flow to my body and my brain. That helps feed oxygen to my cells, helping me to heal. And as my brain gets stronger and more healthy, I figure it can work more efficiently, helping diminish the fatigue. And it is working. I can finally see progress!
The other exercise I do is Tai Chi. I do the 24 form I am learning from a DVD. Tai Chi is known to improve balance and increase energy. And I love it because it's calming and beautiful. It is also improving my flexibility and stamina.
In my next post, the other part of the magic formula - meditation.
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© 2006 Alan Levine , Flickr | PD-CC0 | via Wylio As I mentioned in my previous post, my first breakthrough in figuring out what was wrong...
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