Arthritis Wisdom

Inspired tips and information elevating autoimmune living

Lifestyle

Ten Tips To Tranquility

Two adorable lambs snuggled together sleeping peacefully is how I want to sleep every night in order to best manage my RA

Peace and tranquility, the kind of restful sleep my body demands in order to best manage my RA.  I want to sleep like these cuties!

Ten tips to tranquility are a great help to ensure a restful sleep.  Sleep is very important to best manage rheumatoid arthritis (RA).  It is one of the five FRESH areas I focus on to keep my disease in check.  It is what the S in my FRESH acronym stands for.  I use the acronym daily to live a healthy autoimmune lifestyle.

I had to review these tips to tranquility as I was waking up and wandering around my house in the middle of the night several times this week — once at 4 in the morning.  I knew it wasn’t good for my joints and I needed to do something before I had an arthritic flare.  I’m again reminded how I’ve designed as much of my lifestyle as I can around managing my RA.  I wouldn’t characterize it in a negative way because I believe my disease has helped guide me to a healthier lifestyle.  I am motivated to make changes in order to feel so much better.  That in itself is a powerful motivator.  That is using Arthritis Wisdom!

I aim for at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night.  Sleep is time of restoration.  It is when our mind and body recovers from our all-in-a-day’s-work stuff.  One of the stages of sleep is called rapid eye movement stage, or REM stage.  It is during the REM stage of sleep the brain organizes important information for long-term memory.

Without a good night’s sleep our immune system doesn’t function as well.  Lack of proper rest can affect our ability to think, important for making better decisions and having more fruitful interactions with others.  My patience shortens when I am tired or fatigued  and I know that matters when I try to communicate.  Hormonal influences can be disrupted by a poor night’s sleep.  Sleep is when hormones are regulated.  This is probably why  I tend to go for junk food, something quick, when I’m not well rested.  Here are my tips:

Ten Tips To Tranquility

  1. Avoid caffeine after 2 pm.  That includes chocolate and any caffeinated teas.
  2. Getting physical activity during the day.  Gardening, yoga, pilates, walking.  You name it.  Just get moving!
  3. No screens two hours prior to bedtime.  Turn off your computer, smart phone,and put away electronic games.  They stimulate the mind when it’s time to wind down.
  4. A cool temperature in the bedroom is comfortable for sleeping.
  5. Wear comfy pajamas.
  6. Read uplifting, soothing materials before turning in for the night.
  7. Certain essential oils have a calming effect to facilitate sleep.  Lavender, Frankincense, Sweet Marjoram, and Tangerine are a few.  They can be diffused into the bedroom.
  8. Avoiding eating after 6pm, especially a heavy and/or spicy meal.  This helps to prevent acid reflux as well.  A cup of warm milk can be soothing and signal that it is time to sleep.
  9. Develop a bedtime routine so your body knows it is time to wind down for sleep.
  10. “White noise”, such as a fan, can help tune out other noises in order to fall asleep.  It also circulates the air in the room.

Knowing how critical sleep is for someone with RA, I wanted to go back to my basics to nip a potential bad habit in the bud.  In my professional world of pharmacy, we call this good sleep hygiene.  The practice of preparing for a good night’s sleep.  I wish you all happy zzzz’s!

Let me know your tips for getting a good night’s sleep by sharing a comment or two!  (Aren’t those little lambs just the sweetest thing?  I want to sleep like they do!)

XXOO Cathy

photo: Daniel o’down at Unsplash

 

 

Yikes! Beware! Ticks

prevent tick bites

Preventing a tick bite is key to avoiding a tick-borne disease. Stay on the trail and away from contact with grass and other vegetation.

Preventing a tick bite is always on my mind all summer long.  Living in Wisconsin, I am well aware of the diseases transmitted by tick bites.  It is about the only negative to our beautiful and absolute fun summers in and around the Badger State.

Having experienced the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) makes me even more vigilant to prevent a tick bite.  It gets tricky because the tick can be so small that I can’t see it.

A good start to prevention is awareness of what ticks are found where you live and travel to.  The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is a good source of information.  The Wisconsin Department of Health Services is a resource for those of us in Wisconsin.

The next step is to learn what diseases are transmitted by the particular ticks.  The CDC website is a great resource for information about tick-borne diseases.  Because Lyme Disease is so prevalent where I live,  I’m going to discuss ways to prevent Lyme Disease.

Prevention is the best way to avoid a tick-borne disease such as Lyme Disease.  Here are a few tips:

  1. Keep your lawn mowed.  Ticks like to hang out at the end of tall grass blades waiting for an animal or human to brush up against it, then it hitches a ride to then bite.
  2. Wear light colored clothing to better observe ticks.
  3. Avoid tick habitat, they like wooded and grassy areas.
  4. Wear long sleeved shirts and long pants.  Tuck shirts into pants and pant legs into socks.
  5. Keep long hair pulled back.
  6. Avoid sitting on the ground.
  7. Follow directions and use insect repellent.  Clothing can be treated with permethrin.
  8. Shower within two hours after coming in from outside.
  9. Perform regular tick checks on your body.  Use a mirror and don’t forget to check ears, behind the ears, navel, between toes and scalp.  Literally check everywhere!
  10. Don’t forget the family pet.  Check with your veterinarian for appropriate tick prevention.
  11. Stay on the trail or path and avoid brushing up against grasses or other vegetation.

Know the symptoms of a tick bite to look out for.  A rash, fever, fatigue and many more.  Unfortunately, the tick can be so small you may not see it, so be aware of symptoms of tick-borne diseases.  Contact your doctor immediately if you suspect you may have tick-borne disease.  Again, the CDC website is a go-to resource.  Symptoms can occur weeks after a bite.

I had a tick on my waist a week ago.  It is important to remove it properly using a tweezer.  Don’t touch the tick and wash your body immediately.  I also wiped the area with an alcohol swab.  Keep the tick in a sealed jar in case you need to test it.

I recommend visiting the CDC website (linked above) to become familiar with tick bite prevention.  We vacationed in Colorado last week so I looked at what ticks are found out there and what tick-borne diseases those ticks can carry and transmit.

Tick bite prevention is a part of summertime living in Wisconsin and a whole lot of other places.  I find myself checking my scalp and the rest of my body often.  Ticks can live all year around, they are just more prevalent in the warmer months.  I tend to check our dog, too.

Like my friend the gardener says, ” When you see the lady with her pants tucked into her socks, just wave at me!”  A little attention can prevent BIG problems.  And that is using Arthritis Wisdom!

What are your thoughts and suggestions?  Leave a comment!

XXOO Cathy

photo credit: Jon Flobrant of Unsplash

 

Overwhelmed? Two Potential Responses!

Overwhelmed? Two Directions for resolution

Jump into action to resolve the problem or accept being a bit uncomfortable until data is obtained to make a decision to resolve the problem…those are the two potential responses I have experienced trying to help my elderly mother.

Overwhelmed?  I get that way from time to time.  Because I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) doesn’t mean life challenges have just, “poof”, gone away.  I’m learning ways to cope and problem solve since my diagnosis because stress profoundly affects how well my disease is managed.  It took years to get to where I am now in that regard, and I will do about anything to keep the pain, swelling and fatigue under control!

My dear mother is 87 and struggling.  She lost two close friends in 6 months and it seems as though her world is caving in.  My four brothers and I are also struggling to get a handle on how we can help her to keep living independently in the family home of over 50 years.

Last month I visited her and immediately knew things had changed.  I was able to see what my brothers didn’t because they see her far more often.  I was struck like a bolt of lightening that things needed to change, and quickly, to help her.

That is when I jumped into action.  Networking with my friends facing the same issues of caring for our elderly parents.  Doctor appointments, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and learning about anything and everything that had to do with helping my mother as she grieved her loses.  Then doing it!

In the process, communication with my siblings could have been better.  We were all working in our own ways to solve the problems in order to honor my mother’s wish to remain living independently in the home we all grew up in.  I’ve learned to jump into action if it is a life-or-death situation at the moment, but if not, allow a bit of discomfort as data can be gathered in order to make decisions that take each others thoughts and feelings into consideration.  It is better for everyone involved.  Most importantly, my mother!

How does this affect the management of my RA?  Emotions can cause a lot of stress.  Initially, I felt the weight of the world on my shoulders.  I’ve learned I need to take time to collaborate with my mother and brothers as we problem solve the obstacles that would keep mom from living where she really wants to.  It is a process, and not a perfect one, but we are figuring out a chain of communications and who does what the best.  We are still in the middle of it all, but we are moving in a positive direction.  All of that to say by working together the stress level is decreased, therefore making it easier to prevent an arthritic flare.

This is a good time to be reminded of my FRESH lifestyle.  Eating healthy, nutrient-rich foods, stress reduction, maintaining my exercise commitments, getting plenty of sleep and staying hydrated.

Overwhelmed?  How do you best deal with that situation.  Please leave a comment sharing your thoughts.  We can learn so much from each other.  And that is using Arthritis Wisdom.

Take care.

XXOO Cathy

photo credit:Photo by Abbie Bernet on Unsplash