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Will anyone explain his/her use of rest when they crash?

Posted by mclelland1958 @mclelland1958, Jan 1 1:28pm

Will anyone explain their use of rest when they crash?
This weekend I had a very emotional situation. My baseline symptoms are much worst. My fatigue has me housebound and my IBS has me cramping and nauseous. I would really appreciate feedback concerning what you all do to recover from a crash.

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cantek | @cantek | Jan 10 10:44am
In reply to @jennjaxcrouch "Rina, I am a newbie to accepting the fact that I indeed have Long Covid. I..." + (show)
@jennjaxcrouch

Rina, I am a newbie to accepting the fact that I indeed have Long Covid. I am in the process of accepting my limitations for the last two years .(..because there is apparently nothing I can do about it). I do understand so many tragedies and illnesses change people's lives and with a good attitude and life management skills, life can still be abundant. But my question for you.....do you think we will ever get better? Will I ever go mountain climbing and snow skiing again. I am 54 years old and very into hiking, vacationing with grandchildren, etc. Are you encouraged at all that some people with long covid will improve. This is new to me and I am going to explore more doctors advice....search for anything that doctors approve or suggest. But am I just using my wasting my energy for now and need to "pace" myself. I am struggling with acceptance obviously. Thank you, Jen

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Jen,
It has 6 months for me and I too struggle with being the turtle and not the hare.
I can say that the support hose and pants help alot.
I started sleeping 10-12 hours a month ago and got a Rituxin infusion for autoimmune 2 weeks ago.
I am noticing that my energy is up and symptoms down so I am going hiking with my dog today! Short hike after coffee for vasoconstriction.
I will let you know how it goes.
Support clothing, sleep and coffee

REPLY
dieraufl | @dieraufl | Jan 10 11:34am

Naps/rest. You don't need to sleep, you just need to take time to shut your body down throughout the day. How long and how often will be different for different people. Sometimes I just need 10 minutes. I just want to say this is easier said then done. I have 59 years of programming to hop up and get things done, and to be social. So I don't beat myself up when I crash. I post notes around the house to remind me to slow down. Please be kind to yourself.

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jennjaxcrouch | @jennjaxcrouch | Jan 10 1:34pm

This is so helpful, thank you for responding, I am just finding it so hard to accept. Again I have gratitude because there are so many worse things in the world, and i have witnessed some in my family, the death of my father when he was 42 my brother when he was 31.) I was kind of labeled "the strong one" because I pushed on , had 5 children and probably suppressed all my grief. But it sure is hard to feel so week physically and mentally. I appreciate the support, thank you, jennifer

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Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Jan 10 4:47pm

mclelland1958, wow, I'm impressed with the helpful responses you've received from so many members. You may also be interested in the tips in these related discussions:

- Have energy...then CRASH! https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/have-energy-then-
- Is this a COVID crash? Any suggestions on how to stop a crash? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/the-covid-crash/
- Deep Breathing to Stop a COVID Crash https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/deep-breathing-to-stop-a-covid-crash/

@mclelland1958, what member tips resonate with you? Have you tried anything that helps?

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mrsstitches | @mrsstitches | Jan 10 8:30pm

I haven’t read through all of the responses, but if I’m not in a full crash (i.e. just needing to sleep, stay completely immobile, and rest as long as my body needs), I will do some of these other gentle activities. They’re all ones that are recommended by my doctor, who has been a great support.
1. Eye exercises for vagal nerve stimulation - “Accessing The Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve” by Stanley Rosenberg is a good resource.
2. Manual lymph drainage - there are YouTube videos on how to do this
3. Sit outside in the sun (or in front of a sun lamp) for at least 10 minutes/day - great for Vitamin D
4. Forest bathing - fancy words for spending time around trees, especially evergreens. Not only does it feel nice and relaxing, but the trees actually give off antimicrobial compounds that help the immune system. You don’t have to do a full on hike to get the benefits. Just sit on a stump or at a picnic table, for example. Here’s one of many books about it: “ The Secret Therapy of Trees: Harness the Healing Energy of Forest Bathing and Natural Landscapes” by Marco Mencagli
5. Cold showers in the morning, warm showers in the evening.
6. Have protein shakes, green powders, electrolyte drinks, fruit, and water on hand for the days you just can’t cook for yourself.
7. Hum and sing along to your favorite music (another way to activate your Vagus nerve).

I don’t find that any one of these is a cure-all, but they each have their own benefits, and I do feel better if I can do them fairly regularly.

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1 reply
friedrich | @friedrich | Jan 10 9:22pm
In reply to @mrsstitches "I haven’t read through all of the responses, but if I’m not in a full crash..." + (show)
@mrsstitches

I haven’t read through all of the responses, but if I’m not in a full crash (i.e. just needing to sleep, stay completely immobile, and rest as long as my body needs), I will do some of these other gentle activities. They’re all ones that are recommended by my doctor, who has been a great support.
1. Eye exercises for vagal nerve stimulation - “Accessing The Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve” by Stanley Rosenberg is a good resource.
2. Manual lymph drainage - there are YouTube videos on how to do this
3. Sit outside in the sun (or in front of a sun lamp) for at least 10 minutes/day - great for Vitamin D
4. Forest bathing - fancy words for spending time around trees, especially evergreens. Not only does it feel nice and relaxing, but the trees actually give off antimicrobial compounds that help the immune system. You don’t have to do a full on hike to get the benefits. Just sit on a stump or at a picnic table, for example. Here’s one of many books about it: “ The Secret Therapy of Trees: Harness the Healing Energy of Forest Bathing and Natural Landscapes” by Marco Mencagli
5. Cold showers in the morning, warm showers in the evening.
6. Have protein shakes, green powders, electrolyte drinks, fruit, and water on hand for the days you just can’t cook for yourself.
7. Hum and sing along to your favorite music (another way to activate your Vagus nerve).

I don’t find that any one of these is a cure-all, but they each have their own benefits, and I do feel better if I can do them fairly regularly.

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To mrsstitches —

Thank you for your detailed, articulate summary of the advice your doctor gave you. And for citing sources that people can pursue for more in-depth information.

I’ve encountered several reports on recent research into the many functions of the Vagus nerve. I need to learn more about therapeutic stimulation of the Vagus nerve, as you mentioned.

— friedrich

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RMS | @rinadbq | Jan 12 9:16am
In reply to @cynt "+1 I’ve been trying to figure out “pacing” more, and this was very helpful. Curious about..." + (show)
@cynt

+1
I’ve been trying to figure out “pacing” more, and this was very helpful. Curious about only 2-3 days per month of full rest? What happens if you did more — eg, like 2 days/week? Can you have too much rest?

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Presently I try to schedule 1-2 "rest" days a week to hold myself in check and avoid crashing. When I feel good I still, 4 years later, forget to keep it slow and wind up with a crash again, like the universe continually reminds me! What a cycle. The holidays were brutal, it took 10 days to recover, but I knew that in advance and didn't schedule anything for a week. I am so glad they are over and life gets back to my version of normal. I don't think I can get too much rest, only because life goes on and I still need to manage my home, grocery shop cut my hair, go to appointments. What does help is only scheduling 1 thing a day-sometimes life gets in the way of that and I pay for it but I am glad I know what to expect now.

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1 reply
cynt | @cynt | Jan 12 1:08pm
In reply to @rinadbq "Presently I try to schedule 1-2 "rest" days a week to hold myself in check and..." + (show)
@rinadbq

Presently I try to schedule 1-2 "rest" days a week to hold myself in check and avoid crashing. When I feel good I still, 4 years later, forget to keep it slow and wind up with a crash again, like the universe continually reminds me! What a cycle. The holidays were brutal, it took 10 days to recover, but I knew that in advance and didn't schedule anything for a week. I am so glad they are over and life gets back to my version of normal. I don't think I can get too much rest, only because life goes on and I still need to manage my home, grocery shop cut my hair, go to appointments. What does help is only scheduling 1 thing a day-sometimes life gets in the way of that and I pay for it but I am glad I know what to expect now.

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This was really helpful, thank you. Now that I’m (recently) retired, I’ve been thinking about scheduling Weds, Sat& Sun as rest days. But this means more than 1 thing has to be scheduled on the other days - more like 3-4 tings per day. Like the other commenter said, guess I just need to try it out and see what takes. Whatever it is it will be better than when I was working 50 hrs/week, and triage’ing everything else in my personal life.

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