Early bird gets a flare up?
I just doubled my caseload for my students, and now I start an hour and a half earlier than I typically do. I feel awful.
becoming a morning person
In graduate school, I turned myself into more in-person. I did yoga every morning. I wrote down what I was grateful for. Sometimes I meditated. This helped me get ready for the busyness that was graduate school. It allowed me to still get my goals even before the bulk of my day started. I found a lot of my anxiety reduced because of this.
For me, I get my brain fog and just lack concentration at the end of my workday. I could immediately go to sleep after I log off at three. Som I could write or edit or even lessons planned for my job with greater clarity.
the habit that stuck
Obviously, I would want to continue this as an adult. I started doing more work for Save Your Spoon, moving every morning, and meditating. To get all my things done, I typically wake up 2 hours before I need to log on for my day job. So, for 8:30, I wake up at 6:30. Now that I lesson plan at 7… that means I rise and shine at 5 am.
I find that if I lead myself up with the morning routine, the best serves me, and my stress goes down during the day. If I make the time and the priority to use breath work to meditate to do the exercises, I know that my daytime workload is incrementally better than it would be otherwise.
So people ask me why I make the conscious decision to wake up two hours before I have to do anything for work, I tell him that I need it for the person that I’m trying to become. I want to do it so I can better serve the people I work with. So often we focus on the job we have hands and not the person that we want to become. Our goals include getting a raise and working for other people, but how does that line with our values and who we are supposed to be?
how does sleep affect flare-ups? a condensced answer:
Sleep plays an important role in regulating our immune system, which is already compromised to begin with. During sleep, the body produces cytokines, which are curial to regulating immune responses. The dysregulation of the production can lead to autoimmune flare-ups and inflammation.
Lack of sleep can activate the body’s stress response system, leading to elevated levels of cortisol (i.e., our stress horomone). Although cortisol is important for everyday function, too much of it can exacerbate inflammation and immune dysregulation.
On another note, medication, such as corticosteroids and immunosuppressants, and genetic predisposition to unhealthy sleep patterns (i.e., insomnia) can make it harder to establish a typical sleeping pattern. Shifts such as adjusting your sleeping pattern can make your everyday symptoms worse.
Some syptoms include:
fatigue
joint pain
headaches
brain fog
mood changes
digestive issues
skin rashes
increased disease activity that is specific to your diagnosis
For me, my symptoms have been cognitive impairment with concentration and problem solving as well as joint pain, fatigue, and GI disturbances. It’s a lot to deal with when you are trying to meet your goals.
the big jump forward
As endorsed by Andrew Huberman, moving your schedule in small increments helps the transition. I started a half an hour earlier. I woke up feeling like a train hit me. I took it slow with my obligations and allowed myself to take naps as needed.
Daylight savings just sprung us forward, I’m trying to be cognizant of how my body is going to adjust. I envy the people who don’t have to think about this because their bodies get hit one day and then adapt. Their bodies are resilient enough to tackle it. Watching my body go through the shift adjusted to wake up an hour earlier than I usually do, I can’t help but say I’m concerned. I reconfirmed with my dad.” are you sure it’s that? I’m waking up at 4:30 and not 6:30?.” And sadly, he is correct.
tips and tricks
As I am writing this, I am indeed consuming caffeine. Here are some things I am going to prioritize this week to take care of my mental and physical health.
Limiting caffeine: Although I just stated I am drinking a coffee- I plan to stop at 2 pm. This will make sure it is out of my system.
Early dinner: I have to eat dinner 4 hours before I go to bed, otherwise my poor esophagus will pay the price. Avoiding eating too close to bed will help
Red light: I swear by red light. My roommate probably thinks I’m crazy because I avoid normal lights an hour before bed. This really helps me unwind and not feel stimulated by blue light.
Avoiding screens: I call my boyfriend and that is IT. I try to make sure I do not go on social media or watch TV too close to bed. This way, my mind is calm and not reading for the next video to click on.
Mindfulness: You’re probably asking yourself "so what the hell am I supposed to do before bed?” I meditate. I let my body relax. Unclench the muscles that were squeezing to the point of no return.
Journal: I physically write out the priorities I have for the next day on a planner. I sleep next to a journal at all times in case I get an idea that pops up as I am falling asleep. At times, I will speak into my phone a diary entry (my hands hurt if I write too much) to get all my thoughts out. I let all worries and concerns free by doing this, so they are not looming as I’m trying to go to sleep.
my needed accessories
Allow your body to adjust to this new schedule. I know it is hitting me today. Take a nap if you need to. Skip the high intensity workouts. Take it easy with any high-demand tasks that are not time-sensitive (this will reduce your cognitive load and not make you as tired).
My favorite things to sleep with:
An eye mask to prevent any light from peaking in
Essential oils/diffuser to help my muscles relax
Ear plugs because I live on a busy street
Pink or brown noise, to tune out anything my earplugs aren’t covering (they were cheap, I’m not linking them on here for a reason)
I envy the people who do not have to worry about this adjustment. By taking control of what I can and staying positive, I hope to make this as smooth of a transition as possible. I’m sending love your way, and I am grateful to have you here.
