How to maintain good health in general

[Country4ever]

Hi all,
I think most of us struggle with doing those things that will help us be more healthy. I have fibromyalgia, and so my biggest challenge is usually fatigue, and muscle/joint aches and pains. But I have noticed that if can force myself to do certain things, I feel better, can do more, and sleep better (with the help of my little CPAP friend). If I can rise above the fatigue somehow and do things that make me sweat, I do feel better. I think there is something to be said for sweating those "bad humors" out. I also definitely feel better if I eat as few carbs and sugar as possible (which is sometimes really hard to do).
Sunshine definitely helps. Stretching exercises seem to release endorphins for me too. For me, the trick is feeling good enough to even want to do these other things!
Lots of veggies help. Also, I think its important to at least find a few minutes a day to do something that makes me happy. Life can get so full of "have to do" things, that we almost forget what it feels like to actually take time to enjoy something (besides food!).
I was wondering what you have found that seems to help you feel better the most? (that can include vitamins and supplements too). What works for you?

_________________

CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): CPAP

[LavenderMist]

I also have fibromyalgia in addition to the OSA. Before I was diagnosed with OSA, I was in bed most of the time and had extreme pain and fatigue. My quality of life was zilch. I attribute my improvement to CPAP, drinking water, losing weight and daily exercise. I also struggle with fatigue, especially the next day after a higher ahi night. I push myself to do cardio anyway because I am aware of the consequences if I don't. I go backwards painwise very fast. By exercising each day, it keeps my pain levels way down because I keep muscles, ligaments, tendons etc stretched out. If I skip the exercise, it doesn't take long for everything to tighten back up and hurt horribly. I also take Barefoot Coral Calcium Plus which also helps my muscles. I used to drink Cokes all the time and I switched to drinking water all day and that has also helped. I try to watch what I eat too. I don't follow a specific diet. I just try to choose wisely and avoid excess sugar, fat and incorporate more veggies in my meals. I don't make anything off limits because I think if I deprive myself of certain things totally that sets me up to fail and binge on them and feel like a failure. So a little of something I'm craving is okay for me. So, I'm not really on a diet, it is a lifestyle change which will be permanent for me. I've come a long way, but have further to go. I still have hard days. Yesterday and today were really hard and I had to make myself do the exercise because I've been dragging.

[Country4ever]

Thanks LavenderMist,
Sounds like you've come a long way!
The problem I've found is that I'm almost like an addict with sugar. If I let myself have a little, it begins a horrible downward spiral for me. I just don't know how to avoid it altogether........nor do I really want to. I just don't want that binge-ing that seems to always follow.
As far as my exercises, my body seems to be really inconsistent with them. Sometimes they help, and sometimes they trigger a bad reaction. I guess I just have to roll with the punches!
Weather seems to affect me alot. Salt and sugar both seem to make my muscles hurt.
Have you noticed that the calcium you take is better than another type of calcium?
Sweating really does seem to help me the most. Unfortunately, I don't always have the energy to do things that would make me sweat.

[Guest]

My doctor recommended this calcium because it naturally has the correct 2:10 calcium magnesium ratio. I was having terrible calf and foot cramps at night and that has stopped since I started taking this. I take one in the morning and two at night before bedtime. She said it is a natural muscle relaxer. I have a hard time avoiding sugar completely too, but I try and satisfy with lowfat yogurt that has fruit in it. It seems to satisfy me. I usually break a sweat when I do my cardio workout each day. Sometimes I'm very exhausted after my workout and other time I am invigorated by it. It usually depends on the quality and quantity of my sleep the previous night I have found. I wish you the best. Don't be hard on yourself. It definitely isn't easy to eat perfect and move as much as we should when we have to deal with all the issues that come with fibro, OSA and other health challenges. Just do your best. That is what I tell myself every day. I just do my best and am satisfied with that. Some days my performance is way below par as it was today. It was like I was going in slow motion on the elliptical, but I stuck with it until my time was up. I figure that is better than doing nothing at all.

[Country4ever]

Thanks LavenderMist.
I admire your discipline! Good luck to you too.

[Captain_Midnight]

Poster Country asks what works?

And, I'm happy to chime in, my friend.

First, a little background. Please consider that OSA is a condition characterized by inflammation (both local and systemic.) Please see... http://www.chestjournal.org/cgi/reprint/126/1/1

Next, consider the association between cytokine inflammation and fibromyalgia (and CFS). http://www.immunesupport.com/library/sh ... fm/id/3748

So, OSA leads to inflammation, which is associated with fibro and CFS (there is some debate about this). One might expect that successful PAP therapy (which stops the intermittent hypoxia) might counter the resultant inflammation, but my personal observation is that the residual inflammation still needs to be addressed.

I do not have fibromyalgia, but (like most apneics) I have been highly fatigued, and don't know whether it was CFS or not.

So, I have found some success in doing the following. I follow the Zone diet, which is good in that it is a non-inflammatory diet. (Lower, and selected carbs, proteins, and fats, in a tightly balanced proportion.) And, I take fish oils, which are also good inflammation fighters. I have found (through personal trials) that I'm much happier with a normal body weight than I am with a big bowl of ice cream. And, the lower my weight, the less inflammation is stimulated by my fat cells.

Along with this, I take Magnesium citrate and trace minerals, both from LEF. Why? Well, consider all the night sweats and hormone shifts that OSA has put you through. Magnesium and other minerals are lost, and they are difficult to replace with typical current diets that are deficient in these.

Exercise? Absolutely. Strength and endurance. (I like weight training and distance running, but do whatever you can on a daily basis.)

So, these are what works for me. I should be a little careful, here, and say that this is not advice; however, it all seems to be helpful to me.

Good luck optimizing your situation.

Regards all - - Tom

[Snoredog]

How to maintain good health in general

avoid doctors

[NightHawkeye]

For years I have taken quercetin, bromelain, buffered vitamin C, and coral calcium twice a day. Inflammation of muscles caused me considerable grief twenty years ago, but after finding these nutrients/supplements, that has ceased to be an issue. I've tried numerous other supplements as well, but these are the ones I have found to be effective for me.

And then there's Cayenne Pepper . . ., a miracle nutrient in its own right, but that's another subject.

Regards,
Bill

[LavenderMist]

I forgot to mention that in addition to the coral calcium, I also take Flaxseed Oil. The flaxseed, like the fish oil, helps with inflammation and also is good for heart health.

I agree with snoredog about the docs too. I go to the dr much less often now and am not on near the amount of pharomoceuticals that I was. I only take my bp meds, thyroid hormone and my mirapex for RLS, PLMD now along with my supplements. I'm doing a heck of a lot better and have fewer med related side effects going on.

[geoDoug]

The mind is often overlooked in health conversations. For my memory and mental health, I try to set some time aside every day for puzzles like Sudoku. (There's a great online version with several difficulty levels and tracking of your performance here.) It's remarkable how much good little things do!

Also for motivation and energy-levels I meditate. For anybody in the SF Bay Area, I can recommend a great hypnotherapist who makes customized CDs for people. She's made CDs for me for improving self-esteem/motivation, and for general relaxation. The latter helps with both energy levels and avoiding depression, which I'm prone to.

For overall health, like others I'm a strong believer in fish oils. I also make sure I get soy in my body daily. That means drinking soy milk once or twice a day and adding soy protein to things. And I take a multivitamin.

To keep my blood pressure under control, I take a magnesium supplement and walk most days.

(Disclaimer: I'm a Shaklee Independent Distributor, but I swear this wasn't an ad. I'm passionate about how much the products have improved my life and am on a mission to share those benefits with others. These are the products I take: OmegaGuard, Energizing Soy Protein, Immunity Formula which has kept me healthy all winter, and the Vita-lea multivitamin.)

Doug.

[glenwood73]

I seem to still be very sleepy in the afternoon and usually fall asleep in my recliner before bed time,i exercise every morning before work and try to eat right,could i have fibromyalgia...Iuse my cpap every night...




mike

[Wulfman]

I seem to still be very sleepy in the afternoon and usually fall asleep in my recliner before bed time,i exercise every morning before work and try to eat right,could i have fibromyalgia...Iuse my cpap every night...




mike

Fibromyalgia is chronic bodily pain. Just being tired doesn't mean you have it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibromyalgia

What's your pressure?
Unfortunately, you don't have a machine that will give you any details about your sleep therapy.
If you're using the UMFF mask in your profile, you shouldn't be mouth-leaking, but if your pressure is not adequate, that could explain why you're not seeing better results from your therapy.

Den

[yorkiemum01]

Can only speak for myself...but I became a vegetarian about a year
ago, and also incorporated 30 mins minimum cardio workout daily into
my routine. Removed sugar, caffiene and 'enriched/processed' foods from my diet as well. Its help me shed a few pounds, reduced my blood pressure, and energy wise, has helped tremendously, considering I was also suffering from chronic sleep deprivation and severe sleep apnea, unbeknownst to me.
The only reason I even discovered by OSA was due to a physical and an attempt to remove my need for blood pressure medication. Between the exercise and CPAP, my blood pressure is MUCH improved, and I feel better than I have in years.

[roster]

Re: Post subject: How to maintain good health in general

#1 - Well optimized cpap treatment.
#2 - Frequent sex with my wife.
#3 - Lots of quality time with good friends.

If those three are working well, then diet, exercise and supplements don't seem so important.

[yorkiemum01]

ok...so having a pet ...dog (or rooster) dont hurt either