Fibro and Sleep - Best Teas for sleep

Given that sleep is very hard for me to achieve - that is true, deep, restorative sleep I thought I would go in search of some advice from other fibro people online. I came across the following article and have also read a few interesting paragraphs here and there of late, one being that resting is not a good idea for people with this condition. It's strange though because usually resting is what is recommended for many other health conditions. 

The following link is a good piece of advice about Sleep, head on over and have a look.

READ THIS >>  Fibromyalgia and Sleep 

Also, drinking and eating the right things prior to heading to bed to sleep will also assist in getting a good night's rest. Most people would already be aware of what is a good drink before bed, as am I. I avoid caffeine drinks like coffee and black teas and instead drink a beneficial sleep tea mix which has chamomile in it amongst a few other ingredients, or peppermint tea, mostly green tea. 

READ THIS >>  Best Teas for Sleep

READ THIS >>  Herbal Teas

3 Alternative Treatments for Fibromyalgia based on other Bloggers

Late in January of this year (2022) I wrote a blog entry about my favourite three treatments for fibro - you can read them here > https://bnspyrd.blogspot.com/2022/01/my-favourite-alternative-treatments-for.html 

Since then I have been meaning to include a few other common treatments for fibro that were gathered in the facebook Fibro Blogger Directory group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/FibroBloggerDirectory/permalink/2484999144969852/

Lee Good: https://fibrofiles.blogspot.com/2014/10/alternative-treatments-for-fibromyalgia.html 

1. Lee takes Magnesium daily, to stop leg cramps and muscle twitches that occur all over her body, she knows it works because she has tried stopping the nutritional supplement and all of the symptoms returned within a week.

2. Lee also uses Hydrotherapy or walking and floating in water to give her muscles relief, sometimes she alternates it with walking and then floating.

3. Myofascial Massage is Lee's favourite type of massage as it releases tension and pain in the trigger points.

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Melissa Reynolds https://www.melissavsfibromyalgia.com/

1. Melissa uses a combination of gentle stretching, restorative yoga that incorporates breathwork and meditation. 

2. Melissa also has acupuncture applied by a Physiotherapist to her trigger points.

3. And takes Nutritional supplements such as Magnesium.

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Shannon Murphy: https://www.route5976.com/blog-2/favourite-alternative-fibro-treatments

1. Shannon does gentle Yoga that includes a 5 minute morning stretch.

2. She also likes a mindful nature walk.

3. And regular physiotherapy every 8 weeks.

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Katie Clark: https://painfullyliving.com/

1. Katie takes a a twice daily, low dose of Naltrexone - which is an off-label prescribed medication that assists with thought processes, energy and lowering pain levels. It is not an anti-depressant or an opioid. 

2. Katie has also been focusing on a Mindfulness journey to ease her years of stress - by focusing on meditation and utilising a meditation type of body scan that alleviates her brain fog and exhaustion.

3. Katie has been working with a Dr. Howard Schubiner (who features in a documentary called THIS MIGHT HURT by Kent Bassett and Marion Cunningham) on Mind-Body Syndrome Treatments; which has resulted in a fewer symptoms with her interstitial cystitis. To find out more about this type of treatment Katie suggests to read "Unlearning my Pain: Mind-Body Syndrome"

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Cynthia Covert: https://thedisableddivablog.com/

1. Cynthia is able to take Cannabis which relaxes her muscles, decreases her nerve pain and allows her to be able to sleep well for 97% of the time.

2. Cynthia also uses PEMF Therapy - stands for Pulsed Electromagnetic Therapy - which is a treatment that can be done at home.

3. Infrared red light therapy is also another at home device that Cynthia uses for comfort her sore and aching muscles.

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Bar McCullich: https://backpainbloguk.com/

1. Cooking with ingredients that can be spread across various meals, that enable you to not have to stand up and cook every night.

2. Before travelling, make sure you rest enough, so that your mind and body is not drained during the long days.

3. Rest is a key factor in successfully managing and living with Fibro. Rest when and where you can.

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Carrie Kellenberger: https://www.myseveralworlds.com/2016/09/03/jinshin-jyutsu-for-fibromyalgia-and-cfids-rejuvenate/

1. Carrie uses a type of Acupressure known as Jin Shin Jyutsu it is a gentle treatment and alternative to the norm, it involves using the hands for balancing energy in the body to unblock pathways and release tensions.

Read more about her experience on her blog.

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I would love to include a male's alternate treatments in this list, there are certainly some key treatments that can be seen amongst the ones listed here. Please visit the individual bloggers to read more.

My favourite alternative treatments for Fibromyalgia: Magnesium, Mindfulness, Grounding

 My Favourite Alternative Treatments for Fibromyalgia:
 

1. MAGNESIUM:

I take a high strength magnesium tablet once daily, near bedtime to help with my cramping in my feet and my legs, sometimes I get cramping in my ribs as well which is just as painful as the ones on the top of my feet.

During a #fibroflare the magnesium feels like it's not working as well as it should be, however I know that the magnesium is working because there has been the occasion when I have not been able to afford buying a new bottle and as a result have had to go without it for a week at most. That was a week too long! Oh my gosh the cramping that happens without taking the magnesium is incredibly awful, not bearable.

2. MINDFULNESS:

Not long after first being diagnosed with Fibromyalgia I was accepted into a (newísh) and highly successful chronic pain course, here in South Australia; that is run by the head physiotherapist at Marion Physio her name is Julie Peacock and part of what I took part in involved mindfulness and gentle stretching which is included in their Advanced Pain Solutions group 8 week course. 

So through the retraining of the brain I learned that even our thoughts - positive and negative have an affect on our pain. Mindfulness as a form of therapy for Fibromyalgia can work when utilised and practised properly. 

"Mindfulness will help your mind become aware of what is happening in your body. It will allow a greater connection of how your thoughts impact on your body. You will learn to move again in a pain free way and create a calming of the nervous system. This can improve your body's ability to repair and be restored."

3. GROUNDING:

Grounding is something a bit unusual I suppose, more of a holistic somewhat spiritual form of treatment. Once you open up your conscious to the process it becomes almost natural to perform. I do feel though that you need to have more of a predisposition to being aware, being open to other levels of healing. Oddly enough this technique does involve some Mindfulness as well.

I like to spend time barefoot outdoors in contact with natural conductive surfaces, like grass or the earth (dirt). And when I am more intune with my body this technique feels wonderfully relaxing.

I had heard of this form of treatment long before being diagnosed with Fibro, through my psychologist - Emma Warne (best ever Psychologist in South Glenelg, South Australia.) I highly recommend her and her team at Mind Your Body. 

https://raisingchildren.net.au/guides/activity-guides/wellbeing/grounding-calming-exercise-children-teenagers