Gotta Get Some ZZZ’s ~ Fibromyalgia & Sleep

March 18, 2022March 14, 20221 Comment

I noticed that it was National Sleep Day or something and it’s common knowledge that Fibro warriors have trouble sleeping. So I thought I would share some information from different fibro warriors that have written something. My friend Glenna Norton recently purchased a My Pillow mattress topper. She was raving about how her sleep has improved so I asked her to write a review. Her review is here and then you will find some other fibro warrior’s blog post about sleep.

All images created in Canva.com for free

Fibromyalgia? Have trouble sleeping?

So do I, or should I say did I! About a month ago, I went to eat breakfast with a good friend from church. She told me how, for years, she had trouble sleeping until she ordered a MyPillow 3-inch mattress topper, and boy was it a game changer! She has slept like a baby since ordering it two years ago.

No More Couch Sleeping

In turn, I told her I had a lot of trouble sleeping, too, mainly due to Fibromyalgia. I spend at least half my time sleeping on the couch so I decided to give MyPillow a try. I love their pillows, have had them for years! Love that you can wash and dry them! And a 10-year guarantee is a great selling point!

I ordered the MyPillow mattress topper and a set of the Giza sheets. They came sooner than expected. I have had GREAT sleep for over two weeks now! All in my bed, no more couch sleeping!! The sheets are soothing to my skin, as well!

Guess now, I’ll order us all a pair of the house shoes! Woohoo! Glenna

Information about the MyPillow mattress topper:

They consist of three unique layers: 1) contains patented foam for support and durability; 2) has transitional foam for comfort, weight distribution and relieves pressure points, 3) a removable zipper cover that’s machine washable and dryable, which consists of straps to hold in place. This is made in the USA, has a 60-day guarantee and a 10-year warranty! Plus, it’s a lot cheaper than buying a new mattress!! I highly recommend this product to anyone suffering from Fibromyalgia! It is definitely a game-changer!!

P.S. Order straight from My PIllow for better discounts!

And Now From Some Fibro Bloggers

Get Your Weekly dose of Sleep Info every Sunday

Bar McLullich from the UK writes about sleep nearly every Sunday on her blog, Back Pain Blog.

If you are in chronic pain, the last thing you want is to not get a good night’s sleep. I have suffered from more pain and chronic fatigue due to my sleepless nights and I have tried a myriad of different things to help me get a better night’s sleep.

Here are six ways that have helped me… SLEEP SUNDAY – LET’S TALK ABOUT 5 WAYS TO HELP YOU GET A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP WITH CHRONIC PAIN… – BACK PAIN BLOG UK…

Get Your Sleep Workbook Here

Melissa Reynolds at MelissaVSFibromyalgia has done a lot of research on sleep and fibromyalgia. She has created a workbook that you may find helpful.

The paradox of chronic insomnia and chronic fatigue is a mean one. How can I be so exhausted deep down in my bones, yet still not able to sleep? – every fibromyalgia fighter ever. Sleep research, sleep hygiene, sleep tips, and all the things I have been learning about combating chronic insomnia and fibromyalgia.

Melissa offers video posts on her site. You may find that more helpful than reading through information.

Go to her blog for more information

How do I sleep when I have chronic fatigue and chronic insomnia? – Melissa vs Fibromyalgia

If you are into Yoga, Check out this blog post.

Get Better Sleep Tonight: My Yoga for Insomnia Sequence – Melissa vs Fibromyalgia

Some Deeper Research & the Fibro Blogger Directory

Lee Good at Fibro Files has written several times about sleep as well. Her posts are more in-depth research which will give you lots of information on what is being studied. I was interested in this article about vibrotactile stimulation. I had not heard of it before.

Fibro Files: Vibrotactile stimulation helps fibromyalgia symptoms of pain, fatigue and sleep quality

Lee also offers a place for all Fibro Bloggers to share their information on anything about fibromyalgia. That post comes out every Friday. You might want to look into that.

Fibro Blogger Directory

Finally, What Are Your Eating Habits?

Michele here on the blog has been talking about the Science of Eating this year. Her posts will wake you up to some of the eating problems in our society.

I recently found this video by a health coach, Joe Reed, at Train Outta Pain. Again, I have never heard of Circadian Rhythm, but this sounds logical. He says that food, sleep, and brain fog may all be related. He is on Facebook. Circadian Rhythm Matters.

REALLY! THIS IS THE LAST ONE!

Cynthia at My Inspired Fibro Life has some great things that may help your get your ZZZZ’s.

How to Sleep Better – My Inspired Fibro Life (photobaugh.com)

That’s it for now. I’m thinking that it’s enough to digest.

Here’s to better sleep! I feel your pain!

Mandy

Thank you for sharing!

It’s Time to Slow – Stop, Look & Listen

June 7, 2021June 7, 20218 Comments

Published February 25, 2017 on my closed blog ggmandy dot com

Inspired by FMF prompt: SLOW

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30 NLT

Have you ever felt like you have been run down by a speeding train?

Did you know? “There’s an app for that! 🙂 When I was a kid, we were taught that when you come to a railroad track, STOP, LOOK, & LISTEN. Trains can only go where there are tracks, so pay attention. Don’t proceed until you come to a complete stop, then look and see if anything is coming, then listen for anything that might be coming down the tracks.

I wonder …

Do you
STOP, LOOK  AND LISTEN before you proceed into your life?

The scriptures are full of examples and admonitions for us to slow and spend time with the Lord. Right from the beginning, God came in the cool of the day to speak with Adam (Genesis 3:8). Even before that God Himself rested after 6 days of work (Hebrews 4:4). Even Jesus would often withdraw from the crowds to pray. (Matthew 14:13-21)

And yet, we act as if we don’t really need to slow down.

We jump out of bed in the morning, throw on some clothes, down a cup of coffee, and run out the door. Never once thinking of even a quick hello to the Lord or an invitation to Him to walk beside us throughout the day. It’s no wonder, we feel worn and weary. 

Matthew 11:28 Slow — Created in canva for free

How Do We Slow Ourselves to Rest?

And what about our Sundays?

When I was growing up, we did only what had to be done on Sundays. Even when the hay was ready to bale, it stayed on the ground for a day. Sundays were for attending church and resting. The most we ever did was maybe a “Sunday afternoon drive” or visiting family.

I recall asking Dad once,

“Why couldn’t the Lord allow the cows to give twice the milk on Saturday so that we wouldn’t have to milk them on Sunday as God did with providing manna to the Israelites?”

His answer pricked my heart.

“God might be willing to do that if we were willing to REALLY give Him the Sabbath.”

You see, what I wanted was to be able to go and play and have fun, not to actually take the day to slow down and worship God. It seems that when we “slow down” we are still filling our lives with stimulants that do not allow us the opportunity to rest and to fellowship with God.

There is little to no room for God.

We come home from work or play and immediately, we turn on our radios, TV, and internet.

No quiet for him to even get a word in edgewise.

Take a look from a practical point of view. Phyllis Korkki, at the New York Times, says

 “A growing body of evidence shows that taking regular breaks from mental tasks improves productivity and creativity — and that skipping breaks can lead to stress and exhaustion … and may even lead to bad health.”

I know for myself when I was working, I would get where I seemed to not be making progress in my work. The best thing I could do was to go take a walk around the block.  Breaks are helpful, so long as we aren’t using them to procrastinate.

What about meditation?

Studies show that regular meditation is a very beneficial activity. Anastasia Stephens lists seven benefits of meditation :

Increased Immunity
Emotional Balance
Increased Fertility
Relieves Irritable bowel syndrome
Lowers blood pressure
 Anti-inflammatory
Calmness

Now, who couldn’t use a few of those benefits! 

God told Joshua,

“Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.”

So, if we want to prosper, we MUST spend time meditating on the Word of God.

Musical Rests

WHAT if THERE WERE NO RESTS IN MUSIC?

What kind of song would we get if only notes were played without regard to rests?

I was a percussionist in the high school band. While the bells were my favorite, I also played the timpani. But many times there were long measures of rests between notes. This was no fun. Just counting beats.

But these rests left time for tuning the instrument to the right note.

And THEN, at the right moment, what an awesome timpani sound rolled out.

We need these times of rest in our lives as well to tune ourselves to the drumbeat of God.

John Ruskins said,

“If we sorrowfully say to ourselves, ‘There is no music in a rest,’ let us not forget that the rest is part of the making of the music. The process is often slow and painful in this life, yet how patiently God works to teach us! And how long He waits for us to learn the lesson!”₃

God can only speak to us in the quiet.

If we never slow down and listen, there is no chance for God to minister to us.

Oh, how He loves us and wants us to come and fellowship with Him. He wants to tell us so much.

If we would but stop, look and listen!

–Mandy

My Faith Has Found a Resting Place

July 5, 2020July 5, 20209 Comments

Here’s a hymn I didn’t grow up with, but heard it as an adult and fell in love with it immediately. It’s a great one to sing in parts and acapella.

Originally posted on April 8, 2017

My faith has found a resting place
Not in device nor creed;
I trust the Ever-living One,
His wounds for me shall plead.
I need no other argument,
I need no other plea;
It is enough that Jesus died.
And that He died for me.
My Faith Has Found a Resting Place

It is #Enough that Jesus died. And that He died for me Click To Tweet

On this, I can rest my heart and soul.

He died for me… and you.

We were all sin-stained and lost. (Romans 3:23)

But before we even knew Him, He looked down and loved us. (Romans 5:8)

He came down and paid for our debt of sin. (John 3:16-17)

He Paid a Debt

There is a chorus by Ellis J. Crum from the 80’s that says,

image by http://www.digitalsongsandhymns.com/songs/4203

We owe Him more than we can ever repay.

There is nothing we can do to pay Him back. Our best deeds are like filthy rags. (Isaiah 64:6)

But He took the punishment for our sins upon Himself! (Romans 3:23-25)

He bore the horrible pain and cleansed us from all sin. (1 John 1:9)

And He rose again, defeating death and the grave! (1 Corinthians 15:56-57)

And that is enough to save us. Nothing else must be done but to accept this free gift of God. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

It is enough!

Praise God!

It is Enough!

Not familiar with these hymns?

Take a listen right here and fall in love with a “new” or appreciate again one that you haven’t heard for a long, long time.

To learn more about receiving this free gift from God, Click Here

What is your favorite hymn?

Tell us in the comments and maybe someday soon you will see a devotional thought on your favorite.

Being Run Ragged

June 22, 2020June 22, 2020Leave a comment

I watched one of my tamed barn cats lose some serious pounds in a short two weeks. Mocha went from a healthy happy active tomcat to skin and bones. I am and always will be a softy for animals. God gave me a place in my heart and mind for critters.

As I was watching Mocha sleep, his breathing is labored. You can see his spine and he sleeps a great portion of the day. Concerned I got up and went into my refrigerator. I had cooked up a pork liver for Tucker the other day, so I thought some mushed up warmed pig liver should add some pep back to him.

After mushing the liver up, I popped it into the microwave for 15 seconds. Out of the microwave I carefully blew on the liver to make sure it wasn’t too hot. It smelled awful to me, so I figured Mocha would find it irresistible

I called to him, but he lay in the patio chair. His pitiful eyes sunken into his head. So I carefully set the bowl of liver right next to him. In an instant, he popped up, began the loudest purring, and dove into the bowl He finished that and I made him some more. Finally satisfied, he pulled his head out of the bowl, licked his lips, and laid back down.

The next morning I dropped him off at the Vet Clinic. I chatted briefly with the Vet. Tech and Dr. A. In our discussion I shared my thoughts on why I thought Mocha was in the condition he was:

His littermate had F.I.P. so maybe now he has it
A new tomcat moved in and was beating him up on a regular basis
This new tomcat was probably keeping him from getting into the barn to eat, which is a big problem in being healthy and able to run or fight.

Dr. A thought that the “tomcat” scenario was the likely culprit, but they would check things out. Dr. A called a while later and said Mocha looked to be well, but given his emaciated condition gave him a shot of antibiotics, wormed him and said to feed him food by the house where I can control how much he gets and keep the bad tomcat from beating him up. All’s well that ends well.

Do you feel run ragged by certain people in your life? Maybe it’s a situation that has you running? Do you find you need food, refreshment, and rest? God wants to shower you with his loving care through good friends, nutritious food, and rest.

Sometimes we do have to run, but know God runs with you!

-Resting and eating and relaxing with you so we can run the race He has set before us.

Ten Steps to a Restorative Rest

March 29, 2019January 1, 20204 Comments

You Seem Tired A Lot. How Well Are You Sleeping?

Fibromyalgia and Fatigue go hand in hand.

How Well are you sleeping. #restorativerest

I struggle nearly every night just trying to get to sleep. I can sit in a chair all evening yawning and nodding off. But get into the bed, and the eyes pop wide open. This leads to my mind begins to wander and I start to think about all kinds of things that keep me awake. The next day, I can barely function.

As a matter of fact, fatigue is the second most common symptom for fibromyalgia sufferers. Many times those diagnosed with fibromyalgia will also be diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Therefore, it is vitally important to get that restorative rest as much as you can.

As a sufferer myself, I respond along with you, “Yeah, right!”

Steps to Restorative Rest

So what can we do?

Continue reading →

Book Review: The Rest of God by Mark Buchanan

March 27, 2019March 26, 20194 Comments

A book everyone should read … probably more than once to be reminded of the importance of rest.

Buchanan took a sabbatical to research the subject of the rest of God. And found so much that pricked his own heart about taking too little rest. He noticed that “the harder he worked, the less he accomplished.” and he realized that “the Sabbath was a form of mending”. There is some renewal that only comes from resting in the Lord and being still.

Continue reading →

Dropping By For A Visit

May 29, 2017August 11, 20207 Comments

Don’t you miss the days when people would visit and sit for a spell?

cousin, aunt,sousin, me, my husband, my daughter
2014 Dawson (my) family reunion

I do. I think that is why I want a front porch so badly. I miss the days of sitting on the porch with friends and family just resting and sharing time together.

These days we never drop in on people and thus our lives remain lonely and we never learn from one another. No one is a close friend anymore. We are all just acquaintances.

Remember When?

Even our families no longer stop by for a visit. I remember going for a drive and stopping in on my mom’s aunt and uncle. I don’t know how she did it. But my Aunt Mary must have had a 6th sense that someone was coming by because it seemed about 5-10 minutes after we arrived, she presented a delicious cake. Besides the delicious cake and good conversation, we gained the chance to actually know our cousins. If we had not stopped in occasionally, I would never have known my mother’s cousins, nor my second cousins.

I remember that our family friends would take turns having everyone over after the football games. These were all high school friends of my parents. Of course, they all had kids the same age as my siblings and me. Boy, did we have a grand time together?

As an adult, many of us would head out to a restaurant after Sunday Evening Worship. We seldom to that either.

We Are Too Busy

The truth is, we have become so busy that we never slow down long enough to just visit with anyone. The Bible instructs us to practice hospitality. The Book of Hebrews suggests that we should not forsake meeting together. This scripture is usually used to encourage church attendance, but the early church met together in homes also sharing meals and encouraging one another. This is where we really get to know one another and share in each other’s lives. We can attend church, come in and go out, without truly interacting with people. But meeting in our homes and eating together, that is when we become more than acquaintances.

Here’s the Challenge

So, have you had a visitor or drop by on someone unexpectantly? When did you last invite someone into your home? We may need to make a concerted effort to fellowship together.

Meeting Around the Table

A few years ago, a new Women’s conference erupted into the scene called IF Gathering. They have developed the idea that encouragement comes from around the table. They encourage us to have a once a month meeting around the table. Invite 5 or 6 people to share a simple meal and have a real conversation.

They feel that this is so important that they provide menu ideas and questions to ask each other. It’s called IF: Table. You can Check it out here.

Table games are an excellent way to increase comradery. Try this awesome game with some friends called Life Stories. You will have a great time learning new things about one another.

You can learn more about mentoring around the table with this book written by a friend. Coming Alongside: Blessed to be a Blessing

I’m ready for a visit. Come on by! I’ll make a pound cake.

I participating in Kate Motaung’s Five Minute Fridays where we take a prompt and write for five minutes.

Come by for a visit and sit a spell. #mentoring #visit Click To Tweet