Hi there. What do you all take to wake up and get stuff done when you can’t catch up and fall off the wagon and are eating sleeping poorly. (The wagon can mean anything that was the basic patterns that keep the flow of the day going)
I know all the health and integrative functional natural preventive lifestyle protocols to improve cognition, to reverse disease and dementia and to stop or prevent activation of mitochondria death . But, I don’t know how to wake myself out of a brain fog in the NOW when I really want to take a 40 min nap but need to make a few deadline calls in a few hours. I never succeeded in the area of time management, (even when I hired support and use the adult day care, it takes me a few hours to get into my own stuff after getting my parent onto the senior car service)
But, for this question , I'd like to know what others do to wake up and jump into overdrive on those days when you've only had 3 hours of sleep or possibly pulled an all nighter of zero sleep or accidentally dozed off on the couch at midnight till 3 am and never went into REM sleep, yet need to stay up and be cognitively functioning the following day .
I laid down trying to sneak a cat nap and then list my priorities upon waking, but my brain couldn’t drift so I just got up and took a bike ride and sitting down writing this while beginning to eat a 1/2 of an omelet and hoping after eventually drinking the coffee and having two brain enhancing supplements, that I can become alert. But I still feel the priorities are not getting done. There will be bumps in executive skills . Perhaps I can’t do the technology required for some of my tasks. And I push those away for the easier ones.
I've noticed few windows or moments when I have better success sorting paperwork for example than at other times where I stare at the stacks for weeks. So much for all the knowledge on cognition.
It would be nice to know if any other caregivers experienced such road blocks and got over them or saw improvement and what worked.
Nothing will take the place of sleep. The closest thing is meditation but with what you describe, you would probably fall asleep and that would be a good thing.
Also, overdrive is not to be used when there is brain fog. Too dangerous. Much better would be slow, steady, prepared and focused.
Having said that….After the importance of sleep, blood flow and oxygen are vital to the brain… deep breathing as in 4/7/8 and a few minutes of calisthenics and stretches like you hopefully did in school will get the blood flowing. Also a shower with a cold rinse helps.
It is not a good idea to make important calls or drive when you are in a fog. sorry for all the disclaimers.
In the morning I drink two cups of water and at least one full cup of black coffee before I do anything else. I like to drink two cups of coffee each morning but I don’t always take the time to finish it after I make it. Hydration with water makes all body parts function better and actually fights drowsiness better than caffeine but I drink the coffee for other reasons.
I try to do most important things in the morning as that is my most productive time. if I were sleep starved, I would not eat a normal meal. Maybe a bit of fruit and a few nuts or spoon of nut butter and the water.
Since you need to make these calls, do a prep for each call. Put on paper the top three points/questions you need to move the issue forward. Also note your expectation from the call and the stage of the issue. Initiate, advance, resolve?
So set the intention, have your thoughts jotted down, gather the info you need for next steps. Think a minute about what you might be asked and jot down those answers. Now this is because the call is important to you and your brain is fogged so you need to help yourself with these thought starters.
Since you have multiple calls to make, be mindful that you might be on the next call if you leave messages for a call back.
Hope you get rest soon.
Check out the book, “Atomic Habits” by James Clear for when you have more time.
Oh and also check out tapping. I get very anxious when I have important calls so tapping brings the anxiety under control.
Pick a task and just do it. Don't plan on finishing all the tasks. Just one. Do it and proceed from there. For instance when I do housework I pick a room or a job for that day. Then next day, another job or room. Breaking tasks up makes them seem less daunting.
i gotta apply that to myself.
Sub-lingual B-12
Omega 3 fish oil in a capsule
Wash face
Shower
Keep a schedule
Exercise is good, on a schedule, but not to avoid chores/work
Go to bed (on purpose) in your bed, on a set schedule, one hour earlier each night, using self-discipline instead of excuses.
Turn off all electronics at least one hour before sleep to secure that there will be a possibility of REM sleep.
You can take a nap (on a schedule) later in the day, one hour.
Step outside just before dusk to set your body's clock.
That's what I do.
I just think there is really no getting around the body's need for sleep. You seem to be beating yourself up for not being able to function without sleep.
My dad is pretty old and getting frailer, so I feel like I can hang in awhile longer getting decent sleep every other night. How much longer do you think you can survive without sleep? What might the long-term effects be on your health?
I think this is kind of like asking 'how can I go a few more miles to the gas station, when my car's tank is empty'? I think you are feeling the natural consequences of short changing your body and mind's needs (regardless of however good and necessary your reason was for doing so).
:)
sleep is definitely important. and good, healthy food.
and --- the more boring the to-do list/chores are, the less we want to do them. procrastinating is normal. when it's something exciting, suddenly we feel zero fog, full motivation, sprint towards that thing! so part of the problem might be, you dread what's on that list.
treat yourself to nice things :).
i often need to reward myself, to keep myself going, "gooood job bundle of joy, here you go, here's a treat, now onto the next thing!"
And, I hate to nit pick but....
You may be able to improve cognition to a point BUT you can not REVERSE dementia. Just ain't gonna happen. And you can not reverse the effects of dementia.
This is a good example as to why caregivers need to care for themselves. And the difficult thing...sometimes put yourself first.
How to deal with a lot of the day to day stuff you:
Hire caregivers
You try to get family to do a bit more. If that is not possible then you hire people that can get the things done that are bogging you down.
AND, one of the most difficult to do. At some point you realize that caring for this person is no longer safe for you to do. So Skilled Nursing facility, Memory Care become the safe option. Realizing that your health and safety, and that is not just physical safety but mental/emotional safety is important.
There are statistics that indicate a good number of caregivers die before the person they are caring for.
Placing someone in Skilled Nursing or Memory Care or arranging Assisted Living is not a "failure" but it is admitting that their care is more than you can safely manage.
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