Self care has been a priority and will forever continue to be. My body has claimed it’s spot of #1 and no amount of my mental distraction will drop it lower on the list.
Case in point, I’m having a long weekend and fortunately completed all the obligatory “must do” items ahead of the actual weekend. Always great to have two days off with nothing to do. But my sleep was average most of the week even though I woke up believing I was rested. I wasn’t. And it just caught up to me.
I met with a friend for a couple hours and had planned to attend a 90 minute yoga class this afternoon. But I’m home. Mid afternoon the left side of my jaw began to tighten and lock. I know what happens now….challenges eating and only rest and time will mend.
My body IS healing. The lifestyle changes I’ve made for balance in diet, work, sleep for overall health, I know have had noticeable positive changes. And with the addition of a new medicine I feel the support both by allopathic and naturopathic means. But I still have R.A. and it’s developed a fondness for my jaw. This is where my first flares were. As early as high school I’d get a locked jaw one side at a time. Standard M.O of R.A. is mirroring flares. I didn’t know why and didn’t attempt to discover. I thought I likely tightened my jaw in sleep; and as the locks happened when I was in the midst of or just past a period of stress it made sense. Today, I think it’s just my body not being in a stable rhythm of balance.
My week was very easy but it’s the sleep that is biting me this round. Average sleep is simply not enough for a healing body. I need Type A+ over-achiever sleep. 9-10 hours. Maybe more. And I feel I’ll need it for a while before my body ceases it’s demands. That saying “I’ll sleep when I die” will never apply. I’d be apt to say “without sleep I’ll die early”.
I’ll probably speak often about sleep. It is the only genuine reset time your body has. It’s when your organs and your brain wash away toxins. Essential for a healthy body and a healing one alike. I’ve been waking up about 3 am lately and that is a sign of cortisol spike. Under stress your liver will create more glycogen which will result in glucose levels rising and that can wake you up (even when you aren’t eating a bunch of sugar- or any at all). You can essentially have a sugar high while in slumber….ending it. Your body creates glucose, void of our consumption of it, when it’s needed. Maybe my body feeling better and my excitement to get back into more physical movement has been a bit of a shock to my body even though it’s craved movement for so long. And for the past couple weeks I’ve noticed my ring fingers are a bit more stiff. I know I’m also reintroducing foods too (lemon last week and cashew this); but I’ve noticed they are stiffer when I’m tired. It’s not the food… it’s the lack of rest.
So tonight it’s sauna time. Salmon & roasted veggies (cut small so I can get them in my mouth) and bed. I’ll take my GABA and my Passion Flower….the GABA stops my brain from chattering and the Passion Flower allows me to stay asleep (or go right back with ease if I do wake for some reason). The phone will be on airplane mode as it is each night and the alarm will not be set.
I’ve said it before that my job is to listen to my body. Tonight, it leads… and I will happily follow.
Inner Calm 