When we are living with chronic illness, our hierarchy of needs are similar to everyone else. Except that we are almost permanently in a season of life where the focus must be on sleep and rest.
In Doctor Teitelbaum’s SHINE protocol for fibromyalgia, exercise is the final part of the protocol. Exercise AS ABLE. He wants us to get sleep, hormones, infection and nutrition under control before we consider exercise. And pain management of course.
In the wellness world they talk about cold exposure, nutrition (with wildly varying views), natural light, exercise and some of them talk about rest (Dr Huberman promotes non sleep deep rest in the afternoon, which is essentially Yoga Nidra). Most of them don’t talk about what happens if you’re chronically deep sleep deprived as we are with fibromyalgia and ME/CFS.
If we’re not getting enough quality sleep, then all our health goals are behind a stacked deck.
Sleep First
I saw a conversation between practicing medical doctors and new mothers on Instagram recently and the advice impressed me. The doctor recommended prioritizing sleep and rest. Then nutrition and hydration. Finally exercise.
Sleep is foundational for so much. There is no point telling us to lose weight, improve our mood, reduce our pain or fatigue if you are not also helping us sleep.
So as a mama of four who adores my wellness routine and has a few chronic conditions, what are the wellness habits I do?
1. Sleep
2. Rest (Yoga Nidra)
3. Natural sunlight
4. Nutrition
5. Hydration
6. Movement
First sleep
I will always prioritise sleep over any other “wellness” tip. Do the sleep hygiene, take the medication you work with your doctor to try and get your booty into bed at the best hour you can. If you’ve had a bad night, either sleep in or do a guided meditation in bed (over getting up to exercise).
As a mama I barely get enough sleep by the time my alarm goes off at 6.50am. So there’s no exercise for me and my stiff body first thing (it wouldn’t go so well anyway).
Then rest
My next priority is a deep parasympathetic nervous system break. Usually by Yoga Nidra but other guided meditations work too. I will do five minutes if that’s all I can get with the kids. I will never sacrifice this rest for other “wellness habits”.
Natural Sunlight
I was doing the whole natural sunlight thing before I ever listened to the long interviews on Doctor Huberman and Doctor Lyon’s podcasts. Natural sunlight impacts so many natural functions you can’t even imagine. But to scratch the surface, it regulates the circadian rhythm, which supports sleep. Also it’s super easy to do with children!
Nutrition
I’m working on this. But I’m trying to prioritise protein – as with the water, I was shocked when I learnt I did not consume as much protein as I thought. Ensuring we eat and eat well is so important for functionality and health.
Hydration
Ensuring adequate hydration is trickier than most of us think. When I got one of those bottles with the measurements on the side, I was shocked that I didn’t come close to what I had previously thought. It’s a simple way to keep our brain and body happy.
Movement
As a mama of four there is just a step count I can’t go under each day. They keep me busy. But purposeful movement is something that I’ve grown since I’ve improved. I’ve always exercised, but in a haphazard, and not super helpful to my overall health, way.
Now I’m gently growing my strength based training routine (from five minutes initially to around 15 minutes now). And my walks with the dog on the days I’m working. It’s so good for our muscles but not until after we have slept and managed the pain. Or maybe simultaneously if we can figure out how to do it safely.
Doing My Wellness Habits While Parenting with chronic illness
My advice is always to put your health first to be the best parent you can be with chronic illness.
But these simple wellness habits can be done alongside our duties – whatever they may be.
I hope that you take away this one thing from this article – that sleep comes before any other wellness habit. Whatever your favourite doctor/podcast/influencer is saying, sleep is the priority. If you see me doing my movement, or getting my natural sunlight, hopefully you will remember that it’s only after I’ve got my rest.
Obviously this is not a complete list of all I do to be as well as possible. In addition to prioritising sleep and rest, I take LDN, pace, have a pain management plan and see a chiropractor.
