spinningmytires
Learning
During my 50s I was suffering from fibromyalgia and brain fog after my mother, father and sister unexpectedly died within a very short time. This was too much to bear. I wasn't sleeping well nor had I any other close family ties. Functioning from day to day became difficult. Then there was my brain fog. Fortunately my fibro is now mostly mild. But because PTSD suffers often have this condition I wanted to share my thoughts if this might be of any help.
With brain fog I was never feeling fully awake. I wasn't on any drugs, if any, it was only for blood-pressure. Yet I was often trying to jog my brain in my effort to think more clearly.
This brain jogging activity might commonly be applied when trying to recall a long forgotten name. And by the way, I'm not referring to trauma recall here, but rather only my everyday wakeful state. To me, it seemed as if my 'brain jolting' attempts might have actually been disturbing my brain's functioning.
I'm thinking that for most people an occasional jogging of the brain might not disturb their brain functioning. Yet for someone struggling with a chronic brain fog condition this brain jogging activity might be performed in excess. And might this ongoing activity have aggravated or over-excited ones nerve pain sensitivity just as any other excessive emotional stress or physical exertion might also over-excite ones nervous system.
During my 20s, while once listening to music and imagining seeing color-shapes rapidly changing within my mind, I must have over-excited my brain via my own thoughts and to the point where both of my legs were repeatedly and involuntarily convulsing for a minute or so. I then discontinued that type of imagining -- seizures I certainly didn't want.
As for another example of brain dysfunction, I did eventually out grow my sleep-paralysis during my early 20s while this disturbance also seemed to first begin with a negative, sudden thought while half-asleep at night. Sleep-paralysis is an awful and frightening experience. The sensation is a bit similar to touching an electric livestock fence only with sleep-paralysis this feeling of electricity flows through ones entire body in waves.
My mother, younger sister, older half-sister and maternal grandfather unfortunately continued to have sleep-paralysis through their adulthood. Genetic? I had once witnessed my mother having a sleep-paralysis episode during her 70s while she was in bed one night. I had at the time heard her making short vocalizations as if trying to speak. So I immediately went to her side while touching her arm and asking her if she was okay. She immediately came out of it. She said that the sensation of touch on her arm had actually brought her out of her paralysis. We would often try to vocalize during an episode in our attempt to break its wave cycle.
Sleep-paralysis is frightening to witness! When I first entered my mother's bedroom, I immediately switched on the ceiling light and could then see the very frightened, frozen expression on her face. Her eyes were extremely wide open, not moving nor blinking. Normally a person would be squinting with this bright ceiling light suddenly shining in their face yet she didn't squint nor move. I don't know but could sleep-paralysis sometimes be a form of dissociation? I've heard that it's simply the body's way of disconnecting during our dream state. Anyway I'll digress…
In regards to this 'brain jogging' my point is that, I suspect that its possible to easily mess-up ones normal brain functioning by means of thought alone. And with my prior chronic fibro fog my ongoing 'brain jogging' might have only worsened my fibromyalgia symptoms by causing my normal pain signals to over-excite and overreact.
This 'brain jogging' activity I've sometimes performed intentionally where it could have possibly been omitted. Perhaps the drugs used to treat fibromyalgia might also serve to suppress excessive brain jogging activities. Just my own two cents.
With brain fog I was never feeling fully awake. I wasn't on any drugs, if any, it was only for blood-pressure. Yet I was often trying to jog my brain in my effort to think more clearly.
This brain jogging activity might commonly be applied when trying to recall a long forgotten name. And by the way, I'm not referring to trauma recall here, but rather only my everyday wakeful state. To me, it seemed as if my 'brain jolting' attempts might have actually been disturbing my brain's functioning.
I'm thinking that for most people an occasional jogging of the brain might not disturb their brain functioning. Yet for someone struggling with a chronic brain fog condition this brain jogging activity might be performed in excess. And might this ongoing activity have aggravated or over-excited ones nerve pain sensitivity just as any other excessive emotional stress or physical exertion might also over-excite ones nervous system.
During my 20s, while once listening to music and imagining seeing color-shapes rapidly changing within my mind, I must have over-excited my brain via my own thoughts and to the point where both of my legs were repeatedly and involuntarily convulsing for a minute or so. I then discontinued that type of imagining -- seizures I certainly didn't want.
As for another example of brain dysfunction, I did eventually out grow my sleep-paralysis during my early 20s while this disturbance also seemed to first begin with a negative, sudden thought while half-asleep at night. Sleep-paralysis is an awful and frightening experience. The sensation is a bit similar to touching an electric livestock fence only with sleep-paralysis this feeling of electricity flows through ones entire body in waves.
My mother, younger sister, older half-sister and maternal grandfather unfortunately continued to have sleep-paralysis through their adulthood. Genetic? I had once witnessed my mother having a sleep-paralysis episode during her 70s while she was in bed one night. I had at the time heard her making short vocalizations as if trying to speak. So I immediately went to her side while touching her arm and asking her if she was okay. She immediately came out of it. She said that the sensation of touch on her arm had actually brought her out of her paralysis. We would often try to vocalize during an episode in our attempt to break its wave cycle.
Sleep-paralysis is frightening to witness! When I first entered my mother's bedroom, I immediately switched on the ceiling light and could then see the very frightened, frozen expression on her face. Her eyes were extremely wide open, not moving nor blinking. Normally a person would be squinting with this bright ceiling light suddenly shining in their face yet she didn't squint nor move. I don't know but could sleep-paralysis sometimes be a form of dissociation? I've heard that it's simply the body's way of disconnecting during our dream state. Anyway I'll digress…
In regards to this 'brain jogging' my point is that, I suspect that its possible to easily mess-up ones normal brain functioning by means of thought alone. And with my prior chronic fibro fog my ongoing 'brain jogging' might have only worsened my fibromyalgia symptoms by causing my normal pain signals to over-excite and overreact.
This 'brain jogging' activity I've sometimes performed intentionally where it could have possibly been omitted. Perhaps the drugs used to treat fibromyalgia might also serve to suppress excessive brain jogging activities. Just my own two cents.