Healthy Living
"I found that by doing a little exercise I felt ‘smarter’ and happier"
Healthy Living and Cognitive Function
If you are experiencing cognitive changes, these changes may not necessarily be due to the MS but may be caused by the following factors:
- Fatigue
- Stress & Anxiety
- Low mood
- Lack of sleep
- Excessive alcohol
- Medications
- Ageing
If, however, these changes are due to the MS, it is important to be aware that all these factors can worsen any cognitive changes, which is why it is so vital to think about living healthily.
Fatigue
Fatigue is a common symptom of MS and it can affect both mental (cognitive) and physical function.
Strategies
- Plan ahead – what is realistically achievable?
- Prioritise and delegate
- Use energy effectiveness strategies – think through how you tackle tasks. Are there ways you could be saving energy?
- Pace yourself
Stress
Being stressed has a significant impact on cognition - whether a person has MS or not.
Strategies
- Identify what is causing the stress
- Take action to reduce the stress – the following can be useful:
- Guided relaxation
- Aromatherapy
- Breathing exercises
- Yoga
- Try to keep things in perspective
- Be kind to yourself
- Ask for support
Calm Breathing
Download some breathing exercises for you to try, and find out why calm breathing can help.
Low mood
This can be common in MS.
Strategies
- Prepare for change. Knowing and expecting that changes may occur will dilute their impact
- Find ways of maintaining enjoyable and rewarding life experiences even if this means adapting them in some way – alternatively find new activities to enhance your enjoyment of life
- Challenge your negative thinking. Your situation may be bad, but it is not 100% awful 100% of the time
- Use the fatigue strategies from the previous page. Fatigue and low mood appear to be linked in some way so helping your fatigue will help your low mood and your cognition as well
Sleep
Look at your sleep pattern – is it a problem? Here are some strategies for helping with a good night’s sleep:
Strategies
- Have a routine, as much as is possible
- Try to avoid getting over-tired
- Having a short nap can be better than a long sleep during the day
- Keep bed for sleeping (and sex)
- Use relaxation or deep breathing exercises
- Use mind games – eg counting sheep
- If your mind is full of thoughts/ideas/anxieties have a pad and pen by the bed to write them down and then look at them in the morning
Healthy eating
A healthy diet = a healthy brain!
- Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables plus complex carbohydrates
- Poor diet or eating habits mean the body and brain do not have enough fuel, which in turn causes cognitive problems
- Avoid high sugar foods or drinks
- Drink sufficient fluids, especially water
- Try to maintain a healthy weight
Healthy brain diet
Find out what makes a healthy diet for you and your brain
Alcohol
This affects the central nervous system and can worsen MS symptoms including cognition.
The human brain is dependent on the lifestyle of the person who owns it - so it is important to have a healthy lifestyle. That includes the way your drink alcohol and the amount you drink! Alcohol can destroy brain cells, so drinking a lot means a lot of brain cells will be killed. Maybe you might choose to only drink alcohol on special occasions, maybe a glass of wine at the weekend or with a meal during the week. It is a choice, your choice, but think about making a healthy brain choice!!
Exercise
Exercise is important for keeping healthy, it can also lift mood and relieve stress, in turn helping with cognition. Try to stay active, and if you are unsure what exercises you can do, Physiotherapists can suggest exercises that take MS symptoms into account.
Speak to your GP before starting a new exercise program. If you are planning exercise, remember:
- You can build elements of exercise into everyday jobs
- Try to vary routines to keep them enjoyable
- Increase intensity gradually
- And take plenty of rests