2024 Autoimmune Community Summit Session Recap
Chronic fatigue is a real problem in our community. It seems like no matter what we do fatigue is there. At the recent Autoimmune Community Summit, Christine Stamatos, Nurse Practitioner at Northwell Health explained how fatigue works and how to get better sleep.
When you have activated the immune system it causes a series of cascading effects. Inflammation builds up in the body, triggering various systems like the central nervous system causing pain or your neuroendocrine system changing your hormones, eventually leading to fatigue, anxiety and depression.
When you feel fatigue, it's a warning sign to listen to your body and slow down. Unfortunately when you have an autoimmune disease the levels of inflammation triggering chemicals are so high that your body can't keep up. The chemicals reach your brain causing inflammation which leads to fatigue which then triggers another system triggering fight or flight releasing cortisol which keeps you awake and then makes you more fatigued.
So what can you do about it? Pay attention to these signs and build in periods of rest.
Manage your medication and get your procedures
Build physical strength and endurance
Maintain Social connection
Practice Self Management
Do these five things to reduce and prevent fatigue:
Control underlying pain and inflammation. Keep a pain diary. Take your medications, do physical therapy.
Treat depression to increase serotonin and dopamine
Manage your sleep. You need a minimum of 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep for your muscles to relax and 8 hours to remove toxins, relax your muscles and record and organize thoughts and memories.
Move more throughout the day to increase activity levels and decrease BMI
Manage your stress. Spend time outside for at least 30 minutes a day with sunglasses to trigger cortisol release. Keep a gratitude journal.
If you can manage your stress, treat depression, move more, and manage your sleep, you can balance your energy and decrease fatigue. At the end of the day it is all about balancing your life and taking a holistic approach to managing your health.
Recordings from the 2024 Autoimmune Community Summit are available on YouTube.
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