[JDMC]

This may seem counter intuitive but I seem be seeing a pattern between spending a lot of time laying down, and feeling worse.
The problem is that my symptoms are very flared up to the point where I feel like I need to spend a lot of my day lying down, but i'm not sure if its helping.

A few possible reasons I have thought of:

1. Laying down reduces blood flow throughout the body and thus to the brain

2. I have tension in my neck likely related to my symptoms and a pillow may be jarring to neck muscles

3. Laying down might not be good for general posture.

3. I've struggled with anxiety and some depression from the injury, and especially for someone like me who was very active and has adhd, I find that when I'm lying down and doing nothing I tend to be less happy and have negative/racing thoughts.

Honestly I'm not positive of this correlation but it seems to hold fairly true and I was wondering if anyone had experienced the same thing or knew whether any of the above reasons could be making me feel worse

Thanks


Jamie

[Mark in Idaho]

I think your idea about neck position is valid. If you could lie down without a pillow to lift your head but just enough to support your head on each side, you may find an improvement. Neck/cervical inflammation can reduce blood flow. It can also cause muscle spasms that increase head aches.

Work on the neck posture idea and I bet you will see an improvement. Your anxiety is also something you need to find a solution to. When I need to rest, I need something low stress to occupy my visual and auditory processing. I watch good music videos like Celtic Woman. I have a small selection of music and videos that allow my mind to pay attention but also relax.

These stimuli take the place of stressful thoughts. It would be worth a try. I even watch reruns of movies. Enough to occupy my mind but not stimulate me.

You will need to experiment to find what works for you. The effort will be well worth it.

Are you following a vitamin and supplement regimen ? It can help you brain relax.

My best to you.

[JDMC]

Thank you. I'll try changing my posture and see what happens.

My problem is that my visual and auditory processing centers are extremely overloaded so I struggle to find activities that occupy my mind with out bothering me, but i'm working with it and I am on a regimen.

Do you have any other ideas of how to improve my neck posture? I find that my neck often feels tense and it just feels like my neck is in bad posture, which I'm told may be partially related to visual issues.

[Mark in Idaho]

I think the important posture issues are when you are relaxed, either reclining or sleeping. I sleep with no head lift at all. My pillow is just to support my head from the sides so my head does not roll off to the side too far. It takes a while to get used to no head elevation but it is worth it..

I also use head phones for TV and music. It allows me to focus on the program without being overloaded with ambient sounds. I suggest you try head phones or ear buds when watching TV/videos or relaxing to music. You might be surprised at how easy it makes listening. Your brain does not need to sort out the sounds.

[LoriLu97]

Originally Posted by JDMC

This may seem counter intuitive but I seem be seeing a pattern between spending a lot of time laying down, and feeling worse.
The problem is that my symptoms are very flared up to the point where I feel like I need to spend a lot of my day lying down, but i'm not sure if its helping.

A few possible reasons I have thought of:

1. Laying down reduces blood flow throughout the body and thus to the brain

2. I have tension in my neck likely related to my symptoms and a pillow may be jarring to neck muscles

3. Laying down might not be good for general posture.

3. I've struggled with anxiety and some depression from the injury, and especially for someone like me who was very active and has adhd, I find that when I'm lying down and doing nothing I tend to be less happy and have negative/racing thoughts.

Honestly I'm not positive of this correlation but it seems to hold fairly true and I was wondering if anyone had experienced the same thing or knew whether any of the above reasons could be making me feel worse

Thanks


Jamie

Neck pain is a challenge and Mark gives excellent advice on options.
From my experience where I was a year ago what is going on with you is part of my situation. For the first 6 mos. the only way to rest was propped up on pillows on the sofa or a recliner. Rest, proper nutrition, hydration is so very important if enough is not received the body and mind go haywire. The body needs movement to help me, I had P/T and learned a minimal amount of isometrics and one Pilates to do in bed. Could you be suffering from vertigo too? My ENT testing was normal. A head trauma can cause physical ill effects to the vestibular system. If not and it is from damage to the portion of the brain that controls it may it may be possible to stimulate it with exercises to help retrain it.

Your reactions are normal! Your brain is trying to find new neuron pathways it works hard. Who wouldn't have sadness or depression with these challenges? I sure did. See your doctor share everything! Racing thoughts can be from so many things look at the triggers. I stopped once impulsively to jump off an overpass. My primary doc. Put me on antidepressant it made them worse. My negative, racing thoughts were tied in to my seizures. Treatment has corrected it with two different seizure Meds. I am so lucky to have found the specialist that knows brain injury inside and out. My neck and back issues resolved once the seizures ceased. You are on a new journey and not alone. Pull anyone in you can. Learned this by error, I isolated and crawled in to a cave. Learn from this mistake. You will make it take each new challenge in stride. Know any hill can be climbed. Ya, can choose to face it with a grin. And have faith in yourself because you will get there. If you can't climb that mountain with help just make it a goal to do it when you can. I feel negative racing thoughts should be a very high priority, please seek immediate medical attention. You are needed by many I am sure I am speaking for all of us we need to hear from you. We need you in our circle of of friends. Please stay in touch. May the force be with you, we are. Lori