Why do we get fatigued, stressed out, and ovestimulated?

JBuckl · 06-14-2016, 07:16 PM

These are things people without brain injuries clearly have, but why do these things happen to us at a much higher intensity and frequency? I personally am fortunate that I don't get fatigued, but I do get stressed out fairly quickly and ovestimulated once or twice a day. Is it poor brain chemistry that causes this? And if so, what does poor brain chemistry mean?

Mark in Idaho · 06-14-2016, 08:25 PM

There are two common reasons for getting stressed out and over-stimulated.

The PCS brain often has a hair trigger fight or flight system. Very minor stressors to most people become major stress events for people with PCS.

Over-stimulation is often a result of the brain losing the ability to ignore or filter out stimulation that would normally be filtered out. This can be due to organic injury or chemical stress that reduces the effectiveness of brain functions. This can cause the fight or flight hair trigger.

If the brain is not getting full stage sleep, toxins can collect decreasing the efficiency of the brain cells.

russiarulez · 06-14-2016, 10:15 PM

I can't really answer why exactly this is happening to us (I don't think there's yet a person in the whole world that knows specifics of why this happens), but I tend to think of my concussed brain as a car battery that has been drained completely a couple of times and now cannot hold a charge and depletes easily even if there's only a slight current draw.

Sleep issues prevent us from recharging the battery enough at night, messed up vestibular and/or vision issues put a significant load on the battery and quickly deplete it. At some point there is nothing left no matter how you try to push through it.

When my PCS was at its worst, I could only handle 5-10 minutes of a conversation, after that I had to go to a separate dark room and lay down with my head literally buzzing. A fridge was too loud for me, and anything but a dim light really bothered me.

I'm much better now, but it took over 3 years and quitting my job to really be able to see what it is that is causing most of my symptoms (visual issues).

Time and limitation of stressors is the only way through this.

JBuckl · 06-15-2016, 09:17 AM

Thanks for all of the replies, Mark. I really appreciate them.

As far as removing toxins and improving the overall health of the brain, what are some things that I can add in to my daily routine?

I sleep well and for 9-11 hours a night. When I sleep, my bed has an incline, so my head is elevated. I have read some information on that reducing toxins. I also don't use a pillow. But I've read that you use a rolled up pillow for under your neck. Should I use one of these? And are you using one of these for neck curvature?

I follow the vitamin regimen, exercise most days, have a fairly good diet--something that I'm working on to improve. I also intermittent fast and stimulate my brain as much as I can, but I rarely "overdo" it.

I do take epsom salt baths on occasion, but don't sweat much, which I know is not good as sweat is a natural detoxifying bodily function.

ConcussedEngineer · 06-15-2016, 09:29 AM

I think Mark highlighted in a post a while back about how important getting the right sleep is for toxin removal. I have heard other doctors talk about the critical threshold for sleep, and if it is not reached toxins, etc. remain. For me, there seems to be a critical level of sleep I need, 7 hours, to function. Anything less than that, even 6.5 hours, makes the difference between a day I can function or not.

Mark, I have heard that prolonged rest along with vestibular issues can lead to the sympathetic nervous system somewhat taking over some functions which the higher nervous system would process, i.e. leading to a sensitive fight or flight response?

When I had my concussion and tried to stay in school, plowing through my symptoms, I ended up having panic attacks and sleeping about 3 hours a night. For the longest time I lived in fear of another panic attack, but I slowly came to realize it was just overstimulation to the extreme. I know for certain that all my problems today are because I pushed so hard immediately after my injury, and had no idea what to do.

Mark in Idaho · 06-15-2016, 10:25 AM

There are some doctors who understand. My neuro did over 3 decades of research to understand our over-stimulation issues and how the brain responds to stimulation. What I posted is based on research and valid neurological understanding.

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Why do we get fatigued, stressed out, and ovestimulated?

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