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How can I wake up feeling better?

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Fibromyalgia
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Posted 12/4/2014 11:46 AM (GMT 0)
I've been waking up feeling sore, achy and hurting lately and it's caused me to be late to work and miss more time that I'd like. This has been going on for quite sometime, and it seems like it's just getting worse. I'm on day 2 of lexapro and I woke up this morning with a better attitude about work and other things going on, even though I'm sure its just a placebo effect right now. I still woke up hurting and stiff though. The stiffness and pain can and usually last a few hours!

What are some things I can do at night or when I wake up to loosen up so I can get ready for work on time?

Thanks for all the great help this forum provides me :)
Posted 12/4/2014 3:09 PM (GMT 0)
This is what has worked for me if you want to try it.

My massage therapisst told me not to hop out of bed in the morning immediately. She told me to start with the feet and rotate my ankles gently but firmly and then work my way up my body. Anything that cant be rotated I am supposed to tighten and relax the muscles 3 times. Then, since a lot of my pain is in my hips, I lay flat on my back and cross one leg over the other. I push it over to the opposite side and up towards my shoulder firmly but gently. You will know the right spot when you feel that muscle. It should feel a little "stretchy uncomfortable" (my phrase, not hers, lol) but NOT painful. It took me a long time to learn the difference on me, so i may be describing it poorly. Once I have done this on both sides, I am supposed to do cat and camel. That is just kneeling on all fours and arching your back as far as it is comfortable. Then sink it the other way, pushing your tummy down towards the bed. I am supposed to do 5 repetitions of that.

The idea is to spend 5 minutes stretching before you hit the ground running. I often forget and hit the ground, lol. Then I regret it. If you want to try it, adjust any of it to suit you and to fit your comfort level.

I also take either Aleve or Tramadol and then hit the shower as soon as I am done for heat on my body.

Good luck on your search for a good mornig routine. If you find the number of the truck that roles over us at night... Send it my way.
Posted 12/4/2014 3:12 PM (GMT 0)
I sometimes take a Celebrex before going to bed and that helps me. I can't take them daily though because they bother my tummy. I get up early, if I lay in bed too long, I get very stiff...

I hope that you feel better soon...

Hugs, Karen...
Posted 12/4/2014 5:06 PM (GMT 0)
Firefly, your massage therapist is spot on. This is what I do, too. It's stretching exercises to help loosen the muscles. Then, when you do roll out of bed, you are looser and have less pain. Just walking around will help, too, and of course a hot shower.

Since you know you have this problem, you should go to bed earlier and set your alarm for an earlier time to help you loosen up so you will be on time to work. Jobs are precious these days and I don't think you want to loose it.

Hope this helps you!

Sherrine
Posted 12/4/2014 5:24 PM (GMT 0)
I never thought about stretching before actually getting up and that sounds like a great idea. I will definitely try that and see if it helps me. I too, hit the ground lol. As far as waking up early, I get up at 3:45 am for work! I've tried going to bed earlier but I just can't get myself to sleep at a decent time, but that's a work in progress and it's getting better.

I just spoke with my boss yesterday and changed my start time to 6 am instead of 5 am..so I think that'll help. We have several start times we can actually choose, 5 am, 6 am or 7 am. I dont like the 7 am shift because traffic is a nightmare at 3:30 pm going home.
Posted 12/4/2014 5:44 PM (GMT 0)
That's good! It sounds like you are on your way to feeling better in the morning. I hope the stretching exercises help, too. A muscle relaxer helped me a lot, also. I take only half of what was prescribed and it helps a lot with no side effects.

Sherrine
Posted 12/4/2014 11:15 PM (GMT 0)
As a late sleeper, I understand what you mean. It's hard for me to settle before 11:30 or midnight. I think it is because I work on the east coast and with a lot of our people at earlier times, the end of the work day can be as late as 8:00pm. It takes me a while to wind down.

NoOneKnows - Good idea changing out one hour - maybe that will let you have a little more breathing room. I have been trying to get in the habit of lying still for a few minutes when I wake up and think through what I have to do. Sometimes my entire inner monolog sounds like a caveman demanding coffee, but .... :) I hope the extra time really helps you.
Posted 12/6/2014 4:50 AM (GMT 0)
One thing that helped me was sleeping on a memory foam pad. It is just a 2 inch one on top of my mattress, but it has worked wonders. I went from feeling like a 90 year old when I got up, to feeling almost normal.
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