S12E4: 3 Simple MS Tricks for Fatigue, Bladder Issues & Heat Sensitivity
[00:00:00] Have you ever noticed that some of the hardest parts of living with MS aren't the big decisions? The big decisions you have help with. Your neurologist, your MRIs, your follow-up appointments. It's everything in between. The in between is where you actually live your life with MS, and it's where most of us are left to figure it out on our own.
So today, I'm sharing three simple tricks for the in between. And before we get started, I wanna invite you to something special. Living with MS can feel overwhelming, but one habit can shift everything. That's what I'll show you inside my free webinar, How to Help Slow MS Progression, Starting With Just One Habit.
Think of it as your first step towards more energy, confidence, and hope. Save your seat at Alenebrennan.com/webinar. Welcome to my [00:01:00] MS podcast, where women with MS learn how to slow progression and live a life they love. I'm Alene Brennan, your MS sister and a practitioner who knows the science and the reality of living this too.
Each week, I share simple science-backed habits to boost your energy, stay consistent, and feel like yourself again. Because MS may be a part of your story, but it doesn't get to write the ending. Okay, my friends, let's talk about the in-between for a minute. When you're first diagnosed, there are a lot of big decisions to make.
Which treatment, which specialists, what your MRIs are telling you, and you need your neurologist and clinical team to guide you through all of those questions and decisions. But once those decisions are made, there's this, like, giant gap in between the MRIs, in [00:02:00] between the follow-up appointments, in between the conversations with your neurologist, and that's where you're left to figure out how to actually live your life with MS.
And we all know firsthand that is a giant learning curve when you are first diagnosed. But it's not just when you're first diagnosed. It's not just one learning curve because as we know, living with MS firsthand, things can change unexpectedly. A new symptom pops up and then another. You hit a flare. You hit perimenopause, right?
Or you're just getting older, and as we age, our immune system ages and becomes less efficient with managing inflammation, and MS becomes harder to manage. So there's a lot of things that can change from an MS perspective. But also, it's not just the MS stuff, right? Like, life changes too. You become a mom, or you go through a stressful [00:03:00] season at work or with your family, or something fun like a wedding you actually want to enjoy.
None of these are medical questions. They are practical, everyday life experiences that you have questions around, and those are often the hardest ones because a lot of those times you don't have anybody to turn to. It reminds me so much of having a baby. When you walk into your home for the first time, bringing that sweet little bundle of joy home from the hospital and realizing everything is on you now You have a million and one questions racing through your mind, but they're not questions you call your OB about.
You call your mom, your sister, your bestie because you need someone in the trenches with you who's been there, who can give you the real-life tips that help you get [00:04:00] through it. So your neurologist is your OB, so to speak, but you need people in the trenches too. I've been living with MS for 10 years now, and I have had the privilege of connecting with thousands of women with MS from around the world through my private coaching, through my Healing Habits program, through DMs, online classes, events, like a lot of different opportunities that I have been so blessed to connect with so many of you.
And of course, we know that MS is a quote, unquote "snowflake disease," so every person experiences it slightly uniquely. There are no two snowflakes that are the same, and also there are no two people that experience MS exactly the same. But what I will say is that over the years, having connected with so many women in our community, there are three challenges that continue to come up over and over and over again, [00:05:00] and they are energy, bladder issues, and heat So since it's October, I thought I'd have a little fun with it, 'cause I love finding ways to make conversations about life with MS a little bit lighter.
Let's bring some levity in our community here. So this is actually a two-part trick-or-treat series on my MS podcast. Today, I'm sharing three simple MS tricks that can help make everyday life a little bit easier. And then next week, come on back because I am sharing three simple treats that can help you enjoy this sweet holiday without wrecking your health.
So let's dive into those tricks. All right, trick number one, feed your energy, not your hunger. We're gonna start with MS fatigue, and if you're listening to this, I'm gonna assume you're living with MS, and I don't need to explain MS fatigue to you. You know it [00:06:00] firsthand. It is humbling, right? You are not just tired, and you are definitely not lazy.
It's like your energy dropped to zero with no charger in sight, right? And it's not just fixed with a good night's sleep or a cup of coffee. It's like your body feels heavy, like you are wearing a weighted bodysuit you desperately want to take off but can't. And it makes even the simplest things like taking a shower feel so overwhelming.
And I know that when you're dealing with that level of fatigue, the last thing you want is somebody giving you a long list of foods that are gonna take a lot of time to prepare as the solution to your fatigue. I get it. That's not helpful, and catch you in the right moment, it might actually feel a little insulting.
So I wanna keep this simple here because, yes, as a functional nutrition practitioner [00:07:00] living with MS for 10 years, I am going to say that one of the places you can start supporting your energy is with the food on your plate. But here's why. If you've been around here for a while, you likely have heard me talk about mitochondria before.
They're basically the little batteries inside our cells. Their job is to convert the nutrients from the food that you eat into usable energy that your body needs to function throughout the day. So the energy that our body has comes from the food that we eat. And the thing that helps convert it from the energy in food to the energy that our body can use are the mitochondria in our cells.
And researchers have found evidence of mitochondrial dysfunction in MS, meaning that those of us living with MS, our mitochondria aren't really working at the top of their game. Now, obviously, that doesn't mean that mitochondria are [00:08:00] the only reason we're experiencing MS fatigue. MS fatigue is much more complicated than that.
But it does help us understand why supporting our overall cellular health through nutrition is worth paying attention to. And one of the simplest foods I encourage women to add to their plates, are you ready for it? Leafy greens, specifically spinach Because through all of my years from coaching, I've heard it over and over and over again.
"Alene, I cannot believe I actually have better energy when I am more consistent with getting spinach in my diet." Like, I hear it all the time because it's almost like this moment of, like, I'm experiencing it. I can't deny what I'm experiencing, but I'm also struggling to give spinach that much credit for helping me to reduce MS fatigue.
And here's the good news. You don't need a complicated recipe [00:09:00] or a meal or snack or whatever to do it. Just throw a handful of spinach into a smoothie or you could add it to some scrambled eggs if you tolerate eggs. You could sauté some up with a little oil and garlic or you can add some to soup, pasta.
Like, there's a lot of different ways that you can tuck it into a meal. And then yes, obviously you can have a salad, whether that is a entrée salad, like a salad that you're having for your main meal, typically for like lunch. But you could also just do a side salad with dinner. Like, don't overcomplicate it.
Keep it simple. One of the questions I ask over and over and over again here on the podcast but also my Healing Habits program. If this were simple, what would it look like? If this were easy, what would it look like? If it were easy to get more spinach into your body on a consistent basis, what would it look like?
I would have a smoothie for breakfast or I would have a simple side salad for dinner. Which of those things that I [00:10:00] listed sounded most appealing and easiest for you? Start there. Because the trick is reducing the resistance between where you are and the thing that you want to achieve. So if there feels like there's a lot of resistance between you and the diet that you wanna follow, reduce that resistance by saying, "I'm not gonna worry about counting grams of protein.
I'm not gonna worry about all the other things. This week I'm just focused on spinach 'cause I wanna see if this hype is real. Like, if I have spinach every single day for a week, will I notice a difference in my energy? I'm willing to give that a try." Like, make a game of it because I think sometimes we make healthy eating so much harder than it needs to be.
We think we need to have the perfect recipe or go grocery shopping at five different stores and buy 12 new ingredients at each store and spend a full hour in the kitchen. Like, like no. When you're dealing with MS fatigue, you don't have the margin in your life to make anything [00:11:00] more complicated. We need things simplified.
So if you have in your mind that you're gonna start this new plan on Monday, and you're gonna develop this whole new meal plan over the weekend and go to the grocery store and do all this meal prep, like That is planning for fantasy you, not real you. If you are struggling with energy, I want you to pick one simple thing, and that can start with something as simple as spinach.
So trick number one, feed your energy, not just your hunger. This week, try adding a handful of spinach into something you're already eating. Not because one handful is going to magically make your MS fatigue disappear, but because it's one simple way that you can support your body on a regular basis. All right, now on to trick number two.
This is the one where I get the most messages saying, "Alene, I am trying to drink more water. I know I need to drink more water, but I cannot stay out of the bathroom [00:12:00] day or night." And I get it. You wanna be better hydrated, but you also want to leave your house and sleep through the night. So what do most of us do?
We drink less. But the trick isn't to drink less. It's to time your water. So trick number two is time your water, not just drink less. It's not just about how much you drink, but it's about when and how fast. So first, have a glass of water as soon as you wake up in the morning. You've gone all night without drinking anything, and your body actually detoxifies as you sleep.
So when you have a glass of water when you first wake up, it helps your body to flush those toxins out. But it also just feels good to start your day knowing that you had a glass of water, so you already feel a little accomplished before you even get in the shower. But here's the part I love. Most of us are home for the first hour of our day.
Like, you're getting up, [00:13:00] showering, doing your hair, makeup, breakfast, maybe getting the kids out the door. So that gives your body a solid hour to process that water before you may have to leave the house. So that's what I say in terms of timing your water. Think about drinking it when you are going to be around a bathroom by the time that water hits your bladder.
And also, sip your water. Don't chug it Like think about an ocean. Nobody likes getting knocked down by a big wave. That does not feel good. What feels nice is when the water's calm and there's just these little ripples. Think about your bladder the same way. The faster you drink, the faster that water hits your bladder like a big wave.
So sip throughout the day and let it be a gentle trickle into your bladder. And then if you are somebody who struggles to sleep through the night because you are constantly waking [00:14:00] up to go to the bathroom, you likely have heard stop drinking water a couple hours before bed. So if you're somebody who wakes up a lot, I would probably back that up to maybe stop drinking by like 6:00 or 7:00, but it's gonna be different for each person.
Either way, I want you to try something I learned from a urologist. It's called double voiding. When you start getting ready for bed, go to the bathroom first. Like, when you get into your bedroom and maybe you're getting into your pajamas or, like, whatever your routine is, go to the bathroom first.
Sometimes we wait until right before we go to bed, like the last thing that we do, but I want you to try this to see if this helps you. When you first get into your bedroom, like go to the bathroom first and then do a couple things afterwards, like get in your pajamas, take your contacts out, brush your teeth, wash your face, whatever your routine is, and then go to the bathroom one more time.
The idea is that you're emptying your bladder the first time that you go, but then that five minutes [00:15:00] after gives you an opportunity to then void any of the residual urine that was left in there. Give it a try. See if it works. The only thing that you have to gain is a better night's sleep, so I think that's worth giving it a try.
So if you are somebody who struggles with urinary frequency and urgency, start hydrating early, take small sips throughout the day, and try that double voiding concept before you go to bed. And that brings us to tip number three, heat This, this, oh my goodness, this is one of my most frustrating and irritating challenges living with MS.
I talked a lot about heat sensitivity over the summer, especially this past summer, because the heat and humidity were just really intense. And that's hard because summer is one of my favorite seasons, and I know it is for so many women here in our community. You wanna be at the pool, the beach, the lake, just being outside.
It's fun. The barbecues, the picnics, the festivals, like, [00:16:00] all of the things. It's great family and social time. But when you're living with MS, there's something called Uhthoff's phenomenon. Even a slight increase in your body temperature can temporarily intensify symptoms that you've already had. So heat is not creating or triggering new symptoms.
I think of it more as like waking up the symptoms that you've already experienced. That's why heat affects us all so differently. So for people who have had mobility or vision issues, if they are sensitive to heat, then whatever their mobility and vision issues or symptoms that they've had before may resurface.
For others, they may feel fatigued because of the heat or experience brain fog. Like, there's so many different things. Again, we all experience it so differently, and we could run through the whole list of symptoms, right? But the bottom line is, even a slight increase in your internal body temperature can [00:17:00] trigger th-those existing MS symptoms.
But heat sensitivity isn't just a summer thing. We need to be mindful of it in winter too. Space heaters, like under your desk or in the family room, a fireplace or hot flashes, because hot flashes, yeah, they're heat too, right? They raise your body temperature. If you've ever had one, you know. It is undeniable.
So here's the trick for this. Dress for your temperature, not for the season. I get it. I love the hoodies. I love the sweaters. I love all the things. But can you do it in a way that you can wear removable layers? One of the things I've gotten in a habit with over the years living with MS, I often have a tank top underneath whatever it is that I'm wearing, so that if, God forbid, I'm ever in a situation where there's, again, the fireplace, the space heater, or just Thanksgiving dinner when the ovens are [00:18:00] all on, and it feels like the entire house is Africa hot.
Like, I need to have layers so that I can help to bring my body temperature down, especially in environments that I can't always control. So I layer up. But whether you're going to Thanksgiving dinner or a ski lodge, a fireplace, or just Panera that has that cute little fireplace there, it gives you the ability to adapt to the temperature around you and better manage your internal temperature.
Okay, my friends. Three tricks. Number one, feed your energy, not just your hunger. Number two, time your water, don't just drink less. And number three, dress for your temperature, not the season. And please, do not walk away thinking you need to do all three this week. Pick one, one that is most relevant to you right now.
If it's energy, add a handful of spinach into something you're already eating. If it's the bathroom, hydrate early, or maybe try that double voiding before bed. Or if it's [00:19:00] heat, maybe your thing this week is literally just wearing a tank top underneath your sweater or sweatshirt. Like, simple. Simple, simple, simple.
What is the smallest version that you could start implementing today? All right, next week, as I said, I want you to come back because we are talking about treats. Three treats that you can enjoy without wrecking your MS diet or health. And again, what I shared with you today is just a little taste of what we do every week inside Healing Habits.
Small, doable things that make everyday life with MS a little bit easier. And as always, I would love to hear from you. Send me a DM on Instagram. Tell me which trick you're trying this week. Or if you have a trick, send it my way. I love learning what works for you, too. And of course, you can always head over to Alenebrennan.com/blog for the blog post version of each podcast episode.
All right, my friends, have a great day. Talk soon. And that's it for today's episode of my [00:20:00] MS podcast. I hope you're walking away with one small step you can put into practice today, because that is how real change happens. And remember, MS has its own biological clock, which means the sooner you start, the more power you have to influence your future.
The best time to begin is now. That's why I created my free webinar, How to Help Slow MS Progression, starting with just one habit today. Grab your spot at Alenebrennan.com/webinar. See you there.