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Rhythm is Life

By David Spero, RN
Adapted from the book "The Art of Getting Well: Five Steps to Maximizing Health When You Have a Chronic Illness." Copyright 2002 Hunter House Publishing.

(Please download and disseminate this article, post it on your web site or print it in your newsletter or magazine, as long as you keep the above source information.)

Pretend you're a car. Would you do better cruising down the freeways, your wheels maintaining a steady beat, with a steady foot on your accelerator? Or would you rather be stuck in stop-and-go city traffic, speeding up, slowing down, never getting a chance to run smoothly? Which way would you get better mileage? Which way would your engine last longer?

People depend on rhythm much more than cars do. Each body has its own rhythms, optimum patterns of wake and sleep, activity and rest, which we usually ignore. Living in a regular pattern allows us to flow along like a car on a freeway, or like the elders who seem to go on and on, sustained by little except habit. This article advocates getting into a bit of a rut: learning and following cycles that are right for us, that feel good and use less energy.

A recent study of people with multiple sclerosis found that disruption of their normal schedule was more likely to cause a relapse than was a major stressor such as death of a relative. Of course, we need variety, too. The goal isn't to have every day exactly the same, but to live easily, whatever we do.

Power of the drum

Rhythm makes everything better. Music or a recorded drumbeat often helps people with Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, or stroke to walk better. Drumming has become a valued social activity in senior centers, because it improves functioning in Alzheimer's disease and arthritis, and promotes social interaction.

The benefits of music should come as no surprise. Our bodies have their own flows: heart rhythms, four different brain wave patterns, and muscle contractions. We all know the benefits of regular bowel (and bladder) function. The more rhythm we get into our lives, the easier things tend to go. Rhythm means much more than music, though. We can also live rhythmically.

Daily practice

Bodies like to get up at the same time and go to bed at approximately the same time. Rotating shifts at work (especially the aptly named "graveyard shift") have been found to decrease life span and increase rates of illness. So we want to establish a reasonably regular schedule of sleeping. Of course, there will be special occasions, but before and after these exceptional days, we want to get back to normal. We also want to eat at fairly regular times.

Self-care is the focus of my book, and I strongly recommend setting regular times for our health practices, whatever they are. I do stretching and meditation first thing in the morning, before anyone else knows I'm up. This plan works for a lot of people.
Having a regular schedule helps. It is good to schedule in time with our family, time for activities we love and the other things we need to do, but we don't want to wear ourselves out scheduling a million activities. We have to follow our basic personal rhythm, the activity/rest cycle.

Your Activity/Rest Cycle

Have you heard of the activity/pain cycle? That is the pattern, often seen in chronic illness, in which we push on until pain, fatigue, or some other symptom makes us stop. Then we may be out of commission for hours. Much healthier is the activity/rest cycle, where we pay attention to our body's rhythms and stop before the symptoms build up.
All of us tend to push our limits, but we really need to save that behavior for times when something really good or important is at stake. Otherwise, we wind up with worse symptoms and even worsening disease processes. We tend to believe that we can't take a break because we have so much to do, but as we get more fatigued, our efficiency drops off, anyway. It is more effective to take breaks and come back refreshed.

Susan Haight-Liotta works and raises two children, despite diabetes and chronic pain. She says we have to be flexible about our time: "Allowing yourself the ability to have bad days is a big thing," she says. "It's very hard, but it's a step that you have to take. It's OK if I'm in the middle of a task to go lay down for an hour to get my reserves back up."

How do we start a workable activity/rest cycle? We can start by monitoring ourselves. At what times of day, or after how many minutes of different kinds of activity, do we get tired, pained, irritable, depressed, or whatever our symptoms are? How much, and what kind of rest or relaxation do we need to get back to full strength? Different kinds of activity can fatigue us in different ways. After housework, we may need to lie down, while our best recovery after tough mental work might be a walk.

Maryann Charles, a woman whose chronic fatigue syndrome has not dampened her positive attitude, recommends setting an alarm to remind us to take our breaks. Once we learn how long a stretch of housework or reading or playing with the children is best for us, we can set an alarm for whatever time is appropriate. Then take the needed time to really rest, possibly including a relaxation exercise or a nap. It's OK to let the kids watch TV or put the dishes off until later so we can get our rest. For more difficult demands, such as a confused elder or severely disabled child, of course, we have to get some help.

Other rhythms

As discussed in Chapter 2, we should really follow the Commandment and take a Sabbath day once a week. We may also want to move towards what the acupuncturists recommend: an annual pattern of living with the seasons. Chinese medicine says we should rest more in the cold and dark of the winter, and start some new activities in the spring, when the new plants are starting to sprout. Women, especially, may want to follow monthly routines based on the high and low energy days around their periods.
We can all use more rhythm in our lives, whether it's drumbeats or a regular pattern of working and resting. You'll find that things go easier, you get more done, and you will have some energy left over for healing.

Excerpted from David Spero's book, "The Art of Getting Well," available online at Amazon.com and Hunter House as well as fine bookstores. David is a nurse with multiple sclerosis, who counsels and coaches people with all types of chronic conditions. Learn to overcome barriers to self-care and gain more health and quality of life.

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