From: Adrienne.Barhydt@p15.f48.n105.z1.fidonet.org (Adrienne Barhydt)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: MS/HELP/Fatigue
Date: 31 Aug 92 12:24:27 GMT
Reply-To: Adrienne.Barhydt@p15.f48.n105.z1.fidonet.org
Organization: FidoNet node 1:105/48.15 - Jim Long's Computer, Portland OR

Index Number: 24058

On Sun, Aug 09 Aaron Feldman (1:260/207) wrote the following to Help:ms:

 AF>Shalom to everyone, Missed everyone from this BBS..things have
 AF>been slow. I am hoping if someone could give me some suggestions
 AF>on this one: FINALLY- got a new job that is starting soon . It is
 AF>in computers, 48 hrs/week and pay is MUCH better than now.

Congratulations on the new job!

 AF>PROBLEM: How do I get enough rest so I can handle it. The hours
 AF>are from 7 am-4 pm. How much sleep does someone with MS require?

YOU need as much as YOU need and I need as much as I need.  There
is no general rule here.  I sleep 7-9 hrs. at night, nap for 1 hr.
during the day and spend MUCH  of the rest of the day resting.
More sleep at night will do nothing for my fatigue during the next
day.  I must rest when I get tired and rest for me does not always
mean sleep.  In fact, if I do sleep more, I end up with insomia the
next night and end up worse off.

 AF>I seem to be chronically tired to the point where I feel
 AF>intensely irriated. As
 AF>it is now, I dont start work until noon- so I get up at 10am and
 AF>dress and then rest form an hour over lunch andf then fgo into
 AF>work. How do I do this at 6am?? I hope someone can give me some
 AF>suggestions becos I have been waiting for a chance at a REAL job
 AF>for over 3 years now and I want to at least to be able to give it
 AF>a good try. Thank you as always, Aaron

The only way to get in some rest time between getting up and
starting work is to get up early enough to allow that and the only
way to get a full night's sleep is to go to bed earlier.  It's an
ambitious undertaking.  I used to go to bed by 9:30 to get up at
5:30 to be at work by 7:30.  To get to bed at 9:30 meant starting
to get ready for bed at 8:30.

Apart from actual sleep time I think you need to take some energy
conservation steps and get real adept at pacing yourself.  Here are
some hints that I hope will get you started.

Put things where it takes a minimum of energy to use them.  Have
the things you use constantly ON your desk.  The less frequently
you use something the farther away it can be.

Set up to do whatever you do efficiently.  F'rinstance, if I'm
gonna shell peas I get out everything I need.  I set up at a table
that's the right height, not a counter that I have to reach up to.
Position unshelled peas, bowl for shelled peas, spot for empty pods
for efficient work flow.  My husband can reach across the table to
pick up the next one and reach somwhere else for a bowl and reach
under the table to toss the empty pod.  I can do that to about two
peas and then I'm too tired to continue.  With everything
positioned at my right hand I can work long enough to have peas for
dinner!

Be aware of when your high and low energy times occur and schedule
your work to fit them.  I do my most important and demanding tasks
between 9 and 11:30 AM.  I'm useless much of the afternoon and
revive considerably in the evening.  Depending on the nature of
your job this may or may not be easy to do.  It might be useful to
know how ADA affects your employer to ask for some reasonable
accomodations in scheduling.

You need to evaluate everything you do, first to see if it's
necessary at all, and if it is, to find the easiest (least energy
consuming) way to do it.  You need to be aware of your own energy
ups and downs and fit your work into them.  If you are looking for
easier ways to do specific tasks, ask here.  Someone will very
likely be able to give you ideas.

I hope this will help and things go well for you on your new job.
Whatever you do, be kind to yourself.

Adrienne

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