Sleep is one of the best ways to neuromodulate your nerves and even your whole body. Your brain and nervous system need time to rest and recharge. During sleep, your body rests, but your mind remains very active. The rest the body receives during quiet sleep functions to build energy for the next day. For the brain, this is housecleaning time. Toxins are removed from your nervous system. This is becoming more evident, particularly in the research concerning Alzheimer’s disease. Individuals who do not sleep well, have more amyloid toxins build up in the brain, which may contribute to the disease. This is one current theory; the exact cause is yet to be discovered.
During sleep, development occurs in children but also in adults. Memories are stored. Information is sorted. Sleep is when individuals put learned information, thoughts, feelings, and responses in their brains for use in similar situations later. When sleep occurs, our brains become sharper, which helps thinking.
There are physiological processes that occur during sleep. This includes improvements in immune response which can prevent or lessen illnesses and even improve mental well-being.
Neurological injury, in particular, can affect the autonomic nervous system (ANS). This is part of the nervous system that automatically controls functions in the body without our thinking about it. These actions include heart beating, breathing, liver function, the immune system, and body temperature control, among many other functions. If you notice after a neurological injury, you may have difficulty regulating your internal body temperature. Getting too cold stays with you, even if you add blankets to warm you. One way your body can adjust back to regular temperature is to sleep, which allows the brain to re-regulate the body.
Movement or exercise is another contributor to self-nerve neuromodulation. The body craves movement. Within the muscles is a built-in desire for movement. Muscles are balanced with muscles that push and matched with muscles that pull. The pulling muscles are just a bit stronger than the pushing muscles. Therefore, the pushing muscles want to work to keep a counterbalance. Both sets of muscles want to move in every part of your body. After paralysis, muscles still want to move even if you have issues with functional movement.
Nerves are constantly seeking information from the brain and sending information to the brain. If a head injury interrupts message transmission or a spinal cord injury stops the messages from getting through, the nerves without input are striving to find a message. Nerves want to work. That is their job to respond to constant nerve transmission.
If your brain or spinal cord is not transmitting messages, the nerves are at a loss as to what they should do. This is when they may start to perform in a different way by demonstrating tone (spasticity), contractures of the muscles, or remaining completely flaccid. Your body is responding to a lack of movement, even if you do not feel it.
Movement provides messages to the nerves that something is happening in the body. Movement feeds the muscles that are craving it. Active or passive movement is effective. Passive movement is when you or someone moves the parts of your body that cannot move by themselves or do so effectively. This provides that feedback to those nerves that are not receiving messages. Even passive movement can improve your physical well-being, which your body may not realize, but your brain will be rewarded by improved mental health, sometimes as a sensation of feeling good.
Active movement supplies the nerves and muscles of the body with the activity they crave. Moving all parts of your body in a purposeful manner is essential. Movement, as with exercise, is important as it provides concentrated effort to body parts. Some movement focuses on just the arms or legs, whereas others affect several body parts at once. The focus on body parts is essential. Some people think transferring or propelling their wheelchairs is enough activity. It certainly is a part of movement, but the repetitive, concentrative movement, as with exercise, is essential.
Adding chemical or electrical neuromodulation to your movement routine will enhance your movement strategies. It is a ‘movement booster.’
Diet and Hydration can improve neuromodulation. To use your body, you need to feed it healthy foods in moderate portions. Too many processed foods or those high in calories and low in nutrition will not fuel your body.
Finding the right amount and types for you can be a challenge. Too many calories add weight, making it harder to move. Too few calories lead to a smaller body but do not provide the nutrients needed to keep your body well-functioning. A consultation with the dietician will aid in finding the right balance for you.
Hydration keeps your body moist. The inside of your body is essentially wet in all parts. You want to keep your organs well-functioning with hydration. Water is the best choice as it enters your cells easily and can be readily used. When you are hydrated, your cells are plump, which reduces the chance of medical issues.
If you are on a bladder management program that restricts fluids, try to make those fluids mostly water to ensure your hydration. Other drinks can rob your cells of fluid entry, add calories, and will not provide the hydration needed.