grounding wrist strap, elevating my head & a few other things helping a lot with sleep

[Mary]

I've been using a grounding wrist strap in bed now for about 10 days, and it definitely seems to be helping with sleep, much to my surprise! I had tried a grounding half-sheet (earthing.com) which didn't do anything that I could tell, but fortunately I was able to return it after 6 weeks for a full refund. The wrist strap was much cheaper too. I read that you should check your outlets before using a grounding device - I got this receptable tester from Lowe's. It showed that one of my outlets was not grounded properly, and I had an electrician fix it.

I'm also elevating my head with pillows, and much to my surprise am able to sleep that way. I read a few years this was supposed to help with sleep also. It's supposed to help with acid reflex which I don't usually have and nasal congestion, which I do have a lot, and maybe something else.

After initially having about 5 nights of sleeping better with the wrist strap, I had a hard time going back to sleep in the middle of the night, and thought, okay, those first five nights were just a fluke, dang! After about 20 minutes I discovered that the wrist strap had come unplugged from its cord! I reattached it, and within 5 or 10 minutes could feel myself calming down and within 20 minutes more was back to sleep. The middle of the night has been my worst time for sleep for years and years. I always had to take something sort of heavy duty to get back to sleep - e.g., lorazepam (have been off it for 2 or 3 years now), Unisom (very powerful antihistamine which I develop a tolerance to after a couple of weeks), vaping THC/CBD oil.

So to go back to sleep middle of the night without any of those things is amazing.

I also take all of this, but this alone was not enough to put me back to sleep middle of the night, though I think it helps overall:

Before bed: 5-htp, melatonin, 400 mg. magnesium glycinate, 500 mg ornithine, 2000 mg glycine, 1000 mg inositol, lemon balm (iherb.com "Euroherbs"), 400 mg niacin (the kind that makes you flush)

And then more of just about everything except 5-htp and glycine and ornithine in the middle of the night.

I first started playing around with grounding last July, I would sit outside with my feet on cement (no dirt or grass where I live) and found that when I did this for about an hour, my sleep noticeably improved - not enough to go without Unisom or something in the middle of the night, but I was sleeping deeper and going back to sleep a little more quickly. I can't always sit outside - I may be crashed or sick, and it's going to get too cold to do it too pretty soon. So I'm so glad I've found this wrist strap! I know, only 10 days, but that's a lot actually I think. Will see!

 

[gbells]

 

[Mary]

@gbells - you're the one who first got me thinking of an inexpensive wrist strap for grounding with this post. But the one you linked on ebay appeared to be for the UK so I was very happy to find the one I did on Amazon.

 

[gbells]

Made my day. I love hearing people doing better because of a suggestion I made.

 

[gbells]

Maybe the grounding sheets didn't work because of the electrical problem in the ground. Still, I agree that th wrist straps work fine and are much more economical. I use them almost every night.

The one your bought looks great.

 

[Wayne]

nasal congestion, which I do have a lot

Hi @Mary, great information. I purchased a grounding sheet a few years ago, and only used it for a few weeks. Though I had some initial optimism, I couldn't seem to get past the exacerbated headaches that resulted (I already had chronic daily headaches at the time). I may just give this grounding wrist strap a try. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
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I feel I've made some discoveries recently that have improved both my sleep and sinuses, and that I've been meaning to share here on PR. . -- I've had persistent neck and back problems for years, and have gotten into the habit of doing various kinds of self-massage to help with that. I've long noticed when I massage up and down my back along the spine, my sinuses clear up.

Essentially, I lay on one side, and as best I can, use my free arm to massage up and down my spine with my thumb and fingers. I once asked my ND why I get such consistent sinus clearing results from this technique. He said it was likely because there are major lymphatic drainage areas located along the spine. -- Search "Spinal Flush" on YouTube, and you'll find lots of videos.

I recently started doing some thoracic extension techniques, and discovered the same phenomenon. One morning, my sinuses were uncharacteristically stuffy, and I placed a foam pad beneath my thoracic spine area. Within 5-10 minutes, I was breathing incredibly clearly. And I felt way more relaxed as well, as this technique is VERY relaxing. I've since discovered that if I awaken in the night with the sense I'm not going to get back to sleep, if I put that foam pad underneath my thoracic area, I can usually get back to sleep in 5-10 minutes.

Regarding the thoracic techniques, this :37 second video shows two ways a rolled up towel or foam piece can be used for the upper thoracic area.

Thoracic Towel Stretch

Below is a link to a 5-min. video which goes into more detail on how to use a towel or foam piece to loosen up the upper back:

The Simplest and Most Effective Exercise For Thoracic Extension

For a really good complimentary exercise to this one, I feel the pelvis stabilization techniques described in this 5-Min. video (Natural Pelvis Reset) really helped my lower back a LOT, and most likely helped my neck area as much as the towel exercise (I use foam instead of a towel). I think these two techniques work really well together.

Since starting these a few weeks ago, my Orthostotic Intolerance has noticeably improved, and my overall energy and resiliency has also notably improved. I suspect I've gotten improvements similar to what Dr. Perrin, D.O. noticed in his CFS patients, most of whom had classic flat back syndrome in their thoracic area.

I've researched a number of structural issues over the years, and my current focus on the complimentary thoracic and pelvis techniques has probably paid as much or more (probably more) dividends compared to anything I've tried before. And I've gotten a LOT of improvements from various things I've done in the past, including Upper Cervical Chiropractic and AtlasProfilax.

One other thing you and others experiencing insomnia may want to consider is whether the psoas muscle could be interfering with sleep. In the thread linked below, a man describes how his sleep was sooo bad, he only got about 2 hours per night. He eventually discovered that it was a tight psoas muscle that was causing most of his inability to sleep.

Fibromyalgia Misdiagnosis -- ME/CFS Symptoms Traced to Tight Psoas Muscle

 

[Rufous McKinney]

I've had persistent neck and back problems for years, and have gotten into the habit of doing various kinds of self-massage to help with that. I've long noticed when I massage up and down my back along the spine, my sinuses clear up.

Thank you for posting this great info: I intend to fully check out and deploy!

I used a grounding sheet and grounding pad for a while....I just could not determine any effects in my case. It could be I was adequately grounded, and therefore more wasn't needed at that location.

 

[Mary]

Thanks @Wayne for all the info! I've been having lower back problems for several weeks now, have made a couple of trips to the chiropractor, done stretching and used magnesium oil and ice and Advil, and it is only a little better, which is unusual for me. But - the last time I saw the chiro he told me my sacrum was going out every time I stood up, he did something, adjusted it, was better for a few days and started getting worse again. So I think the pelvis reset exercises may be just what I need! I've been trying to figure out what to so - so I'm going to give them a try.

I used a grounding sheet and grounding pad for a while....I just could not determine any effects in my case. It could be I was adequately grounded, and therefore more wasn't needed at that location.

@Rufous McKinney - you might be right, you might have been adequately grounded, or, they didn't work that well, as in my case. So you might give the wrist strap a try sometime for the heck of it - the one I found is very cheap. Just be sure to check your outlets as I described above.

 

[Wayne]

the last time I saw the chiro he told me my sacrum was going out every time I stood up, he did something, adjusted it, was better for a few days and started getting worse again.

@Mary, that sounds pretty similiar to my own situation. Whenever I did just about "anything" requring using my body, like doing a little cleanup in the garage, or a little gardening, etc., my lower back would go out. It was so consistent, I got into the habit of doing these things just before going to my physical therapist, so the "discomfort" wouldn't be too long-lasting.

But I wanted to figure out "why" my lower back was going out so easily. One woman on this forum wrote that her neck would go out so easily for years, and she finally discovered the reason for it was that her testosterone levels were too low. So I got my testosterone levels checked, and they were fine.

I finally discovered the pelvis reset technique, and it has allowed me to do things I haven't been able to do in the past without paying a big price in terms of lower back discomfort until I got in to see my therapist. I've had my lower back (or pelvis) go out numerous times since I discovered this technique, and I've been able to reset it every time without going to see my therapist. A couple instances were even "pretty bad", and I had my doubts my back would feel better the next day. But so far, it's consistently stabilized.
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A couple things I wanted to mention about the towel / foam techniques for thoracic extension: 1) I mostly use the foam along my upper spine (as demonstrated in the first part of the :37 second video); and 2) after I posted yesterday, I recalled A POST I made in the past in which I touched on the immune system being affected by the thoracic area. Here's what I wrote:

One last interesting point on the liver/gb stuff. I've long read that as much as 80% of our immune system function takes place within our GI tract. Apparently, the part of the GI tract that comprises the largest part of this immune function is located at the area where the gallbladder releases bile to neutralize the acidic food from the stomach (duodenum area). -- I just ran across a tip yesterday on a YouTube video that if we ever feel a need to boost our immune system, stimulate in some manner the nerves in our upper back (between the shoulder blades) that supply nerve energy to the upper intestinal tract. -- Makes sense; perhaps I'll try stimulating it 12 hours a day and see if I recover from CFS! ​

​

I mentioned to my wife a few days ago, that in a rather undefined way, it feels like my immune system has kicked back into gear, at least to a certain degree. If so, that might also be contributing in some manner in my increased stamina and resiliency I've noticed since starting the thoracic extension exercises. -- I'm just amazed at how something so simple (and relaxing), can be sooo beneficial.

 

[Mary]

@Wayne - thanks again for all the info! I was starting to get a little desperate about my back. It was painful just to sit down and then getting up was when it really hurt, and it's usually not like this. And the chiro helped a little but no suggestions such as your video! I am going to do the pelvis reset exercises and will try the thoracic technique as well! My immune system definitely needs a boost, although I am sleeping so much better, that's got to help too. I'd never looked into grounding until last summer - I'd heard about it for years but never took a look. I don't know why as I've looked into so many other things!

And I dragged out my mini-rebounder (was covered in clothes in my bedroom). I'm sure my lymph system is sluggish because I'm so inactive but I think I can do some gentle bouncing on it to get things flowing.

 

[Wayne]

I'm sure my lymph system is sluggish

Just to mention quickly before I get caught up in the Sunday news shows and a bit of football... Not only do I feel the thoracic extension techniques are supporting the lymph drainage in my upper back area, but I think they're likely--again in an undefined sort of way--supporting the lymph drainage in my brain as well. -- I'm appreciating more and more the success stories I've heard from those doing the Perrin technique(s).

I have some concerns about some of what I'm sharing being too off-topic from your thread, and it may be time for me to start a whole new thread on some of my experiences. I feel these new techniques have notably improved the stability in my neck as well, and would be of interest to those with an interest in CCI/AAI.

 

[Rufous McKinney]

I have some concerns about some of what I'm sharing being too off-topic from your thread, and it may be time for me to start a whole new thread on some of my experiences. I feel these new techniques have notably improved the stability in my neck as well, and would be of interest to those with an interest in CCI/AAI.

Yes: keep your great ideas coming!!

Regarding the lower back discussion here..... curious- are folks describing back problems and issues on backs which are considered "normal"?

Mine isn't normal, I have numerous spinal defects. Nothing will ever be normal, here.

The biomagnets I use will clear an energy gliche or blockage in the lower back: I just put them on my pjs and go to sleep and its gone the next morning. I'll put a hot water bottle on my lower back when I'm sitting in the evening and that helps increase flow thru the area.

I "injured" my lower back years ago- by being on all fours for two weeks, collecting data. My lower back paralyzed, severe sciatica, all that stuff; the numb toe, the ring around the big toe, cannot sit or stand.

I could not walk, more than two blocks for over two years. Could not walk on a flat surface at all. I could, however, start in the morning and hike in nature all day. Uneven terraine.

I turned out I later understood how I"d strained my lower back: my knees were together. THey needed to be apart. The body angle was wrong. ZAP.

All of this was remedied by working on acupressure points in my feet, and this expert cured me in two weeks. I could walk again. Its never been that bad again...but the minor gliches...occur frequently. Acupuncture clears them quickly, also. But involves $$$

 

[Wayne]

Acupuncture clears them quickly, also. But involves $$$

Unless you do acupuncture on yourself. I feel I'm still in the early stages of learning some of the basics of acupuncture, and how to do self-acupunture on myself. -- I noticed a lot of the improved stability in neck shortly after starting to do points on my brainstem area.

 

[Rufous McKinney]

Unless you do acupuncture on yourself. I feel I'm still in the early stages of learning some of the basics of acupuncture, and how to do self-acupunture on myself. -- I noticed a lot of the improved stability in neck shortly after starting to do points on my brainstem area.

Probably I can make headway with acupressure points and not worry about inserting needles.

My most profound cures came from : a manuever done to the feet, underneath the toes....I saw Anthony Bourdaine get the very same treatment once in Indonesia.

 

[Mary]

Update - the grounding wrist strap still seems to be helping! (knock on wood! )

It's actually quite sturdy too - I vacuumed it up yesterday, the lightweight cord wrapped around and around the roller bar on the vacuum, it sucked up the wrist strap and everything! And after a lot of struggle, I managed to get it disentangled, no worse for the wear!