I have been reminded again and again since June—am still being reminded in the aftermath!—how my brain burns through fuel so quickly as a person with MS… and that wall-to-wall social situations without breaks are guaranteed to tap my tank.
I traveled to and attended three writing conferences and launched my new book between June 28 and July 22.
That’s more than three weeks of nothing but socializing, learning, mixing, and 12-hour days with late nights, with only a few days’ break between for recovery.
I mean, I took naps nearly every day when I could, but sheesh.
Fuel for thought
The brain, if you don’t know already, is a gas hog.
Gas, in this case, being glucose, the brain’s primary fuel. Sugar. It’s what you need most for ongoing function throughout the day. This article from Harvard Medical School explains it best:
“Why does the brain prefer glucose? Because the brain is so rich in nerve cells, or neurons, it is the most energy-demanding organ, using one-half of all the sugar energy in the body. Brain functions such as thinking, memory, and learning are closely linked to glucose levels and how efficiently the brain uses this fuel source.”
So that’s not the reality for just my brain, it’s the reality for everyone’s brain.
How do we best replenish the gas our brain needs to function without eating a bazillion calories (not recommended)?
Back to the MS brain
So, let’s consider my brain for a moment. You know, the one with the holes in it?
The problem of glucose usage in the MS brain has everything to do with fuel efficiency.
Imagine your neural network (the central nervous system) as the roadmap to the city that is your brain.
Your nerve signals for every single function you perform (from thinking to peeing to breathing to digesting food) rely on the brain’s ability to deliver them efficiently and without obstruction across your neural network. To do so requires gas (just like cars and buses and trains and subways). Logically, the easiest path from point A to B is always going to be the one that’s unimpeded by stop lights or potholes. Think express lanes.
If you run into traffic jams or detours (as is always and permanently the case with the MS brain), you basically burn a lot more gas trying to reroute your signals at the normal pace you need to stay functional (and on time). Let’s face it: these work-arounds burn far more fuel, making your efforts far less efficient. Think brain fog.
No wonder I was (and still am) so tired and sleepy. It’s like the 1970s gas crisis up in there (my cranium)—not enough fuel to go around, but a need to perform basic functions all the same. And this reminds me of the term “gas guzzler” from the old days, which referenced large American cars (and, now, hemi trucks) and how greedy their need was/is for gasoline. The MS brain is a gas guzzler, alright, having to burn a lot more fuel just to do simple things (like take showers, drive to work, make dinner).
I remember discussions about gas mileage being a thing back in the 1970s, how poor gas mileage was a big deal back then (still is now, with pump prices on the increase), not only because it cost more to fill up one’s tank, but it meant collectively burning more fuel than can be replenished sustainably.
It’s when I push through a series of significant “gas-guzzling” events (like writers conferences, travel in general, workshops, and the book launch) that my brain and body remind me that those potholes in my head, those diversions around the broken areas, will always be there, that my brain will always be burning fuel and fighting detours while working overtime to stay on task and on time, and that there’s a cost to it.
Listen, I mostly get through my days not bothered too much by my MS symptoms. I mean, they’re annoying as heck (ringing ears, creepy crawly sensations, blurred vision, speech impairments, fatigue, balance problems, twitchy muscles, feeling overheated), but I’ve become used to this New Normal. So, long spells of activity that require me to process a lot all the time… they’re absolutely gonna cost me and result in a gas crisis.
(As I type this, I am yawning.)
Thankfully, I can sleep any time, any place. That’s exactly how it’s been over the last 10 days (only three which didn’t require at least one nap to make it through). That’s how I’m paying down that debt right now.
Here’s the lesson in all this, whether or not you have MS: know your limits and respect the recharging value that sleep brings. It’s good for your brain and your body and a great reminder to keep life in balance.
It’s sunny outside but guess what? I’m tucking in, gotta go get me some more glucose!