Do you get post-exertional malaise from being outdoors?

Discussion in 'Post-Exertional malaise and fatigue' started by hedgehog, Mar 8, 2019.

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  1. Alvin

    Alvin Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    I never realized what uses energy until i didn't have it anymore. Its probably somewhat personal since all our brains develop differently but since the brain uses the most energy of any other single body part its requirements are going to cause us problems depending on our level of ME and how we do things in brain processes.
    Finally we are probably on higher alert when we leave home, maybe even an evolutionary remnant because in a local environment we know whats going on outside is complicated and more out of our control. Sleep researchers have found we do not sleep as well for the first few nights away from home, this is a measurable neurological phenomenon, they call it First Night Effects. That said i am very loathe to prescribe behavioral traits to evolution because its not only damn near impossible to prove, its been weaponized more times then i can count.

    A few times i have tried to figure out what ME is causing neurologically but i have not been able to make a good inventory, not only because i can't think straight but it probably varies from person to person and the ME gets worse it seems to change

    Add to that ME affect the brains somehow and like a stroke it seems to affect things in a unique way to each person depending on where in the brain its affecting.
     
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  2. Mij

    Mij Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    I find just that little extra effort of walking in snow exhausting, watching where I walk, trying not to slip, snow plows beeping everywhere- it's exhausting and I can feel my equilibrium going off. I'm able to power walk in the evenings (when it's normally quiet) for an hour a couple of times a week, but with the icy streets I only last 10-15 minutes.
     
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  3. Forbin

    Forbin Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    As others have mentioned, I suspect that outdoor sensory overload might contribute to PEM. If you have vestibular problems, you probably rely on your sight more than most people to provide information on your orientation/balance, but, in "grasping at straws" (i.e. visual cues) in that way, you become conscious of visual information that you normally ignore. It's a form of sensory overload and one can get a sense of being unable to focus while overwhelmed by visual input. I might liken this to watching an IMAX movie in one of those dome theaters - you just feel like you're taking in too much.

    How this creates PEM might not be obvious, but it might be a simple as the reaction one gets attending a loud rock concert/light show... and feeling exhausted the next day. - - - Perhaps.
     
    Last edited: Mar 10, 2019
  4. Ravn

    Ravn Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Just as I was idly speculating about ozone causing PEM I happened across someone with ME on another forum undergoing ozone therapy, presumably to reduce PEM (uncertain effect). Had never heard of ozone therapy but found a couple of papers, not related to ME, that would indicate ozone could have both positive and negative effects on us. Of course the delivery of ozone to the body in therapy is different to being exposed to it in the air. But interesting. Improving microcirculation could be a positive. On the other hand stimulating the immune system could maybe account for PEM symptoms, especially after time outdoors?

    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352003516300260
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5985865/#ref23
     
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  5. roller*

    roller* Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    ozone therapy bypasses the gut, i understand.
    there are aerobic and anaerobic bacteria.

    PEM could originate in the gut.
    this could explain the immediate and delayed onset.

    the question: why does exercise (oxygen exposure) not have such a overwhelmingly negative and lasting impact on other ppls microbiome?

    perhaps montoya can find out more in the bicycle study.

    the gut doesnt seem the place to fix, nothing seems to have lasting impact.
    it looks more, as if there is something else that prevents its normal restoration.
     
    Last edited: Mar 10, 2019
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  6. hedgehog

    hedgehog Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Thank you for the responses! Some very good points have been brought up. As I'm able to, I'll edit the original post to include the additional PEM triggers and solutions people have mentioned and will credit you as well :hug:
     
    Last edited: Mar 10, 2019
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