I’ve lived with multiple sclerosis for over 30 years, and during that time I’ve learned that the way I start my morning can make a real difference to the rest of my day.

If you’ve recently been diagnosed with MS, you probably have all sorts of questions about everyday life. I certainly did. So rather than tell you how you should start your day, I’d like to share what works for me.

This is simply my morning routine with MS — one person’s experience that I hope might answer a few questions and perhaps give you some ideas for finding a routine that works for you.

My Morning Routine for Multiple Sclerosis

My mornings tend to start slowly. I’m retired now, so thankfully I no longer have to regard a long lie as a luxury. My bedside radio alarm is tuned to BBC Radio Scotland, which gently wakes me up while also letting me know what has been happening in the world.

I don’t feel any need to leap straight out of bed. Managing MS fatigue after waking sometimes means giving myself a little time to work out how I’m feeling before I ask too much of my body. Some mornings I’m ready to get moving fairly quickly; on others, MS has different ideas.

Start the Morning at the Same Time

I never rush straight into the day. Once I’m awake, I like to give my body a little time to catch up with my brain and find out what sort of morning MS has planned for me. Gentle morning movement and mobility difficulties naturally go together in my routine, because stiffness, balance and general unsteadiness can make those first movements more important than they might appear. A little stretching and careful movement helps me get going before I think about tackling anything more ambitious.

Every part of my morning routine has one thing in common: I don’t want to waste valuable energy before the day has properly begun. For me, managing MS fatigue after waking means taking things at a steady pace rather than launching myself into the morning at full speed. Starting at roughly the same time each day gives my morning some structure and allows me to move from one part of my routine to the next without feeling rushed.

I’ve learned that having energy doesn’t necessarily mean I should spend it immediately. There is still a whole day ahead of me, and I would rather use what energy I have on the things that matter. My morning routine is therefore less about getting everything done quickly and more about getting myself ready for whatever the day might bring.

Take a Moment Before Getting Out of Bed

Before I get out of bed, I take a moment to see how I’m feeling. MS can make one morning quite different from the next, so there is little point assuming that today will be exactly like yesterday. I’ll move my legs, stretch a little and take stock of any stiffness, weakness or balance problems before putting my feet on the floor. It isn’t a complicated assessment or a formal routine; it is simply my way of listening to my body before deciding how quickly I want to start the day.

Use Natural Light to Signal Morning

Natural light is one of the simplest ways to tell my body that the day has begun. Opening the curtains and getting some daylight soon after waking helps me make the transition from sleep to being properly awake. Morning light also helps suppress melatonin, the hormone associated with sleepiness, which can contribute to feeling more alert as the morning progresses.

Behind this is our circadian rhythm — the body’s internal clock. It helps regulate the roughly 24-hour cycle governing sleep and wakefulness, hormone release and other bodily processes. Light is one of the strongest signals used to keep that clock aligned with day and night. Getting natural light in the morning therefore helps reinforce the message: night-time is over; it’s time to start the day.

Gentle Movement to Wake My Body

I find that a little gentle movement helps persuade my body that the day has actually started. I’m not talking about an energetic workout first thing in the morning. Some simple stretching and controlled movement can help loosen the stiffness that has built up overnight and lets me find out how cooperative my muscles and joints are going to be that day.

Earlier this year, I attended sedentary exercise classes, which reminded me that exercise doesn’t have to mean standing, walking or pushing yourself to your limits. Many useful movements can be performed while seated and adapted to suit your mobility. That approach fits naturally into my morning routine: the aim isn’t to exhaust myself before breakfast, but to gently get my body moving and ready for the day ahead.

Eat a Breakfast That Works for Me

After my morning ablutions, I head downstairs for the first fuel break of the day. Those ablutions are more than just the usual wash-and-get-dressed routine. Morning bladder urgency with multiple sclerosis is something I have to accommodate, so visiting the bathroom before heading downstairs is simply part of preparing myself for the day.

Then it’s time for breakfast. I think of it as refuelling rather than following some elaborate morning ritual. After several hours without food or drink, breakfast gives me an opportunity to replenish both, while choosing something that suits me and provides the energy I need to get the day properly under way.

Prepare My Mind for the Day Ahead

I like to have some idea of what I want to achieve before the day gets away from me. Without a plan, it is remarkably easy to spend time and energy on trivial jobs that I never intended to tackle in the first place. Planning daily activities around limited energy helps me decide what actually matters and what can safely wait for another day.

For me, a morning routine for multiple sclerosis is as much about preparing my mind as preparing my body. I don’t need every minute mapped out, and MS has a habit of rewriting even the best-laid plans. I simply want some direction. If I know where I’m heading, I’m less likely to waste valuable energy wandering down unnecessary side roads.

Why Routine Helps Me Live with MS

My wife doesn’t always agree with my fondness for routine. She thinks I’m being boring. I prefer to think of it as being organised. Living with MS has taught me that routine isn’t about doing exactly the same thing every day simply for the sake of it. For me, it is an essential tool in the MS armoury.

Routine removes some of the unnecessary decisions from my day and helps me make better use of the energy I have available. I know what needs doing, when I usually do it and, importantly, what can wait. That approach fits closely with the principles of Conserving Energy with MS. I may occasionally be accused of being predictable, but if a little predictability leaves me with more energy for the things I actually want to do, I’m quite happy to be boring.

Working With My Energy Rather Than Against It

Having MS and being a blogger do not always coexist happily. I might sit down full of ideas only to discover that brain fog has other plans. I’ve learned that there is little point fighting it. When my head is clear, I work; when concentration starts to disappear, I stop and take a break. Trying to force another hour out of an uncooperative brain rarely produces anything worth keeping.

For me, pacing also means not working to a deadline. Deadlines encourage me to keep going when I should probably stop, turning something I enjoy into something I have to finish. Blogging gives me the freedom to work when my energy and concentration allow it. The unfinished paragraph will still be there tomorrow — and sometimes tomorrow is exactly when it should be finished.

My morning routine for multiple sclerosis helps me work with the energy I have rather than wasting it fighting against my body.

My Routine Changes When MS Changes the Plan

My routine isn’t set in stone. It can’t be, because MS has never shown much interest in following my plans. Some mornings I have more energy than expected; on others, fatigue, brain fog or simply an uncooperative body means changing course. I’ve learned to be adaptable and flexible rather than regarding a disrupted routine as a failed one. The routine provides the structure, but MS sometimes decides how closely I can follow it.

And that brings my morning routine with multiple sclerosis to a close. Of course, mornings are only half the story. How I finish one day can have a considerable bearing on how I start the next, which is why the natural companion to this article is my Evening Routine for Multiple Sclerosis. There, I’ll look at how I wind down, prepare for sleep and get myself ready to do it all again tomorrow.

There is no single experience of MS. MyMSisMe describes one experience while using reliable evidence to explain the wider picture.
Stephen Walker