Brain fog & digital devices

[Seanko]

[bimg=no-lightbox]http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/1523686/25188466/1405383931640/brain-fog.jpg?token=uES6EH7PsoP0016xMVwwLPR7A1c%3D[/bimg]

One of the most disabling symptoms of ME/CFS is brain fog and our inability to spend any length of time on activities that require concentration. Digital devices such as PCs, smart phones & tablets seem to exhaust our cognitive reserves very quickly.

Any thoughts on why this might be so?

 

[Merida]

Seanko,
Yes, I have concerns about this, too. Found some interesting research when investigating unusual, artificial cloud patterns here in California. So, I ended up reading about NEXRAD WSR-88D radar, and thinking about this. Went to the NOAA site and found a paper from 1993, " Executive Summary: Final Supplemental Assessment of the Effects of Electromagnetic Radiation From the WSR -88 Radar ( formerly NEXRAD)

This paper summarizes research concerning biological effects of RFR - radiofrequency radiation. " Subtle histochemical changes in the nervous system have been reported in animals at exposure levels as low as 0.5 mW/cm2, the so-called 'nonthermal' levels of RFR. " "Earlier studies reported effects on the blood-brain barrier, the brain and heart without heating in excess of the tissue's ability to dissipate heat. "

I expect that there are wide variations in humans and their sensitvity to frequencies of waves in the electromagnetic spectrum??

 

[Seanko]

@Merida in discussions about the use of smart phones & tablets in relation to disrupting sleep, you see blue light being mentioned a lot. So is the frequency of blue light the reason for draining our cognitive reserves?

In their new operating system for iphone & ipads Apple are introducing a shift from blue to yellow light in the eveing
iPhones will get 'night mode' to improve sleep
Phones, tablets and e-readers currently cause sleep disruptions, and need to shift to 'bed' mode at night, says children's sleep medicine expert

[article=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/mobile-phones/11997012/Smartphones-and-tablets-need-bedtime-mode-to-improve-childrens-sleep.html]More devices like the iPhone, iPad and Kindle emit a blue light that causes our sleep to be restless and disrupted, according to a new study.
Led by Dr Paul Gringras at the Department of Children’s Sleep Medicine, Evelina London, the study found that manufacturers have started making bigger, brighter, bluer screens in an effort to increase the efficiency of our screens during daytime. As an unwanted byproduct, this light is affecting our sleep and productivity.
Kindle, for instance, didn't backlight its screen in older models, but the new version tested - the Kindle Paperwhite first generation - does.
The study, reported first by the BBC, said that this type of light is likely to cause the most disruption to sleep, as it most effectively suppresses melatonin, a hormone that reminds us to sleep every night; the light also increases alertness.
In fact, using our devices before bedtime could even affect our performance during the day, because exposure to this blue light changes our body's natural rhythms.[/article]

 

[Merida]

Wow. Very interesting. I wonder if we could find some wavelengths ( on the electromagnetic spectrum ) that could really help us feel better. It is interesting that I start to feel better when the sun begins to set. Anyone else? I have always been an evening/ night person. Why are we just different - even before the onset of this nightmare?

 

[Seanko]

Wow. Very interesting. I wonder if we could find some wavelengths ( on the electromagnetic spectrum ) that could really help us feel better. It is interesting that I start to feel better when the sun begins to set. Anyone else? I have always been an evening/ night person. Why are we just different - even before the onset of this nightmare?

Yes, many of us get sensory overload. What causes this would be interesting to know. The dysfunctional nervous system would seem to be implicated again

I live in cloudy Britain, so people get sleepy in winter that's in addition to the normal fatigue & PEM.

 

[Merida]

I lived in Chartham ( near Canterbury) one year / 82-83- husband taught at Christ Church. I was well then so the frequently changing weather or very low sun time didn't bother me. I was impressed how much more common Multiple Sclerosis was in our area in England than in the United States.

I wish someone would do some careful ethnicity studies. I ran a large support group here in LA for 13 years. Talked to probably 800 plus people. We only had 2 or 3 Black Americans, and about the same number of Asian Americans in all those years, despite being in an ethnically diverse area. However, we had quite a few women of Hispanic ethnicity. I have wondered about this. Probably such a study would be politically incorrect.

 

[Merida]

[bimg=no-lightbox]http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/1523686/25188466/1405383931640/brain-fog.jpg?token=uES6EH7PsoP0016xMVwwLPR7A1c%3D[/bimg]

One of the most disabling symptoms of ME/CFS is brain fog and our inability to spend any length of time on activities that require concentration. Digital devices such as PCs, smart phones & tablets seem to exhaust our cognitive reserves very quickly.

Any thoughts on why this might be so?

One more idea - Nuvigil really helps with all those brain symptoms. It may work by boosting dopamine - people are looking at the D2 receptor. However, the come down from even 1 pill is horrible for me, at least. And the cost is ridiculous.

 

[Seanko]

@what you say abut the epidemiology of ME/CFS is interesting. We know that women are more susceptible to the illness & to auto-immune diseases.

I read somewhere that Rheumatoid Arthritis is to be found in Europe & North America but not the tropics and its incidence has changed over time. I cannot remember the source

 

[ShyestofFlies]

There's a program called f.lux everyone on a traditional pc or mac should look into, it recalibrates your monitor's light color based on the time of day and where you live.