One of the the things that can bemost frustrating and confusing things about having lupus is the unpredictable nature of the illness. One day, you may feel reasonably good, and the next, getting up out of bed is the biggest ordeal you have ever faced. Some days, even the smallest tasks can seem like to great, demanding efforts and there is no answer.
I do not know about you, but I often ask myself why symptoms for lupus are different every day. The reasons are explained by the complicated workings of an autoimmune illness. It effects the various parts of the body in varying degrees and reacts to internal, as well as external forces which, explain the fluctuation of symptoms over not just weeks, months, and years, but just days.
Lupus is a condition in which your own body’s normal, healthy tissues are recognised by the immune system as being foreign, and start to be attacked. Inflammation produced in the disease varies in level according to the degree to which the immune system is working at any given time. Unlike some other diseases, the symptoms of lupus are inconsistent, there are flares and remissions. Even when no flare is going on there is a variation in inflammation on a day by day basis, and affects your mental and physical state.
Different Parts of the Body Are Affected
The signs of the disease can be different as well as the organs that suffer from it change daily. One day, joint pain can be the main symptom; another day, fatigue, and brain fog become predominant. In some cases, symptoms such as rash, migraines, or stomach problems arise unexpectedly.As the disease is not associated with a specific organ system, there is no point in predicting the patient’s condition the next day.
Triggers are what often determine changes day to day in your symptoms. Triggers can be categorised in physical, psychological, and environmental causes. A trigger is stress. Stress is known to make inflammation worse in any condition, which then can affect symptoms in many patients. Sleep quantity and quality also affect daily symptom fluctuation. If a patient sleep poor quality, it can affect the patient by increasing fatigue, sensitivity to pain, and impaired ability to concentrate.
Environmental effects, like weather changes, and sun light exposure can also affect the condition. A lot of patients who have lupus are light sensitive, especially to ultraviolet (UV) light, which is known to trigger flare up and worsen symptom. In addition, hormones fluctuation, diet and amount of physical activity are also capable of affect patients’ symptoms presentation on a daily basis.
Fatigue and Energy Fluctuations
One of the common symptoms of Lupus is fatigue which can range widely from day to day. It can differ fromnormal tiredness because lupus related fatigue can be incredibly exhausting and is not easily relieved by sleep.
Energy levels are affected by a range of issues and have the potential to fluctuate day to day. Inflammation, sleep, stress, activity and energy levels will affect your fatigue levels which explain why some days you are much more energetic than others even though your lifestyle remains largely the same.
Overexerting oneself is another important reason for the symptoms varying each day. When you have a better day than usual, it can be tempting to try to get everything done, work out harder, or ignore your tiredness and exhaustion. Even though this may make sense, it could result in feeling worse the next day. This phenomenon is very common among patients suffering from chronic conditions and has been described using the metaphor of the “boom and bust” cycle.
Emotional and Mental Health Factors
Psychological state and emotion can also impact on how the symptoms of lupus are felt. Anxiety, stress and depression could mean that pain and tiredness felt is worse. However being calm and supported will make your symptoms feel less significant.
While it can be very hard to predict flares, some people notice that when they keep track of symptoms over time they can find patterns. Taking a journal for your daily symptoms, sleep, stress, and activities can highlight triggers that you may not initially notice. Once you see these patterns it can be much easier to make some changes, whether that be through more sleep, ways to manage stress, or by staying away from triggers.
In Conclusion
Since lupus is an active disease and influenced by many factors, including immune reactions, everyday actions, lifestyle choices, and the environment, it seems as if each day is going to be new. Even though it may seem daunting at first, getting a better understanding of what is causing your body to act this way may help ease your mind.
Leave a Reply