Podcast Intro: Hey, beautiful soul, and welcome to Dear Body, I'm Listening, the podcast for women navigating chronic symptoms, invisible illness and that daily dance between hope and exhaustion. If you've ever been told it's all in your head, well, this podcast is for you, because your body is not lying, and neither are you.
Hi, I'm Donna Piper, movement therapist, Pilates instructor and chronic illness navigator. After years of being dismissed and diagnosed, and doing everything, quote, unquote, right, but still getting sicker, I created this space to tell our truth. Here, we talk about swelling, brain fog, nervous system crashes, and the kind of symptoms that don't always show up on lab results. We're going to explore lymph breath, movement, self trust, latest research books, relationships, basically, everything, all from a place of compassion and honesty. This isn't about fixing your body. It's about finally being heard and getting some answers.
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Donna Piper: Hey, beautiful soul, welcome back today. We're diving into The Science of Rest. If you've ever been told you just need to exercise more or you'll feel better if you move through it, this one is for you. Because there's actual science proving that for people with ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, your body isn't lazy, it's overloaded. I first read about this in the Health Rising blog, which broke down Dr. Ian Lipkin's 2023 study. So beautifully that I went and read the research myself. It kind of stopped me in my tracks because it gave me so much clarity.
After several years of researching all these different illnesses, I've been looking for links and common threads. And sometimes, because of the disease I have and because of my other issues, I forget a lot. So reading this just kind of made a lot more connection, and light bulbs went off. And if you're curious about reading a Health Rising blog, which I highly recommend that you subscribe to because it has amazing information every week. I'll link that below. And also, Dr. Lipkin says study as well. So if you want to peruse it on your own and not just take my word for it, because it really is some great information for those of us struggling with chronic fatigue. But I think also a lot of times, I've been seeing things linked to the cousin of fibromyalgia, long covid.
But I have several things that also link into this, hypermobility, EDS that they talk about rest POTS. Talk about rest, lymphedema, rest. So a lot of the prescription to help you heal is rest. And even if you want to just kind of learn more, maybe you have a friend or a loved one, learn more about like, what is a crash? How does it happen? And why does it happen? And why is it different than just, oh, I'm tired. Today, I'm going to take a nap. Because sleep doesn't cure, or resolve the tired fatigue feeling. It's a totally different experience, unless you really have it and go through it. It is hard to explain, and it's probably even harder to understand. So let's go and unpack what the study found, and why it changes how I, and hopefully you. We collectively see rest, especially rest in women/men with chronic fatigue issues, or any chronic illness issues.
REAL TRALK. NO GLOSS, JUST US. NOW LET'S DIVE IN.
So I'm going to try to make the science simple here. Here's what the Lipkin study discovered without all the medical jargon. First, even before exercise, people with chronic fatigue syndrome showed signs that their immune systems were already on high alert. So imagine your body's defense system is hovering between ready and fight, and it never truly sounds down, so it never really goes naturally back into that rest and digest. It's constant alert. So then, when researchers gave participants a mild exercise challenge, nothing extreme, just enough to raise heart rate, their systems didn't bounce back. Instead, they crashed. Healthy participants used energy efficiently, repaired quickly, and returned to baseline. But those with chronic fatigue syndrome, everything went sideways. The immune system flared. The mitochondria, the tiny power plants in the cell, struggled, and their energy cycle basically short circuited.
Here's what it looked like under a microscope. Immune over activation at rest. The immune system is and is already inflamed before any exertion began. Then there was an overreaction to the stress. When exposed to minor triggers, the immune system response over fired like a smoke alarm going off when you toasted the bread. And then there was an energy production breakdown instead of burning fuel efficiently. Their bodies started hoarding unused energy molecules like citrate and fatty acid. The energy system couldn't keep up with the demand. Then there was mitochondrial distress, a stress marker called GDF-15 spiked. Basically,it's the body's way of saying, I'm exhausted. And then looking at the detox system, that totally was in disruption. The urea cycle which helps clean up nitrogen waste was off balance. It's like your body's janitorial crew didn't show up, and the toxins piled up in the corners.
Then there was oxidative stress overload. So antioxidant systems, especially those involving copper were depleted leaving the body vulnerable to oxidative damage. Then when we add in brain fog and mood link. So the pathway that breaks down tryptophan shifted dramatically after exercise. That change may explain why physical activity can trigger brain fog or emotional crashes.
MYTH BUSTER: LESS HYPE, MORE HEALTH.
Myth, just exercise more, and you'll build tolerance. Truth, the Lipkin study shows pushing can worsen cellular stress. Pace first, safety builds capacity. Myth, it's just anxiety. Truth, immune activation and metabolic strain show up in labs. This is biology, not mindset. Myth, if one supplement helps take 10. Truth, sensitive systems backfire easily. Start low, go slow, and always work with your clinician. Myth, one cure fits all. Truth, subgroups differ age, sex, and root drivers matter. Personalize everything.
FEEL GOOD FLOW TIME: MICRO MOVES, MACRO RELIEFS. LET'S BREATHE TOGETHER.
If you're like me, the hardest part and the hardest prescription from my doctor, Dr. Perrin, or any doctor, has been to rest half days, half effort, half everything. But the Lipkin study reminds me that rest isn't laziness, it is a biological necessity. It's your mitochondria asking for mercy. And before you roll your eyes at affirmations, hear me out. Affirmations only work if you truly believe them.
So let's help your body stand down just for a minute. Find a supportive seat or recline, unclench your jaw, soften your gaze, one hand on your heart, one hand on your belly. And if you're driving or doing something, obviously, don't do this. But do this when you can inhale for four counts, hold for two, exhale for six, and do two gentle rounds. Always shorter counts if needed. But try to inhale, hold for a certain number, and then you exhale for that same count so they're even so do it another time. Just see if you can. Just slow down your breath, inhaling for up to four, holding for up to two, then exhaling for a count of six. And then add two tiny chin knots, stopping right, then stopping to the left.
And now, scan for one easier place in your body, a calmer breath, a softer muscle, one small pocket of relief, then name it quietly, keep it, and that shift that you just experienced totally counts. And put in place now of thinking, instead of saying I'm fine, try this. Look into a mirror, or imagine yourself looking into a mirror. Imagine yourself and whisper, my body is doing her best. Try it for 90 days. And even when it feels awkward, even when you don't believe it, because after years of feeling safe in your body, it takes time for your nervous system to really trust and even trust safety again.
Some days, it can't. It's not always easy, but I do promise you that it is a healing practice. So your body is literally never at rest, and after all of this information, at best, it could put in a nice perspective just like the one I've adopted. Wow, even when I bitch and complain about what my body is not doing, I am in literal awe of what it is doing to keep me alive after all the things I put it through, and it's already at a state that's already overwhelmed, and I just kept adding the really taking my perspective and intentionally resting is a game changer.
And heck, as a side note, I'm a Yoga Nidra certified teacher, so I believe in rest. But I didn't believe in rest when it came to my own chronic illness, which is kind of wild. So take that, which you will, but give it a try and let me know how you do.
THIS IS SHARED EDUCATION AND LIVED EXPERIENCE, NOT MEDICAL ADVICE. IT IS NOT MEANT TO BE. CHECK IN WITH YOUR BODY, CHECK IN WITH YOUR CLINICIAN, AND FIND OUT WHAT FITS YOUR LIFE.
So here's the takeaway from today. Your crashes are not character flaws, they are a multi system response that science is finally mapping out. So when you move from a scatter shot fix to a personalized plan, really pacing, first doing half resting, then targeted supports, you trade fewer crashes for more capacity and more life, more living. If this has helped, send it to a friend who needs a soft place to land. And as always, I'm over on Instagram.
I'm not great at Instagram, but come say hi over at the Donna Piper. And as always, I'm cheering for you and your nervous system, your mitochondria, and your very, very smart, very protective body. You can find the Health Rising blog and the original Lipkin 2023 study linked in the show notes. And until next week, see you at Dear Body, I'm Listening. I hope everyone takes care. And remember to rest.
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Podcast Outro: You've been listening to Dear body, I'm Listening. It's time to remember to be gentle with your capacity. Meet yourself where you are. And if this has helped, send it to a friend who also needs a soft reminder and a gentle place to land.
If this episode made you feel even a little more seen, brought you a dose of clarity or pointed you toward your next step, please rate, review and share it with someone who's been quietly carrying the same questions. You can find some more resources, blog posts and healing tools over at donnapiper.com. Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode. Until next time, Dear Body, I'm listening, and I am so glad you're here.
