Living well with MS
Living a healthy lifestyle helps you feel better, stay well, and cope more easily with any health problems that may come your way.
For people with MS this is even more important, as evidence clearly shows that maintaining good health and wellbeing will have a positive effect on MS disease course and management of symptoms.
It can be hard to find the time or the energy to make lifestyle changes, however your efforts will pay off in many ways, both in terms of your MS and your general health. Often small changes can lead to bigger ones so even small changes are worth making.
Most of steps you can take will be as recommended for the general population, they benefit everyone's health and wellbeing. Evidence shows that these are particularly important for people with MS. There are also other things that are specific for people with MS which are likely to be of benefit.
Healthy behaviours
Eating well and managing your weight
Maintaining a healthy diet and body weight is important for everyone's overall health and wellbeing and will help to manage some symptoms of MS. Research has shown people who are obese are likely to have higher numbers of MS lesions (areas of MS damage) than people who maintain a healthy weight. Obesity is also associated with a higher risk of disability in people with MS.
See Diet for more information.
Fluid intake
Water is really important to your health and makes up over half of your body weight. It plays an essential role in many of your body's functions, including bringing nutrients to cells, getting rid of waste, protecting joints and organs, and in maintaining body temperature. It also plays a crucial role in your bladder and bowel function.
Fluid intake is particularly important in MS as research has shown that even mild dehydration can make energy levels and fatigue worse and lead to poorer thinking processes.
See Cognition for more information.
Drinking plenty of water is especially important if you have bladder and bowel symptoms. If you don't drink enough, your urine will be more concentrated which can irritate your bladder and lead to urinary tract infections and drinking enough fluid can help prevent and relieve constipation.
See Bladder and Bowels for more information.
Water is the best thing to drink. Other fluids will hydrate you to different levels, and some may have effects which aren't so good on your body (for example the caffeine found in tea and coffee can make us produce more urine, and acidic fruit juices or carbonated drinks can irritate your bladder). More information can be found here: Hydration Information - British Nutrition Foundation
Being active
There is a lot of evidence demonstrating that exercise and activity is beneficial to you and specifically for people with MS. It can help manage symptoms of MS and improve your general health and wellbeing. It also helps to prevent other health conditions, which in themselves may have a negative impact on MS.
See Exercise and Activity for more information.
Not smoking
The health risks associated with smoking are well known, but there is growing evidence of the specific negative effects of smoking for people with MS.
Studies have shown if you smoke:
- You are more likely to transition from Relapsing Remitting MS to Secondary Progressive MS
- You are likely to experience more frequent relapses if you have Relapsing Remitting MS
- You are likely to experience rapid disability progression
- You are likely to experience faster brain shrinkage
- You are more likely to get other autoimmune conditions and health problems
(Reproduced from the MS Trust – see link to webpage below)
Smoking is also known to influence MS symptoms such as pain and cognitive problems.
It is never too late to stop smoking and there are lots of resources available to support you with this. If you are considering stopping smoking, it is not recommended that you use 'vaping' as some research has suggested that vaping could be as bad for the blood brain barrier for someone with MS as smoking. For support and advice for stopping smoking please see Stop Smoking With LiveWell Dorset | Help To Quit Smoking In Dorset · LiveWell Dorset.
See Smoking and MS | MS Trust and Lifestyle factors and living well with MS | MS Society for more information
Monitoring alcohol use
There's no clear guidance on how alcohol affects MS, but we do know that drinking too much can harm your general health and increase the risk of problems like liver disease, heart issues, and mental health concerns.
Although we don't know exactly how alcohol affects MS itself, it can affect people with MS differently. Even small amounts of alcohol might make symptoms like balance, coordination, or thinking problems (cognition) worse for a while.
Managing your general health
Anything that affects your body or your health can be a trigger for worsening of MS symptoms, or the return of symptoms which you may have had previously. This is described in more detail in What is a relapse? in the sections 'What isn't a relapse?' and 'Triggers for symptoms worsening or coming back'.
It's really important to look after your overall health. This means trying to prevent other health problems, or getting them treated early, and managing any conditions you already have so they don't make your MS worse.
Conducting and attending health checks and vaccinations
These are some of the things that you can do to help this aspect of managing your general health:
- Look after your oral health. See Oral health | MS Society for more information.
- Have regular dental check-ups to help keep your mouth healthy and identify any dental problems before they become bigger problems and cause pain and/or infection Dental check-ups - NHS (www.nhs.uk)
- Have regular eye checks with an optician – this is to optimise your vision and use glasses or contact lenses if required. Opticians will also be able to detect potentially harmful eye conditions. Visiting an optician - NHS (www.nhs.uk)
- Self-checking. It is recommended that we all self-check ourselves for abnormalities which may be an indication that we need further examination or tests by a health professional. These will include skin checks and checking for lumps in breasts and testicles. If you do a self-check and have concerns, it is important to follow this up by contacting your GP for an appointment
- Being alert and acting on other health concerns. If you have symptoms that you are concerned about or that are affecting your health, it is important to have an appointment at your GP surgery
- National Health Screening. If you are invited for health screening, it is recommended that you attend. National screening includes screening for cervical cancer (smear tests), breast cancer (mammograms) and bowel cancer (FI test)
- If you are eligible for, and are offered vaccinations, it is recommended that you have them. The only exception to this would be live vaccines for someone who is immunosuppressed from MS disease modifying (or other) drug treatment. If you have any queries about this, please contact the MS helpline on 0300 019 2362 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Managing other health conditions (comorbidities)
There is evidence that suggests that people who live with other health conditions, as well as MS, (such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, asthma, anxiety, depression) have worse outcomes throughout the disease course in MS, than people who don't have comorbidities. It is therefore vital that any other health condition that you have is well managed. How these are managed will be determined by what the health condition is and what has been advised by your doctor or health care team.
Managing your mental health
As described above, managing other health conditions is really important for your MS. Mental health is no exception. Mental health isn't just about people who have been diagnosed with anxiety, depression or other mental health conditions, it includes things like managing stress and maintaining healthy relationships and social connections.
Stress - Every Mind Matters - NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Maintaining healthy relationships and mental wellbeing - NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Our Mood page also has useful information and links, and you may find our pages on Relaxation and Mindfulness useful.
Taking prescribed and advised medication
Your MS Service will advise you if you are eligible for and if it is recommended that you take medication for MS itself (disease modifying drug (DMD) treatment). If it is recommended that you take a DMD, it is because it is evidenced that there are better outcomes for people who have a presentation of MS where DMDs can be effective. See Disease Modifying Drugs (DMD) for more information.
It is also important to take other medications that you have been prescribed and to take them as advised by the person prescribing the medication. These medications could be to help with symptoms of MS or other health conditions. Both are important in helping you to live well with MS.
Menopause
There isn't a lot of research in the field of MS and menopause, but many symptoms of menopause are similar to MS symptoms, and symptoms of menopause can be a trigger for worsening of existing or previous MS symptoms.
If you are experiencing symptoms which you think are related to menopause, it may be useful to speak to your GP to have this confirmed, and to look at whether treatment such as Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) may be appropriate for you.
The MS Trust and MS Society have information which may be useful on menopause and MS:
Sleep
Problems with sleep are very common in people living with MS. It is important that you address them, as quality sleep is good for your overall health and lack of sleep (or poor-quality sleep) can make your MS symptoms worse. See Sleep for more information about sleep and MS and for tips for sleeping well.
Achieving a good work-life balance
It is important for all of us to try and have a good work-life balance, but even more important for someone with MS as there are different MS symptoms which will make finding this balance more challenging. If you don't have a good work-life balance it can make your MS symptoms being worse and can lead to you using all your energy on work. Not being able to enjoy anything outside of work can lead to poor mood and mental health.
Creating boundaries, learning how to say 'no' politely, listening to your body, and taking regular breaks at work can all be useful in helping to achieve a work-life balance.
See Work and MS for more information specific to work.
Managing heat/temperature sensitivity
Many people with MS notice that their symptoms feel worse when the weather is hot or humid, or for some people when it's cold.
For people who are sensitive to heat, activities such as exercising, and having hot baths or showers can worsen MS symptoms temporarily. These usually improve again after you cool down.
Strategies for staying cool:
- Wear light, breathable clothing
- Drink cold fluids
- Exercise in a cool environment or at a cooler time of day
- Use fans and air conditioning (if this is available)
- Try using cooling equipment/clothing – there are specially designed cooling garments and equipment available, these include cooling wraps for neck/wrists/ankles, cooling vests and cooling hats/caps
Although not as common, cold can also affect some people with MS. Some symptoms, particularly spasms, stiffness and spasticity, can get worse with the cold.
Brain Health
Optimising brain health in MS is really important. Many of the healthy behaviours discussed above are shown to benefit brain health. To find out more about brain health and the MS Brain Health consensus group please see Brain Health.
Having a healthy outlook
Having a positive mindset and trying to make your diagnosis of MS part of who you are, rather than being all-encompassing can not only be useful in managing your mental health and wellbeing, but it can also help you to manage other symptoms of MS and your MS journey overall.
You may feel pulled in different directions and experience stress from different aspects of your life, leaving little time for yourself. Learning to balance your life with some time for yourself and making small changes towards a healthier lifestyle will pay off with big benefits – a healthy outlook and better health.
If this is something you are struggling with, there are services which can support you. Please see Mood and The Dorset Supported Self-Management Service · Help & Care (helpandcare.org.uk) for more information.
Being in charge of your MS – taking control
Although support from professionals in the MS Service is important, there is a lot that you can do for yourself to keep yourself well and manage your symptoms. Use the information here and on our other webpages to help you to best manage your MS.
LiveWell Dorset has excellent resources to help you with your general health and wellbeing: LiveWell Dorset | Health & Wellness Coaching | Free Advice & Support · LiveWell Dorset
They have a workbook which you may find useful in taking your first steps in making changes to your lifestyle or creating new habits which can be found here:
