Friday 27 February 2015

The joy of the Lumie Bodyclock. An aid to sleeping and waking.

When so many people were struggling with the January Blues, a friend in a Facebook group recommended the Lumie Bodyclock. I'd heard a bit about them and decided to check out the company. I showed my daughter, who totally struggles to get up for school on dark mornings, and she was absolutely clear that that was what she needed.

The company said they made no claims to it helping people with dyspraxia, so I decided to road test it.

I know people who have bought, and really benefitted from, the SAD lamps ,but that wasn't so much the issue for us, it was more about being able to wake up on dark morning. Their alarm clock also  has a sunset facility though, which  helps your brain to release melatonin, thus enabling you to drift off to sleep more easily. As getting to sleep is a big issue for many dyspraxics, this was really intriguing to me.

How does it work? 

What happens is, you set the alarm for your normal waking time and the sun rise lamp starts to come on 30 minutes before the alarm goes off, which means that you are being gently woken and by the time the alarm goes off you are awake. And it honestly works.

As I said, it was also the sunset that we got it for. The idea is the same, just in reverse. So rather than going from light to dark, the light gently dims over a 30 minute period. My daughter sometimes has to set it 2 or 3 times, but it definitely does help her. I'm sure with longer use it will definitely help her body clock.

As for the morning alarm, that  helped immediately. I use a radio alarm clock as  a supposedly gentler way of waking me up, but by using the Lumie I have noticed that even that just shocks me awake and whilst it does wake me, I have now  realised that  I would get up, make breakfast drive my daughter to the bus and walk the dog, all still half asleep!  The lumie brings me round so that by the time the alarm goes off I am already awake. Being dyspraxic that is a massive benefit as wandering around half asleep inevitably leads to more accidents.

The real test was this week when school re-started after the half term holiday. It's still cold, dark and wet and a 6.45am wake up is really not  welcome. But the lumie just helps so much. I have noticed that I have woken naturally by the time my alarm goes off . Totally amazing!


The only thing for me, on the occasions I get to have it in my room, is that the clock face is a bit small, so I just keep my own alarm clock next to me because the sunrise is the most important aspect.





Setting it up. 

I'm not a great one for reading the manual but my daughter sorted it out just fine. However there is also a getting set up video HERE   which I like more, and that in itself tells me a lot about the company, that they understand that people take in information differently. 

How much does it cost? 

There are different versions of the Lumie; the starter kit from £59.00 to some seriously posh ones with bird song and aromatherapy at £160.00.  My friend also managed to get a re-furbished one which is perfectly good, just a bit cheaper.
If you think of it as an alarm clock then it  is expensive, but if you think of it as a way to change your whole morning experience, they are well worth the money.
We are using the starter kit and we are very happy with it

I give the Lumie a 9 out of 10 and am just kicking myself that we have gone through all these school years not knowing about it.


Of course being awake doesn't change the fact that its dark, cold and wet outside, but  it certainly wakes us in a better mood! 

You can see all the Lumie products HERE


If you have a product that could make life easier for those of us with Dyspraxia and you would like me to review it, please drop me an email at Binnion 454 @ btinternet.com .

Thursday 12 February 2015

This year I have decided to be friends with my dyspraxic body.


In December I got an email from James Fraser, a man in my village, who wanted a hand with his social media, and there started a story...

He owns a vibro-acoustic therapy bed and when I'd finished working with him he encouraged me to try it out. For 12 minutes I just lay there and let the vibrations work through my body. BLISS!

I've had a bad shoulder for 5 years after hurting myself  at work. It's the reason I went self employed, the reason I don't drive long distances, the reason  I have spent  a thousand plus pounds on treatments and the reason I still have a monthly physio massage.   I had just assumed I would have a bad shoulder for the rest of my life.

James and I started talking and over the Christmas holiday and I made a decision to take my health seriously and put some attention on this. We agreed that I would use the bed for 12 sessions over a week and we would record my experience on video.

After 4 sessions the muscles around my shoulder blade relaxed and my shoulder became free-er than it has in years.
My daughter started to say how well I looked and I felt different. She also noticed that I wasn't pestering her every night to rub my shoulder!
The next week I saw my physiotherapist, who I've been seeing for 2 years, for the first time since  I started the treatment - and she was gobsmacked by the difference in me.

What has this got to do with dyspraxia?

Well we did wonder if the therapy can help with dyspraxia and I got to wondering what that means. Would I stop being dyspraxic if I could?  Not at all.
Would I like to improve my co-ordination? Yes I would.
We don't know if the bed can do that, but what I do know is that when I am in pain my dyspraxia is worse. So when I am pain free I am less clumsy and more focussed -  I see that also in my 3 legged dog who manages just fine unless she is under the weather, then she falls a lot more than usual.

What I really like about the bed, other than the fact that it works, is 

*It gives me 12 minutes to just lie down and be with myself. Considering our crazy busy lives, that is   not  to be sniffed at .
*It treats my whole body, not just one bit, which is what we usually do.
*I get on the bed fully clothed - thus fewer anxieties before we even start.
*It is totally hands free. Many people do not like being touched and the bed is great for that.
*It is gentle therapy.

The other issue which James raised, and which I only understood later, is that we don't have to deal with another person's energy.
I don't know about you, but I have paid for treatments where the therapist has talked at me about their own stuff for the whole session - exhausting! I also had a guy telling me I should be more feminine :o  And I paid him!

Being dyspraxic we can often get frustrated with our bodies, they don't work as we want them to, we crash into things, fall and smash things. Physios tell us we have to work harder and get stronger and our bodies are seen as letting us down! It's not great I know, but this year I have decided to be friends with my body.        What about you? xx

Here is my  healing journey in 3 minutes...




My daughter is now trying out the bed to see if it can help her to sleep better. Watch this space :)

If you would like to know more about vibro-acoustics check out; http://www.vibesvibroacoustics.com/