Dr. Vickie Petz Kasper is a board-certified lifestyle medicine physician who personally knows about life with MG. Join her for a special webinar presentation “The Healing Power of Sleep and The Autoimmune Connection,” to learn more about the work of sleep and how it affects immune function. Saturday February 8, 2025 from 9:30-10:30 AM CST via Zoom. Register here or keep an eye on our YouTube channel to watch the recording.
written by Dr. Vickie Petz Kasper
How many times has someone asked you, “Do you think that caused your MG?” You can fill in the blank with stress, diet or some weird exposure. People are genuinely curious, but it sometimes, it feels like blame. In fact, you may have thought to yourself I wonder if doing this or not doing this caused me to have an autoimmune disease.
The truth is, we don’t fully understand what causes Myasthenia Gravis, or many other autoimmune diseases. What we do know is that quality sleep is essential for good health and a properly functioning immune system.
The average adult requires 7 – 9 hours of sleep per night, but 1 in 3 don’t get the recommended amount. Chronic insomnia affects 10-30% of the population and the health implications are serious.
Poor sleep is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, which is the number 1 killer of Americans. Sleep is necessary for hormonal balance and lack of adequate sleep is associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes. Without good sleep, especially in mid-life, there is an increased risk of developing dementia. And the risk of depression goes up by 10-fold. Even the risk of certain cancers is linked to insufficient sleep.
Sleep is essential for life, but not easy for everyone. And it’s not a passive process. During sleep, the body does a lot of work and part of the job description is regulating the immune system.
Of course, people with MG are often treated with prednisone, which makes sleep even more of a challenge. Join us to learn more about how you can optimize your sleep for better health, physically, mentally and emotionally. Because healthy looks great on you!
Additional Resources
Upcoming free, live webinars presented by Dr. Vickie Petz Kasper | 6 Surprising Reasons You're Tossing and Turning
Free downloadable tip sheet created by Dr. Vickie Petz Kasper | Turn Off Your Mind and Get Some Sleep
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