The good news: According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS), taking stock of your behaviors — from your diet and exercise habits to your sleep and stress-management routines — and making improvements where necessary can help you manage your MS. “Little daily interventions are extremely powerful,” says Leigh Charvet, PhD, a professor of neurology at NYU School of Medicine and director of MS research at the NYU Langone Health Multiple Sclerosis Comprehensive Care Center in New York City. “Many studies show it’s habits — small, doable things that you just do repeatedly — that have the biggest payoffs down the line,” adds Dr. Charvet, who is also a clinical neuropsychologist who has worked for more than 25 years with people living with MS. Although you shouldn’t make any changes to most aspects of your MS management plan without guidance from your healthcare team, this is one area where you can take the lead. “MS is a condition that requires self-management,” says Kevin Alschuler, PhD, psychology director and director of rehabilitation research at the Multiple Sclerosis Center at UW Medicine in Seattle. So while your healthcare team may help manage a single problem, such as fatigue, he explains, they really want you to learn how to handle challenges independently in the future. “I say to patients, ‘I really like you. I’d be happy to keep meeting with you, but my goal is to not see you. I want to help you so that you don’t need me, or need me less frequently,’” says Dr. Alschuler. Are your daily habits and routines helping or hurting your MS? Take this quiz to find out just how MS-friendly your lifestyle is and identify areas where you can make changes to help improve MS control. This assessment is part of a series aimed at helping you check in on your MS before your next checkup with your neurologist. Take more assessments.
