(I added a photo of some of the options that come up when I Google this)

I share a bedroom so I can’t play any audio out loud to see if it would help me sleep. I also can’t use headphones, ear buds, or those eye masks with speakers built in because I’m a side sleeper and all of those options hurt my head. I’ve wondered about getting a speaker designed to go under your pillow, but they just seem like a hoax. Maybe I’m too skeptical. When I look at them online the reviews are very mixed.

Has anyone had success with one? If so, can you recommend a brand? Are the bone conductor ones best?

I would mostly want to use it for spoken audio (like a podcast, sleep hypnosis, or a guided body relaxation), so the clarity of the speaker through the pillow is important.

I’m including some pictures to show what I’ve found online so far.

Basically, I’m not sure if this is related to hypermobility or not but the joints in my hands can get sore or even sprained over time when I’ve done too much typing on a keyboard or gaming on the phone (not the typical kind of gaming- just sorting shapes, solitaire, and low key games that). I’ve wondered if it would help if I find a more ergonomic way to hold the phone. Does anyone have any recommendations?

(edit: I accidentally posted an older draft AND this one, so I deleted the other one)

TLDR: I'm creating resources for people like us with low energy to answer the question, "How do I reduce my stinkiness if my low energy greatly reduces bathing and housework?" You address this from two directions:

• Hygiene Answer: 1) Don't wipe out ALL bacteria but rather, help the different bacteria species to balance themselves out (aka don't let the stinkiest ones win!), and 2) Remove the oils and dead skin which are the bacteria's food source.
• Laundry Answer: 1) Use enzymes in the wash cycle to release the stuck-on yuck which perpetuates the stink, and 2) Use citric acid in the rinse cycle plus an extra rinse to fully remove all the yuck that the detergent pulled out of the clothes and into the water.

I'm attempting to spell out how you and I--or our caregivers--can accomplish the above answers. Use whatever is useful to you and leave whatever is too exhausting. Feel free to post questions! (PS. the AI-generated content comes directly from a handful of sources that I chose myself, not the entire internet).

Context:

I've been lurking over on the r/laundry sub for a while because they get really scientific about how and why stink can stick to your clothes and what to do about it. But unfortunately you have to basically make laundry your whole life in order to follow some of their advice. But I wanted to see if I could combine the knowledge of that sub with the wisdom of our sub, so I could understand what would be the lowest possible use of energy for the most targeted approach to staying less stinky (body + clothes + home).

So, I worked with an AI (notebooklm) and fed it a bunch of sources on the sides of laundry science, hygiene science, and energy-limiting chronic illnesses. I also fed it tips specifically from the r/cfs sub so we would make sure to keep the knowledge we've already shared over time. This particular AI lets you ask questions solely based on the sources you show it, which keeps things straight forward.

I'm going to share some summaries it gave me so you or your caregiver can decide how deep into the rabbit hole you want to go. Use this post as a reference- just hunt around for the info you specifically want, and just go for whatever parts you have the energy to implement. I'm trying to REDUCE wasted energy here :)

1. I asked it, "What is some simple advice to offer someone who cannot shower regularly? Focus on daily minimal effort, then add tips for higher-energy days or a special occasion."

For someone unable to shower regularly due to chronic illness, the most effective strategy is to move away from "killing bacteria" and instead focus on managing skin pH and removing the "substrate" (skin oils and dead cells) that bacteria feed on to create odor.

Daily Maintenance (Minimal Effort)

• Use No-Rinse Cleansers: On days when a shower is impossible, use no-rinse foams (like Aloe Vesta) or bathing wipes (like Scrubbz). These products mechanically lift oils and debris off the skin so they can be wiped away without the physical strain of a bath.
• Acidic Pits: Wipe high-odor areas with diluted apple cider vinegar or witch hazel. This lowers the skin's pH to an acidic range, which inhibits odor-causing Corynebacterium while protecting the "good" bacteria that keep your microbiome balanced.
• Dry Shampoo: Use dry shampoo to manage greasy hair and scalp itch without the energy-draining task of lifting your arms to wash and dry hair.
• Targeted Drying: After any local cleaning, use a hair dryer on the "no heat" setting to thoroughly dry skin folds, underarms, and the groin. Bacteria thrive in damp environments; keeping these areas dry prevents them from colonizing.
• Citric Acid Rinse: Add citric acid to the rinse cycle of your laundry. It neutralizes alkaline detergent residues, leaving your clothes feeling soft, crisp, and fresh against your skin, and prevents odors from returning when the fabric warms up.

Special Occasion Sprucing

• Seated Showering: If you have enough energy for a full wash, use a shower chair or stool and a detachable nozzle. Sitting down significantly reduces the cardiac strain and the risk of a "crash" or Post-Exertional Malaise (PEM).
• 2-in-1 Products: Simplify hair care by using a 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner to cut the number of energy-intensive movements in half.
• Outsource the Labor: For high-stakes special occasion garments, use professional dry cleaning. It effectively removes oily residues and odors without requiring any physical exertion from you.

2. Here is the link to this bizarrely-good fake podcast where I told it to give hygiene and cleaning advice on behalf of people who have severely limited energy.

"Staying Clean with ME/CFS and POTS" (duration 21:11)*

*disclaimer! The fake podcast is actually pretty good but it has little glitches here and there. At one point the fake female voice made this crazy GASP! sound out of the blue which was so funny but pretty confusing for the listener!

3. Since the source materials talked about so many different ingredients I asked it, "Give me a concise list of ingredients mentioned for targeted cleaning or hygiene. Provide what kinds of products will have them, and what they accomplish.

To minimize effort while effectively managing odors, look for these specific ingredients in your cleaning and hygiene products. These ingredients perform the "heavy lifting" by targeting the biological and chemical sources of smells.

Laundry Care Ingredients

• Lipase: Found in enzyme-rich detergents (e.g., Tide, Persil, or specialized "Sport" formulas). Its job is to biologically break down sebum (skin oil) and vegetable oils into smaller pieces that are easily rinsed away, preventing them from becoming a food source for bacteria.
• DNase (Nuclease/Phosphodiesterase): Found in specialized sport detergents (like Whole Foods 365 Sport). This enzyme targets the sticky biofilm residues that standard detergents often miss, ensuring clothes are truly clean.
• Citric Acid: Used as a rinse aid in the fabric softener dispenser. Its job is to neutralize alkaline detergent residues that cause skin irritation and prevent "odor rebloom"—that smell that returns once a clean garment is warmed by your body.
• Methyl Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate: An antioxidant found in specific laundry beads (like Downy Unstopables). It attaches to fabric, especially synthetic fabrics, to help prevent any remaining skin oils from oxidizing and creating a rancid smell.
• Protease: Found in many enzyme detergents. This enzyme specifically targets protein-based stains and odors, making it particularly effective for removing the source of urine smells.
• Ammonia: Used as a laundry booster for intensive cleaning. It helps surfactants effectively strip heavy, oily soils and petroleum-based residues from fibers.
• Oxygen Bleach (Peroxide): Found in laundry boosters (like Biz or OxiClean). Its job is to lighten stains, physically rip up odor molecules, and neutralize tap water chlorine.
• Nonionic Surfactants: The active agent in many heavy-duty liquid detergents. These are specifically effective at removing petroleum oils and intact sebum that do not have an electrical charge and might be missed by standard anionic surfactants.

Personal Hygiene Ingredients

• Diluted Apple Cider Vinegar or Witch Hazel: Used as a topical wipe for high-odor areas like armpits. These ingredients lower the skin's pH, creating an acidic environment that specifically inhibits Corynebacterium (the primary odor-causing bacteria) without broadly damaging your skin’s healthy microbiome.
• No-Rinse Surfactants: Found in no-rinse foams (like Aloe Vesta) or bathing wipes (like Scrubbz). These work through surfactant action to mechanically lift oils, dead skin cells, and debris off the surface so they can be wiped away without the physical strain of a full shower.
• Mandelic Acid (Alpha Hydroxy Acid): Found in acidified deodorants (like Lume). It works by lowering the skin pH into a range that chemically suppresses the enzymatic processes bacteria use to convert sweat into odor molecules.
• Moroccan Red Clay: Used as a cleansing mask. Its job is to pull impurities and bacterial food sources (substrate) out of the skin more deeply than standard soap, which helps reduce body odor over the long term.

Note on external information: While the sources discuss the benefits of these ingredients, some (like Moroccan red clay) may require more physical effort to rinse off than no-rinse foams or wipes. I recommend verifying if a specific application method fits your current energy threshold.

Here’s a link to the article, but it has a paywall. I was interested to hear what they had to say but I don’t have a subscription to National Geographic. Does anyone here have access to it who wants to summarize? I wonder if they have anything insightful to reveal or if it will all be old news to us AuDHDers.

The pictures above is my best attempt to get the curtains to sit flush against the wall around the edges and to get the two panels to touch each other in the middle. I know I’m also letting light slip in at the top but I plan to move the curtain higher to hopefully resolve that part.

Can anyone tell me success stories about how you get the light blocked out around the edges? It’s not that I have no ideas but it’s that there are too many ideas and I don’t know which one to try. I used to have Velcro sewn to the edges of the curtains that fastened to the wall, but I can’t remember why that didn’t work at the time.

One parameter I have is that I still want the curtains to be easily opened in the morning so I can get my “morning” light. So definitely don’t want to duct tape cardboard over the glass or anything :)