A Serious Health Issue

10 COMMANDMENTS OF GOOD SLEEP HYGIENE

1. Go to Sleep and Wake up at the same time each day. Keeping a regular schedule develops a regular sleep-wake rhythm that encourages better sleep.

2. Create a comfortable sleep environment. Dark Quiet and Cool are the rule. The bedroom should be a stress free zone, not for working, studying, or distractions. No TV. No pets on the bed.

3. Create a relaxing bedtime routine. Quiet music, a good book, meditation. Practice relaxation techniques, a warm bath, or a message.

4. Avoid watching the clock. Set it (the alarm clock) and forget it. Put it where you cannot see it. Better yet, adjust your bedtime to wake up without the alarm clock.

5. Get out of bed if you are not sleeping. Get out of bed if you are not sleeping in 15 – 30 minutes. Only get back into bed when you are feeling sleepy.

6. Exercise Regularly to improve sleep quality. Morning, afternoon, anytime up until 3 hours prior to bedtime.

7. Watch your diet. A light protein snack may help you sleep better.
A heavy meal or spicy foods before bedtime may lead to nighttime discomfort. Extra fluids can lead to disruptive trips to the bathroom.

8. Avoid Caffeine and alcohol. Both cause disrupted, fragmented sleep. Caffeine, a stimulant, can cause delays in falling asleep, Alcohol may help to get to sleep but will cause restless, fragmented sleep.

9. Avoid tobacco use. Like caffeine, a stimulant, will cause difficulty in falling asleep and staying asleep.

10. Discuss your sleep or daytime sleepiness problems with your healthcare provider. This goes for your partner’s sleep as well. Frequently, those with a sleep disorder may not be aware of it.

Adapted from National Sleep Foundation for
National Sleep Awarness Week

Harvey H, BS, RPSGT
SleepyC :moon
 
Hey Harvey,
I'm really enjoying your "sleepy" postings.........I can only sit in awe and envy of the sleep regularities most of you have available to you. For me the answer to "sleep" is..... what's that?
After 31 years of full time emergency services (24 hour work shifts and in earlier years 48 hour work shifts) and if that's not enough volunteer emergency service while in my "off time" at home, I quite frequently have "night" time sleep interrupted and immediately am operating at 100% capacity. (I do know that it is possible to sleep on a rock! :disgust .
I'm certainly not complaining because I enjoy my days off, but I'm not certain that I'd know what to do if I had consistent opportunity for a total nights' sleep.

(Soon to be 64, still doing the "24's" full time, the volunteer action and still going strong...........excuse me while I take a nap.... :crook )
 
Harvey,

Thanks for the very informative post series. I have copied this series, to date, for our own information to fall back on and review.

An interesting observation my wife made of me was after I had a heart cath, after my heart attack, my snoring has all but stopped. I wonder if losing abt 40#s helped... What the relationship is, I do not know. I do know I don't get awakened by a hit or a shake of the bed anymore.

BTW, I had a diagostic cath last Monday, 3/3/08, and everything appears to be stable with a 30% blockage to each of the 3 stents. This was by far the easiest, without side effects, of the 5 caths I've had so far. So, Sea Angel will be underway for a long time to come; if, I behave and eat right.

Art
 
OK Brats, we are about at the end of National Sleep Awareness Week 2008, and first I want to thank Bill and Mike for there efforts in making this site possible for sharing something that is important to me, to be able to share with other C-Brats. (I also look forward to and relish reading what others feel is important to share as well) and just to be fair to the admins here I do like to read about boating subjects too. Now, on Dancer, on Prancer, on Dasher and Vix .......WHOAA!! What the....Oh Sorry I drifted off a bit there. Well excuuuuussseee Me.

Getting on with business:

Da Nag: I couldn't agree more, the sleep fairies here are the quietest in the world, Wings are lubricated by WD-40 so the can manouver in the rain. My favorite are the ones that come out over the water, when we are sleeping on the boat.

DaveS: My friend, my hats off to you. There is a term for that Sleep Disorder, and it is a legitimate one, found more and more in our ever more pressing 24 hour society. It is called Shift Work Sleep Disorder, and you get that badge with a gold "D" for Deprivation. There are few situations that are harder on our body than going from "dead full asleep", to "full bore run" in 30 seconds or less. The adrenalin shot at the sound of the toneout, the B/P jump and the heart rate spike, the flashes of emotional highs and lows are all taking there often delayed and unadmited toll. I spent 7 years working Ambulance, then moved into the hospital and spent 25 years working where I was on call 24/7. I was an adrenalin junkie for years. My Last gig was 12 years of night shift, 7 nights in a row, then 7 off. But No Call there, just hundreds of hours in the ER, ICU and Neonate Nursery. DaveS, all those years of sleep deprivation add up, and I hope you are able to really get away occasionally. The body needs the break and the brain needs some recharge time. Stay safe and be healthy. Catch up on as much sleep as you can, in a Dark, quiet and cool place, sleep until you wake without interuption. Especially important when coming off shift. I wish you the best.

Art: Congratulations on a good report. Yes there is some relationship to the heart and snoring. Really good if the weight is dropping. If you have not been, I would highly recomend getting into a sleep specialist. Want to preserve that heart as long as possible.

All the C-Brats: This Nat Sleep Week has been fun and challenging too. There are over 100 described Sleep Disorders. It was mentioned that insomnia is the most common, and the most common seen in the sleep lab is Obstructive Sleep Apnea. The most dangerous is the one that we ignore, because any of them can and will have devistating results. The difference may just be in how long it takes for those results to become evident. Drifting off to sleep as we are driving down the hiway can change the inevitable out come of OSA from impending conjestive heart failure, hypertension and stroke to a fall asleep car crash fatality in the time it takes to blink an eye. In reality, we don't want any part of any of those results.

Sleep, it's quality and quantity, have a huge bearing on our health. Often times, the best nonprofessional judge of our sleep is our spouse or partner. I used to work for a Sleep Doc in Portland that had a saying, "Obstructive Sleep Apnea is an Orthopedic disease because it results in bruised elbows and broken ribs, and if we can fix one persons sleep apnea, we could fix two peoples sleep." And it is true. So if you or someone you know is snoring, or someone you know says you are snoring, Take it seriously, it may very well be indicative of a Serious Health Issue.

Oh, one last thing, Saturday Night, March 8, 2008. Don't forget to set your clocks ahead one hour. YES, That means you will loose an hour UNLESS you go to bed one hour earlier than usual. (Remeber, your wakeup timeshould always be at the same time.) :clock :tea

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it, now
Where's that Pillow
Click to expand...
.

Harvey, headed for the
SleepyC :moon 23/1132
 
Just because it is the end of National Sleep Awareness Week 2008, doesn't mean we should put this subject out of our minds. We still need to keep our over-all health in mind, and our sleep is so closely related to our health, it should not be forgotten. So, if there are occasional questions to bring this thread back up I will try to be available, either on the thread or by PM's.

Don't forget that besides setting the clock forward tonight, you owe yourself an extra hours sleep too.

Be careful, be safe, and keep track of that pillow,

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
Harvey,
You need some one to practice on? I would be a good example. I use to be a sleepwalker. It runs in my family, I was very violent and hurt myself many times over the years. I was a danger to my wife or anyone in the room. In hunting camps no one would ( Buddies) let me have a firearm close to me.
They booted me out of the Navy, and I'm sure they thought I was faking. I liked the Navy and missed out on a nice cruise.
My wife worries when I quit breathing in my sleep. She starts counting and wondering when she should give me a poke. I have had diabetes for 40 years and had my nose broke a couple time so I breath though my mouth. I think it affects my wifes sleep. ( I know it does) She really catches up after I get up, then she can sleep another 3 or 4 hours. She is sleeping right now as I type.
Mother, sister, and my Grandsons. At least they are not violent like I was. I believe they have gotten over that now, as I have. I don't believe I every sleep without dreaming, even today.

Ok. Tell me how to cure all that. Just don't have them lock me up.

There is no question in my mind that a person could kill in his sleep. The dream can be so real and a person can fear for their own life to the extent they could accidently kill someone in self defense. Over the years I have been shot and stabbed, crushed by falling buildings, rolled over cliffs. The only really good sleep I have ever had was during an operation when they put you to under.

Is all this abnormal? Inquiring minds will want to know.
:oops:
captd



WARNING AND A DISCLAIMER: I WILL TESTIFY IN COURT FOR NO ONE.
 
Great Topic! Thanks. Will do me a cut-n-paste to a word document as to make for a nice solid read....later.

Sherryl and I were returning from San Fransico/Carmel a few weeks ago and they take her "air box" apart at the security points each time. Much more of a deal than a laptop.

BUT>>> What we now know to watch for is making sure all the little cords get put back into the box carrier. Yep, you got it. One little section was left out somewhere during the inspection process...and after a day of waiting in the airport for planes to show up from the eastcoast, that were iced in and no plans on the west coast on a Saturday, flying into Las Vegas for a night just to get off the west coast before the bad wind storms and bad weather shut down air trafic on Sunday.... we hit Las Vegas about 16 hours after our airport "fun" started....only to open the bag and no lilttle cord section... Yep, our fun meters had peaked...

So, Sherryl did not sleep that night, or Sunday night after about the same kind of day, and you bet your bippy that first thing Monday morning, I was off to Radio shack for a replacement cord.

Monday night was a great night at our house....and I actually approached her for a little conversation on Tuesday morning. :mrgreen:

I think the little air box helped about as much as a king size bed...

Here :beer here :beer for the folks that got that little thing kicking. And, yes... I make sure all my boats support plugs for the boxes now.

Byrdman
 
OK... Got it. Did a cut-n-paste, changed the text to 12 Times New Roman, changed the margins to less on top/bottom, left a bit on the left as to put into a binder or have a place to hold without getting into the print, cut the right a bit just to reduce it to a 9 page read.

Named it Sleep Week Sleepy-C

Now, how do I post a Word document as a file on here so my other C-Brats can get this?

Byrdman
 
Patrick,
Interesting story about the "air box" cord in the airport. I had the security person try to swap my machine with the lady just behind me in the line. Our machines and cases were the same. Now when we fly, I put colored tape on my machine and matching tape on the case. Same with my wifes.

Great idea, (thanks for the compliment), on the conversion to Word. Sorry I can't help much with that, (not a computer pro :cry ) other than e-mailing it out. Probably Bill or Mike can help with that. BTW, I like the new C-Brat logo. For me, It is the right color. :thup

CaptD,
Sleep walking or "Somnambolisim" is one of the more common Parasomnias that we see, and all though it is one of the most frequently reported, it is not seen that often in the average sleep lab, mostly because it is not an every night occurrence, and does not show up on schedule very dependably. It is most common in youngsters, and usually pretty much disappears by early 20's. Not always though, our daughter in law still does occasional "night cruises". These parasomnia generally occur during delta or slow wave sleep, in the first half of the sleep session, and depending on the vigerosity and frequency, the sleep specialist may use medication to control them. It is not as yet determined to be genetically passed on, but there is definite familial tendendency. There are variing degrees of activity, and they can certainly be harmful to both or either the sleeper or the bed partner. This is a true sleep disorder that should be evaluated and followed by a Board certified Sleep Specialist.

The stopping breathing may not be related to the parasomnia and should again be evaluated in a sleep laboratory. That may very well improve the quality of both your's and your wife's sleep. Interestingly, there is a movement disorder called "Periodic Limb Movements in Sleep" or PLMS, that frequently does have a relationship with obstructive sleep apnea, and may decrease with treatment for the apnea. Once PLMS are treated and controlled, the sleep for the bed partner DOES IMPROVE, (given that the bed partner does not have any intrinsic sleep disorders of their own).

Sorry to sound like a broken record, but our sleep is important, and as we can see, sometimes it is not just important to our health but to the health and safety of those near and dear to us. For that reason alone, a good sleep evaluation is important, and it should be done by a physician who is a Diplomat of the American Board of Sleep Medicine, (D.ABSM). If someone is interested in finding one close there are several ways. The internet; google; American Board of Sleep Medicine dot Org, or National Sleep Foundation dot Org. or PM me and I will check the Registry and send some possibibilities. Yellow pages, or Dex, looking for "Sleep" physician, or Sleep Laboratory, and call and ask for a D.ABSM doc appointment.

Wait times for appointments will vary depending on area and clinic. I've seen it range from 1 week or less up to 2 months for clinic appointment and the same or more for a sleep laboratory appointment. Don't be discouraged and don't give up. The wait should be worth the while. The possible improvements to long term health will make a difference, and the whole thingabout waking refreshed in the mornings is beautiful. I love it :hot :rose :rose :rose :rainbow

Here's wishing you all, soft pillows, and boat dreams, and quiet waters,

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
Well, it was Monday all day, and don't know about you, but I did notice the difference after the time change. It is a very common phenomonon and even going to bed an hour earlier isn't a guaranteed cure on the day after, but it does help.

Secondly and even more important is that you all are here reading this now, because the day after the time change has the highest incidence of fall asleep crashes of any day of the year. Glad you all made it, and hope you all will have as nice a weather as Jim does down there in the tropical tip.

Harvey
Wishin' for a good pillow on the
SleepyC :moon
 
Harvey, Just read through the whole thread on sleep disorders. Good information and advice for us all. Thanks also for the link to the National Sleep Disorder web page. Good stuff. I have had a sleep disorder for over 30 years and finally about 12 years ago got treatment. Part of the problem for not getting treatment for so long was lack of information and knowledge about the condition(s). My neurologist would tell me at each visit for the first few years, that not long ago people with RLS and PLMD were either treated for "it's in your head get over it" or for a psychological disorder. That is why information like you have provided is so important. Thanks.
I had a chance to take part in a study connected to the study at John Hopkins. I was all for it until they told me that I would have to be off of my medications for 21 days. I cried! Just the thought of being untreated for any amount of time, made me extremely anxious. For anyone who suffers from Restless Legs Syndrome, I know you understand.

If you have not read the National Sleep Disorder web page, I highly recommend it. It could change your life.

Thanks again Sleepy C!
 
Excellent info here. There is one important point that I want to emphasize because it has only been mentioned in passing thus far. This is for those who have read the thread and might feel some anxiety and uncertainly about their own sleeping habits that they did not have before, including those who take simple naps during the course of the day. For the record, I did some pioneering sleep research in support of William C. Dement at Stanford decades ago when the fundamentals of sleep were just being discovered.

The studies on sleeping patterns and their effect on health are based upon statistical averages and do not necessarily apply to individual cases. In other words, many people live very well with sleep routines which are outside of the norm. In fact, patterns outside the norm sometimes lead to superior behavior. So don't panic if your sleep patterns vary from the averages presented here. The human body has proven to be remarkably adaptable to changing conditions during the course of one's life and to our species over the course of time. Stress and aberration from the norm sometimes lead to improvement in our lives as individuals and to our species on an evolutionary basis. If we looked hard enough, everyone on the planet could probably be diagnosed with a sleep disorder. Sometimes it seems that the healthier we get as a population, the more we're told how sick we are.

Nonetheless, thanks to the OP (original poster) for all of the time and effort he put into this thread. My intent is not to discount the potential effect of sleep disorders on health. This is valuable information. Awareness of the issues is a good thing, and one should learn about his own body and how it responds to various stimuli; including, for example, how your body responds when that monster wave threatens to poop your C-Dory.
 
Great thread. BTW, it's 320AM here on the Right Coast and here I sit. Too much going on in the brain tonite. Sally was up before me and had a cup of tea, and I just reheated the kettle. Oh well, since we both turned in about 9, I can afford an hour or two of surfing!

Charlie
 
I suffer from GTABS.......

Going To Another Boat Show!!!

Happens just about every night prior to me flying out to go to another show and see the boats and the friends...

Maybe I will sleep on the plane.

See some of yall in Portland Maine later in the week.

Byrdman....
 
The "Serious Health Issue" thread was started to bring an awarness of an aspect of our lives that is rarely addressed. Though in our sleep we are not conscious of our activity or suroundings, we should not, in our wakefulness, be unconscious of our sleep. That one third of our 24 hour cycle of day has a far greater effect on our health than only one third of our body or our lives.

Socrateur wrote: and is further quoted, followed by my response each time.
The studies on sleeping patterns and their effect on health are based upon statistical averages
Click to expand...
As are studies in medical (or any other research) outcome reports based.

and do not necessarily apply to individual cases. In other words, many people live very well with sleep routines which are outside of the norm. In fact, patterns outside the norm sometimes lead to superior behavior. So don't panic if your sleep patterns vary from the averages presented here.
Click to expand...
I would submit that there are far more people whose sleep routines are outside the norm, that are that way because they have sleep disorders, (often to the extent of debilitation) than because they are experiencing superior behavior.

The human body has proven to be remarkably adaptable to changing conditions during the course of one's life and to our species over the course of time.
Click to expand...
Is this why the killing diseases (cancers, heart disease, diabetes) have become so much more prevalent in our generations (1950 and on) then in the same period 100 years prior?

Stress and aberration from the norm sometimes lead to improvement in our lives as individuals and to our species on an evolutionary basis.
Click to expand...
I agree, there are some good stressors, and some stress is good, but in general, the average person now is carrying a considerable load of unhealthy, nonbenificial and detrimental stress.


If we looked hard enough, everyone on the planet could probably be diagnosed with a sleep disorder. Sometimes it seems that the healthier we get as a population, the more we're told how sick we are.
Click to expand...
I find it hard to believe that one could think of our population as getting healthier. Look at the statistics of obesity in our nation, the increase in diabetes, the rise in heart diseases, hypertension, and stroke. Look at the increasing cost of health care vs diagnostics. How about the increases in not only the number of all cancer patients, but the types of cancer diagnosis. Compare the number of legal prescription drugs that are on the market today with those available in 1950. Those are not there because we are a more healthy population my friend, those pill are there because we are more sick! Oh, look too, at the increased use of illicit drugs and addiction, (more various drugs being used by a wider age range in a broader demographic spectrum).
I'm sorry, but it would be a rare thinker in our modern medical society that would concur that our population is becoming more healthy. More pills, more diagnostic tests, more surgical procedures, more diagnosis, and more therapies yes, more healthy, I don't think so. Health would be the absence of disease, do you agree? and if we have health, we have no need for all of those pills, tests, surgeries and therapies.

To your health, and mine :rose :note :rose :note :rose

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

Socrateur: Do I remember that name from way back, on Binary?
 
..there's also the 'chicken or the egg' factor. As my doctor said last week, "congratulations, you've lived long enough to get some of those old guy diseases..." I'm glad for the many Rx's I have to buy, none of which were there in my youth. It's not hard to recall that every county had a tuberculosis sanitorium, that each summer somebody from my class would get polio, that you had to have 'exploratory surgery' to find out what an MRI can tell you in a non invasive matter of minutes. My wife walks without a cane on two artificial knees and can climb on the boat with little difficulty. I'm thankful for it all, including the valuable information on this thread.
 
Marty, I too am glad that we have the many miracles of modern medicine. I wish there was no need, but since we have succumbed in numbers to the great American diet and lifestyle, we should certainly be thankful for the adjuncts that are available to help treat the results. I have to admit that I am guilty many times of not doing what I know in the diet and exercise arena, and changing long ingrained habits at my age are not easy. Neither is loosing the weight. But, it's is worth the effort and I am trying. Even at my age I can benefit from improved health. :gift :rainbow



Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
On the way to work this morning I noticed, and not surprisingly I guess, the gas prices went up again. I'm considering a new modification to the SleepyC, (adding a tabernacle and rigging mounts for mounting the mast from my sail boat and having a C-D-Monty :wink
Then I saw this article from National Sleep Foundation and got to thinking that maybe being more aggressive in treating my OSA will help save me some dough to put more fuel into the CD tanks.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea: An Expensive Condition for Older Adults
Having obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is not only devastating for one's health; it can also be quite costly, according to the results of a new study. Researchers from Israel analyzed the healthcare costs of 158 elderly and 1,166 middle-aged patients (aged 67–89 and 40–64, respectively) with OSA as well as aged-matched people without OSA. They found that in the two-year period before diagnosis, healthcare costs were nearly twice as high for those with OSA compared with those without OSA. They also found that among OSA sufferers, healthcare costs were nearly two times higher for elderly patients compared with middle-aged patients. Their analysis also revealed that cardiovascular illness and the use of psychoactive medications were largely to blame for the increase in healthcare costs. Read the abstract, and then read NSF's Ask the Expert: Sleep Apnea and Heart Disease See National Sleep Foundation dot Org

Wish you all the best dreams ever,

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
The cost of long term care like nursing homes accounts for a very significant often overlooked (unless you have to pay for it) portion of the health care dollar when refering to the elderly.
 
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