BETTER SLEEP TIPS: The Hot Round-up of the Web Link Suggestions!

I first published this article back in 2011. The baby I talked about just turned 10. But, in the matter of sleep, not much has changed. I received a request for a backlink to some current information so I thought I would repost the article.

Best quote ever: "Put sleep in the background of your life. Don't monitor it, don't evaluate it."

My son and daughter-in-law spent the week retraining their 1 year old to sleep through the night. They have spent on year nurturing this little person because of health issues at birth. After a year, it became apparent that the baby had played his "no sleep card" one too many times. After a week of training he slept through the night... like a baby! This is the one thing that babies have in common with seniors...both age groups are delicate sleeper.

Now I read that we can retrain ourselves to get a better nights sleep, even as we get older. Yesterday I talked about the Memory Foam Mattress and how the mattress we are sleeping on can be the real culprit. Sleeplessness leads to a sluggish next day and could even make us less affective on the job. All the information I read about sleeplessness mentioned the mattress and it's importance in a good nights sleep. Whether it be the Memory Foam Mattress or another, mattress getting the one that works for you can be the key. Sleep is important!

Beyond the mattress issue, there are other things that can keep us awake at night. It is a given that stress, worry, medications and health problems can interrupt sleep patterns. The trick is to find a way to sleep in spite of those things or to change our lives to eliminate problem issues. There are a few common suggestions from people that study sleep problems and most of them, surprisingly involve what we do before we go to bed.
BETTER SLEEP TIPS...a round up from the web!

• NAPS Napping for a long time during the day will keep you from sleeping. If you need a nap limit the time. 
• EXERCISE You are going to need to get up and move. Do what is appropriate for you age...walk, run, swim, work...just get up off the couch, leave the TV or book or handwork and get up and move. You will feel better and you will sleep better. 
• FORBIDDEN FOOD Do not drink bad stuff before you go to bed. On the list of "forbidden" foods and drink are: alcohol, coffee, tea, colas, heavy meals less than 2 hours before, tobacco, and lots of water. We need to go to bed satisfied but not over watered and fed. If you drink alcohol at bedtime you will actually have a "withdrawal" that will awaken you during the night. 
• Good FOOD Stick to foods that contain high levels of tryptophan, such as milk, turkey, yogurt, ice cream, soy beans, tuna, and peanuts in the evening. Tryptophan helps the body produce serotonin in order to relax. (wikiHow.com/Better-Sleep) I know that a tablespoon of peanut butter will make me sleepy. 
• CIRCADIAN RHYTHM If you do not know how much sleep you actually need to feel good the next day FIND OUT NOW! Some of us sleep long hours and other need very little sleep. It is called the circadian rhythm or 24-hour cycle. As we age our sleep patterns change and worrying that you are sleeping more or less than you did when you were 20 does not help. 
• ROUTINE Once you have done this, establish a routine and make an effort to maintain it. Going to bed and getting up at nearly the same time every day gets your body and mind in the sleep habit. Psychology Today says ordinary insomnia may be cured simply by going to bed one hour later for a few nights, even though you may get drowsy. After that period of time add a little sleep back each night returning slowly to the normal routine. (And for heaven's sake don't drive when you are drowsy!) Like that grandson of mine...we may need to retrain ourselves to sleep. 
• BATTLE EVENING DROWSINESS Get up and move...again. I think that if you eliminate alcohol and eat a reasonably sized meal you find that you are less drowsy. 
• BEDROOM ENVIRONMENT The bedroom should be a sanctuary. Tune life down at bed time. Lower the lights, turn off the TV, meditate or listen to soft music. Keep the bedroom quiet, dark and cool...cool, I think is the key here. My experience is that getting a little chilled and then climbing into a warm bed leads to a very good night sleep. 
• LINE UP YOUR BODY Some people promote the idea that lining up our body is important. For many this is like teaching an old dog new tricks. A sleep position habit could be hard to break. Sleep on you back or side with your head lined up with your spine. Putting a pillow between the knees keeps the hips in line. Putting the pillow under you knees when sleeping on your back, eases back pain. I actually do all of the these things and they do help. I also think that sleeping at least part of the night on my back has improved my posture. Slumping over all day AND all night does not make for a straight back. 
• THE MATTRESS Every link I visited in my research mentioned the mattress...they say get a good mattress and take good care of it. It is just common sense. 
• SLEEP AIDS? Only one website mentioned sleep aids. Melatonin, antihistamine and tryptophan pills were all on the list. However, I would like to think that we could do this without a pill. 
• WHEN TO SEE THE DOCTOR If you suffer from restless leg syndrome, sleep apnea, acid reflux or any other disorder that disrupts your sleep, go to the doctor. Many of these disorders are very dangerous and may even cost you your life. 
• DON'T THINK ABOUT IT Psychology Today suggests that we "put sleep in the background of [our] life. Don't monitor it, don't evaluate it." Could it be possible that we think too much...especially at bedtime. I think so and so do the experts. Quit thinking and don't go searching around in your mind for solutions to problems at bedtime. I have never had a doctor tell me to quit thinking but it just makes good sense. If you know you need to do something in the morning and are worried you will forget WRITE IT DOWN AND FORGET IT. 

Of all the websites I visited, I felt that Psychology Today had the best strategies for curing a bout of insomnia. Hop on over there and read what they had to say. The article was called Your Guide to a Better Nights Sleep.

Sleep well.
b

Resources:

Help Guide How to Sleep Better
Psychology Today Your Guide to Better Sleep
WebMD How to Sleep Better
wikiHow How to Sleep Better
Mayo Clinic 10 Tips for Better Sleep

BETTER SLEEP TIPS: The Hot Round-up of the Web Link Suggestions!

Related articles
Circadian Rhythm and Blues: The Interface of Depression with Sleep and Dreams (psychologytoday.com)
Say Goodbye to Insomnia (psychologytoday.com)
Best Medical and Non-Medical Insomnia Cures (healthadel.com)
Heeding the Body's Basic Rhythms (psychologytoday.com)

Eyes, Cataracts and me! Why cataract surgery now?

Cataract Surgery and Medicare  
If you have been waiting for cataract surgery because of cost here is some information on what Medicare will pay.  Your 20% co-pay will depend on you supplemental Medicare Insurance:

Does Medicare pay for cataract surgery?  Yes, it does. Because cataract surgery is performed by a physician rather than an optometrist, Medicare Part B covers the surgery, including lens implants. And following that surgery, it can pay its share for one pair of eyeglasses. How much it pays for the glasses depends on whether you get new frames, and if so how much they cost. Medicare Part B will pay for both lenses and frames, but only basic frames. If you buy more expensive frames than the basic ones approved by Medicare, you'll have to pay out of pocket for the difference between the standard amount Medicare pays and the amount your frames actually cost.

For both the surgery and the glasses, you have to pay a coinsurance amount, which is 20 percent of the amount Medicare approves for the surgical procedure and for the glasses and frames.(Caring.com)

Cataracts and Me
I developed cataracts in my eyes very slowly.  I have been having problems for about two years.  The constant struggle to see clearly left me exhausted and I was developing dry eyes on top of that.  So this summer I finally got a referral from my primary care physician and went to see a opthamologist.  Yesterday I had my first eye surgery for cataracts at a surgery center near my home.

Me and my GLASSES!

The process for getting the surgery involved a visit to the opthamologist for a confirmation of my condition and then a visit to the center that evaluated the topography of my eye. This procedure shows the actual contour of the cornea. Because the diagnosis for my lens prescription was always related to my astigmatism, I was thinking that a Toric Lens Implant might work for me.

"For Cataract patients who have astigmatism, and who do not wish to wear eyeglasses to see clearly at a distance, choosing a Toric Lens Implant can help them be independent of glasses for tasks such as driving, that require clear distance vision." (All About Cataract Surgery.com)

This type of lens can cost up to a thousand dollars in addition to the simple lens implant paid for my medicare and supplemental insurance. It turned out that my astigmatism was not the typical type and one eye was shaped more like a slightly ruptured basketball than the football shaped eye most people with the astigmatism have. My specialist ruled the Toric Lens Implant out totally.

My surgery was a simple process followed by a day of mild discomfort and a need to sleep for long periods of time.  When I woke this morning the eye felt almost perfect.  After a visit with my doctor at 8:45 am the shield I had worn for 24 hours was taken off and I was directed to wear it when I sleep or nap.  I am to use eye drops for two weeks and will also have my second surgery at the end of that two week period.

How am I seeing.  The first eye I chose to have corrected was the one that was so misshapen.  I am writing today with the lens removed from my glasses on that eye.  I can see so much better out of that bad eye I am dizzy...really.  It is as though I am receiving my very first pair of glasses after being almost totally blind and am seeing for the first time. I don't know about you but better glasses always make me a little dizzy!  I see much better out of the new eye than I do out of the other eye with the corrective glasses.  I am hoping for the same results the second time around.

This is what I am experiencing:

• Colors are brighter.
• Words simply pop off the page.
• The old glasses are not going to work at all.
• I may be unable to drive until the second surgery is done.  Road signs are a problem
• The sense of perspective is messed with a little bit with the one good eye and one not good.  I suppose I will have adjusted to that very soon.  I just try not to miss my mouth!
• I will probably go without glasses at all until the second surgery.  That works better.  It is not perfect by any means.  But it a great improvement.

I love this bright new world I am seeing.   We are very lucky people in this day and age.  Who knew that we would be given better eyes at 70 that we had at 19?

b

Related articles

• Does Medicare Cover Cataract Surgery?
• August: Cataract Awareness Month (lifelegacyorg.wordpress.com)

• Eating your Way to Healthy Eyes  (Retire in Style Blog guest blog) 

• Magnifier for Sight Loss (Retire in Style Blog)
  

Health Net: Ciprofloxacin Side Effects!

Image via Wikipedia

Medicine Net When we think we need to self-diagnosis, the local coffee clatch is not the place to get your information. I found Medicin Net and think the information they have is wonderful. It is worth placing this in your book marks on you computer. Your doctor is a very busy person so every piece of documented information we take with us to an appointment can only work in our favor.

I recently suffered from a kidney infection severe enough to require a talk with my nurse practitioner. He prescribed CIPROFLOXACIN for the infection and the infection went away...a wonderful side effect to say the least.

But that is not my story...in this particular case I read the side effects carefully. I think I am just becoming more cautious as I grow older or maybe just wiser. One of the side effects it mentioned was tendinitis! Surprise. Since the drug is used to treat infections in the joints who would imagine that is would do damage to that area too. This is what Medicine Net said:

Ciprofloxacin as well as other antibiotics in the fluoroquinolone class of antibiotics, has been associated with tendinitis and even rupture of tendons, particularly the Achilles tendon. Some physicians recommend that their patients discontinue vigorous exercise while they are taking fluoroquinolone antibiotics.

I forgot the warning totally because I was feeling well, several weeks had passed and I was busy with grandchildren day after day. Then I was making my bed one morning when I twisted my knee slightly and a sharp pain went down my left leg. Within a few hours the knee was noticeably swollen. But the pain was not severe and I went on with my life. I did not even take an aspirin or anyother pain killer. Still, what was that? I racked my brain for a cause for my knee to suddenly be wounded. It had felt fine that morning!

After several days of ignoring the ache and searching my brain for a cause, I remembered the warnings in the Cipro information...the part that came to my mind was the part that said the injury may not occur until several weeks have passed (I paraphrase).

It has been quite a while now, maybe over a month. I have begun wearing a brace, applying heat and taking an antiinflamitory I can buy over the counter. I did try resuming my long fast walks without the brace but that was apparently a bad idea. I am leaving for Arizona in a few weeks so I will wait to see if it gets better before then. You and I know that a visit to the doctor is a good thing so I may even do that if I don't get better with the application of heat and the brace.

(Medicine Net also had information on tendonitis, strains, sprains and some suggestions for relief before you visit the doctor. You might take a look at that too.)

If I do go to the doctor, I will go armed with the information I need. Self diagnosis can be very dangerous but information and knowledge always work in our favor. Or at least I think so.

Just a thought!

b