Main | Next page »
 

Entry bubble Daylight Saving Time ends this weekend

By: Jess | October 29, 2009 | Category: General

ClockHere's a big reminder if you don't have it on your calendar yet.

Don't forget to change your clocks this weekend!

Starting on Sunday at 2 a.m. Daylight Saving Time will end (for the places that observe it) and we'll all need to set our clocks back one hour.

Personally I love the extra hour of sleep, but hate the shorter days that come with switching back to standard time. I'm also not always the best at remembering to change the clocks. I usually remember at the last minute Saturday night. Forgetting to change your clocks can cause mild chaos for some people, like a friend of mine who went the whole day without remembering to switch her clocks and almost ended up being late for work the following Monday. (This was in the spring, when we were supposed to spring our clocks ahead an hour.)

Curious as to why this whole Daylight Saving Time and changing clocks thing even exists? National Geographic did a nice job explaining the history of DST.

Have you ever forgotten to change your clocks? Feel free to share your stories in the comments.

| Post a Comment | View Comments [5] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: changing_clocks   daylight_saving_time   jess   sleep   time  

 

Entry bubble The Importance of Sleep

By: Jess | July 16, 2009 | Category: Health

person who can't sleepThis past weekend my sleep schedule got all messed up. Friday night I was at the beach with friends and got to bed late. Saturday my friend had a potluck and I got to bed late. To make up for it, I napped for a long time on Sunday afternoon and then couldn't fall asleep Sunday night. I've spent the rest of the week trying to get my sleep schedule to look something a little closer to normal.

I'm pretty sure no expert would say my inability to sleep on Sunday night was actually insomnia (or any other sleep disorder for that matter), but I still figured it couldn't hurt to look into ways to get my sleep schedule back on track.

I found some great tips for getting better sleep in this article on sleeping well.

I also learned I violate two of them on a regular basis.

As you can see from my example above, I hardly keep a regular sleep-wake cycle, especially on the weekends. I also routinely go for my runs around 8 p.m., which is about two hours before I hit the hay on a work night.

I can't be the only one who violates the "rules of sleep." If you've got a minute, check out the list and share in the comments which tip you have the hardest time following.

| View Comments [1] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: health   insomnia   jess   sleep   sleep_disorders  

 

Entry bubble Get Ready for Turkey!

By: Jake | November 25, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

I suggested a way you can work off those extra calories from your Thanksgiving turkey yesterday. Today I'm going to get you prepared for Turkey Day.

Turkey CalendarThe best way to get ready is to go to the USA.gov Thanksgiving page. Here you will find information on everything you need to get ready for Thanksgiving. The page will help you find air travel status for those of you flying, send thanks to members of the U.S. military or learn how astronauts eat turkey in space. Of course there's also tons of recipes with the usual ways to cook your turkey and some unusual ones.

I'm a big fan of trivia and I got these Thanksgiving tidbits from USA.gov:

I'm posting today in Joanne's absence while she attends to a family emergency. I'm sure if she was writing today she'd say the most important thing on Thanksgiving is to be very thankful for what you have, especially those you love.

| View Comments [0] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: cooking   jake   sleep   thanksgiving   tryptophan  

 

Entry bubble When Snoring Isn’t Just Snoring

By: Ginger | October 10, 2008 | Category: Health

Jake wrote about his diagnosis of sleep apnea. I also suffer from sleep apnea. Yes, women can have it too! Not all snorers have sleep apnea, but snoring is one of the indicators. When my doctor asked me about snoring, I told her that I didn’t snore. After all, my husband had never mentioned it. Wow, was I wrong. My husband never told me about my snoring, because he thought I would be embarrassed. Apparently, I sounded like a pig sniffing out truffles!

My doctor suspected a sleep disorder, so I went for a sleep study. No wonder I was so messed up. I had severe sleep apnea, so I was prescribed a CPAP. I went for a second sleep study to determine the correct CPAP setting and mask.

Ginger wearing her CPAP life.My CPAP mask fits over my nose and blows air continuously. It keeps my airways open while I am sleeping. It’s not sexy to look at, nor the most comfortable thing to wear, but the CPAP helped me get my life back to normal.

Before getting my CPAP, I had trouble staying awake while driving. It was dangerous not just for me, but for everyone on the road with me. Think about how many people are on the road driving with untreated sleep apnea. It’s scary! If you are prescribed a CPAP, it should be worn every time you sleep, and you should take it with you when you travel.

General anesthesia and pain medicines can worsen sleep apnea. Tell medical staff about your sleep apnea prior to surgeries. I even brought my CPAP with me for an outpatient surgery. They didn’t put it on me in the recovery room. I woke up to frantic people doing things to resuscitate me. My recollection of the event is a little confusing, but I do recall a hose the size of a boa constrictor (or so it seemed) being pulled out of my nose. I was a little disappointed with my near death experience (no white light or angels), but I was happy to be alive.

I just shared embarrassing details about my snoring and that lovely CPAP picture. It’s only fair that you share your sleep apnea stories with me. Do you, or someone you know, suffer from sleep apnea?

| View Comments [9] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: apnea   cpap   ginger   sleep   snoring  

 

Entry bubble Trouble Sleeping?

By: Colleen | February 27, 2008 | Category: Health

I haven't been sleeping well lately. My self-diagnosis of the problem is:

a) The upcoming Project Runway finale. Will Rami continue to drape everything?! Can Christian hit new heights of fierce? And would Jillian be kind enough to design a coat for me, please?

b) That über catchy and infectious Miley Cyrus song that's in heavy rotation on top-40 radio. Hear the chorus once and it's like permanent super glue to the brain.

Hopefully, my issues will be resolved after Wednesday night's final episode, aided by my vow to listen only to CDs until the Miley phenomenon passes over.

Sadly, over 40 million Americans suffer from non-Miley or reality tv sleep disorders. Not only is this irritating, but it can cause serious health problems like making diabetes and high blood-pressure worse. The average adult needs about 7-8 hours of sleep per night.

Try making it easier to get to dreamland by:

  • Avoid caffeine, nicotine, beer, wine, and liquor four to six hours before bedtime
  • Don't nap later than 3 p.m.
  • Wind down in the 30 minutes before bedtime by doing something relaxing (read, listen to music, etc.)

If you have trouble falling asleep most nights for a few weeks or more, you should see a doctor. After evaluation, they can determine if you may need prescription drugs.

I suggest making your life a Project Runway / Miley-free zone.

| View Comments [0] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: colleen   cyrus   disorder   health   miley   project   runway   sleep  

Main | Next page »