Everybody needs rest as much as they need nutrition and exercise. This is doubly important in the senior citizen years.
Trying to sleep isn’t always easy for me. I know there are some nights when I can’t fall asleep. I’m tired but restless. And the more you worry about it, the worse it gets. It’s easy to say don’t worry about it, but staring at the clock for what seems like hours is irritating.
If you do get to sleep it won’t be for long. Especially if you have sleep apnea.
I’m sure you have read about how to get the best night’s sleep, or just falling asleep would be Nice.
Here are a few examples
Don’t watch TV in bed. This is a problem for most folks. Watching your shows is more comfortable if you are stretched out in bed. You fall asleep, miss your program, and wake up to the TV blaring.
Don’t read in bed. Like TV, you’ll fall asleep, maybe with your glasses on. Then you’ll wake up and forget where you left off in the book or magazine.
Keep a consistent sleep pattern. Go to bed at a certain time and get out at the same time each day.
You probably notice a pattern here. The bedroom is for sleep, more intimate activities, and nothing else.
If the issue becomes a problem, visit your doctor.
Without a good night’s rest, you are half-awake during the day, leading to falls or car accidents. You don’t want that.
Lack of rest isn’t so good for your heart either. It can also lead to dementia, among other health problems.
Sleep Apnea
I have read that there are a vast number of people who have sleep apnea and don’t know it. I believe it. But there are probably also many folks who have it and are doing nothing about it.
About 20 or 30 years ago, no one spoke about sleep apnea. At least it didn’t seem that they did. Snoring was and is a common problem (especially for those who have to listen to it every night). Many folks didn’t realize that the snoring they were hearing was part of something far worse. It indicates sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea has gotten a lot of press over the past decade. This is due to the harmful health issues it can create. More doctors are setting up folks for overnight sleep studies. These studies find whether you have sleep apnea. If you do, then the treatments are discussed.
Here is where the problem lies; some of the treatments are difficult to deal with. Of course, the number one treatment involves using the CPAP machine. It pushes air through a tube into the back of your throat. As I have written before, I wasn’t capable of getting used to the machine. This happened even after 2 tries with different masks. The other choice is surgery. From what I have read, it isn’t always successful. Even if it is successful, it takes a long time to recover.
Unfortunately, there are consequences to not controlling your sleep apnea, including major health problems like heart disease. I am trying to lose weight right now. It will not stop the sleep apnea completely. Nonetheless, it will lessen the blockage in the back of the throat at least somewhat.
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