Quilts

When I hear the word quilt, my mind pictures elaborately stitched creations like those made by the Amish. My wife & I love quilts and occasionally frequent quilt shows and exhibitions to see new patterns and cleverness of design. But I was reminded by a post at SurvivalBlog.com of the humble origins and true nature of quilts. My mental image of quilts was equivalent to thinking of hybridized orchids as the only "true" flowers or a gourmet meal as "food".

Quilts were meant to be practical. I have two "camping quilts" that my grandmother made that we still use in the winter. They are made with a simple design of large squares of old scraps. As the fabric gets old and brittle we've replaced some of the squares. In centuries past, quilts were highly valued, often being listed in the inventory of homes for inheritance settlements. 

A quilt is not the fabric design but the construction method of building a blanket sandwich with two outer sheets and an warm insulating center . "Quilting" is the stitching that keeps the insulation in place so it does not bunch up or slide to one end of the quilt. There are "whole-cloth" quilts with no cut pieces at all, just two white sheets and bunting in the middle and yet these can be amazingly beautiful with elaborate stitching patterns used to sew the layers together.

The elaborate stitching patterns are optional. My wife made a denim quilt a few years ago; she bought old jeans at tag sales, removed the seam stitching, ironed them flat, cut squares, and connected the squares on a sewing machine.  For the final "quilting" step we used a thick needle and yarn to tie the layers together with a knot every 6 inches or so apart.

I also learned from the SurvivalBlog.com post that denim is not the best choice for a quilt. It's heavy. (I'll say, you can feel the quilt pressing down as you sleep).

"when you want to stay warm, heavy is not what you want.  To properly insulate yourself from the cold, you need trapped air, and if the top layer of the quilt is of a heavy fabric, it squishes down the insulation and just doesn't keep you as warm."

The Power of Napping

The blog, Barking up the Wrong Tree, has an interesting post on naps.

Sleep is vital but most of us get too little of it:

• Being tired actually makes it harder to be happy.

• Lack of sleep = more likely to get sick.

• "Sleeping on it" does improve decision making.

• Lack of sleep can make you more likely to behave unethically.

• There is such a thing as beauty sleep.

"No nap is too short: A 2008 study showed that even a nap of a few minutes provided benefits. Just anticipating a nap lowers blood pressure."

See What's the secret to amazing naps? for suggestions on how to take better naps.

Falling asleep at the wheel

"Sleep is like the unicorn - it is rumored to exist, but I doubt I will see any"

The Consumerist sites a AAA study of 2,000 U.S. residents that 41% of drivers admit to having fallen asleep at the wheel, and drowsy driving accounts for about 17% of all crashes, and 2% of vehicular fatalities.

One in 10 said they did so in the past year and 27 percent of those surveyed said they were so tired behind the wheel that they had a hard time keeping their eyes open.

Drowsy driving was attributed to 730 deaths in 2009--about 2 percent of all vehicular fatalities, but an analysis of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) crash data reveals that one in six or 16 percent of deadly crashes involve a driver who is sleepy and one in eight result in hospitalization. These statistics are higher than previous estimates and suggest that drowsy driving is a more prevalent factor in crashes, deaths, and injuries.

Bottom Line

The Consumer Reports recommends, "Drinking a good quantity of water helps as it prevents dehydration that can cause drowsiness. It also requires you to pull over regularly and stretch your legs for a bathroom break."

Pull over (preferably at a rest stop) and take a nap. My wife and I once did Tai Chi next to the car to wake up. Throw a Frisbee. Do jumping jacks. Take turns driving.

Caffeine may be good for a short burst but watch out for the "crash" afterwards as the body swings to exhaustion.

Throat Exercises for Sleep Apnea

“Laugh and the world laughs with you, snore and you sleep alone.”- Anthony Burgess
Last week I received a CPAP machine for Sleep Apnea. I think it’s helping but I’m still adjusting to the mask and won’t know for sure for several more days. However a CPAP machine does not cure Sleep Apnea – it just prevents it while you use the machine. So now I’m dependent on this machine for life. It even came in a nice looking carrying case so I can take it with me on vacations and other overnight trips.
Personally I prefer a cure. There is some evidence that throat exercise can reduce Sleep Apnea by making the throat stronger and more resistant to closing while sleeping. The most effective way to strengthen the throat is to exercise it like a professional singer. Here are some throat exercises I found on the Web:
1. Say La-La-La-La five times over. Hold each “La” for three seconds and focus on working your throat and neck muscles. Then say Ka-Ka-Ka-Ka five times with three seconds on each syllable. The ‘K’ uses different muscles. Finish with the same routine saying Ma-Ma-Ma-Ma. Try these exercises twice a day.
2. Sing through the vowel sounds (A-E-I-O-U) as loudly as you can (or dare). Songs like ‘Old McDonald Had a Farm’ are also good.
3. Push your tongue firmly against the back of your front teeth and slide it to the back of your mouth. Repeat for three minutes.
4. Purse your mouth firmly as if playing a trumpet or blowing into a bottle and hold for thirty seconds.
5. Act like a bullfrog and contract the muscles of the back of the throat for another thirty seconds.
6. Force your lower jaw to the left for thirty seconds. Now back to the right for thirty seconds.
Bottom Line
These same exercises can also reduce snoring.
Web Resources
http://www.ehow.com/how_5178372_do-exercises-sleep-apnea-treatment.html
http://cloudhiddenwheraboutsmukilteo.blogspot.com/2005/08/sleep-apnea-exercises-for-throat-and.html

Nocturnal Leg Cramps

“For this, be sure, tonight thou shalt have cramps, side-stitches that shall pen thy breath up”- William Shakespeare, The Tempest

This morning I was awoken by a painful leg cramp. It’s an odd feeling to have one or more muscles do their own thing and completely disregard what you want. So what causes nighttime leg cramps and what can you do about it?

Nocturnal leg cramps are true cramps and not spasms. The muscle remains in a cramped and contracted position, which accounts for the intensity of the pain. If you touch the affected region, you may be surprised to discover that your muscles feel very hard, almost like concrete.

Leg cramps usually occur in one of the calf muscles, below and behind a knee, but painful cramps can also occur in the feet, ankles, shins, and big muscles of the thigh (quads). It can be caused by diabetes, hypertension, fibromyalgia, and as a side effect to some medication so if you have frequent cramps, see a doctor to discover if any of these apply. For instance, my wife experiences terrible muscle cramps when taking a statin to lower cholesterol.

There is some evidence that cramps are also caused by a chemical imbalance in the body - some say potassium and recommend bananas, etc.; others magnesium and swear by a nightly dose of Milk of Magnesium; for some a 1/4 cup of pickle juice or vinegar does the trick or Tums for a dose of calcium. Other studies say dehydration is the cause and a glass of water helps.

Tips to Relieve a Cramp

• Pull your toes back towards you (don't point them).
• Try putting your foot on the floor and lean forward to stretch a calf cramp.
• Apply a hot compress to the cramp or take a hot shower/bath
• Massage the cramped muscles

Bottom Line

The most common treatment to prevent leg cramps in bed is stretching exercises. Regular stretching of leg muscles, especially those in the calf, is effective. You should also examine your sleeping posture. If you sleep on your back with tight fitting sheets then your toes are forced to point downwards, compressing the calf. When something triggers the calf to compress even further, there is pain.

Update: June 9

The NY Times has an article today on a similar subject:
Phys Ed: Can Pickle Juice Stop Muscle Cramps?

The conclusion of a scientific study is yes. But no one knows why. The pickle juice or vinegar works within a minute - far too fast for the juice to leave the stomach or enter the bloodstream.

Web Sites

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/nocturnal-leg-cramps-nighttime-calf-muscle-pain.html
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/leg-cramps-in-bed.html
http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Cramps-in-the-Leg.htm

Sleep Apnea

Whenever I want you, all I have to do is dream – song lyrics by the Everly Brothers

A coworker was operated on last week in an attempt to correct his Sleep Apnea, a sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep of ten seconds or more. Each episode of missed breaths is called an apnea. Sometimes Apnea is obvious – a friend tells us her husband will stop breathing for noticeably long periods when asleep; and then restarts with a snort. Sometimes the Apnea is not obvious – who’s going to notice if every few minutes you take 10 seconds between breaths?

Commonly the person with Sleep Apnea has no idea that they are breathing irregularly – the only clue for the sleeper is daytime sleepiness and frequent fatigue caused by poor quality sleep. Apnea reduces the amount of oxygen to the brain and prevents deep sleep that is so refreshing and invigorating. A Wisconsin Sleep Cohort study estimated in 1993 that 1 in 15 Americans have moderate or worse sleep apnea. It also estimated 9% of middle-aged women and 24% of middle-aged men were affected, undiagnosed and untreated.

Snoring is sometimes taken as a sign of Apnea but actually air is moving through your throat while you snore. It’s when you STOP snoring and stop breathing that apnea occurs. What the snoring may tell you is that your throat passageway is narrow and at risk for closure while sleeping.

The test to officially diagnose Sleep Apnea is called a polysomnogram, or "sleep study". The patient is hooked to wires and devices to measure brain waves, breathing, blood oxygen level, eye movement (for REM sleep), leg movements, and chin movement AND then is asked to sleep normally in a hospital bed. Five or more Apnea events per hour is considered clinically significant.

There are two common treatments for Sleep Apnea. I know many people (my father included) who use a CPAP machine (continuous positive air pressure). These machines force air down your throat while sleeping to keep it open and unblocked. The other option is surgery to widen the airway by removing tissue or tightening the muscles alongside it. It’s more expensive but it can cure the problem. By comparison, CPAP cures the symptoms but not the cause and needs to be used the rest of your life.

Bottom Line

If you find yourself tired no matter how much sleep you get, ask your doctor to prescribe a Sleep Study. It’s not cheap, about $7000, but many medical insurers will cover it and the CPAP machine afterwards. The alternative can be death. I know two relatives who fell asleep while driving a car. One caused a major accident with serious injuries; the other woke up after crossing the median but before hitting anything.

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/SleepApnea/SleepApnea_WhatIs.html

PS

Happy Birthday to my Sister!

Not Enough Sleep!

Please turn on your magic beam
Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream.
- lyrics: Mr. Sandman by the Chordettes

Did you know....

· Almost 74% of all Americans do not get enough sleep each night.

· We sleep on average 6.9 hours/day, almost an hour less than a few decades ago; an hour and half less than a century ago. (Eight hours and fifteen minutes is considered ideal.)

· Parents of young children lose an extra hour of sleep each night. (NSF 2004.)

· Sleep problems are reaching epidemic proportions, estimated to be the #1 health related problem in America - (CNN, May 1997.)

· Fatigue's consequences include higher instances of motor vehicle accidents, work-related accidents, decreased productivity and adverse health effects.

· Sleep deprivation can reduce attention and vigilance by 50 percent, decision-making ability by 5 0percent, communication skills by 30 percent, and memory by 20 percent.

· The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that “drowsy driving” causes 100,000 automobile wrecks, 71,000 injuries and 1,550 fatalities each year.

Adults needs about 8 hours of sleep each night to refuel the body, especially the brain. (9-10 hours for children and teenagers.) Certain parts of the body, like muscles, can rejuvenate on just rest alone. However the regeneration of neurons and the formation of lasting memories within the brain required a deep sleep called REM (rapid eye movement).

A person who loses one night’s sleep will generally be irritable and clumsy during the next day and will either become tired easily or speed up because of adrenalin. After missing two night’s sleep, a person will have problems concentrating and will begin to make mistakes on normal tasks. Three missed nights and a person will start to hallucinate and lose grasp of reality. Someone who gets just a few hours of sleep each night occurs a large “sleep debt” and can begin to experience many of the same problems over time. A 1997 study found that people whose sleep was restricted to four to five hours per night for one week needed two full nights of sleep to recover performance, alertness and normal mood. - http://www.sleepdex.org/deficit.htm

Sleep debt weakens the immune system leaving one more susceptible to other diseases and disorders like diabetes, cancer and even the common cold. Sleep debt also causes much stress and, again, stress weakens the immune system - a double whammy.

Bottom Line

Suggestions on how to get more sleep include:

· Purposefully go to bed earlier each night.
· Don’t smoke or drink alcoholic or caffeinated beverages in the hours before bedtime.
· Improve your sleeping environment in any way you can – for example, keep it dark and sound-proof, turn off lights and wear earplugs if you have noisy neighbours.
· Don’t have any distractions in the bedroom such as TV or a computer.
· Use relaxation techniques to help you fall asleep quickly.
· Seek professional assistance for sleep disorders such as snoring.

http://treat-insomnia.com/sleep-deprivation/
http://www.cameraguild.com/safety/sleep-deprivation.htm