The Snoo, a smart cot with built-in soothing sensors, and microphones to detect crying, is one for the sleep-deprived baby… and its parents, says Ian Tucker
The deaths of 10 people in the past week of a mysterious disease in several cities in Venezuela, including the capital of Caracas, have caused panic within the population and has prompted doctors to sound the alarm.
Every time I watch these clips, I think to myself.. Would I have slowed down or just kept going full speed without seeing 2 feet in front of me.. hmmm
Agreed, but if everyone had the common sense to slow down when they see a massive fog with zero visibility up ahead the chances of getting hit from behind would fall dramatically.
Will you sleep in? On November 6, we must switch our clocks back one hour, as we move from Daylight Saving Time to Standard Time.
Daylight Saving Time, or DST, is the period of the year when clocks are moved one hour ahead, creating more sunlit hours in the evening during months when the weather is the warmest (“spring forward”). When we return to Standard Time, or ST, in November, we move them back by one hour (“fall back”).
The current rules for DST went into effect in 2007 in the US, representing a change for the first time in more than 20 years. They were enacted by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which extended the length of DST by one month, for a duration of about 65% of the year, in the interest of reducing energy consumption. At present, Daylight Saving Time in the United States begins at 2:00 a.m. on the second Sunday of March and ends at 2:00 a.m. on the first Sunday of November.
At this time of year, the transition from DST to ST effectively moves one hour of daylight from the evening to the morning. To help ease your adjustment to standard time:
• Maintain your regular bedtime Saturday night, when clocks move back, and awaken at your regular time on Sunday morning, giving you an “extra” hour of sleep the next morning;
• Block out light and keep your sleeping area dark. Since the sun rises about an hour earlier during Standard Time, your sleep can be impacted, especially for people accustomed to awakening before or around sunrise. The light itself can disturb sleep, so it is always best to sleep in a darkened room;
• Increase the light when you wake up. Light has an alerting affect that may help you wake up, and will also help adjust your biological clock to the “new” sleep schedule.
If you generally have difficulty adjusting to the time change in the fall, gradually move bedtime and awakening later by 15 minutes every one to two days until November 6.
Don’t forget to “fall back” November 6th, and enjoy the extra hour of sleep. Remember, this might be a good opportunity to think about whether you’re sleeping enough.
It seems more and more in the media we are hearing about the increasing rise in Sleep Apnea! Why is that? What is Sleep Apnea? Do I have it? These are all questions that come to mind every time another commercial, news story or article touts the problems and cures for this condition.
One of the primary reasons sleep apnea is on the rise in our country is because of the increase in obesity. There is a direct correlation between weight and severity of sleep apnea. Interestingly though even thin, athletic people can suffer from sleep apnea due to their anatomy. So it can really affect anyone!
The common symptoms of Sleep Apnea are loud snoring, observed pauses or stops in breathing at night, daytime tiredness, high blood pressure and morning headaches.
Sleep Apnea is caused by an obstruction of airflow to the lungs during sleep. It is often accompanied by very loud snoring followed by pauses in breathing for longer than 10 seconds. As we reach a deep level of sleep, our muscle tone relaxes and we rest. However, when we loose muscle tone, this can cause obstruction of airflow if there is excessive tissue collapsing in the back of the throat. This causes a decrease in oxygen to the body, stressing our heart, and making us to wake into a lighter level of sleep to open our airway. Therefore, our sleep is disrupted and we wake up tired and not refreshed.
The least invasive and most effective treatment is CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure). CPAP relieves the obstruction by delivering positive pressure, via a mask while you sleep. The problem with this approach is that it is only tolerated about half the time.
Fortunately, over the last 10 years several minimally invasive procedures have been developed which improve nasal and oral airflow and help alleviate the obstruction caused during sleep. These procedures can be done in the office, under local anesthesia and you can return to regular activities that same day.
If you are suffering from constant fatigue, have been told you snore loudly or stop breathing at night, or just are concerned that you aren’t getting good sleep? Give us a call. (1-855DrSnore). A simple at home sleep study can confirm if you have Sleep Apnea and then a board certified ENT can discuss your options and get you on your way to sleeping better that day!
Posted on April 30, 2013 September 19, 2018 Author Dr. Craig SchwimmerCategories Blog, Featured, Pillar Procedure, Sleep, The Snoring CenterTags Breathing, Health, Pillar Procedure, Sleep Apnea, Sleep Deprevation, Snoring Center, The Snoring Center