Spring has bloomed and with it the pollen levels have reached some of the highest levels of the year.  For many people this is the time of year where breathing and snoring are at their worst.  The minute you lie down you feel pressure on your forehead and your nose clogs up.  If you snore it is loud and more disruptive than usual.  If you use a CPAP this is the time of year when you are most likely to give up using it. 

 

Finding solutions to these problems can be challenging.  You know you want to feel good and rest is an important part of that but you are not sure what you can do to help yourself.  There are a few things you can do that will help you. 

• This is the time of year that you should make sure you change the filter in your heating and cooling system.  Using a HEPA filter maybe useful for those with severe allergies because it will capture more pollen, dust and mold spores. 
• Use an anti-shed shampoo on your pets.  This is the time of year where they shed their winter coats and start to grow their summer coats.  You want to make sure that their dander is limited so as not to irritate your nose.
• Make sure you are well hydrated.  This helps your body to function better and will help thin secretions. 
• Using salt water to gargle or using a Neti pot may help some people as the salt water will help to decrease the swelling in your nose and throat.  You can also use a nasal saline spray to help keep your nose from drying out and keep swelling down.
• Talk to your doctor.  The best solutions may be an allergy medication, but these can interact with other medications you are taking and you should always talk to your doctor before starting a new medication

If you are using a CPAP machine this is the time of year to think about cleaning your equipment.  The warm water that is in the humidifier is a great way to grow interesting things.

• Your humidifier chamber and hose should be changed every 6 months.  In between you should be washing it once a week with soap and water and then soaking it for 20 minutes in 1 part white vinegar and 3 parts water.  Make sure you rinse it well or you will be smelling the vinegar all week
• Your filters should be changed as well.  Different manufacturers use different type of filters so make sure you check with your DME company as to how often you should change your filter.
• Turn up the humidifier if you are having congestion issues.  Higher humidity helps to reduce the swelling in your nose and sinuses making it more comfortable.  A home humidifier will not affect your machine.

Spring is a wonderful time of year but allergies can have an effect on your sleep.  It is important to take care of these issues earlier rather than later.  Sleep deprivation can have hazardous effects on your health and ability to enjoy the wonderful weather that spring brings with it.

This is a review of the Bodymedia Fit.  I have owned mine for a little over the year and have in no way received any request for this review or any products from the company. 

A year ago I started wearing the Link, also known as the Body Bugg from the Biggest Loser television show.  I want some help to figure out why I have so much difficulty losing weight.  It would also tell me how much sleep I have gotten the night before, great side effect for a curious sleep technologist.  You than download it to the website.  This tells you how many calories you burned, how many steps you too and how well you slept.  They also give you a place to track your food. 

This technology works using several different ways to monitor your activity.  It monitors movement via actigraphy as well as monitoring the body heat you produce.  Using both these ways is more accurate than either one alone.  You upload the recording to the website.   The programs give you graphs that allow you to evaluate your activity level.

The bad part of the sleep graph is it just tells you when it thinks you are asleep and when you are awake.  It does not monitor your sleep stages and it does not take into account movements you might have in your sleep.  In most cases if you know your basic sleep cycles you can see that your movements usually coincide with REM cycles.  Most people change positions prior to going into REM and coming out of REM.  It also how long it takes to fall asleep. 

So how does this information get used?  That is up to the individual.  I personally use it to monitor my calories, steps how long it takes me to go to sleep.  I already know I have chronic sleep maintenance insomnia due to medications I need to take, so I am more interested in how long it takes me to go to sleep and if I have any long periods of time that I was awake during the night.  I look to see if there is a correlation with my activity or food that could cause my issues, so I can make changes.

The bottom line is if you are a geek like me and want to know if there are correlations between your behavior and your sleep this may be for you.  If you want accountability or if you are motivated to compete against yourself that this might be a tool for you.  If you are hoping that it will tell you what is going on in your day or give you coaching information than this is not the tool for you. 

I have received no products or services for this review.

Fitness is an important part of change in a person’s health.  In order to minimize injury and to obtain the optimal benefit to your hard work proper sleep is absolutely necessary.  When you exert your body it is important for your recovery to make sure you are getting enough sleep.

During the night you go through different stages of sleep.   Your body goes through different stages of sleep throughout the night.  During the first third of the night we go into slow wave sleep.  This is the time of sleep where we repair our body.  The most essential part of recovery after an especially hard work out is the time for our muscles to heal and grow. 

In order to take advantage of the best stages of sleep for your needs you need to create a routine that meets them.  Since you want to take advantage of the healing time you have to plan to fall asleep rather early.  To do this you need to plan ways to unwind before you go to bed.  Practicing deep diaphragmatic breathing is a great way to help gear your body to unwind.  By doing these exercise 6 to 10 breaths a night you will recruit airways you do not usually use and will increase the level of oxygen available to your body. 

The best way to perform diaphragmatic breathing is to lay down and place your hands at the bottom of the rib cage.   You want to fill your lungs by pushing your hands out.  You want to take this breath in slowly.  At the top of the breath you want to hold it for 2 counts which will allow you to equalize pressure throughout the lung including the less used areas.  Then you slowly exhale through pursed lips.  That slight back pressure helps to keep those airways open.  If you have need for those airways they are easier to access when I need that extra big breath during a run or when you are lifting.

You also need to take advantage of light and dark.  Our body really does run on light and dark and the excess light especially prior to sleep will make it very difficult to fall also and you might miss some important slow wave sleep.  So turning off light producing product 30 minutes prior to going to bed will be helpful.  In younger athletes helping them to develop the ability to sleep without electronics will help them to grow, heal and be strong.

Ending your sleep too soon robs your brain of the chance to go into REM.  During this period of sleep our short term memory shifts to long term memory.  This is essential and is more productive than cramming for a test or big presentation.   Getting the proper amount of sleep allows your brain to process all the information and make it easier to access when you need it.  When you are sleep deprived because you have missed stages of sleep. 

Ultimately being athletic is a combination of proper nutrition, exercise and rest.  Because there are much more specific needs that can lead to injury being aware of your sleep and your physical need which may be more than the average person your age due to the need for healing.  Do not skim on this because the side effects of sleep deprivation will decrease your ability to compete the way you want to.

If you have sleep apnea and are using a CPAP machine than you know that there can be issues that make this therapy difficult to use.  Sometimes you can find support to resolve these issues and sometimes there are solutions that your doctor, sleep tech or respiratory therapist may not be aware of.  Researching this on the internet can be equally as baffling because of all the contradictory information.  There are however some solutions that might solve some common problems when using CPAP.   

 One of the biggest issues people have is with their mask.  During the first thirty days after receiving your machine you can change your mask at no cost just by calling the company that set up your machine.  After that if you want to change your mask you need to get a prescription from your doctor.  In many cases your sleep lab or your sleep doctor can bring you in to try out different masks and than write a prescription and send it to the DME company. 

If the mask leaks or if you are developing a sore on the bridge of your nose a device called a Gecko nasal pad will help to reduce leaks around the nose and will take the pressure off your skin.  Remzzz makes a full face mask liner that will also assist with this problem. 

If you are developing dry mouth or a dry nose and you have increased your humidifier as high as it can go than you may want to ask about a heated tube.  In certain machines they can be added to help increase humidity without water raining out into the tubing. 

If you are finding that your face is breaking out where the mask sits than there can be a couple of solutions to this problem.  You are not washing your mask cushion every day or you may be using a soap that is too harsh.  Make sure you wash the mask with something you can also wash your face with.  Make sure it is rinsed well and air dried.  You also need to make sure you are changing your mask and mask cushion frequently enough.  If you go too long the cushion begins to get brittle and will develop leaks, you will than tighten it too tight which will than cause problems with your face.

If you are a side sleeper, than you might like the new sleep pillows that several companies have created.  They have great support while having cut outs that allow you to roll on your side without the mask becoming dislodged and leak. 

If you are unable to tolerate the pressure, than you might be a candidate for an oral appliance.  Sometimes they will replace the CPAP and sometimes you can use them in conjunction with the machine to reduce the pressure.  There are many different types of oral appliances and they should be created by a dentist trained in sleep specific oral appliances. 

The most important thing you can do is talk to those who are there to help you.  Discussing your problems with the sleep doctor, sleep lab or DME company is the best way to solve your problems.  CPAP therapy is long term therapy and we understand that it sometimes takes a little time to get used to it.  It is the job of the professionals to help you adapt to the therapy and if you can not than to help you find an option that will work best for you. 

I I was chatting with some technicians the other night who were concerned about remembering everything they needed for taking their test.  As I was talking with them I realized no one had ever taught them how to study or how to take a standardized test effectively.  This surprised me since we have to take so many tests in this day and age.  So where did the lessons in how to manage our time effectively go.  I am not sure, but I thought I would share some of the best tips and tricks I was taught to help me study.

 

• The more senses we use the better we will retain something.  For the information that is black and white such as formulas and definitions if you copy and say them out loud 10 times you are about 80% likely to retain that information.  I use note cards for the information so I am killing three birds with one stone.  So I am reading, writing and saying out loud ( not whispered in my head) the definition I need to retain.
• When you are planning for a test you should always look to see if they have a layout of the test or a blueprint.  This will allow you to spend your time effectively.  If 50% of the test is on 1 or 2 topics than 50% of your study time should go into that topic however if 10% of the test is on a subject you should only spend 10% of that time studying that topic. 
• Always start studying by taking a sample test.  This lets you know what your strengths and weaknesses are.  You will be amazed what you actually know.
• Always read the answers before you read the question.  This allows your brain to know what answers are available and will search for the correct answer to the question.
• Make sure if there is a specific book they suggest you use that you have access to a copy of it.  If it is a sleep test you should have an AASM scoring manual and the Articles written by the AASM on titrations.  If it respiratory therapy you should use the texts that your school uses and check the NBRC and AAST websites for articles on new therapies and standard procedures for delivery.
• Give yourself enough time to study.  You should start studying for a test 6 months prior to the test.  If it is a test you can take upon graduation than you should take it as soon as possible.  The longer you wait the more information you will loose.  However if you are preparing for a test where you are not taking a course than you should spend at least 6 months preparing and studying a little each day.  Cramming will do nothing but make you nervous and you will not retain the material you need. 
• Always sleep well while you are studying.  You all know that if you do not sleep well the information will not move from short term memory to long term memory.

Standardized testing is a way of life if you want to work in the healthcare field.  Using some simple study skills makes your time more effective and you have a better chance of passing the first time.  Remember that the person who passes with a perfect score and the person who passes by 1 point will still have the same credentials.  This is about testing your knowledge about your chosen field and not a way of torturing you.