It could also be the reverse - chronic inflammation makes you uncomfortable and therefore unable to sleep well.
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Fitful nightly sleep linked to chronic inflammation, hardened arteries
171–180 of 282 posts
Re: Fitful nightly sleep linked to chronic inflammation, hardened arteries
#172It could also be the reverse - chronic inflammation makes you uncomfortable and therefore unable to sleep well.
"... associational results in humans mirror recent data in which experimentally manipulated sleep disruption in mice led to higher levels of circulating inflammation"
Re: Fitful nightly sleep linked to chronic inflammation, hardened arteries
#173There was a period in my life (almost a decade ago) when I was sleeping poorly due to unhealthy work habits and excess caffeine. I was in my 20s and early 30s during this time and felt invincible, but the effects on my body were profound. The damage became so tangible I had no choice but to make a change, and have for the last 5+ years been sleeping normally. I miss those days of nonstop work, I was more productive t…
What was the damage, do you mind sharing?
Re: Fitful nightly sleep linked to chronic inflammation, hardened arteries
#174Earlier quoted context omitted.
I asked a doctor about it and he said that since I'm not obese nor overweight, and I don't regularly wake up gasping, then I'm not a candidate. I've had fitful sleep as far as I can remember. I wake up (and remember it) probably 4-5 times a night and I've been told I toss and turn all the time. I find if I take a calmant or a substance I can sleep through the night. I have chronic inflammation includes Achilles' pain…
BMI of 19 with severe sleep apnea checking in. Never woke up gasping, never struggled staying awake, but I did feel like I enjoyed the occasional afternoon nap, and my partner reported snoring. It’s worth getting checked out. I ended up going the dental appliance route because CPAP machines feel like a torture device to me. Anecdotally it’s made a noticeable difference. Haven’t had a nap in ages.
What does the dental appliance do?
Re: Fitful nightly sleep linked to chronic inflammation, hardened arteries
#175Earlier quoted context omitted.
In my case, I doubled my lung capacity through swimming, which did wonders for my health.
What measurement of lung capacity? That's pretty awesome and maybe I should look into it haha.
Any measurement you like: volume of air, duration I can hold my breath, and most relevantly, how quickly I get "winded".
There are specific swimming exercises you can do, as part of a routine, that build lung capacity.
(Results may not generalize. It worked for me.)
Re: Fitful nightly sleep linked to chronic inflammation, hardened arteries
#176Earlier quoted context omitted.
You're all going to think I am a crazy, but I instead elected to tape my mouth closed with 3m tape right when I go to bed. This to me is superior and should be your first port. Not only did it fix my apnoea and huge lack of energy during the day, but also my chronic sinus issues that had plagued me for years. Its also a lot cheaper, much easier to use / travel with and gets me into a good habit of nose breathing duri…
> You're all going to think I am a crazy It's only crazy that you're not using a medical device that's built for this! Your head's in the right place, though. ;) https://goodmorningsnoresolution.com/ > Mouth breathing is horrendous for your health and well being. I completely agree with this, but using an APAP and breathing through one's mouth are unrelated. There are full-face masks that let one breath through the m…
Have you used this? I wonder if it would be helpful for teeth grinding.
Re: Fitful nightly sleep linked to chronic inflammation, hardened arteries
#177Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm pretty sure healthcare providers everywhere inform people who need to exercise and lose weight that they need to exercise and lose weight. Not really fair to ding them for making money on other treatments for people who can't bring themselves to do it the natural way.
In my experience this is actually rare. I've heard many similar stories to mine here from friends and family, but briefly, my own recent experience with this kind of thing: I saw four doctors across two states trying to resolve a certain medical condition, which happens to be very common, has very negative effects, and has low recovery rates. They prescribed a couple different medications, and mentioned that the diso…
Its not actually less useful, because typically very few people follow through on lifestyle improvements. When I went through medical school they did not skip this -- we were all taught well how much of an impact lifestyle change would affect outcomes across various diseases, and even then how little change was required (e.g. 10 lbs lost makes a drastic difference for those overweight). There is simply a very low uptake of lifestyle change and even then, a large percentage who reject it outright (e.g. the number of people who reject that calories are the primary determinant of weight). Its a cultural thing in that, in America at least, we don't have good cultural norms around food and activity that promote a healthy lifestyle. Which is unfortunate, given that is the primary influence (that we can control, obviously genes matter more) of many chronic health conditions.
Re: Fitful nightly sleep linked to chronic inflammation, hardened arteries
#178Earlier quoted context omitted.
Native speaker and you saved me the effort!
Yeah, "fitful" is a word that sounds good but isn't.
I can see how it'd be interpreted that way at first glance. My read was always that it meant "full of fits", in the way that a child throws a fit or tantrum. So if your sleep is doing that, it's not good.
Re: Fitful nightly sleep linked to chronic inflammation, hardened arteries
#179If your doctor tells you to do a sleep study, do it. If, as a result, they tell you to get a CPAP, get it. Those things are life-changing. I felt like an old man at 50 years old. My back was so stiff I couldn't put on my socks. When I got out of bed in the morning I felt so fragile, like my joints were all inflamed - especially my Achilles' tendons. I was too tired to do anything beyond 6 pm. Now, 51, I feel totally…
This may sound crazy, but for those who can't tolerate a CPAP, an effective alternative is playing the didgeridoo.[1] Anecdotally my wife and kids were complaining about my snoring, and I bought one for $40 off Amazon. Not only has my snoring improved, but my lung capacity has improved. Plus it's just fun to play. [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1360393/
Wow I always wanted to play didgeridoo, but now I definitely want to buy one! Does you have any suggestions on which one to order?
Re: Fitful nightly sleep linked to chronic inflammation, hardened arteries
#180Earlier quoted context omitted.
In my experience this is actually rare. I've heard many similar stories to mine here from friends and family, but briefly, my own recent experience with this kind of thing: I saw four doctors across two states trying to resolve a certain medical condition, which happens to be very common, has very negative effects, and has low recovery rates. They prescribed a couple different medications, and mentioned that the diso…
Its not actually less useful, because typically very few people follow through on lifestyle improvements. When I went through medical school they did not skip this -- we were all taught well how much of an impact lifestyle change would affect outcomes across various diseases, and even then how little change was required (e.g. 10 lbs lost makes a drastic difference for those overweight). There is simply a very low upt…
Interesting to hear that confirmed. (I do mention that it was my best guess in my original comment ;).
It still seems problematic to have it just missing from the presentation of options[0] merely because most people won't follow through, though. The ones who are willing to follow through (probably the ones who care most deeply about resolving the thing) aren't given a fair opportunity.
Additionally, it seems like a self-perpetuating problem: I would bet a significant part of the unwillingness to make lifestyle changes in order to treat medical conditions is a consequence of Americans' expectation that illnesses are treated by medications (which comes in a large part from doctors emphasizing this). The entire situation has a kind of consumerist framing: you get sick, you purchase a thing which you then consume which treats you. That kind of perspective was strongly instilled in me until my experience with type 1 diabetes. Growing up in the U.S., I just thought that's how things worked: our medicine was that good, and it covered most illnesses.
If you go into it with that kind of expectation, it comes off as a very tall order to say, give up pizza. There's this feeling of, "I took my time and money and paid for a doctor, they didn't give me anything, and now they're asking me to do work?"
So maybe it's just a kind of a broken, self-reinforcing cycle. But I suspect it's a little more insidious than that too: there is an obvious financial incentive for things to be structured this way. I have a hard time imagining that has no impact.
[0] Not that it wasn't "brought up," it was in both of my cases. But: not only was it relatively un-emphasized, it was described as "possibly having an effect". The accurate presentation would have been: this can be much more effective than the medicine I can prescribe—but it will also require much more effort from you.