how do I avoid hardening my arteries?
Eat fibre and healthy fats like salmon or avocado, don't eat too much, and exercise enough to raise your heart rate often.
Fitful nightly sleep linked to chronic inflammation, hardened arteries
241–250 of 282 posts
Re: Fitful nightly sleep linked to chronic inflammation, hardened arteries
#242Earlier quoted context omitted.
Same goes for myopia and crooked teeth. I've asked my optometrists and orthodontists what cause these problems and just got shrugs and big bills.
Academic research seems pretty confident now (in the last few years) that myopia is mostly caused by lack of exposure to daylight when very young.
My impression (from briefly skimming papers about this a few years ago) was that there is clear evidence that myopia is strongly related to not spending enough time outside as a child, but it’s not clear to what extent the effect being outside has on eye development is from focusing the eyes far away vs. being in very bright surroundings.
Re: Fitful nightly sleep linked to chronic inflammation, hardened arteries
#243Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sacrificed months of productivity to fast off 70 pounds in hope it would fix sleep apnea. It didn't.
I snored so loudly that when I was in basic training that they made me sleep all of the way at the opposite end of the open-bay barracks we were in. I was 18 and near the height of physical perfection. As far back as 10 years old I remember feeling miserable every single morning even after getting a full night's sleep. At age 35 I got a CPAP and finally fixed a quarter century of piss-poor sleep.
Another good idea if you snore, is to literally tape your mouth closed at night. This feels super weird at first but it seems to have many positive effects for some people.
I was a HUGE snorer and rarely felt fully rested from 8 hours of sleep, woke up sore etc. Now my quality and quantity of sleep is totally different, it's really amazing.
It might not solve everyone's problems, especially if you have something really badly wrong, but it's a near-free, easy intervention and it probably won't hurt you to try it for a few nights. They make fancy tape, purpose-built for this, such as [0], but you could probably also use scotch tape or masking tape or whatever you have.
Also interestingly, after 2 weeks of taping, I developed the habit of sleeping with closed mouth even without the tape, so arguably this has cured my snoring permanently. This is the closest thing to "one weird trick" which I've ever seen in real life.
Re: Fitful nightly sleep linked to chronic inflammation, hardened arteries
#244Earlier quoted context omitted.
When I say the same thing about Prozac, people react with anger. It's strange. A sleep study is definitely one of the best things I ever did. It helped uncover some undiagnosed narcolepsy, and I've been able to manage it since then. Even knowing that it existed was helpful. (For example, lots of stress was caused by getting jobs that expect you to have your butt in the seat from 9am to 5pm. Other jobs exist.) So yes.…
I'm glad Prozac worked for you. It made me impotent in my 20s and I felt like I was being dropped down an elevator shaft for months after discontinuing it.
Luckily, there are a lot of different anti-depressants out there that work better for some folks than others. Unfortunately, we aren't yet knowledgeable enough to know who will get a bad reaction before it happens.
I'm horribly sorry you've had such an extreme reaction. Hopefully, though, you've found some things that work for you.
Re: Fitful nightly sleep linked to chronic inflammation, hardened arteries
#245Earlier 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.
Same. When I was 28, I presented with terrible TMJ pain. Turns out my sleep apnea led to grinding my teeth at night, putting horrible strain on my TMJ all night. Got a mandibular advancement device (MAD) and fixed both issues in like day. Changed my life, slept great, felt great. But, these devices only work for 8-10 years before your jaw permanently changes and your bit starts misaligning your teeth. So I slowly transitioned over to CPAP when I felt my teeth no longer snapped back into place in the morning. After 3 years of CPAP and no MAD, my jaw is 95% back to normal. So keep that in mind. I'd also recommend getting a back-up dental appliance in case yours breaks, or learning how to use CPAP now while you don't need it. Some of the worst stress of my life was when my MAD broke and it took months to get a new one...ugh, I still have latent traumatic responses thinking about that point in my life. I had moved jobs and insurance so finding someone who would do it required significant searching. Medical insurance hates paying for MADs, you gotta make sure you have a solid TMJ disorder diagnosis from an MD and then find a dentist that will do it.
Re: Fitful nightly sleep linked to chronic inflammation, hardened arteries
#246Earlier quoted context omitted.
I snored so loudly that when I was in basic training that they made me sleep all of the way at the opposite end of the open-bay barracks we were in. I was 18 and near the height of physical perfection. As far back as 10 years old I remember feeling miserable every single morning even after getting a full night's sleep. At age 35 I got a CPAP and finally fixed a quarter century of piss-poor sleep.
Another good idea if you snore, is to literally tape your mouth closed at night. This feels super weird at first but it seems to have many positive effects for some people. I was a HUGE snorer and rarely felt fully rested from 8 hours of sleep, woke up sore etc. Now my quality and quantity of sleep is totally different, it's really amazing. It might not solve everyone's problems, especially if you have something real…
I second this. I've been taping my mouth closed at night for the past year, and it has improved my sleep dramatically -- completely eliminated my snoring and drooling.
I found surgical micropore tape to be best. It's cheap, breathable, and easy to obtain. From trial and error, my two main recommendations are to first apply it to the back of your hand to reduce the adhesiveness, and fold a corner over before applying. Both of these make it much more convenient to remove, particularly if you need to do so in a hurry (e.g. needing to sneeze).
Re: Fitful nightly sleep linked to chronic inflammation, hardened arteries
#247Earlier quoted context omitted.
Dreem is the only thing I know of. Pricy though. https://dreem.com/en
This review of dreem on reedit is comprehensive. Seems like its the best sleep tracker you can buy. https://www.reddit.com/r/ouraring/comments/e3l1jl/30_nights_... Just found this code online for a 20% off NOOEONDVV
Just bought one and found out you can use a referral code also to get 20% off ZKWGLYBWP until the lock down ends. I would get $25 if you use it (full disclosure).
Re: Fitful nightly sleep linked to chronic inflammation, hardened arteries
#248If 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/
Great tip, thanks! I ordered one as well. I've had respiratory issues since I was a child and this sounds like a fun way to work on it.
I love the didgeridoo. One of my favorite albums to listen to while working is Aphex Twin's 'Digeridoo'. It's worth checking out.
Re: Fitful nightly sleep linked to chronic inflammation, hardened arteries
#249Re: Fitful nightly sleep linked to chronic inflammation, hardened arteries
#250Fitful : Occurring in or characterized by intermittent bursts, as of activity; irregular. https://www.wordnik.com/words/fitful I am not a native speaker and had to look it up.
I am a native speaker and I had to look it up as well.
Interesting how different folks have different experiences for base vocabulary. “Fitful” is a word I’ve probably known since ... heck, I cannot recall when I learned it. Alternatively, I was in my 20s when offered a lasagne for a cough and had no idea what the person was offering. The room looked at me quizzically until I realized it was what I’ve always called a cough drop. Similar with “faux pas” when I first heard it around the same age. And laniard.