Good sleep, good health

Many health issues can interfere with our sleep: anxiety, depression, pain such as arthritis, medication side effects, bathroom runs, insomnia, sleep apnea, and restless legs syndrome. It’s a wonder we ever get a good night’s sleep. It’s estimated between 40% and 70% of older adults have chronic sleep issues that can significantly interfere with their daily activities and reduce their quality of life.

No matter the reason, if you don’t get a good night’s sleep, you may feel more irritable, depressed, or forgetful, and be at a higher risk for falls or accidents.

So, what can you do to help get a good night’s sleep?

If you are having trouble sleeping, here are a few tips from the National Institute on Aging for developing healthy bedtime habits, so you can get the seven to nine hours that most of us need to stay healthy and alert.

• Follow a regular sleep schedule.

• Avoid napping in the late afternoon or evening. That means no later than 3:00 PM and no longer than 30 minutes.

• Develop a bedtime routine. A relaxing book? Soothing music? A warm bath?

• Don’t watch television or use your computer, cell phone, or tablet in the bedroom.

• Turn off electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime.

• Keep your bedroom at a comfortable temperature. Hopefully, both you and your partner agree on that temperature!

• Avoid eating large meals close to bedtime.

• And the obvious: stay away from caffeine late in the day.

There are also a couple of tricks to try if you’re having difficulty falling asleep.

• Count slowly to 100 — and it doesn’t need to be sheep!

• Relax your body by imagining your toes are completely relaxed, then your feet, then your ankles, all the way up the rest of your body. You may drift off to sleep before getting to the top of your head.

• If 20 minutes after turning off the light, you’re still awake and not drowsy, get out of bed. And then when you feel sleepy, which is hopefully before the sun rises, go back to bed.

If you find it hard to get enough sleep, feel tired, and are unable to do your usual activities for more than two or three weeks, it may be time to see a doctor to determine if you have a sleep problem and what changes you can try.

Sleep is more than a human need; it is a vital aspect of maintaining our overall health. As Thomas Dekker once said, “Sleep is that golden chain that ties health and our bodies together.”

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Brain Teases are not just fun and frustration. They can boost cognitive agility, critical thinking, and creativity by challenging assumptions and encouraging lateral thinking. Try these two. 

1.    What five-letter word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?

2.    If I am holding a bee, what do I have in my eye?

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The title of the live-action sitcom that starred a real-life couple and their two sons, David and Ricky—who several readers said was an absolute dreamboat, was The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. I received correct answers from Donna Mollet, Bruce Johnson, Judy Kiser, Debbie Medina, Doug Nelson, Tina Castanares, Glenna Mahurin, Rhonda Spies, Eva Summers, Rebecca Abrams, Dave Lutgens, Pat Evenson-Brady, Lana Tepfer, and Barbara Cadwell, who is this week’s winner of a quilt raffle ticket.

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Last week, while I was lost in the fifth dimension, I missed Keith Clymer, Bruce Johnson, Becky Podvent, and Pat Evenson-Brady.

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I often think of this children’s rhyme when I go walking through the neighborhood. For this week’s “Remember When” question, if you step on a crack, what terrible mishap will occur? Email your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-980-4645, or send it with your own superstitious rhyme for older adults.

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Well, it’s been another week, trying to follow my own advice. Until we meet again, as I tell myself every time I head to the pool, “don’t let the fear of looking bad stop you.”

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“If you don’t get everything you want, think of all the things you don’t get that you don’t want.”

— Oscar Wilde

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Nutritious home-delivered and in-person meals are available at noon Monday through Friday unless otherwise noted.

Seniors of Mosier Valley (541-980-1157) — Wednesdays with music on second and fourth Wednesdays; Mt. Hood Town Hall (541-308-5997) — Tuesdays; Hood River Valley Adult Center (541-386-2060); Sherman County Senior and Community Center (541-565-3191); The Dalles Meals-on-Wheels (541-298-8333).

For meal sites in Washington, call Klickitat County Senior Services: Goldendale office (509-773-3757) or the White Salmon office (509-493-3068), and in Skamania County call Senior Services (509-427-3990).