Do you ever have trouble sleeping? Recently I have, and it’s not because I haven’t slept in my own bed for two weeks — at least I don’t think so! I tried counting sheep, and cows and bucking broncos, but that didn’t help.
So, what can you do to fall asleep? Here are a few tips from the National Institute on Aging for developing healthy bedtime habits to 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 p.m. and no longer than 30 minutes.
• Develop a bedtime routine. A relaxing book? Soothing music? A bath?
• Avoid watching television or using electronic devices in the bedroom.
• 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 help you fall asleep besides counting to 100.
• 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.
• 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.
Difficulty sleeping could be a symptom of another issue, so if you have trouble getting enough sleep, or feel tired, for more than two or three weeks, it may be time to see a doctor.
After I wrote about the value of preserving our memories, Barb Weiford wrote me about how her sister recorded their 97-year-old mother’s stories and memories using a program called StoryWorth. Every week their mom was asked a question suggested by the company: “How did you meet Dad?” “What was your favorite vacation?”
The stories could be submitted by email, by phone as a voice recording, or directly on the website. After a year, StoryWorth compiles the stories into a hardcover book.
There are several other companies you can find online, but whichever one you choose, it can be a wonderful way to keep those precious memories alive.
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Brain Tease: These two sequence puzzles are for anyone who likes a challenge and has time to spend two hours before giving up!
Sequence: 1, 2, 6, 21, 88, __
Sequence: 4, 7, 13, 25, 49, __
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Those who answered Dr. Spock played by Leonard Nimoy for the question, “Who said, ‘Live long and prosper,’” were Steven Woolpert, Bruce Johnson, Eva Summers, Donna Mollet, Tina Castanares, Shelley Hinatsu, Judy Kiser, Mike Nagle, Doug Nelson, Patty Jo McCarthy, Becky Podvent, Pat Evenson-Brady, Rebecca Abrams and Lana Tepfer, who was last week’s winner of a quilt raffle ticket.
The name of the camp in the 1963 novelty song that began with “Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh!” was Camp Grenada. For that question, I received correct answers from Stephen Woolpert, Jay Waterbury, Bruce Johnson, Doug Nelson, Patty Powell, Eva Summers, Judy Kiser, Marny Weting, Shelley Hinatsu, Rhonda Spies, Becky Podvent, Rebecca Abrams, Tom Schaefer, Lana Tepfer, Debbie Medina, Patricia Haupt, Patti Jo McCarthy and this week’s winner, Donna Mollet.
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My wife and I had a wonderful trip driving to California to visit our children and our 9-month-old granddaughter. Altogether, we drove seven days, and we would never have made it without relying on Apple Maps for directions: “Stay in the middle two lanes and at the next light turn left … Turn left!”
When we were younger, before GPS and digital maps, we used paper road maps. But I also remember my parents using a printed planning guide the local AAA travel agent made, showing the exact route, highlighted page by page, including mileage markers, estimated driving times, and road construction warnings. Flipping through the pages was a much different experience than relying on a digital map.
Which brings me to this week’s “Remember When” question. What was the name of these AAA travel guides? Email your answer to www.mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-980-4645, or send it with a travel guide from the 1950s.
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Well, it’s been another week, trying to keep one foot in front of the other. Until we meet again, no matter how enjoyable a trip is, it always feels good to be back home.
Our stay in South San Francisco reminded me of this quote attributed to Mark Twain: “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.”
Answers:
1.) 445. 1x1+1=2, 2x2+2=6, 6x3+3=21, 21x4+4=88, 88x5+5=445.
2.) 97. Double the difference of the two adjacent digits and add it to the second of the two digits, and repeat.
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