Laugh and the world laughs with you, snore and you sleep alone.
-- Anthony Burgess
author of A Clockwork Orange
Diabetes increases the risk of sleep disorders.
Not getting enough sleep has also been shown to have a detrimental effect on blood glucose levels, and that's associated with an increased risk for developing Type 2 diabetes.
And so I have been thinking about sleep. Five or so years ago my sleeping pattern changed. I used to be able to sleep straight through the night and late into the morning, but not anymore. These days I am in bed early, and I wake without an alarm by about 4:30 a.m. -- even on the weekend.
I blame perimenopause, which hit in my late 40s. The word perimenopause means "around menopause." It refers to the time when a woman's body makes its natural transition toward permanent infertility, or menopause.
According to the website of the Mayo Clinic (mayoclinic.org), the symptoms of perimenopause include hot flashes and sleep problems. Hot flashes can disrupt sleep, but sleep can become unpredictable even without hot flashes.
Perimenopause brings on declining estrogen levels, which can lead to unfavorable changes in our cholesterol levels. And that can lead to an increased risk of heart disease. It's nature's way, but if you hit perimenopause and the symptoms interfere with sleep enough to make it difficult to conduct your life or feel well doing it, it might be good to see your doctor.
I found an article on the website of Diabetes Forecast magazine (diabetesforecast.org) titled "13 Best Sleep Tips." It states that about 40 percent to 50 percent of people with diabetes complain of poor sleep. That's according to Dr. Kingman Strohl, director of the sleep disorders program at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center.
Among the more troubling culprits is sleep apnea. Strohl writes that you should get tested for sleep apnea if you feel drowsy a lot or your partner says you snort or stop breathing after snoring in your sleep. A sleep study can determine whether you have apnea.
If you have sleep apnea, losing weight can help.
Another sleep killer is restless leg syndrome, which can be caused by high blood glucose levels, thyroid disorders and kidney problems. Look into iron levels. An iron deficiency can also lead to restless leg syndrome. Your doctor might consider prescribing medications, such as those used to treat neuropathy.
And if you smoke, quit already. For heaven's sake, what are you waiting for?
Insomnia, the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep, can be caused such medical disorders or simply because people are troubled or not getting enough exercise.
Diabetes complications can mess up our sleep, too. High blood glucose can cause thirst, frequent urination, headaches and hunger, all of which can wake us up in the night. Low blood glucose can cause hunger, restless sleep, headaches and night sweats.
And neuropathy is high on the list, too. The pain can wake you. I take medication for my neuropathy, and it really helps.
The thing to do is to find the underlying cause of sleeplessness. There may be problems like anxiety or depression that could be treated. The Diabetes Forecast article didn't recommend sleeping pills.
SLEEP HYGIENE
Sleep hygiene is sort of like conditioning yourself to respond to cues in your environment by falling sleep. The article recommends:
• Follow a bedtime routine.
• Avoid stimulants before bed like caffeine, exercise, smoking, housework or other work.
• No alcohol right before bed; it will wake you up later.
• Turn off devices with light sources, even the little colored lights that indicate your devices are turned on. Or put them where you can't see the light.
• Provide a disruption-free environment. Strohl writes, "Maybe it's time to put the dog or cat off the bed at night."
GOOD DEEDS
Doing something for my fellow man helps me to sleep at night. I enjoy volunteering for the Arkansas Rice Depot. It is all about feeding the hungry in our state.
One Saturday each month, my mother and I head to the depot on 65th Street in Little Rock. As part of the Food for Seniors program, we deliver boxes containing a selection of canned and frozen food, health and beauty aids and/or household cleaning products or toilet paper to senior citizens.
The program's mission is to make sure "senior citizens living in poverty don't have to choose between food and medicine."
The Rice Depot also does Food for Kids, Food for Families and The Pack Shack: Crazy Fun Meal Packaging Parties in which churches or organizations come together to pack meals for hunger-relief groups. For an outlay of about $2,500, a group can pack 10,000 meals.
For example, on Jan. 14 a Pack Shack was held at Pleasant Valley Church of Christ in Little Rock. In 45 minutes volunteers packaged more than 50,000 meals for the Food for Kids program. The meal, a cheesy rice-and-vegetable dried mix, offers 10 grams of protein and 19 vitamins and minerals, all for about 25 cents.
For information about hosting a Pack Shack party, go to RiceDepot.org.
Email me at:
rboggs@arkansasonline.com
ActiveStyle on 03/09/2015