Getting sleepy

At the Community Room of Unity Gardens, Windham, Oct. 26, after a nice Italian sandwich luncheon (with ripe olive halves on top of the cheese and ham!) the speaker was John Murray of the ME Sleep Institute, whose topic was “Sleeping Patterns and Aging.”

He told us that when old, we need 10 hours in bed, for eight hours of sleep. He said that we used to think of snoring as macho, but we now know that it increases our rate of breathing and our blood pressure. He said that 27 percent of women and 19 percent of men have sleep apnea (obstruction of the airways), and nasal obstructions can cause the snoring. The Greek word, apnea, means “want of breath.” Many people with sleep apnea may be unaware of the problem.

He had several pamphlets, including Facts About Restless Legs; Sleep Apnea; Can’t Sleep?; Learn About Insomnia; Sleep in Women; OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea) and Stroke; and Drowsy Driving.

Pages from the National Sleep Foundation gave some good advice.

At night:

Establish a regular bedtime routine and a regular sleep-wake schedule. That means getting up at the same time every day of the week, no matter how much you’ve slept the night before, and going to bed at about the same time.

Don’t spend too much time in bed. Your time in bed should be about the same as the amount of time you can actually sleep during the night. You can’t force yourself to sleep by spending more time in bed.

Do not eat or drink too much before bedtime.

Create a sleep-promoting environment that is quiet, dark, cool and comfortable.

During the day:

Consume less or no caffeine, particularly late in the day.

Avoid alcohol and nicotine, especially close to bedtime.

Exercise, but not within three hours before bedtime.

Avoid naps, particularly in the late afternoon or evening.

Establish a regular bedtime and get up at the same time every day. Do not stay in bed to make up for lost sleep or beyond your regular rise time.

Keep a sleep diary to identify your sleep habits and patterns that you can share with your doctor.

Several in the audience had questions about their problems. The RLS (Restless Legs Syndrome) article was of interest to some of us.

RLS is defined as an urge to move the legs, often accompanied by uncomfortable sensations in the legs, usually described as a creeping or crawling feeling, but sometimes as a tingling, cramping, burning or just pain. There is a need to move the legs to relieve the discomfort, by stretching or bending, rubbing the legs, tossing or turning in bed, or getting up and pacing the floor. Moving usually offers some temporary relief of symptoms.

According to the National Center on Sleep Disorders research, “restless legs syndrome is a common, under-diagnosed, and treatable condition. It affects about 10 percent of adults in North America and Europe with rates increasing with age. Lower prevalence has been found in India, Japan and Singapore, indicating that racial or ethnic factors are associated with RLS”.

It was a helpful lecture, with many of us aware of some of the symptoms described.

Rereading some favorite poems

I usually go to bed early and read, until I listen to the 11 p.m. TV news. Last week I expected to peruse an armful of newspapers, as I often do, at bedtime. But that night I spied my copy of Caroline Kennedy’s book of her mother’s favorite poems, and the newspapers were forgotten. The book, “The Best-Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis,” is delightful, and many of the poems Jackie had read to her children, Caroline and John.

Many of the poems are my favorites, too – several by Robert Louis Stevenson, Henry W. Longfellow’s “Paul Revere’s Ride.” John Masefield’s “Sea-Fever” (“I must go down to the sea again, to the lonely sea and the sky, and all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by)”. Also, Langston Hughes’ “Merry-Go-Round (“Where, is the Jim Crow section on the merry-go-round, Mister, cause I want to ride?” The last lines are, “But there ain’t no back to a merry-go-round. Where’s the horse for a kid that’s black?”

There are also poems by Emily Dickinson, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Shakespeare and early Greek poets. It is a varied selection, and beautifully illustrated with pictures of the Kennedy children, and of Jackie and John F. Kennedy.

I suggest mothers and grandmothers buy and read this to the youngsters in your families. The Kennedy children memorized many of them. You might suggest that to your young people, too.

Easy and versatile

This recipe is one we used in July 1985, and was served at a family party at Florence Wing’s mother’s cottage on Concord Pond, Woodstock, near her farmhouse at Milton Plantation. It was enjoyed by all her family members, as was Mrs. Billings’ huge pot of home-baked beans.

PEANUT BUTTER BROWNIES

1-1/2 cups sugar

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup Crisco

3 eggs

1 cup chocolate bits (6 ounce package)

Mix together and bake at 350 degrees for 1/2 hour.

Florence’s niece, Brenda Billings Wight, who brought this delicious dessert, said you can substitute walnuts instead of the bits, or a combination of coconut, nuts, bits, etc.

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