Dr. Deb

My Grandmother found my Uncle face down in a bowl of cereal, sound to sleep, when he was in college.  That same Uncle took us to the Red’s game and fell asleep on the floor of the stadium restaurant right in the middle of the 5th inning. He would do laundry all night long and fall asleep mid conversation during the day. I’ve known that he has sleep apnea my whole life. What I didn’t know is that his sleep apnea would put him in the hospital with heart failure and a cardiac arrhythmia. Read about link between heart disease and sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is a serious medical condition that can also lead to hypertension, weight gain, impotence, headaches and memory problems. It is very common with 1 in 5 adults have some form of snoring or sleep obstructions yet 85% these go undiagnosed and untreated. People with sleep apnea are far more likely to get in car accidents and let us not forget about the bed partners whose own sleep (& sanity) are affected by the snoring.

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As a child I always prided myself on my memory. I could and still can remember specific childhood events as early as age 2 in vivid detail. Things started to blur during residency when I worked 36-hour shifts but nothing destroyed my memory  (as well as other body parts) like children.
The deep slide occurred after the birth of my twins when I boiled my breast pump after forgetting I left it on the stove.  The toxic smell of burnt plastic required the fire department to come and air out our apartment. That certainly ruined my chances for mother of the year. I realized 2 things. Hot soapy water is sufficient to clean a breast pump and hormones made me stupid. Certainly sleep deprivation had much to do with it but I remember the moment that I stood in the kitchen and realized my fantastic memory had slipped and I knew that it was related to my hormones.  Fortunately, my memory returned but I can’t wait to see what happens when I hit menopause.

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As many as 80% of people that made resolutions for 2009 will break them and most don’t make it through the end of January. How do you get back on the wagon if you have broken your New Year resolutions?

First.
Welcome to the club.  Most people in order to change a habit will have to fail many times before it becomes a part of their new lifestyle.  Relapse is a part of recovery as they say In Alcoholics Anonymous.  The important thing is once you experience a small set back, don’t say, “Well I blew it,” and throw in the towel until next year.

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