Travel Blog

It is not difficult to travel with a CPAP machine if you are organized! That is one of the things that I have learned over the past year with my CPAP machine. Yes you have to bring or carry an extra bag, but it is certainly worth it to have a good nights sleep and carry it with you. There are a couple of tips that some readers may find useful which we will cover in just a moment. the main thing is to ensure that you always have it with you and your hoses and straps are in good condition.

The last thing you want is for one of them to break while you are away from home and then you are unable to use the machine at all. While we have never encountered this problem, it is time we carried spares with us since it is now two years old and the plastic of the hose and mask could be a little brittle.

Always wash the mask every day with mild soap and water to keep it clean and smelling nice. Wash the hoses once a week at a minimum to avoid any further issues  as well.

CPAP Machine Travel – Bring Water

Always bring extra water with you for the humidifier. The instruction booklet strongly recommends distilled water which is the cleanest you can find. It will not add any dirt, grit or anything else to your lungs which could be in natural tap water.

CPAP Machine Travel – Bring an Extension Chord

This is probably the most important tip of all. Always bring an extension chord with you. It is amazing how electrical outlets are arranged in hotel rooms. they are often no where near the head of the bed and only an extension chord will allow you to place the machine close to you on the side table. We even found that some of the more modern hotels are short on outlets and an extension chord is required.

For more information about CPAP machines and getting used to using them, click here.

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Smart phones are a wonderful tool, however more and more people are finding that they need to let their Smartphone Sleep on the Couch so they can get a good night sleep. If you bring your phone to bed with you are you listening for the familiar notification when a new email arrives?  Or an alert that signifies something you are tracking has been updated. Any of these things can be distracting. They can ruin your sleep as well as that of your partner. This can leave you tired with low energy and unable to concentrate properly on the job or the daily tasks at hand.

Smartphone Sleep on the Couch – Turn it Off

There are a number of solutions to dealing with this problem. The main focus is to get a good nights sleep and really the best solution is to leave your smart phone in another room, where it cannot be heard. If you have a tendency to also use it to read books or articles, the news etc when you cannot sleep it really should not be on your smart phone. The light tends to wake us up even more and cause us to get used to waking up in the middle of the night. If you do this often enough, you establish a pattern and your body becomes trained to wake up in the middle of the night.

Smartphone Sleep on the Couch – Set it to Not Disturb

I have an iPhone and regularly take it to bed with me. It sits on the night stand ready for me to grab it at any time. I use the built in alarm to wake me up in the morning. I also set the phone to night time do not disturb mode. This has the phone turn off all notifications and alerts. As a result there are no interruptions that can wake you up. I specifically do read in the middle of the night although I have lots of good books on my phone. This is a personal rule that I have made to help me sleep at night. I want to avoid getting into the habit of waking up in the middle of the night.

Several links to other sleep related posts may be helpful, click here.

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We recently visited Logan’s Roadhouse in Wilkes Barre, PA and were not disappointed. They had the usual ice cold beer, the peanuts in the shell and a really great steak! We like to sit at the bar and have a couple of beers before enjoying our meal. We chat with the locals, enjoy a beer and munch on the peanuts. The peanuts are in the shell and they ask you to deposit the shells in an empty bucket in front of you which helps decrease the cleanup at the end of the night.  We usually eat at the bar as well since it is place where you can strike up a conversation with other folks. We have met a lot of interesting people over the years this way. Most people enjoy conversations about the local news and hearing about our travel. We tend to stay away from politics and from other contentious issues to avoid any really disruptive conversations.

Logan’s Roadhouse – Salads and Steaks

We ordered a Cesar salad along with a baked potato and a steak with a side order of ribs. Both were cooked to perfection, the meat fell off the bones and the taste was perfect. For the money these meals are the best available as far as we are concerned.  If you have not gone to a roadhouse, you really should. The quality and the quantity are fantastic. My wife and I usually split a meal since the size of these meals are too large for one person. We often order a side of something such as a salad or extra ribs. In fact there have been times when even ordering a side with another meal for two is too much food for us. If you have a large appetite you may order two full meals and then if you cannot finish it ask for a takeout container for the remainder.

Logan’s Roadhouse – Sitting at the Bar

We like to sit at the bar as mentioned, however if you are not the type to sit at the bar, and prefer to have your own table there are lots of seating available. On busy nights you may need to get there a bit early otherwise you may have to wait until a table becomes available. We always seem to be able to find a seat at the bar no matter how busy they are.

The Logan’s Roadhouse in Wilkes Barre is part of the huge chain of Logan’s Roadhouse’s and measures up to that chains reputation.

A recent publication quoted Dr. Elliott Lee, a sleep specialist based at Ottawa’s Royal Mental Health Centre, who said research indicates people who sleep fewer than six hours a day function like individuals who have have a blood alcohol level of 0.05.

“People don’t realize how impaired they are when they are sleep deprived,” he said. This is not over the current legal limit for impairment where they take you car away from you at the road side stop, Many people are driving around as if they have been drinking in the morning or even all day. There are other problems as well that lack of sleep cause.

Lack of sleep – Obesity

When you are tired all of the time, your energy levels are low. Consumers will try to compensate by eating something. They tend to consumer higher sugar based foods. Which does provide an immediate boost, but then leaves you shortly later. Many people will overeat in this manner to try and get some energy to help them get through the day. If this becomes chronic, many consumers can gain a lot of weight which really just makes the problem worse.

Overweight due to Lack of sleep leads to other health problems such as sleep apnea which leads to even less sleep, diabetes, joint problems and so on. If you are not sleeping and tending to gaining weight, you may want to be assessed for sleep apnea and other health related issues.

Lack of sleep – Heart Problems

Some consumers will consume the so called energy drinks. Your heart may be weak to start with. You may be over weight. Your arteries may be clogged and you already have serious issues. As a result consuming energy drinks could push your heart over it’s limit causing a heart attack. Lack of sleep can lead to many different issues.

Heart problems are serious. We only have one and if it gets into trouble, then your life could be at stake. If you are not sleeping, gaining weight, having heart problems it is time to visit your doctor and be assessed to see what can be done about your sleeping issues.

For more information about sleep issues and how to sleep better, click here.

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The Texas Roadhouse restaurant in Amarillo Texas is a great place for us to enjoy happy hour. They also have a fantastic steak or rack of ribs. We are usually traveling through Amarillo on our way to California or on our way home. There are several things that we particularly like about this location which we will cover in this post. It is located just off of I40 near the central part of the city and easily found on your GPS or by the signs that are along the highway.

Texas Roadhouse – Amarillo: Hotel

Since we are traveling by car we are looking for a hotel and a place to eat at night that is not far away. This Texas Roadhouse fits our requirements perfectly. There is a Holiday Inn Express on Wolfin Ave, just across the parking lot from the restaurant. We can check into the hotel and then head over for happy hour at the bar of the restaurant. There are others not too far away, however we also really like this Texas Roadhouse for several other reasons.

Texas Roadhouse – Amarillo: Ice Cold Beer

We always sit at the bar so that we can enjoy the sports showing on several TV’s that are usually mounted over the bar. We also like to be able to sit and chat or meet some of the people around the bar. After travailing for many hours we look for conversation with other people that are either local or are traveling like us. The beer is ice cold served in frozen glasses right out of the freezer. They have peanuts in the shell to munch on as you relax after a day driving or work.

Texas Roadhouse – Amarillo:Steaks and Ribs

We also find that they have the best steaks and ribs. They are cooked to perfection and the meat falls off the bone for the ribs. Matched with a baked potato and a Cesar salad and you have a great meal. The portions are large so depending on how hungry you are, you may want to share a rack of ribs with your partner.

For more posts about the great state of Texas, click here.

Whether you are biking in Palm Springs or hiking, enthusiasts are urged to carry proper equipment for any outdoor excursion. Proper preparedness includes a well thought-out travel plan shared with friends and family, as well as familiarity with common hiking equipment, such as GPS, maps and compasses, proper clothing and plenty of water. This may sound like it is too much, however every month someone needs to be rescued because they did not adequately prepare for their trip whether it is hiking or biking in Palm Springs.  Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit offers several helpful, lifesaving tips at their website.

Biking in Palm Springs – City vs Desert Biking

Let’s face it if you are biking inside the city, there are lots of places to stop and purchase water, get out of the sun etc, so really the only thing to be concerned about is becoming dehydrated and dealing with the consequences. There will always be someone around to help you. Same with a flat tire etc.

But if you head out into the desert, were there are no facilities, no water etc, then it is a much different situation if you become lost, you run out of water or you need bike repairs which you cannot deal with yourself. We have seen many bikers on hiking trails for example, without any water or gear to complete repairs if needed. Always travel with a friend, bring water and tell someone where you are going to give yourself a chance of surviving in the desert heat!

Biking in Palm Springs – Dealing with Flat Tires

Every month, I have at least two flat tires. My tires pick up thorns from various trees and shrubs. I end up stranded somewhere and need to repair my tire. I carry extra tubes with me at all times. Also a tire repair kit just to be able to deal with the flat tire on the spot and quickly. They do not weigh much and they do not take a lot of space. But when you have a flat tire, these tire repair kits are very much appreciated.

If you have trouble staying awake during the day, it could be from a number of reasons. Perhaps this woman is suffering from sleep apnea. Or then again she could be working too hard and for too many hours into the night. She could be cutting into her sleep. But if every day is like this and you always seem tired there could be a problem.  If your spouse tells you that you stop breathing at night or you wake up often with a gasp you may have a problem. You just might be suffering from sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a condition where the tissues in the throat collapse. They plug the airways making it impossible for you to breathe when you are sleeping.

Your body goes into panic mode and wakes you up enough to take that gasp for breath. Some people will go through this cycle as many as 40 times an hour. They never really fall into a deep sleep. If you think you are this type of person, why not get tested. You will know for sure and can get a good nights sleep for a change.

Test Troubled sleepers for Sleep Apnea

The test for sleep apnea involves your doctor arranging for a test at a sleep lab. Basically you will stay over night and be hooked up to a number of devices that will monitor your breathing, your heart rate, your blood pressure and your eye movement. From the results they will be able to quickly tell if you have sleep apnea. Some people may find this uncomfortable and hard to sleep, however if you have sleep apnea you will be so tired that falling asleep is no problem.

Test Troubled sleepers for Sleep Apnea – Results

A doctor will assess the results and determine if you need a CPAP machine to help keep your airways open at night. This involves wearing a mask that is attached to a very quiet pump which pressurizes your airways. In the writers case, I was waking up 40 times an hour on average. My blood pressure shot through the roof. My heart rate also increased dramatically when I would stop breathing. This put me in danger of both a heart attack as well as a stroke,. Which are very dangerous for your health. Since I have been using the CPAP machine, I sleep great. I do not fall asleep during the day anymore and I am able to enjoy life much more instead of going around tired all of the time.

If you think you may have this issue, get tested and at least you will know and can do something about it. You can read more about sleep issues and how to deal with lack of sleep by clicking here.

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We read the following set of guidelines in a newspaper the other day and thought these hiking guidelines would be worth re-posting on our blog for interested readers. Hiking in the wilderness can be a lot of fun. However there are dangers as well. Every year many people must be rescued after having become lost. They run out of water and food and possibly suffering from the being cold and hungry over night. Make sure you are well equipped if you plan to go hiking. There are a few basic things you can prepare for. These will ensure that you will survive and can also get help quickly if needed .

Hiking safety guidelines – What to Bring

Hiking enthusiasts should carry proper equipment for any outdoor excursion. Proper preparedness includes a well thought-out travel plan. Sharing plans with friends and family, as well as familiarity with common hiking equipment, such as GPS, maps and compasses, proper clothing and plenty of water. Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit offers several helpful, lifesaving tips at their website.

While this is not a complete list, if you follow these simple guidelines, hikers stand a better chance of not getting lost and surviving a hike that takes you well beyond the normal areas that many hikers go. One area near Palm Springs in California has over 54 miles of trails that meander around the back country. You are well beyond any areas that can be used as guides and even if you stay on the trails, you can be lost for several days if you wander the 54 miles of trails.

Many hikers start out on what they would call a short hike with the intention or returning in an hour. After a wrong turn, they suddenly realize they have no idea where they are and no idea regarding how to get home. It gets worse. Because they planned to only go out for an hour, they probably also brought limited quantities of water, food and clothing to deal with the longer period in the wilderness. This is when a short hike gets difficult and potentially dangerous. Always prepare as if you are going on a hike that is at least triple the time you actually plan to give yourself a safety margin!

Hiking safety guidelines – Summary

The biggest mistakes that hikers make in terms of not following hiking safety guidelines is not bringing enough water. These also need a map, a compass, and clothing to deal with all kinds of weather situations including being lost overnight. Carrying a cell phone is a good thing. However there may not always be coverage where you are going. You may need to rely on having told friends that you should be back by a specific time. Don’t make the mistake of getting lost. No one knows that you are lost. Always leave information with someone about where you are going. Don’t deviate from this plan so they can find you if needed.

How do you know if you have sleep apnea or if you need to use a sleep apnea device? The most straightforward answer is that anyone thinking that they might have sleep apnea, should really have a sleeping test. It will assess how often they stop breathing during the night. Also what happens to their pulse rate and their blood pressure during these episodes.  Many people have sleeping disorders so it is important to be tested. Either eliminate this issue or confirm it and take action. You may have sleep apnea if you find yourself gasping for breath in the middle of the night. Or seem overly tired all of the time. Or if your spouse is concerned that you stop breathing often while sleeping. See your doctor who can schedule a sleep test for you.

You will have to spend the night at a sleep lab and be hooked up to all kinds of devices, but it is definitely worth while. People with sleep apnea often have heart attacks and strokes that are caused by not breathing properly during the night.

Sleep Apnea Devices – types

There are various manufacturers and various types of devices. The basic features that you need to have in a machine are variable pressure, ability to attach a humidifier, and accept various different types of masks so that you can pick one that is comfortable. It should also have auto turn on so that it automatically starts when you begin breathing into the mask. Finally if you live in a cold climate, you may want to have a heating feature for the hose to warm the air before you breath it.

Sleep Apnea Devices – Correct Pressure

Setting the correct pressure is probably one of the most important elements of the Sleep Apnea Device. Each person is different in the amount of restriction they may have in their throat and breathing passages. A higher pressure may be required if you have severe sleep apnea to keep your airways open while you are sleeping.

If you are concerned about wearing a mask, don’t worry, the good nights sleep that you obtain as a result will far out weight any difficulty that you may have with getting used to the mask. For more information about sleep issues, click here.

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Are your kids not getting enough sleep? If they fall asleep in class like this poor guy, chances are they are not getting the sleep they need. But even if they do not fall asleep in class, they may be grouchy with their parents, their siblings or their friends. They may also lack energy as well if they are tired all of the time and will turn to food as a source of energy which can also lead to weight gain. If you feel that your kids fall into the category of kids not getting enough sleep, it is time to do something to change their habits and make sure they get the rest they need.

Kids Not Getting Enough Sleep: What To Do

Sometimes it can be over-stimulation from video games, late-night sports activities and these tend to make it more difficult to fall asleep. By eliminating these stimulating activities or controlling them so that they end earlier will give your kids a chance to get to sleep earlier.

Many kids have TV’s in their rooms as well as game controllers and cell phones. Whether they are watching TV, playing games or talking on the phone with their friends, they are not sleeping. Social activities will take precedence for kids anytime over getting to sleep. You may have to exercise some control or limits if it is felt that this is the source of your kids not getting enough sleep.

Establish Better Habits

Enrolling your kids in early evening sports can make a big difference. They burn off energy and they need to have a shower or bath at night as well. All of these things take energy and make them more ready for bed at night. Sports activities contribute to building better bodies as well as to more positive social activities. They also burn calories and help the kids maintain the proper weight for their age rather than gain extra weight. They can avoid teenage obesity, sugar diabetes, and other childhood illnesses.

For more information about getting more sleep, click here.

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Children Not Getting Enough Sleep demonstrate their tiredness in a multitude of ways. They can fall asleep in the classroom as this child has done, they are often cranky, they are not happy, they tend to get into fights with family and friends more often, they tend not to do well in school and they can even gain weight. Small children will have more temper tantrums and will sometimes be more hyperactive as well which leads to many other issues in terms of behavior.

They eat to gain energy just like adults do and this leads to weight gain since they are also not nearly as active. As parents we need to be aware of when our child is not getting enough sleep and take the steps necessary to help them get that sleep they need.

Children Not Getting Enough Sleep: How Much do they Need?

Everyone is different with some needing more sleep than others. Also depending on the stage, they are at in their growth cycle they may need more sleep than at other times. As parents, we have all seen examples when our kids are tired and they exhibit characteristics that are not normal for their everyday life. If lack of sleep happens once and a while, they can easily recover from one or two days of sleep loss. Eight to ten hours or even more of sleep each night is not unusual.

Children Not Getting Enough Sleep: Chronic Sleep Loss

Chronic sleep loss i.e. Children Not Getting Enough Sleep for days and weeks on end is something much different and parents need to take steps to change their habits. For example, no TV or phone in the bedroom might be the answer until they catch up on their sleep. Making sure that they are not over-stimulated before going to bed is another. You know your child and you probably know what is keeping him or her up at night. This will provide some idea of what needs to change to enable more sleep.

Teens are taking their cell phones and smartphones to bed with them. They stay up into the late hours communicating with their friends or playing games. This behavior can leave them overtired in the morning and leads to negative behavior. If you are a parent and think that this may be an issue you may want to have a conversation with your teen about getting enough sleep. For more information about dealing with the lack of sleep, click here.

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Many people suffer from sleeping problems and they wonder what can cause sleeping problems. Some consumers are so desperate to get a decent nights sleep that they will try just about anything. They will turn to their doctor to get a prescription for sleeping. This should really be considered a last resort after having tried a number of other steps to improve their sleeping situation.

The first thing to remember is that many of us form bad habits which get in the way of sleeping. These habits must be changed. It can take a month or more to change habits and form new habits which contribute to a better sleeping situation. If you are having trouble sleeping, you are probably looking for immediate relief. Unfortunately it just does not work that way. You should be prepared to work at getting more sleep over a months time with gradual improvement has your new habits kick in.

What can cause sleeping problems – Solutions

For example, consumers should go to bed at the same time every night to train your body to expect to go to sleep at night at the same time. Erratic sleeping times can play havoc with your bodies sleeping rhythms. Another factor can be watching TV in bed or just before you go to bed. Watching and interesting show or one that has a lot of action in it will stimulate the brain. It makes it difficult to go to sleep. Only watch TV in your family room, never in bed and if it helps read a boring book before you go to bed.

Drinking coffee or other caffeinated drinks will keep a lot of people awake at night. If your one of these people avoid anything with caffeine in it in the afternoon and evening. Avoid taking any stimulants such as medications that are obtained over the counter. Sometimes allergy medicine for example will actually stimulate your system while others will cause you to be very sleepy.

Relax before Going to Bed

Get into a relaxed mood before you go to bed at night. Avoid thinking about issues in your life which may keep you awake. This can be particularly difficult to do especially if it is an emotional issue that your involved in. While it will take some mental effort you will need to focus on other things that will be more relaxing than thinking about the issues that are causing you to stay awake.

We are looking for and open to added suggestions about sleeping problems and things that cause them. If you are aware of something that works for you let us know and we will add it to this post or even create a separate post to talk about the issues of sleeping. For more information about sleep issues, click here.

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Apparently none of us get enough sleep according to statisticians who measure such things. We routinely miss an hour or so of sleep without even trying. We squeeze the number o f hours available for sleep and many of us suffer from insomnia as well which causes many people to obtain insufficient sleep. Most of us worry about work, about families or issues that we are facing in our lives. If we miss sleep on a regular basis it can have an impact on our daily lives in some cases catastrophic.

Consumers are going about their daily business without getting enough sleep endangering their lives while operating machines as well as not performing as well as they should at routine jobs. When we lack sleep we are unable to concentrate as well and it is difficult to perform difficult or complex tasks. Our memories also suffer, sometimes even making it difficult to remember things that just happened to us. Short term memory loss is the first go with many people unable to remember names of people they just met or details of a meeting for example.

Getting enough sleep and Operating Machinery

When it comes to operating machinery, it can become quite dangerous. Whether it is your car or a construction machine, lack of focus, lack of attention or even falling asleep while operating a machine can create a dangerous situation for yourself as well as those around you. We know of one case where a man was so tired from lack of sleep that he would fall asleep while driving his car when he was waiting for the light to change at a stop light. Fortunately for him and people around him, his wife always drove with him and made sure he woke up at the right time. By the way she could not drive since she did not have a drivers license.

Getting Enough Sleep

If you fit into any of these examples or are having trouble getting sufficient sleep there are a number of steps to take that can help. We have listed them here, in no particular order since what works for one person may not work for the next person. Try them all for a period of time until you are sure you are getting the sleep you need. Here we go:

• Go to bed at the same time every night
• Read or watch something that is boring and does not stimulate you before going to bed
• Do not watch TV in bed
• Avoid watching TV in the middle of night
• Do not turn on your smart phone during the night
• Leave your smart phone in another room
• Avoid eating a meal before going to bed
• Establish routine so that your body expects to sleep at the same time
• Avoid coffee and caffeine in the afternoon and evening

Let us know if you have steps that work for you in terms of helping you get enough sleep. For more information about sleep issues, click here.

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The National Do not call list is one way to reduce spam calls that we all get from time to time. But does it really work? Well the answer appears to be partially. We still get a lot of calls from people trying to sell us various things. These include the usually duct cleaning services, rug cleaning services, lawn services etc. These are not too bad except when they call at dinner time and interrupt your meal with your family. This is probably what ticks most people off. As soon as you know that it is one of these companies, most people will just hang up and that is the end of it.

National Do not call list – How to get on it

Many of you will already know this, however if you want to register your number on the “do not call list”, you can go to the following site to register your number so that those annoying telemarketing calls will decrease. They will not be eliminated, but they should decrease.

Here is the link

https://www.lnnte-dncl.gc.ca/insnum-regnum-eng

You can also call 1-866-580-3625

National Do not call list – Report them

If you still get calls from companies, you have several choices. These include just hanging up on them which works very well. You can also threaten to report them. They usually hang up immediately since they know that there is no chance of a sale. They do not want to get reported. The third approach is just answer the phone, listen for a minute and then set the phone down without hanging up. They will continue talking giving their sales pitch until they realize there is no one there and then they will hang up. They have taken up your time so why should you not also do the same thing to them.

Don’t forget to hang your phone up since as long as it is off hook you will not get any calls. Most people will glance at the incoming number on the screen and if they do not recognize it, they will just not answer it.

We are about to leave on a long driving trip, early in the morning. Guess what, I didn’t get much sleep last night. My situation is symptomatic of many people who are distracted by a variety of things that are going on in their lives. I think I got about three hours of sleep last night for a variety of reasons. Not getting enough sleep can have serious problems with work and driving alertness.

Partly because I was thinking about all the things that I need to do to prepare for the trip and wondering if I missed anything. My wife was going through the same calculations in her mind and was talking to me every once in a while in the middle the night thinking that I was awake as well. I had just dropped off to sleep the last time when I said stop we’ll talk about it in the morning.

Not Getting Enough Sleep – Regular Days

We can’t do much about these one of the kind events, we are thinking about the next day and you have something significant going on. What we can do though for the average day is to make sure we stick to a schedule and avoid being overstimulated just before going to bed and going to sleep.

For example, do not watch an exciting TV show or read an interesting book. Focus on being very quiet when you go to bed and if you feel that you must read, read something boring. Avoid coffee in the afternoon and evening or any other drinks that have caffeine in it.

The bottom line is to not do anything that could stimulate you to keep you awake at night. If you happen to wake up in the middle of the night, go to the bathroom or whatever it is you need to do. Avoid turning the TV on and avoiding picking up a book to read. Both of these will train your body to wake up at the same time every night and you will continue to lose sleep.

Getting enough sleep is difficult enough to do without training your system to wake up during the middle of the night. Avoid all of these things and look forward to a great night’s sleep. Some of us have to maintain a routine that prepares us for a good night’s sleep. this can mean going to bed at the same time every night, not watching TV, reading a boring book, a dark room, etc. Find out whatever works for you and make it a regular part of your daily routine.

For more information about sleep issues, click here.

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Millions of Americans and Canadians do not get enough sleep every night. There are various reasons for this problem. They range from too much stimulation before hitting the sack, to chronic problems with coffee, food, sleep apnea, and many more. Lack of sleep can lead to many other associated problems. These include poor concentration at work, at home, even when driving the car or operating other machinery. Finding out what is keeping you awake and causing you to not get enough sleep is a process of elimination.

Cant Get Enough Sleep

Watching TV Can Keep You Awake

Watching an exciting movie or TV show can be enough to keep many people awake well into the night and then that alarm bell goes off telling you that it is time to get up for work. If you feel that this may be a problem for you, then try to either not watch TV at all of watch something that is truly boring which will help you drift off to sleep. Avoid watching TV in bed and if you are awake during the night, avoid watching TV during the night, it will just keep you up longer.

The same thing applies to books that you might be reading. An exciting thriller can keep someone who has a good imagination up for hours as they recall what they just read. The same thing applies for reading in the middle of the night should you wake up. If you must read, select the most boring subject you can find. This is one of the best ways to cause just about anyone to fall asleep.

Too Much Coffee

Drinking too much coffee, particularly before you go to bed or late in the afternoon will keep some people awake for hours. This applies to caffeinated soft drinks as well which have a great deal of caffeine in them. If you are having trouble sleeping and cannot get enough sleep, cut down on the caffeine in the evening and eliminate coffee and caffeine all together from your diet.

Keep a Regular Schedule

Sticking to a schedule can also train your body to expect to sleep at the same time every day and wake up at the same time every day. Try to go to bed at the same time and get up at the same time every day, even on the weekends to keep your system on a schedule. It may take a few weeks to get on a schedule if you are not there now, but be patient and stick to your plan. Once you are on the schedule, stay with it, you will sleep more as a result.

Health Related Issues

There are many health related issues that can cause people to not get enough sleep. If you suspect that it is a health related issue that is causing you not to get enough sleep, see your doctor. Check the situation out. For example, sleep apnea can cause people to lack sleep. It can cause very dangerous issues to occur such as strokes and heart attacks. Operating equipment while you are extremely tired can be dangerous to you and people around you.

If you cannot get enough sleep follow up in the issue and take some action. Your life will be much more enjoyable as a result. For more information about sleep issues, click here.

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The view from Marie Peak is spectacular. As shown in this panoramic view of the Coachella Valley played out for us. I took this picture with my iPhone 5. It is a 270 degree panoramic view from the top of Murray Peak in Palm Springs.

Murray Peak is located in the Coachella Valley near Palm Springs. It is approximately 2100 feet high with a 1500 foot elevation climb from the trail head. Although a 2100 feet elevation does not seem like much,  it certainly is when you are hiking up to the top of the peak.

Time to the Top of Murray Peak

This particular hike takes approximately 2 1/2 hours to reach the top and almost 2 hours to do sand. The hiking is very gradual in places while challenging in others.

There are lots of switchbacks to traverse while you’re climbing up the mountain although in some areas it can be a very gentle rise. There are five picnic tables at the top of the peak where you can enjoy your lunch, snack or just relax. There’s also cell phone service at this location. There are two trail heads that lead to the top of Murray peak. One can be found at Von’s along Highway 111 and the other from the South Indian Palm Canyon area.

Take lots of water, and something to eat as this hike will take you approximately five hours to reach Murray Peak and return round-trip. Wear lots of sun tan lotion and cover your head. The sun can get pretty intense and you really need to make sure that you are prepared for this hike.

Wear very good hiking shoes as well and carry a hiking stick with you. It helps with balance and provides protection from any animals that you may encounter. Note that the writer has hiked to the top of Murray Peak several times and we have never seen any animals  while on our hike.

For more posts about hiking and all topics associated with hiking, click here.

One of the best things about restaurants in California is that they post the number of calories against each menu item. This information may not stop you from ordering a particular item, but it sure makes you think about it before you do. If the average person needs 2000 calories a day and the item you are ordering is 500 or 800 calories, you might just begin to rethink your order.  It can be complex to keep track of all of the calories, however, if you focus on the big items and reduce your calories accordingly, it may help control your weight. At least this is what your government is hoping will happen. Posting calories on the menu in California is here to stay and spreading to other cities.

Posting calories on the menu – Eating Less

For those of us that pay attention to this sort of thing, it means you can control how many calories you eat when eating out!

The biggest challenge for people is knowing how many calories are hidden in these meals with the sauces and additives that are always part of the meal. Many restaurants will show a range of calories. This is designed to give you a feel for the sauces that you may or may not add and how many calories they contain.

If you are calorie counting this is another tool to help you while eating out while in California! It is surprising just how many calories are in the sauces and the added items on whatever meal that you order. Many people will just go ahead and consume these sauces without thinking about actually how many calories that you eat.

As a general rule when you see a range of calories on any menu, you can be sure that any sauce, mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, etc are the items that are going to be in that range of calories. Fast food restaurants who are Posting calories on the menu in California are sometimes the worst. They automatically add all of the above items unless you tell them not to. It becomes a special order if you want to hold the ketchup and mayo! This is a great way to manage the total calories that you contain.

For more diet-related information, click here.

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If you have sleep apnea and have been prescribed a CPAP machine, you probably know something about traveling with one of these machines. We thought that we would write a small article about some of the things you can consider. The focus is to make traveling with your CPAP machine much more comfortable. Also avoid any problems. Travel CPAP issues include finding distilled water, power, wall plugs. Also adding it to your luggage in general when you already have a full suitcase.

The CPAP machine comes with a case for everything that you will need while traveling. The exception is water and an extension cord. We mentioned the extension cord because we have found that in some hotels there is not an easily accessible place to plug in your CPAP machine. An Extension cord can be used to reach to a distant electrical outlet. This allows you to still have your CPAP machine located right beside you on the dresser.

Travel CPAP – Bring Water

In addition I always travel with distilled water. I have the proper kind of water with me at all times. If I’m only going for two or three days, I will use a small water bottle filled with distilled water. I carry it with me inside the case that I use. If I’m going for longer periods, obviously I will take a jug of water that has been distilled with me. I still use the small water bottle filled with distilled water. This helps avoid having to carry the jug of distilled water into the hotel room each night.

In addition to these suggestions I also use a backpack instead of the case that is provided with the CPAP machine. I can combine several items of personal nature as well as a CPAP machine in my backpack, therefore having one less bag to carry when checking into a hotel or visiting friends. It is also less obvious that I have sleep apnea or am carrying a CPAP machine with me. Most people will not care about this last point however for those of you are a bit vain, using a backpack is a much more common and expected item to carry than the case that is provided with the CPAP machine.

Hopefully these small tips and hints will help several of our readers who also are suffering from sleep apnea. If you suspect you have sleep apnea, we suggest you get tested right away, wearing one of masks for sleep apnea is not as difficult as it appears and the benefits are fantastic. You actually get to sleep the whole night through and it is wonderful.

For more information about CPAP travel, click here.

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Just got back from Tylers burgers Palm Springs where you can have one of the best hamburgers, french fries and coleslaw meals for under $15! in Palm Springs California.

We ordered sliders, which come with cheese for $3.25. Order them with the works, with caramelized onions, mustard, relish, and mayonnaise. They taste fantastic and with the coleslaw and french fries are more than a meal. Don’t forget to order your favorite kind of cheese on your Tyler’s burgers in Palm Springs. We tend to split the fries since there are so many provided. Some people who are hungry will order a regular burger, but we find that the sliders are more than enough for us.

Tylers burgers Palm Springs – Licensed

We just have water with our meal, however, you can order wine and beer as well as other drinks. It is a bit too early for us to have a drink. They open at 11:00 and there is usually a line by 11:30 to get into the place.

Tyler’s restaurant opens at 11 o’clock every day and by 1130 there’s a lineup to get in. If your hungry and in a hurry, it is best to get there before 1130 otherwise you’re going to have to wait in line and sign in at the sign-up sheet. The wait is not too long, nevertheless, there is a wait because this is a very popular place.

Couples can often get in more quickly than parties of four or more. They also have a small seating area inside, but most people will sit outside under the canopies which protect you from the sun. They close at around 3 pm.

We make a special effort to go to Tyler’s every year that we are in Palm Springs at least two or three times a month. Try it out we know that you will enjoy it. For more posts about restaurants in Palm Springs, click here.

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Whether you support the president or not, there is something about a presidential motorcade that really impresses a person. It makes you proud of your country. This was the first time we had the opportunity to observe a presidential motorcade. It was really quite awe inspiring.

The precision and the organization of the motorcade makes one proud of the people involved. The professionalism of the teams of people who are devoted to making sure that the president gets from one location to another safely and quickly is fantastic. In this case he was traveling from the Sunnylands Estate in Palm Springs to the Palm Springs airport. This was for departure back to Washington. He had spent the weekend in Palm Springs coming here for a meeting and a little R&R time at the golf course.

Presidents Motorcade

There was a lead group of about 30 motorcycles, some occasionally pealing off to block streets or to keep onlookers from crowding the road. They roared past us at about 30 miles an hour. They were followed by several police cars, two black limo’s and a number of support vehicles. Also including ambulances, an emergency fire truck. Finally there was a number of cars filled with secret service men, followed up with more motorcycles. This was a team that was ready for just about anything and they also meant business.

It was a site that impressed us. It made us proud of the country and made us sad that the president must travel in this manner due to the threats against him. All of the presidents have been forced to travel in this manner. This is  due to many incidents over the years and the country certainly does not want to go through what they did with the Kennedy’s. The security surrounding the president is much more intense than it was at that time and for good reason.

The motorcade passed us and in less than 10 minutes the president was on his plane and it was on the taxi way ready to take off. There were no delays and the plane was at full throttle heading down the runway.

Still it makes us proud to be part of America even if we need to have this level of security!

For more posts about US Politics, click here.

Relaxing in Palm Springs California. Although this is just a parking lot outside the Starbucks in Palm Springs, you can see the palm trees in the distance and the mountains in the far distance. It is about 8 o’clock in the morning and already it’s 18°C or about 65°F. What a great place to be!

The Palm Springs area has a lot of great bike trails along with golf courses and along the various washes, which were built to channel flooding water from the mountains. I guess I will bike for another 10 km’s and then head home for a totally enjoyable ride of 20 to 25 K! The other interesting thing is that everyone you meet along these bike paths and walking paths is that they all have a smile on their faces.

They are happy and enjoying the great weather that Palm Springs offers. Everyone says good morning, or hello. People are friendly and they are enjoying life.

Relaxing in Palm Springs California

Once I get back from my bike ride, I will be heading to the swimming pool and relaxing while catching a few rays!  Later on in the day, we may head downtown for a coffee or something stronger and enjoy one of the many happy hours that seem to be available in Palm Springs.

Many restaurants will offer happy hour drinks and food items in an effort to draw people into their business during slower times of the day. this is a great way to enjoy the day or evening while not spending a great deal of money.

You can easily go out for a couple of beers and something to eat at a nice restaurant in the Palms Springs area for less than $20, $30 if you really spend a lot. All in all a great day in beautiful Palm Springs.

What a great way to spend a day while retired! For more Palm Springs things to do, click here.

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This Archway leads from the parking lot to Ruby’s restaurant on Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs. You’re missing an excellent meal if you have not dined at Ruby’s for breakfast or any other meal. You can sit outside and enjoy the fresh air as well.

They have a large outdoor patio with heaters when Palm Springs gets a bit cooler. You can also sit inside in what can be best called a 1950s diner, complete with a little train running around on tracks suspended from the ceiling. This is one of the best places to enjoy a meal, get great value for your money and do a little people-watching at the same time.

They have two patios, one facing the street and the other facing the walkway/archway we mentioned earlier. There is lots of opportunity to find sun or shade, depending on what you are looking for.

Ruby’s Palm Springs

We make a habit of going to Ruby’s at least once or twice while we are staying in Palm Springs. On the second floor, you can also try the Falls Restaurant above Ruby’s Palm Springs. It is another great spot for happy hour as well as fine dining.

Ruby’s offers a really large breakfast menu. The portions are large and sharable if you are so inclined. The coffee is bottomless and there are umbrellas, if needed, over almost all tables. A favorite time to eat at Ruby’s Palm Springs is the street fair on Thursday nights.

You can sit outside, have dinner and watch all the people strolling past. After you are finished, many people will stroll the six or seven blocks along the street and take in the street fair, which offers something for almost everyone.

There are lots of food stalls, vegetables, and things like homemade jams and honey. Many different arts and crafts and lots of displays for services offered by local businesses. The street fair runs every Thursday from 6 pm until approximately 9:30 pm all year round.

For lots more posts covering restaurants in Palm Springs, click here.

We recently visited the Las Palmas Hotel and spa to go to one of the restaurants called the Palms Café for breakfast. The setting is gorgeous as shown in the picture that we’ve taken and included on this blog. The Las Palmas spa restaurant is very much over rated. We would not suggest that you spend your money at this particular restaurant. The service is not very good. It was if they did not want to serve us. We also found the cost of the items we were considering much more expensive than many other locations around the valley. This one is not for us even though the  scenery was great.

Las Palmas spa restaurant – Service

We found that the service was very slow and the prices were exorbitantly high for breakfast. As an example a small bagel with jam was nine dollars and a coffee was $2.25. We found this very high for the level of service and for the quantity and quality of the food. There were a couple of people eating there, but nothing fancy.

Granted that the setting was beautiful and you’re probably paying for that setting, but if you’re looking for a decent meal this is not a place to come. It really looked like this restaurant was something they provided because they felt they had to and it was not really aimed at making money. We would recommend that you not waste your money on this location! Anyone who spends their money at this location is looking for a really quick bite and not interested really in spending quality time or enjoying a quality meal. Swimmers at the pool might look to this restaurant for something quick to eat, a snack to satisfy their hunger until the next meal, but be prepared to pay a lot for little quantity..

There are many great places to go to have a meal other than the Las Palmas spa restaurant. There are so many choices that one wonders why you would ever consider going to this restaurant at all. The entire valley is filled with restaurants of all kinds. With so many to choose from, providing better settings and value for your money, this is one to avoid.

Many articles have been written about the decline of the middle class in America. In our post we are assuming that the middle class is already well on the way to decline. Which really means that the middle class will shrink leaving fewer people with sufficient money to achieve the American dream. The 1% group continue to get rich. While more and more people have trouble just making enough to pay for food, clothing and lodging. These are the basics for many people without even considering simple extras like owning your own home, saving for retirement or paying for health care. Why is this occurring?

Factory Jobs are Disappearing

Many factory jobs have left the country for other countries. As well as many jobs have been automated. The jobs that are left are either very few high skilled jobs or many jobs that are not paid well. They are low skill jobs. The Walmarts, the fast food stores and the retail industry in general are examples of low paid, low skilled and no benefits types of jobs. Consumers with these types of jobs can barely survive let alone even think about saving for retirement.

It has often be said that money breeds money. It is certainly true for the rich. They have invested in the stock market. They have seen their share values escalate by huge amounts over the last 5 years. Sure they may have lost some money during the recession. However they only lost this money if they cashed in these investments at that time. If they held onto these investments, they not only recovered their loss, they are well ahead of these potential losses. They are even more rich than they were before. But the poor middle class guy has fallen further behind due to his lack of investments in the stock market.

Decline of the Middle Class

The gap has certainly widened between the upper class and the poor with the middle class getting further  squeezed. As time goes on and these people approach retirement, they will find that they are having to work well into retirement years with no thought or ability to even think about retirement.

Over the next 20 years we anticipate that this decline of the middle class will become even more pronounced and will lead to more crime, to more poverty, to situations where families must look after each other since there will be no one else to look after them. This will create a lot of hardship, even more than what we have today. Unfortunately this is the environment that we have to look forward to over the next 20 or 30 years.

There will be more gated communities, there will me more crime, there will be more people begging and so on compared to what we have today. This is not a great scenario, unless we can get America back to work and lower the cost of living.

What are your thoughts? For more ideas about future trends, click here.

If you are one of these people who takes their smart phone to bed with them, you may want to think twice about it. Especially if you find that you are not sleeping well at night.  There are a couple of reasons for making this suggestion. If you are having chronic non sleeping issues, then anything you can do to help you sleep should be considered. If you do not sleep well but your situation would not be considered chronic. You should also pay attention to this post. One of the best things to do is to Turn your Smart Phone off at Night. Or at least put it on do not disturb while sleeping mode.

Many people use their smart phones as an alarm clock, which by itself is not a bad thing to do.  However if someone calls during the night this phone is ringing right beside your ear and there is no escaping the phone. To avoid this problem, set it to silent mode, turn the ringer off or on iPhones set it to do not disturb so that it does not wake you up when emails arrive, text messages arrive and people call you. Your sleep is far more important than attending to anyone calling or texting you at night.

Turn Your Smart Phone off at Night

Many people also wake up during the night and will glance at the phone to see what time it is. Most smart phones will display notifications that may have been received since the last time you looked at your screen. These notifications of course attract your attention. Very quickly your mind goes from sleeping mode to being wakeful and ready for business. If one of these notifications, is at all disturbing, there is a good chance that you will quickly become awake. You may stay awake for some time as you mull the issue over in your mind.

Even if there are no notifications on the screen, many people are tempted to check on their email. Which has the same affect as looking at notifications. If the emails are work related, you will be quickly drawn into your work activities and likely not get back to sleep again. For these reasons turn off the smart phone at night or at the very least leave it somewhere it will not tempt you during the night.

If you must use the phone as an alarm clock, particularly when you travel, place it on airplane mode. Leave it that way until you are ready for the world the next day. Anyone who has trouble sleeping will certainly resonate with these concepts! For more ideas about getting a better nights sleep, click here.

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You may not experience all of the issues we review below. However if you recognize yourself in any of these areas you may want to think about focusing on getting more sleep. If you are having trouble sleeping, getting to sleep or staying asleep, there are techniques that can be used to help people improve these situations and avoid falling into chronic sleep loss situations. The signs of not getting enough sleep are pretty obvious once you analyze yourself and your life habits.

Sleep loss once and awhile can cause some of these issues we review. However chronic sleep loss will cause these situations to occur often. You need to consider taking positive action prior to something more significant occurring. Here is a brief summary of ten of the major sleep loss symptoms which can be experienced by many people.

Signs of Not Getting Enough Sleep

Cause of Accidents – whether it is lack of attention or nodding off at the wheel, people who are over tired routinely have more work and personal related accidents than those people who get a good nights sleep. an accident can be devastating depending on the seriousness of the accident.

Dumbs you Down– being able to think quickly, remember stuff and being able to discuss complex issues can be much more difficult when you are over tired. Many students will pull all nighters studying, only to find that they cannot recall half of what they read when it comes time to write their exams. This is a classic symptom of not getting enough sleep.

Health Problems – can be initiated or become worse when you are not sleeping. Chronic loss of sleep does not give your body time to recover from loss of sleep and the days exertions. Repairs toi injuries are slowed and if you are fighting a cold for example, it can be much worse when your body does not have the energy to fight it off.

Lack of Sex Drive – for both men and women is symptomatic of lack of sleep. women complain of lack of interest in sex, while men may experience a lower level of testosterone leading to sexual dysfunctions.

Depression

Some people will experience depression when they chronically lose sleep. The world appears to be against them and everything they try is difficult and insurmountable.

Ages your Skin – chronic lack of sleep does not allow your skin to recover from the sun, etc and it will appear much older than you actually are.

Being Forgetful – forgetting even the most common things can be symptomatic of lack of sleep. If you cannot recall what you did yesterday or even a few hours ago, you may be experiencing lack of sleep in a major way.

Gaining Weight – no sleep often means low energy and we eat to gain energy to get through the day. This can lead to weight gain. In addition if we are tired all of the time, we tend to do less. Which means we burn less calories off as well.

Can Cause Death – in severe sleep loss conditions as well as leading to health conditions which leads to death. Talk to your doctor if you are not sleeping and get help before it is too late.

Impairs your Judgement – making decisions is more difficult. Recalling all of the data you need to make decisions may be difficult. It all can lead to poor decision making because your overall judgement is impaired.

Seek your doctors help if you feel that you may be experiencing these symptoms and not sleeping well. Follow some of the more common suggestions for improving sleep patterns as well. We cover these suggestions in other posts on this blog.

For information about sleep issues and what you can do about getting more sleep, click here.

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We recently went to Shanghai’s bar and restaurant in Palm springs, California and would like our readers to know that this is a really great place to have a cool beer and enjoy a fish taco. The Shanghai Restaurant Palm Springs is a little hole in the wall behind the Fish Market. It has a lot of character, is a neat place to go and really great food. It seems to be a place where the locals go to have a beer, a fish taco etc. You can sit inside at the bar or outside, however we feel that the inside bar has all the charm of an old style bar.

Shanghai Restaurant Palm Springs – Fish Taco’s

The fish taco’s they serve at this location are really great, and priced reasonably as well. For $3.00 you can have a fish taco and a beer for another couple of dollars. The atmosphere is really great, relaxed and enjoyable. As of the fall of 2014, the prices have been increased, however we still think it is worth it.

They also serve garlic toast as well to patrons. In fact one night we had 3 servings of  garlic toast brought to our table before we had to tell them to stop. We wanted to leave room for our meal of fish taco’s! If you are looking for a relaxed meal, in a cool place this is definitely the place to go.

There is ample parking in the open air parking lot in front and if that is full, park in the parking garage for free right next door. If you live anywhere close to down town, it is easy walking distance and probably better that you walk and not drive after having a few drinks.

Many people also like the fish market for their fresh fish and apparently the meals are quite good. However we the atmosphere does not agree with us. We prefer Shanghai Restaurant Palm Springs much more.

The Palm Springs area has many outdoor activities for those people who are interested in that sort of thing. If you want to get away from the pool, shopping or playing golf, there is lots of hiking and biking that just about anyone can take part in. Palm Springs – hiking and biking activities are supported by volunteer organizations in the valley which many people benefit from.

This picture was taken near the San Andreas fault line. An Oasis in the background of this picture is only here because of water that seeps up through the fault. It provides water for the palm trees. In the middle of the desert with nothing else around it is always amazing to see It is an area like this that seems to exist somehow in the dry desert.

In this area, there are at least 4 oasis within a mile radius. There is dry desert in between all courtesy of the San Andreas fault that runs north to south just a few miles from Palm Springs. You cannot really see the fault. However there are signs and there are volunteers that are at another oasis with an information center. You can learn all about the fault, the oasis and the palm trees that grow in this area.

Palm Springs – hiking and biking – Safety

When do go hiking, regardless of how far you plan to go, always tell someone where you plan to go. Always take water with you. Even a short hike can be difficult if you do not have adequate water with you in the dry hot desert. The water in this particular oasis is not drinkable due to the sulfur content. There are other minerals that exist in the water as well. Of course if you are biking within the city, there are lots of stores to stop at to get some water. Most coffee shops will provide glasses of water for free. However if you head out into the desert areas or in areas with lower population, make sure you have water with you. Dehydration can set in very quickly in the high temperatures.

The writer just slept for nine hours and seven minutes and he feels fantastic! The day before well actually the night before he only slept for five hours and 24 minutes. This is not a very good sleep at all. During the day he was a bit draggy due to lack of sleep, unable to focus and certainly unable to work in an effective manner. This was an example of the direct health benefits of sleep or not enough of it. The impacts of not getting enough sleep can be far more serious and should get everyone’s attention.

You might wonder how I know all of this and the answer is that I wear what it’s called a jawbone bracelet. It records my sleep patterns throughout the night as well’s the number of steps I take during the day. Consumers should sleep for an average of eight hours per day and walk about 10,000 steps per day to maintain a reasonable quality of life and health. But we will focus on those aspects in another post at some later time. If you are interested in the Jawbone, look it up. I have been wearing it for several months now and although it has not changed my life significantly, I am more focused on getting enough sleep and how much walking I do every day.

Health Benefits of Sleep

This post is focusing on the benefits of sleep and how one feels after getting a great nights sleep. Pretty much we all know that if you get enough sleep you will be able to function better, have better cognitive thinking, and be more attentive operating machinery which means less accidents and damages overall.

The benefits of getting enough sleep include:

• Feeling more rested and comfortable
• Being more alert when operating machinery and in general
• Better health overall
• Being able to enjoy your day and have fun
• Having fewer arguments with your family
• Reduced friction between colleagues and even customers

These are just a few of the benefits of getting enough sleep and the negatives associated with each of these benefits can be critical to your well being and overall safety. One friend of mine was falling asleep often while driving his car which is a very dangerous thing to do. He clearly was not getting enough sleep and has since cured his problem. Turns out that he has sleep apnea and now uses a CPAP machine which ensures that he sleeps well every night. He no longer falls asleep driving the car or at work!

For more information about getting sufficient sleep and leading a healthier lifestyle, click here.

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