HOW ARE YOU SLEEPING?                                                     

 Healthy sleep habits are very important for those of us who have passed the full flush of youth…OK! Ok! by a considerable margin. What does the latest research say? Sleep in later life is a major determinant of physical health, brain function, mood, and overall “healthy aging.” Current evidence suggests it is just as important to prioritise as exercise and diet for those in their senior years.                                                    How much sleep should we have and what does “                                                                                       Most people aged 65+ do best with about 7–8 hours of sleep per night. Needing far less sleep with age is a myth. Good sleep in older adults means:- fairly quick sleep onset, few long awakenings at night, feeling reasonably refreshed on waking  and relatively regular bed and wake times across the week.            Recent research highlights sleep regularity (consistent timing night-to-night) linked to lower cardiovascular risk, lower mortality, and possibly lower dementia risk in o                                                    Why does  sleep matters so much f                                                                                                               Current studies show that, in older adults, better sleep is associated with lower illness and disability and with better physical and cognitive performance. These are hallmarks of “healthy aging.” Good, regular sleep is associated with lower cardiovascular disease risk and lower mortality in older adults. On the other hand, very short (around 5 hours) and very long (around 9+ hours) sleep is associated with higher odds of frailty.                                                                                                                                                                 What are some evidence‑based strategies to improve and enjoy sleep?                                                 The research shows that regular physical activity (walking, moderate aerobic exercise, resistance training, tai chi, or aquatic exercise) 2–4 times per week over at least 8 weeks improves sleep efficiency, shortens the time to fall asleep, and reduces night awakenings in older adults. Keeping a consistent sleep schedule, that is, similar bed and wake times every day, is increasingly recognised as a key health factor in older adults. It is associated with better cardiovascular and mortality outcomes.                                                                                                                                                                                                        Getting bright natural light in the morning and reducing bright/blue light (screens, overhead LEDs) in the evening helps anchor the body clock and promotes earlier, better-quality sleep. Calming pre‑bed routines (dim lights, reading, music, relaxation) support both regularity and subjective sleep quality. Many sleep problems in seniors are driven or worsened by medical issues (pain, nocturia, heart or lung disease, depression, anxiety) or by medications (e.g., some antidepressants, decongestants, steroids, and diuretics).                                                                                                                                                          Nocturnia? What is it?  I am so glad you asked?                                                                                     Nocturnia is the medical term for waking from sleep one or more times at night specifically to pass urine, with a sleep period before and after each trip to the toilet. They are not called the wee small hours for nothing. It refers to night‑time urination that disrupts sleep, not just going to the toilet late in the evening or first thing in the morning. Many clinicians only call it “problematic” when it happens at least twice a night and is bothersome or causes daytime tiredness, falls risk, or reduced quality of life. It becomes more common with age and can be due to several factors, including:-                                                                                                                                                                                                                     A. Making too much urine at night (for example from heart failure, leg swelling shifting when you lie down, or some hormonal changes).                                                                                                                   B. Bladder problems (overactive bladder, reduced bladder capacity, prostate enlargement in men).             C. Other medical conditions (diabetes, sleep apnoea, urinary tract infection, some medications, high evening fluid intake, especially caffeine or alcohol).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Because Nocturnia fragments sleep, it is strongly linked to fatigue, poorer mood and cognition the next day, and in older adults an increased risk of night‑time falls and fractures.

Drawing on current evidence, a typical, healthy sleep plan for an older adult might include: 7–8 hours in bed on a regular schedule (e.g., 10:30 pm–6:30 am most days). Doing moderate exercise (e.g., 30–40 minutes of walking, tai chi, or similar) 3 times per week, ideally in the daylight.  Getting 20–30 minutes of bright morning light daily and keeping the  evenings dim and calm.

This is general advice. If you have any sleep problems please check with your GP.                                         

References: National Library of Medicine (USA) Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute.   PubMedCentral. HealthLive. Supportive Care.

  

Separating Myth from Science on Hydration and Digestion

 Today, more than ever, things that we hear and read on the internet need to be fact checked.                   Facebook on a regular basis shows us AI generated posts with life like graphics and plausible texts showing AI generated videos well known people that are totally fake. So prevalent are these fake posts that some people now refer to Facebook as Fakebook.

However, the substitution of fiction for fact is not confined to the internet. Many of our media sources present lies as truth. This was demonstrated by the Murdoch media which was the first to break the news that Donald Trump had lost the 2020 presidential election.  Sky News and other Murdoch media outlets continued to run stories about Trump's  electoral loss. After a while the Murdoch people noticed that their ratings and circulation figures were falling. This affected advertising revenue. Rupert Murdoch notified all of his editors to change their stories. They were to stop saying Trump lost the election. Instead they were to promote the Trumpian myth that the election was rigged. There was no proof of this but it was what Trump supporters wanted to read, Ratings  went up and advertising money once again came flooding. We all learned  that the Murdoch media was not a news outlet at all, it was a business that would print lies if it increased profits.

However , it is not just the Internet or the mendacious Murdoch media that provides fiction as facts.        It can happen when well intentioned but misinformed people are given a platform or a microphone to spout their myths as facts. Even the trusted ABC is a victim of false information being dressed up as fact.

Recently, when driving my car, I heard a woman on ABC Radio  insisting that we should  not drink water for half an hour before or after meals. She said water dilutes the gastric juices. I thought the idea sounded plausible but wondered if it was supported by scientific research. She sounded very knowledgeable and very adamant. Her main argument was: Water, when consumed close to mealtime, dilutes the stomach’s gastric juices—primarily hydrochloric acid and enzymes. This, she said with the vigour of ignorance, makes it harder for the stomach to break down food, leading to poorer digestion or discomfort. She sounded plausible.  

What Does the Science Say? When I arrived home I decided to check her story. What Does the Science Say? Scientific research does not support the notion that drinking water before, during, or after meals, is harmful or disrupts digestion. In fact, the Science says water plays a helpful role in the digestive process. The stomach is far more sophisticated than the radio lady’s claim. It automatically adjusts the stomach’s acidity, even if you drink water with meals. The stomach’s cells constantly monitor acidity and maintain the ideal ph levels at around 1.5 to 2.5 to promote good digestion. How clever!                                                                                                                                                             Does drinking water slow digestion? No, it does not! Liquids empty from the stomach much faster than solids and research does not show that adding water slows the digestive process. The research shows that drinking water 30 minutes before a meal helps regulate appetite  and supports digestion.                     Water during a meal helps moisten the food and aids digestion. 

The Bottom Line. Be very wary of unverified expert opinions! Drinking water before and after meals is safe and normal, does not dilute the gastric juices and is actually beneficial to digestion. So, drink up. Drinking water is good at any time. And the really good news is that my research revealed that 85% to 95% of wine and beer is…WATER!                                                                                                                A glass of  Gin and Tonic is 90% WATER . As they say… Bottoms Up… and Good Health!                                                                                                                                                                                                

  

      PS. Remember what I said about  AI faking reality. If you think this is a picture of Marilyn enjoying a drink with her meal, think again. It is a fake generated by the AI platform Co-Pilot. Even AI makes mistakes. I asked for a picture of Marilyn drinking wine in a  restaurant. AI gave her TWO drinlks.                                                

Taking a Walk: The Cheapest Health Craze Since Breathing.      Long standing and dedicated Font of Noelage readers will recall my poor opinion of jogging which I blogged about in a very early story that I posted  in  October 2012. (  Confessions of a Jogger ).                        However, I now want to take a much more positive view of walking for fun and pleasure, as a means of acquiring Wellness                                                                                                                                         Just what is Wellness? Well, according to the Global Wellness Institute in Miami, Florida, whose objective is to promote wellness worldwide, it includes regular exercise, good sleep habits, healthy eating, stress management, mental health, emotional stability and acquiring good habits that help avoid illness instead of seeking remedies after illness has struck.                                                                          However, if you believe the profitable wellness industries that flourish in our western society, wellness requires a fridge full of suspicious green liquids, an expensive watch that torments you, very costly exercise machines, a pricy mountain bike, a huge subscription to a local health and gymnasium centre plus an exotic mat made from something described as “naturally karmic healing organic bamboo."                                                                                                                                                                           Despite all of these manufactured necessities there is good old walking. Hiding in plain sight, like a modest genius at a committee meeting, walking is free, portable, and will not ask for your credit card details. Walking has everything: many health benefits, fresh air, mild self-improvement. It welcomes everyone, the fitness enthusiast, the reluctant office worker, the person who owns activewear mainly for emergencies, and the adventurous, who say, “I’m just going for a ten minute walk around the block,” then return forty minutes later with rosy cheeks and a relaxed frame of mind.                                            Walking, mercifully, is kinder than a personal trainer at 5.30am on a wintry morning. Regular brisk walking can help support heart health, improve fitness, manage weight, reduce blood sugar levels, strengthen bones and muscles, lift energy levels and reduce the risk of several long-term harmful health conditions.                                                                                                                                                      Then there is the mental side, which is where walking becomes better than a Valium tablet. A decent stroll eases stress, brightens mood, sharpens thinking, and helps sleep arrive without needing to roll over and over and over through a very long night.                                                                                        For older adults, regular walking may also support balance, mobility and confidence, turning ordinary errands into small acts of independence. The stairs become less arduous. The supermarket car park becomes less like an overland expedition. Even the trip to the letterbox can regain its dignity.                  Best of all, walking has no grand entrance requirements or nomination fees. Start small. Wander further when you can. Take a friend, a dog, a podcast, or simply your own thoughts, provided they promise not  to hold an angsty staff meeting.                                                                                                                    In a world forever selling us complicated ways to feel better, the humble walk remains a lifestyle dream. It is inexpensive, effective, endlessly available, and best taken daily with a side serving of fresh air and boundless curiosity about the wonderful neighbourhood we are living in. You can smell  your neighbour's  roses without having to prune them.                                       A word of warning.                                                                              I started walking many years ago. I would wear headphones and listen to talkback radio as I walked. Talk back radio is often populated  with very deranged, angry and dissatisfied people who  speak aggressively. As I walked, I found many talk back comments totally diabolical and disagreeable. I would return from my walk full of anger, anxiety and rising blood pressure.                                                                                                                                                        Thankfully, I now stream the Spotify music app  straight from my iPhone to my hearing aids. I no longer listen to angry people complaining  about everything. Now, I walk happily along with Bing Crosby, Perry Como, Tony Bennett, Beethoven, Mozart and Brahms. I arrive home filled with harmony, happiness  and joy to the World.                          Well, that is until I read the West Coast Eagles’ footy results!                      

The egg, once shunned is now in the health food spotlight

 Not so very long ago the humble egg was the very much on the dietary outer.                                      The other day on Facebook a women  explained how she had killed her husband. She had fed him eggs for breakfast for thirty years. That is the trouble with Facebook these days. Too many fake stories and IA generated rubbish. No wonder some people now call it Fakebook. Unfortunately, that woman was sprouting the diabolical warnings of the medical profession of the 1970s and 80s.                                      Medical research now informs us that eggs are almost the perfect food.                                                                                                                                       Eggs contain about 40% of the recommended daily dose of Cholesterol.Severral years ago doctors were busily warning patients to eat eggs very sparingly. Eggs, once the cheerful stars of kitchen pans everywhere, found themselves relegated to cautious, rare appearances.. “Too much cholesterol,” people said, poking at their toast. “Best stick to egg whites,” declared others, banishing the ultra-nutritionally filled yolk as though it was a hazard in shell form.                                                                                      However, as it often does, good old scientific research has presented eggs is a much better light. Somewhere in the labyrinth of laboratories and nutrition journals, clever humans with clipboards and curious minds began to ask a simple question: “What if the egg isn’t the villain after all?”                       The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition says that eggs do not increase “bad” cholesterol levels in a diet that is low in saturated fats. The British Medical Journal says one egg a day is not associated with cardio vascular disease. The American Heart Association states that for older adults, even two eggs a day is compatible with good vascular health. Their scientific  findings were, in a word                  egg-ceptional.                                                                                                                                                It turns out that the cholesterol inside eggs, the feature that once caused so much medical anxiety, does not behave like a fat filled ogre after all. Researchers found that it turned out to  be “good cholesterol.”  They discovered that the natural cholesterol we eat in our food is quickly utilised by the liver to do very good things for us. The really bad rascals lurking in the pantry were revealed to be saturated fats, those buttery, bacony, greasy companions often loitering with evil intent alongside the eggs on our plate.    The saturated fats that we consume turn into very bad cholesterol which clogs our arteries, causing  severe health problems relating to our hearts, our circulation and our brains.                                            Based on this evidence, doctors quickly changed their tune. There is no evidence, they said, that eating an egg or two with a well-balanced, healthy diet is detrimental to health. It certainly  does not build up our cholesterol levels. The egg yolk was singled out for articular praise. That the good news!                  But wait, there’s more. Eggs are not merely harmless, they are positively therapeutic. They are brimming with goodness. They are nutritional  treasures, containing  protein, vitamins, minerals, and something called choline, which is excellent for your brain. Eggs contain a little bit of nearly everything the body needs, as though they were nature’s own carefully gift wrapped  health capsule.                           Then there is the matter of versatility. A potatro will always be a potato (solid, reliable and filling), but an egg? An egg is a culinary shapeshifter. It poaches, it scrambles, it fries, it boils and it bakes itself into cakes and pavlovas as if auditioning for the starring role. It binds things together in all sorts of recipes. Rissoles, anyone?                                                                                                                                           Of course, being sensible eaters, we must remember the egg’s one polite request: context matters.          Eat eggs with fresh vegetables, whole grains, and a dash of restraint, and it thrives. Surround it with lumps of butter and processed, fatty meats and you will face some  health issues…eventually.                   The eggs’s journey from breakfast pariah to dietary hero reminds us that science evolves and that understandings deepen. Yes, thanks you, Science                                                                                          The egg was always on our side! Even when it was sunnyside up!