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I admire what you're doing. I quit smoking in about 1981...three to four packs a day, and I hid in my apartment for the whole weekend when I went cold turkey. I'll tell you, it was more drama than Susan Hayward in I Want To Live.
Love your sense of humor. But congratulations on quitting smoking!!
I have one sister who died in 1999 from lung/liver cancer (yup, smoker and drinker).
My remaining sister is in Hospice, dying from lung cancer (yup, smoker and drinker).
After whittling down my smoking addiction to a half-pack a day, to break that habit totally, 2 scary images come to mind, my father (smoked for 50 years) and sister, who quit smoking, gained a lot of weight.
As I've said previously, I'm going to keep that habit around for awhile!
Don't eat so much. People who stop smoking tend to eat more to make up for it--that could be the part you are missing about your father and sister. Just keep on eating the same amount you already do or even eat less. The people who gained weight probably ate more than they did before. You don't HAVE to gain weight.
You really want lung cancer? Just to offer a little bit of help, I remember when I used to smoke. I complained that every time I tried to give it up I felt horrible. A cousin said--First you feel worse but then you feel so much better. Think in the long term. Use some will power and get through the hard part and you will reach the great part.
My dh gave up smoking at about age 67. (He never would have smoked if I had met him sooner.) He buys rolls of mints and keeps them everywhere. The doctor is very supportive of him and there's some formula for how much healthier you are for each year that you are off cigarettes. It's never too late.
I'm a little worried about myself. I used to get up at 6:00am & to sleep 10-11pm.now I find myself staying up til 3:00am & sleeping to 12-1pm. BUT, Alfred Hitchcock & Rod Sterling are on that late. I really miss those shows. I do not plan on the cannabis, it puts me to sleep, lol.
For many years I thought it was shameful to sleep late. (Got quite a few lessons in this over my lifetime). And of course I worked days that required a decent night sleep and getting up early to get there. Had more nights of "I can't sleep" over the years and dragged myself to work exhausted.
I've been retired for almost 5 years now. I stay up late because as meo92953 said there are things on TV at those hours that are fun to watch. So I sleep in late (don't have to be anywhere most of the time). But still have that nagging feeling about not being a "good person" because I slept in late. It's a hard habit to break. Past 2-3 weeks I've had to get up very early because that is when my new cat's "day" starts.
I was also "trained" to believe I had to go outside every day. Another hard habit to break although I do stay in many days doing stuff I enjoy (computer stuff).
On the topic of standing on my head ... I am not supposed to do anything that requires putting my head down, bending, etc. because I have glaucoma (had surgery for it). That is very frustrating. I find I do it anyway...... look down to pet new cat, look down to retrieve something from the floor, pick laundry basket up, many little chores you don't think twice about. Many restrictions with glaucoma, especially after surgery. Another thread.
I'm a little worried about myself. I used to get up at 6:00am & to sleep 10-11pm.now I find myself staying up til 3:00am & sleeping to 12-1pm. BUT, Alfred Hitchcock & Rod Sterling are on that late. I really miss those shows. I do not plan on the cannabis, it puts me to sleep, lol.
I've been working in tech full time since I left college (and did it contract to get through college). I've been sleep deprived now for over 30 years and counting. I am hoping the damage is not already done vis a vis Alzheimers. It appears long term sleep deprivation plays a role in certain cases.
I think sleep studies say that the best sleep is not late hours sleep .I know I do CCAP now and do not need the sleep I did before. Seems I just get better rest in 7 hours and no need for a afternoon nap now. I thought it was pretty much bull when doctor suggested testing and then when first starting. I didn't even snore wife said; so thought would not need it. Not sleeping well is also related to heart problems they say.
Re the glaucoma post above. I had surgery on both eyes. I am pretty sure the directive to not lower my head was given to me by my surgeon after the surgery.
How are you having your glaucoma treated? How long have you had it?
I hope you are seeing a specialist (ophthalmologist).
The shift from non-REM to REM sleep happens at certain times of the night regardless of when you go to bed, Walker says. So if you hit the sack very late—at, say, 3 AM—your sleep will tilt toward lighter, REM-heavy sleep. And that reduction in deep, restorative sleep may leave you groggy and blunt-minded the next day.
...
That’s unfortunate news for nightshift workers, bartenders, and others with unconventional sleep-wake routines, because they can’t sleep efficiently at odd hours of the day or night, Walker says. “The idea that you can learn to work at night and sleep during the day—you just can’t do that and be at your best.” Your brain and body’s circadian rhythms—which regulate everything from your sleeping patterns to your energy and hunger levels—tell your brain what kind of slumber to crave.
...
“These cycles have been established for hundreds of thousands of years,” Walker explains. “Thirty or 40 years of professional life aren’t going to change them.”
I used to be a night owl and usually did not go to bed until past midnight and got up at 8 AM except weekends when rowing started at 7AM. In the last 1.5 years, to increase my physical activity level to keep my blood sugar low, I decided to participate in the early morning row sessions every weekday at 5:30am. This means I have to go to bed early (10:30pm or 11pm) to get up at 4:30am. In the beginning it was not easy (I tossed and turned and did not fall asleep until my regular past midnight routine) but now I started to get used to the routine. Even on the days that I did not have to get up to row (due to weather), I still woke up early without the alarm clock.
I started to like this 'early bird' routine which let me get a lot of things done in the day. I miss staying up late reading, being online etc in the stillness of the night, the stars and moon gazing while feeling the evening cool air. However, the tranquility of morning rows, the songs of early birds, the sights of herons, eagles, geese, ducks on the river, the view of enchanting morning fog slowly melted by warm soft sunrise rays are more than make up for the charm of the evening.
Although the health effect of better sleep quality with going to bed early is not measurable. I have been feeling more upbeat, happy and rested than before. I had attributed the change mainly to the increased physical activities but maybe it was also due to the change in my bedtime habit.
I was also "trained" to believe I had to go outside every day. Another hard habit to break although I do stay in many days doing stuff I enjoy (computer stuff).
Hmm, I thought that going outside every day is a healthy habit. You walk, you move instead of being sedentary (which is known to cause all kinds of health issues). You also get to breathe fresh air, get vitamin D from sunlight etc.
I am an outdoor person and have to go outside everyday. At work, I take breaks by walking outside weather permits & try to do 15-20 minute walk outdoor during lunch hour.
Hmm, I thought that going outside every day is a healthy habit. You walk, you move instead of being sedentary (which is known to cause all kinds of health issues). You also get to breathe fresh air, get vitamin D from sunlight etc.
I am an outdoor person and have to go outside everyday. At work, I take breaks by walking outside weather permits & try to do 15-20 minute walk outdoor during lunch hour.
I decided to start keep a book journal. I am a lifetime reader of many types of fiction and non-fiction. But in the last few years, I'd stopped doing nearly as much reading. I started attending a book discussion group. And I started checking out several books at a time from the local library. I wanted to remember what I had read, and I wanted to write about what I read. So, after giving it a lot of thought, I bought a journal and began yesterday. I listed all the books I could remember reading recently. And I wrote a short entry about the latest book I had read. I'm doing this in longhand. I am committed to doing it.
In the back of the journal is the list I'm keeping and in the front is the first journal entry. Lucky for me that this latest book was so good. Title was: Our Souls at Night, by Kent Haruf. It is a story about two retired people. You might like it.
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