Better Sleep for These Nights

There is some good and credible evidence that a good night's sleep improves the immune system. Who knows whether and how you might get exposed to the virus, but your immune system is always working for you, and it is powerful. Covid-19 has been called a wimp.



So here I submit an outline of a course I was to have given at Florida Gulf Coast Univ, Seniors Academy last week:

1, Walk outside in the late afternoon without sunglasses. You will be building up your natural melatonin, the brain's sleep-inducer. (There is a slightly reduced supply of melatonin in older persons.).
2, Learn to use diaphragmatic breathing, instruction on the internet, or email me for my instruction sheet. DB turns on the parasympathetic nervous system to calm your worries, including worry about sleeping. It is a physiological event.
3. Slow down before bedtime, read fiction, and meditate, (or just relax).
4.If you nap, make it short, less than one hour, and do it before 3 PM.
5. Get some regular exercise, but do it at least three hours ahead of bedtime.
6. Avoid alcohol. The relaxation from it actually interferes with important stages of sleep. See the book, "Why We Sleep"
7.Take notes on your negative self-talk, and subject these statements to Cognitive Behavior Therapy reworking. See book "Feeling Good" and/or "CBT-1 Coach" as an app. Source: Health After 50, Berkeley School of Public Health.
8. Learn Self-Hypnosis. There are pre-written scripts for this. Licensed clinical hypnotherapists can teach it to you. See American Society of Clinical Hypnosis list of practitioners, some of whom you may visit online.
9. Don't neglect signs of sleep apnea, for which C-pap devices are now in common use via your medical doctor.

Shell Point Today

Shell Point and Covid-19, March 27, 2020

I have hoisted my keyboard onto the desk again to talk about my current situation, March 2020, in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic. It has been a few years since I posted, but my( our) life has gone right ahead, with a recent move to Shell Point Retirement Center, that some of you knew about. I recently found the picture above, which looks strikingly like the first picture of "The Island" where we live. Indeed it is another island, but actually is a view of Rikers Island. Not a place I would like to be right now, and I have compassion for all New Yorkers in the present crisis. But it makes me think about the state of reduced activity in this retirement community. We are observing social distancing and all group activities have been halted. We are free to leave our apartment, and we do, for wonderful walks along the river. We can leave the island , but are screened about contacts made while off campus upon return. We are extremely fortunate to be able to go visit our previous home in south Ft Myers. There I have my fruit trees to tend, and even harvest, which adds to our menu. On campus we spend more time indoors, and more importantly, on our spacious screen porch which overlooks the beautiful park, including with a pizza=pie slice of the Caloosahatchie River. The porch includes a dining table and, of course, several potted plants. Soon I hope to have a garden plot here. We do some cooking for ourselves, get some groceries delivered, and carry out some meals from the nearby dining room. The picture below reminds me of the "Angalus" atmosphere here, where the daily chapel bells remind us to stop and reflect. Actually the confinement is a little like being in a monastery. Except, of course, we have each other. I am actually spending more time meditating and reading and painting. Who knows,soon we may even complete the monastic atmosphere by baking bread!