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Health Beat: Insomnia in Older Adults – Causes, Impacts, and Solutions
By Mark McNease
I know this issue is common in older adults because I am one, and because most of the people in life are, too.
It’s not uncommon these days for me to wake up at 3:00 a.m. It seems to have been a slow progression over the last few years of waking up earlier and earlier. And I’ve never been sure if insomnia is what I actually have. I used to think it meant the inability to fall asleep, something my mother dealt with for much of her adult life. She would stay up late into the night and eventually go to bed long after the rest of us were deep in slumber. That’s what I always thought insomnia was.
Now I know there are several forms of this condition. I’ve never had any trouble falling asleep. My problem is that I will wake up after three or four and be completely unable to go back to sleep. I end up getting out of bed and going into the living room, sometimes lying on the couch where I’m able to doze off again, but many other times simply staying up for the rest of the night until the sun rises and it’s socially acceptable for me to be active. What I’m never able to do is to remain in bed. I describe the feeling as that of being a turtle on its back. I’m not able to simply lie there staring at the ceiling or the wall. I have to get up and move.
Let’s take a look at this thing called insomnia and its various causes, impacts and solutions. Happy sleeping!
About Insomnia
Insomnia, characterized by difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or experiencing restful sleep, is a common issue among older adults. As we age, changes in sleep patterns and health can significantly affect sleep quality, impacting overall well-being.
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Loud and Proud at Philly Pride
We went to Philly Pride on Sunday. I haven’t been to a big city Pride event in years (Lambertville and New Hope don’t count), and I wanted to see one before they’re banned. Just kidding … not really.
We’re under continuous assault by the cross-wearing Christian Nationalists and their army of the half-dead. They continue to obsess over trangender people they’ve never met, but who they’re certain are coming for their children and their Bibles. They have always hated how expressive queer people are, and how unashamed of being ourselves we’ve somehow managed to become despite centuries (yes, centuries) of dehuminzation, criminalization and contempt. We think for ourselves, we celebrate ourselves, some of us wear nipple rings and nose rings and wedding rings, and they hate it. Their definition of freedom is the freedom to call use freaks, and to deny us services from room rentals to health care. They fantasize a god who demands whatever rules they imagine themselves bound by, and they want the rest us falling in line. So how about we fall in line dancing instead. Enjoy this video from Philly Pride, grab the nearest rainbow flag and fly it high with a twirl and a wink. Then do it again.
Six friends in Philly
Friends Gerry and Sean from NYC staying for a few days, and our neighbors Phil and Jim (together 50 years!) on a train trip to the City of Otherly Love.
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Harvesting Goodness – Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and Its Benefits
By Mark McNease
We joined a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) co-op several years ago and the annual cycle of picking up our share every two weeks is beginning again. We belong to the Tinicum (PA) CSA, and their large barn with adjacent farmland is just across a bridge from Frenchtown, NJ, to their location. We head over the bridge twice a month on Saturday, sometimes walking, sometimes driving, and fill up our bags with more vegetables than two people can possibly eat. We get the large share (they offer large and small), and each of us ends up with two full cloth bags to bring home. What they offer depends on the time of year and the various growing seasons, and we always end up with enough to give some to friends and neighbors.
We also have our own raised-bed vegetable garden in the back yard, but it’s tiny compared to what we get at the CSA. So what, exactly, is a CSA?
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Co-ops Connect Farmers and Consumers DirectlyThere’s been a growing movement towards sustainable, locally sourced, and transparent food systems. One of the most effective and community-driven approaches to this is through CSA co-ops. These between farmers and consumers foster trust, promote ecological farming practices, and strengthen local economies. The bins are full, the vegetables and rinsed, and you can see some things grown right there in their fields.
Tinicum CSA also has flowers and various vegetables (such as okra) we’re able to cut and harvest ourselves as we walk along the rows with pairs of scissors.
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What’s a Quozy? Check Out Queer Cozy Mysteries at Cozy.com (Including Mine!)
Thanks to the folks at CozyMystery. com for adding me to their “Quozy” page (queer cozy authors) – and I like that portmanteau! Think about it.
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Savvy Senior: How Much Advil (Ibuprofen) Is Too Much?
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
I take Advil pretty regularly for arthritis pain and headaches, but how can I tell if I’m taking more than is safe?
Achy Alan
Dear Alan,
Ibuprofen – better known by one of its brand names, Advil – is one of the most popular medications on the market today for treating all different types of pain, headaches, fevers and cramps.
Given the drug’s broad pain-reducing effects, safety record and availability over the counter (OTC), it’s no surprise that some people pop the little brownish-red tablets whenever they feel the slightest twinge of discomfort.
But ibuprofen, which is also sold under brand names like Motrin and Nuprin, can pose certain health risks, especially for those with kidney or stomach issues. Here’s what you should know.
What’s Safe?
For most adults and children ages 12 years and older, the recommended OTC dose of ibuprofen is one (or two, if needed) 200-milligram tablets, caplets or gel caplets every four to six hours while symptoms persist. You shouldn’t take more than 1,200 mg (or six pills) in a 24-hour period.
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Survey Results: What’s Your Favorate Way to Vacation?
Thanks to everyone who took the latest survey! Look for a new one this week. Here are the results (multiple selections are allowed). – Mark
Pack my bags! I’ll go anywhere 43.75 percent
Call me a homebody – staycations are my thing 12.50 percent
I’m retired – every day’s a vacation 37.50 percent
What’s a vacation? 12.50 percent -
Health Beat: Bridges, Dentures and Implants (Oh, My)
By Mark McNease
As anyone knows who has not simply let their teeth fall out, effectively gumming their way through life, dental work is incredibly expensive.
In some ways I consider myself fortunate to only have about 8 ‘real teeth’ left. You can’t need expensive dental work on teeth you don’t have! The rest—those spaces where my natural choppers used to be—are filled in by very reasonable facsimiles with the cumulative price of a small automobile.
My lower front teeth were replaced about 15 years ago with a permanent bridge. The dentist, now long-retired, did a good enough job. They’re still there, still permanent, and will most likely last until they escort my body to the crematorium. The problem has been the top teeth. They, too, were initially replaced with a permanent bridge, but it had been anchored to a couple teeth I had left, and it was a mistake. The bridge came loose about 10 years ago, and I got a partial denture instead. By then I was I my 50s, married, and determined not to spend another small fortune to replace something I could just take out at night for a much better price.
As anyone knows who has not simply let their teeth fall out, effectively gumming their way through life, dental work is incredibly expensive. I’d paid approximately $10,000 for each of those bridges. Out of pocket. That is not a typo! So when I had to get a replacement for the top one that had proven not to be so permanent, I refused to shell out another ten grand. The partial option was only $2,000, so that’s what I went with. I quickly learned that Polident is my friend, and I found other ways to spend the difference.
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Just Added! In-Person Workshops In September
5 week autobiographical writing workshop at Bucks on BridgeI’ve just added four in-person workshop in September, to be held at Bucks on Bridge in their art space run by the artists’ collective Soupcon. I’m a partner, and this has been a terrific space to hold workshops. I just completed a 5 week journaling workshop there in April, and we’ve all bonded so much we’ll be reconvening in July.
You can read about each of the four workshop here on the website, and register at the links below:
Fiction Writing Essentials, Monday September 8 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
REGISTER HERE ($40)They’re Alive! Creating Vivid Characters, Monday, September 15, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
REGISTER HERE ($30)Self-Publishing with KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing), Monday, September 22, 10:00 AM – 12:oo PM
REGISTER HERE ($40)Guided Autobiography: A 2 Hour Introduction, Monday, September 29, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
REGISTRATION FOR THIS ONE WILL BE OPEN IN MID-JUNE ($40)
Contact me at YourWritePath AT Outlook. com before then -
Fiction Writing Essentials at the Bristol, PA, Library
This was one of my best workshop experiences yet: enthustiastic attendees who told me it could have gone another two hours. Several of them expressed interest in a self-publishing workshop and spoke to the program director about it afterward. Such a great morning.
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The Weekly Readlines May 2
From the Editor’s Desk: It’s been a helluva year … I mean week. So much destruction, so little time. Amazon kissed the Imperial ring yet again, declining to include tariff charges on their items. Gee, I guess people paying $10 more for something won’t notice if it doesn’t say “tariff,” or at worst they’ll blame vendors and Joe Biden.
I try every day to keep my perspective, and every day it gets more challenging. What’s happening was never about grocery prices, or cutting federal spending, or stopping drugs from coming into a country that can’t seem to get enough of them, or deporting super scary brown people. It was about power and control. Always. Nothing else. Power and control, and our institutions are all proving eager to give it to them. May we march while we can, get off the damn parade floats, and record it all for posterity. Someday people will survey the ruins and want to know what happened. – Mark
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S STOP STORIES
Trump Promises ‘Two Dolls in Every Pot’ with Crushing Tariffs
Truly a man of the peopleArmy Plans For A Potential Parade On Trump’s Birthday Call For 6,600 Soldiers
Grotesque does not begin to describe itTrump Orders Military to “Assist” Local Law Enforcement
What Posse Comitatus Act? This way lies martial lawLGBTQ
New Era: Major Companies Are Reportedly Reversing Course on LGBT Marketing – MSN
Trump Administration Issues Anti-Trans Health Care Report That Recommends Conversion Therapy
Governor Newsom Supports Bill To Put LGBTQ Helpline Number On Student ID’s
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This Week’s Survey: Television for the People
Cord-cutter or total abstinence? You can take the survey at the link. Multiple options are allowed.
RESULTS OF LAST WEEK’S SURVEY (because multiple options are allowed, it’s not a simple “100 percent” total).
What’s your preferred way of enjoying books?
eBooks: 52.94%
Hardback/paperback 41.18%
Audiobooks 23.53% -
April Showers Bring May Workshops! Fiction Writing Essentials at the Grundy Library (Bristol, PA) – May 3
May 3 is just around the corner! It’s a busy workshop month for me, kicking off with Fiction Writing Essentials in Bristol, PA. Support your lo