Healthy Living: Oh CPAP, Caress My Face

One of the most challenging parts of treating sleep apnea with CPAP therapies is adjusting to the feel of the mask on your face.  Quite often (in the early days of adjusting) a CPAP mask can feel confining and a touch claustrophobic.  Over time that will pass as the wearer adjusts to having pressure on the face and straps around the head area.  I know, it sounds a bit like The Inquisition, but it's a sensation that gradually becomes normal over time.

A tip for new CPAP wearers is to focus on the quality of sleep you are achieving; the deeper REM sleep, more vivid dreams, and the refreshed, alive feeling you have in the morning.  After all, you are employing an unnatural aid to overcome the effects of sleep apnea; a condition which, in it's most severe form, can be life-threatening.  The key is to focus on the new benefits you will be getting from sound and restful sleep. Viewed in this way, CPAP can become a friend to your best sleep.  

I recall when I first met with my sleep apnea doctor and asked him, "how will I ever get used to this mask", he replied that most of his patients that adjusted to CPAP wouldn't sleep without it.  I seriously questioned that at the time.  Now, a year and a half later, I have to admit he was right.  I won't sleep without mine either.

 Another aspect of wearing a CPAP mask is the facial marks that can be left after a night of usage.  Most will disappear after you remove the mask and get your day started.  Here are several quick tips for helping to fade strap marks:

• Use pads on your straps (I'll cover these choices in more detail in a later blog)
• Use a cotton pad that rests between your face and the soft rubber cushion of the mask.  I use RemZzzs.  (RemZzzs.com) 
• Wash your face as soon as practical after getting up.
• Use a moisturizing type soap with warm water.  This works great for me.
• Guys that shave have the advantage of further moisturizing with shaving lather.   

Those of us that have to use CPAP machines set to higher pressures for more severe apnea may have more marks in the morning due to tighter straps to avoid air leaks during the night.  Even then, I find that I am able to fade any marks within a short period of time.

If you have experience you'd like to share with CPAP machines or masks, let me know.  Here's to better healthy living through healthy sleeping!

  

Healthy Eating: Burger Wars- Turkeys to the Rescue

For those of us who seek foods and recipes that will help us cut our consumption of red meat and, in general, fat from our diets, the thought of having to give up plump, juicy beef burgers with melted cheese is almost too much to bear. In some parts of the country it's downright un-American.  You have to have juice running down the burger and cheese dribbling out the sides to know that you're in The Land of the Free and the Home of Those That Love Their Burgers.  And we haven't even gotten into Fry Country, but that's for another day.

So what's a body to do in a nation of burger lovers that worship at the temple of all things grilled and beautiful?  You look for substitutes.....and...there....aren't....a lot....out there.  Ever try a veggie burger?  How about a soy burger?  I think you're one step removed from soluable cardboard (although I have to admit I've never tried it).  But desperation can get you to that small, dark place in Substitute Land.  Surely, there must be a burger substitute somewhere that tastes good and can help you regain your American culinary pride and do so through healthy eating.

Turkeys to the rescue......that age-old American icon of family gatherings.  But turkey isn't for Thanksgiving anymore.  It's time for turkey to take its rightful place in the pantheon of great burger meals.  And I think an overweight nation where heart disease is among the top killers is ready to embrace a great substitute for healthy living and healthy eating in the form of the turkey burger.

I just had turkey burgers for dinner last night and I want to share a couple of my secrets with you for preparing them so that they are tasty and delicious.  Here are the steps I take in preparing them:

1. Use ground turkey meat.  I get meat that is 93% fat-free and retains just enough fat to keep the meat from cooking dry.  I've tried pre-formed turkey patties, but for some reason they don't taste as good.
2. Add seasonings (I like Mrs. Dash) to taste and form into patties, making sure that the meat is well mixed so it will hang together.  
3. If you like your burger more moist, I recommend you add minced onion to the meat.  This will help keep it from drying out.  You could also dice up mushrooms which will accomplish the same thing.  
4. Cook until the meat is cooked through.  Grilling adds great flavor, but stove top cooking gives great results as well.
5. If you want to add cheese, you can add at this point.  I recommend a low-fat shredded cheese or sliced Swiss Lace (also low-fat, and it tastes great).  

You will have a burger that will stand-up to any red meat burger and you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you are taking care of your heart.  If you have similar recipes that readers would like to hear about, please share them so that we all have more options for healthy eating.   

Healthy Eating: A Chicken In Every Pot

Healthy living is best served by healthy eating.  We all know that, but it can be hard to sustain.  What with fast-food restaurants and snack food companies joining into the din of plying us with great-tasting foods of questionable health benefit, the assault on our resolve to eat well gets worn down.  We know we should eat that piece of fruit or that leafy vegetable, but taking edible shortcuts to eating pleasure more often that not wins the day.  Jon, the owner of Garfield the comic cat once mused, "if only there was a measure of how good something tastes".  Garfield responds, "There is, it's called the calorie". 

My reluctant journey into healthy, responsible eating began with heart bypass surgery.  Nothing like a little life-saving operation to get your attention.  Instantly, the notion of being bulletproof fades away and you're left with the nagging question, What now?  You question every culinary decision you ever made and seek some kind of magic road map to healthy eating.  Only too soon do you realize that there are no shortcuts and you are left with having to change your eating habits and open yourself to the benefits of healthy foods that go beyond taste. 

 One of the main points that the cardiac doctors and nurses emphasized over and over was the restriction of fat in the diet.  That was a tough one for me, as I had eaten red meat at least three or four times a week for most of my life.  That's the way many families ate in the 20th century, and ours was no exception.  That had to change if I wanted to go on enjoying healthy living. 

So....I knew I needed to get more chicken and fish into my diet.  I am not a great fish eater, but I love sushi and it's a way that I can get at least some fish into my eating regimen.  It works for me, and I love the taste. (Oh yeah, and don't forget the seaweed wrap! Who'd-a-thunk!)

Now...in the chicken department things were much different.  I had developed a love/hate relationship with eating chicken; probably the result of enduring too many "rubber chicken" events during my professional career.  How to get chicken into my diet?....hmmm.

The answer came in a new product that hit the market a few years ago: the Nu Wave Cooker.  Now, I know there are lots of similar products out there on the market, but this one got my attention because of the large amount of fat that cooks out of the chicken during the cooking process.  I've had my cooker now for about two years and I love it.  In 22 to 24 minutes (depending on the size of the pieces)  I can cook up a bunch of chicken thighs.  They are juicy, flavorful, and have most of the fat cooked out of them, yet they remain moist....even when warmed up a day or two later. 

I continue to try new meats and recipes in my cooker, but chicken remains my favorite.  I know I'm doing something healthy for my heart and that feels good. 
If getting the fat out of your diet is a goal for you, I suggest you research the new cooking technologies that are out there.  After all, all you have to lose is the fat!

If you have any cooking secrets, tips, or recipes you'd like to share, let me know.  Your heart (and mine) will thank you. 

Healthy Living: Sleep Apnea- Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor -of- Sleep, Your Snorers Yearning to Breath Free

If you're one of those suffering from restless, tossing sleep or you wake up often -catching your breath or gasping for air, you may have sleep apnea and not be aware of it.  In this post I will focus on the kind of sleep someone can expect to generally experience after being treated with CPAP or other therapy for sleep apnea.  This is the big payoff, and can help you on your personal road to achieving healthy living.

Many people, like I did, begin to fall asleep only to be suddenly awakened with shortness of breath.  You get to the edge of sleep only to be rudely awakened again and again through the night.  You may sleep in fits and starts over the night, but you never achieve the deep REM sleep that your body needs to be healthy and restored.  Sleep apnea is a cruel condition,  robbing you of that sleep-through-the-night luxurious rest that our bodies crave.  I know; I've been there and tossed through the night, never really getting into restorative sleep; always hovering just below awakeness, only to get out of bed in the morning feeling like I was hit by a truck.  Usually I would make it through the day, however,  I was usually so exhausted, I would take naps throughout the day and then sleep fitfully the following night- starting the cycle all over again.  Ugh...there's gotta be a better way.  AND THERE IS....

Fast-forward a year and a half.  I finally came to the realization that I had sleep apnea and took the leap to do something about it.  I guess for some of us it has to get bad enough for us to take action. Two sleep studies later and after a period of time adjusting to a CPAP mask, I began to experience what I had been missing all those years.

Today, when I fall asleep with my mask on, I usually do so within 5 to 10 minutes and boy, is the sleep great!  Never before had I experienced what true deep REM sleep feels like.  Ok, so what is this great sleep all about.  Let me give you a profile of what a typical night is like now.
I will:

1. fall asleep quickly and deeply.  
2. have vivid dreams in rich detail. (I recall dreams where I saw highly ornate tiles with vibrant colors and intricate designs).
3. dream in color and can recall the colors associated with people, places, and things when I awaken in the morning.
4. have interconnected dreams through the night, even if I wake-up and then fall back to sleep.
5. sleep for 71/2 to 81/2 hours per night and then have to get up...can't sleep anymore.  I am wide awake, refreshed, and ready to meet the day.
6. work through the day without the need for naps...and feel really healthy, alert, and alive!

It's hard to believe that all this could be true; the end effect of simply wearing a CPAP mask, but it is.  I hope  my experience can serve as a window into the world of sleep apnea and as an encouragement to anyone that suspects that they, or someone they care about, might be suffering from sleep apnea.  Don't put it off like I did.  Get checked out.  
If you have any comments or experiences to contribute, I'd like to hear from you.  

Healthy Living: ...And You Thought Rice Was Only for Weddings.

We all know that rice and rice-based meals are an essential part of many healthy eating diets around the world.  But did you know that rice has an interesting, secret property?  In it's raw form, it's a natural desiccant.  This is, it is a drying agent.

I found this out the hard way last week.  I have a bad habit of taking my bluetooth earset off my ear and sticking it in a pocket.  Then I lose track of it, and before you know it, it's lost.  I must have gone through five or more earpieces through the years.  Not a good track record.  

Anyway, I got a note from my wife early one morning attached to my earpiece:  

Found this in the washer.  It went through two wash, rinse, and spin cycles. Enjoy!

What to do.  A total loss?  Suddenly I remembered reading about rice's drying properties.  So, I decided to try it.  Stuck it in a zip-loc bag with dry rice, and, voila, one day later it worked like nothing had ever happened!!  

Next time you have trouble getting an ear piece or cell phone to work because of moisture, try this tip. You may avoid having to buy a new gadget...and your wallet will love that!  If nothing else, you can always soak the rice after using it, and cook up a great meal for healthy eating!

If you've had an experience like this, let me know.  Do you have another secret trick that works?

Healthy Living: A Tip for a Great, Healthy Breakfast

I want to shift gears in this post and focus on a tip for preparing a healthy breakfast.  As a coronary by-pass patient (I had a quadruple by-pass five years ago) I had to re-learn good, healthy eating habits, which included getting as much bad fat out of my diet as possible.  Two of my favorite foods were red meat and eggs.  While I have drastically reduced my red meat intake (once or twice a month on average), I still love to have an egg for breakfast occasionally.  The medical community advised me that three eggs a week was acceptable consumption for a person like me.  However, they strongly advised that eggs be cooked with as little grease, fats, or oil as practical.  I tried using cooking sprays, but didn't like the taste they left, so I kept looking.

Recently I became aware of a product that works in the microwave (my first choice for cooking) and works on the basis of steam cooking- with no butter, margarine, fats, grease, or oils....got to be healthy!  The cookware I picked up is made of ceramic stoneware with a handle and a domed lid.  The concept is that the design traps steam generated with a small amount water (for a poached egg which I made) to cook evenly and to lock-in flavor.  In my case, the egg cooked perfectly with no fats or oils and tasted great.  I added shredded cheese.  Here's a tip for making a super poached egg:

• Put one raw egg into the ceramic pot with a very small amount of water (1/4 teaspoon or so)
• Add salt and pepper before cooking
• Microwave at full power for approx. 20 to 25 seconds
• Let rest for 20 to 25 seconds
• Cook again for 20 to 25 seconds
• Look at the egg.  You can tell if it is done the way you like it.  
• Add cheese at this point and replace the domed cover.  It will melt after about 40 to 45 seconds
• You are ready to eat.....with no fats or oils....and great flavor.
• Put over a low-calorie, multi-grain English muffin or toast

Because the ceramic wear I got is coated with non-stick, clean up is a snap.  Healthy eating of course is not limited to only a healthy breakfast.  You can benefit from this type of steam cooking with potatoes, vegetables, some desserts, and more.  I look forward to trying other recipes that will allow me to truly enjoy a healthy lifestyle and healthy living.  I'll share some of the recipes that I like in future posts.

The product I got is the Stonewave, which I picked up at CVS for $9.99,  You will find other like-products that fit this bill that will help you along the road to healthy eating.  Let me know if you have recipes you'd like to share.  

Healthy Living: Sleep Apnea - Kids Can Have It Too

I spent time in the last two healthy living posts talking mainly about sleep apnea in adults, but it's also become a health risk among children.  The National Sleep Foundation reports that roughly 13 percent of children between the ages of 6 and 11 and approximately 14 percent of adolescents between the ages of 12 and 19 suffer from being overweight.  It's part of a growing trend in our country that kids are getting heavier- for numerous contributing reasons, but carrying extra weight puts kids at greater risk for sleep apnea.  That's not to say, however, that thin kids can't have sleep apnea.

What are some of the nighttime signs that a child could have sleep apnea?

• Does he snore at night?
• Is she a mouth-breather?
• Does he have trouble getting out of bed in the morning after getting sufficient sleep time?
• Is her sleep fitful or restless?
• Does his breathing pause while asleep?

If you suspect that your child is showing any of the above symptoms, see your child's medical doctor and get it checked out.  It may be nothing, but it may be something.  Two of my sisters showed several of these signs and both are CPAP users today.

Do you have, or know others that have, children with sleep apnea?  What are your experiences?  How did you discover the problem and what steps did you take to take care of it?

Healthy Living: CPAP Adventures

Yesterday I shared with you some quick tips on the advantages of using CPAP.  If you've been thinking that you may have sleep apnea and just not gotten around to doing something about it, consider these points:
Do you:

• drift off to sleep only to suddenly awaken
• awaken gasping for breath
• get up multiple times a night to go to the bathroom
• have disjointed dreams, if you dream at all
• toss and turn during the night, waking up frequently

If you experience any of these, you may have sleep apnea and I would strongly suggest you get checked out by a professional sleep study doctor.  I suffered with lousy, interrupted sleep for years before I finally bit the bullet and went for a sleep study.  

Wow, my sleep study showed that I was stopping breathing 57 times an hour!!  Image the stress that was putting on my heart.  I decided then and there that I needed to follow through with a CPAP therapy if I was going to continue to live a full and healthy life, and today, with my CPAP mask, I sleep deeply and restfully and would never sleep without it. 

I'll tell you a bit more about CPAP masks in later posts so you will know what's out there, what works, and what type may be right for your sleep apnea.  If you use CPAP, let me know what you use and what your experience has been. If you're thinking of getting a sleep study, let me know if you have concerns or misgivings.  

Launch of Healthy Living Tips and Secrets Blog

Greetings healthy (and maybe not-so healthy, but wanna be) friends. 
This marks my first blog...and there's so much great info to bring you.  In the coming days and weeks I'll be telling you about loads of secrets and tips for healthy living that will get your heart pumping and your wallet feeling warm all-over.  Here's a sample of what's to come:
Did you know:
that sleep apnea, untreated, can lead to an over-worked heart and fatality in some cases.  The good news is that it is very treatable with current CPAP therapies which offer some great benefits like:

• Deep, uninterrupted, restorative REM sleep that will have you awake and refreshed in the morning.
• Less midnight trips to the bathroom....yes, you heard that right...CPAP will actually cut down on or eliminate those aggravating trips to the bathroom.  How do I know?  I'm a happy, sleep-through-the-night CPAP wearer. 

New, lightweight headgear and CPAP machines work efficiently and quietly. There are even super-small, battery powered machines for travel and when the power goes out. 
Sleep apnea patients don't have to suffer anymore.  There are solutions to fit each individual need with new advancements coming all the time.  I'll be providing you with lots of extra info and great tips on sleep apnea and how to achieve healthy living with CPAP.
If you're living with sleep apnea, I want to hear from you.  How are you coping with CPAP and what challenges or tips to you have to share?

On a different note, in future posts I'll deal with other healthy living topics that folks are talking about these days:

• gluten free products; what's available. what's new, and where to get them.
• tips on healthy eating, healthy snacks, and healthy breakfast ideas for busy families.  

and other diverse topies, that together, lead to living a healthy lifestyle.  

So, strap on in....and welcome to the ride.