Page 12 - Boca Club News - June '21

Page 12, Boca Club News

From The Professionals’ Desks

Reality Check √ – Healthy Answers on

Living & Loving Life:“When My Nap Became a Snap!”

By Dale Brown, B.S., M.A., C.E.C. equally as well for adults to relax and calm the nerves. Where? Some place clean and peaceful…no phones,
Dale is a motivational speaker The pandemic provided the perfect scenario for taking an door bells, etc.
who has spent many years as a afternoon nap. With nowhere to go, no pressing work to be Lighting? Wear eyeshades, or darken the room to
Certified Life Coach and has written done, it was easy, “peasy” for me to curl up for what became stimulate melatonin, the sleep-inducing hormone.
numerous articles and e-books known as my “snap” (small 30-minute shut-eye). Temperature? Body temperature drops when you fall
relating to self-improvement and “Does a nap in the afternoon make up for midnight asleep, so make sure you have a coverlet handy.
ways to build a high-performance tossing and turning, or lack of quality sleep? Nap length? Remember not to fall into a deep sleep.
team. Her education and years of The answer is yes! Napping is beneficial to someone Set your alarm for fewer than 40 minutes for a power nap
experience in physical fitness and who does not get enough sleep at night. Studies showed to be effective.
training of elite athletes has enabled her to sharpen her that sleep is indeed cumulative, meaning that if you have a Still feeling guilty about slinking off to your easy chair?
knowledge in many health-related areas. The following is poor night’s sleep you can make it up by napping the next Why not try one of the shorter options to fit your internal
one in a series of columns devoted to many topics that deal day. Research supports the fact that an afternoon nap may clock and daily schedule.
with the mind/body connection and the importance of living be perfectly compatible with a finely-tuned biological clock. Nano-nap (10 – 20 seconds) …nodding off on
a healthy lifestyle. Dale, a Bocaire resident, can be reached A natural sleep/wake cycle includes being awake for about someone’s shoulder or closing your eyes during a boring
at dalebrown@lovingmondays.com. 16 hours and then asleep for eight. movie or lecture.
Have you ever noticed how some people have the ability Here’s the interesting part: the body’s clock is set with Micro-nap (2 – 5 minutes) …effective for shedding that
to sleep anywhere, any time? two distinct dips in alertness within a 24-hour period—one sleepy feeling.
Mother’s Day always brings me back to my childhood, at 2:00 a.m. and another about 2:00 p.m., corresponding to Power nap (5 – 20 minutes) …increases alertness,
and how my mother reacted to so many situations. When the midday dip. It’s not surprising that some countries divide stamina, motor learning and performance.
I was growing up, I loved to nap. Fortunately, my Mum their sleep into two blocks. A siesta (or afternoon break) Snap (my favorite) (30 minutes) …improves
not only allowed it but would never disturb me during my is typical in many countries, allowing time to rest before muscle memory and clears the brain of useless built-up
afternoon rest. Even when friends, aunts and uncles would returning to the work day. It is believed that divided sleep information…helps long-term memory.
criticize her for giving into my “lazy” nature, she recognized may be even more recuperative than sleep taken in a single Heavy-Duty nap (60 minutes) … sleep that is good for
how beneficial a nap could be to rejuvenate your mind and block. repairing bones and muscles.
body. She would say, “There will come a day when a nap How do you get the most out of your nap? The next time you find yourself nodding off after lunch,
will become a luxury, so enjoy it when you can!” If you still have reservations about how to get into the or wish you had a place you could retreat for a warm, comfy
I get comments from people who tell me that if they nap, groove when your eyelids droop, consider the following place to nap, give yourself permission to do it. Proudly
they have trouble sleeping at night. Others say napping is a suggestions to get you going...or should I say snoozing? announce that you will be taking a “snap”…you are neither
waste of time and it’s better to fight the urge to sleep until When? After lunch is a good time, because it will not lazy nor unproductive.
they go to bed. This may be the case for many people, but interfere with your circadian rhythms. Some of the most notable figures in history are known to
the truth is that napping is not only good for you, it increases Caffeine? Not good. It may interfere with a person’s have been nap-takers, such as Winston Churchill, Napoleon
productivity, sharpens the senses and lifts the spirit. ability to sleep. Bonaparte, Albert Einstein, Leonardo Da Vinci and John
There is a reason that children are sent to their rooms to Time to eat, and what? One or two hours before nap F. Kennedy. I feel honored to take my place among these
nap when they are tired and cranky. When they wake up, time, eat foods high in calcium and protein that promote famous people if only for one reason…to take a SNAP!
they are loaded with vim and vigor. This practice works sleep. Sleep well.

Medical Matters: Halitosis

By Richard Nagler, M.D., a member Smoking cigarettes, and especially cigars, are offenders, some veggies, especially legumes, which sit undigested in
of Broken Sound Club and retired and these individuals are far more likely to have gum disease the intestines producing trimethylaminuria. This builds up
physician. After graduating from (gingivitis) with bleeding, pain, receding gums, and pockets and is excreted in the lungs, producing the foul odor.
the University of Pennsylvania of debris and sores in the mouth, with odor producing There are many medications, as well as some
and New York University’s School bacterial over-growth. Poor dental hygiene, where people chemotherapeutic drugs, that cause dry mouth as a side
of Medicine, Dr. Nagler served don’t brush their teeth often enough (three times daily, and effect and contribute to bad breath.
his internship and residency at especially after a meal, is recommended) and not flossing Of particular interest is the effect on breath in people
Baltimore City Hospital and Johns regularly is associated with the retention of food particles in with lung cancer. They produce volatile chemicals, such as
Hopkins. He followed that with a the mouth. Plaque forms on the teeth, and the gums become polyamines, that produce a pungent caustic odor sometimes
Fellowship in Gastroenterology at Yale University School irritated and possibly infected, damaging soft tissues and described as “old leather.” This brings up the emerging
of Medicine, and was then Chief of Gastroenterology at destroying the bones that support teeth, which can be subject of detecting many other cancers, including stomach
Fitzimmons General Army Hospital in Denver. He returned loosened and be lost (periodontitis). and breast cancers by breath analysis. Patients blow into
to the Yale Medical School for one year as an Assistant The tongue can also trap bad breath, causing bacteria. a balloon attached to a very sensitive gold-sensitive nano
Professor of Medicine before opening his own successful Dentures that don’t fit properly or cleaned regularly can particle sensor that analyzes for cancer-producing volatile
private practice in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology. trap food particles and harbor odor-causing bacteria, as chemicals that evaporate into the air with a discernible scent
During that time, he also served for ten years as Chief of can poorly maintained retainers. Dry mouth is a prominent profile. For example, it has been shown to be 85% accurate
Medicine at Huntington Hospital in Huntington, N.Y. cause of bad breath. Saliva is very important in cleansing in diagnosing lung cancer, even in the early stages that often
Halitosis (bad breath) is an extremely common condition. the mouth of remaining particles of food that cause odor. defy diagnosis even by CT scans.
Throughout the country, store shelves are overflowing with This is particularly evident during sleep, especially with Breath analysis is becoming an increasingly useful tool
gum, mints and mouthwash, all purported to eliminate bad the mouth open and saliva drying up, leading to “morning in early cancer detection in general, and many studies are
breath—but, in reality, having at best a temporary beneficial breath.” Also, there is described “hunger breath” in people underway at the present time to evaluate its full potential.
effect. None of them address the root causes of the problem. who regularly skip meals, and the cause is a dry mouth. Also, there are numerous reports of dogs being trained to
Many people don’t know they have bad breath as it is Tooth decay, mouth sores, infections in the nose, throat and detect lung cancer as well as other cancers, such as ovarian
difficult to assess how our breath smells. One should ask a sinuses and a post-nasal drip can cause a cheesy breath odor. cancer in the early stages of the disease.
spouse or a close friend to confirm. Bad breath is caused by Lung disease such as bronchitis, pneumonia, emphysema, The treatment of bad breath involves brushing the teeth
a number of factors. A major factor is the breakdown of food an abscess, and cancer may be involved. with a fluoride-containing toothpaste with anti-bacterial
particles in and around our teeth, especially by bacteria that Other causes to be considered are yeast infections properties after eating, and at night before bedtime as well.
release sulfur gas. Onions, garlic and spices, after being digested (Candida Albicans). Heartburn (Gastro esophageal reflux), Getting a new soft bristle toothbrush every three months
and absorbed, enter the blood stream and travel to the lungs. where partly digested food is regurgitated into the esophagus is advised. Mouthwashes to kill bacteria that fill pockets
They are then expelled with exhalation and cause bad breath. and mouth with Helicobacter pylori (the organism involved caused by gum disease are useful. Brushing the tongue,
with ulcers), can produce bad breath. A fecal odor can be especially when the mouth is dry and the tongue is coated
associated with a bowel obstruction. Metabolic disorders with an overgrowth of bacteria, should be done. Flossing
and some cancers should be considered in the evaluation daily is highly recommended to remove food particles
of anyone with bad breath, where the other local causes brushing fails to do. Using a water pick as an alternative is
are ruled out or proper treatment fails. Diabetics have a effective. Sugary foods, onions and garlic should be limited,
characteristic acetone-like fruity breath odor as increased as well as soft drinks and excessive alcohol. Smoking should
ketones are eliminated in the lungs. Patients with advanced be avoided. Proper hydration, chewing gum or sucking on
liver disease develop a musty breath smell (fetor hepaticas). a hard candy to stimulate the production of saliva is useful.
With kidney failure, a fishy or ammonia-like odor is caused Those with dentures, or an appliance or mouth guard, should
by high concentrations of urea in saliva. Auto-immune clean them daily. Regular dental checkups with professional
diseases, such as Lupus and Sjogren’s syndrome, are cleaning should be done at least every six months.
associated with significant diminution of cleansing saliva.
Bad breath manifested by the odor of rotten eggs or day-
old garbage is seen in people who can’t digest eggs, fish and