Shara Rendell-Smock has written more than twenty computer software manuals, numerous newspaper articles, including a monthly health column for The Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Practical Ways to Overcome Sleep Disorders - Part 3

• It helps some people to have warm milk, or take a calcium supplement before bedtime. (Some people even swear by bananas!)
  
  
• Never underestimate the power of a warm bath to help you relax at night.
  
  
• If it takes you 40 minutes to get to sleep, try going to bed 40 minutes later, but still get up at the same time as usual the next morning.
  
  
• If you aren't asleep after lying in bed about 40 minutes, you may want to get up and read or watch TV a short time before trying again.
  
  
• If your mind is racing with thoughts, it may help you to write them down-a to do list for the next day. Some people swear by this. (For me, I just get more stimulated if I try this one.)
  
  

The environment

• If you live with someone, agree that after a certain time, such as 10 p.m., you and your family do not discuss disturbing matters.
  
  
• Adjust the room temperature so you can comfortably sleep.
  
  

Besides establishing a routine and adjusting your environment's temperature, you can buy some sleep aids to set the stage for blessed sleep.

Items You Can Purchase

Pillows:Today we have a wide variety to choose from. Don't let $10-$40 stand in the way of sleep! I have a closetful of pillows tried, pillows of the past. Failures and the few that make it worthwhile.

Ways to Mask Sound

Dog next door barking? Other family members still up, talking, watching TV, and so on? I'm a light sleeper.

For several years, I slept with a box fan on nightly (summer or winter) in Illinois. I slept with my head under the covers to keep warm, the tradeoff I made to have the fan block noise. I even took that fan with me a few times when I traveled by car.

I was grateful to finally get a white noise machine. After trying a few of those, I will tell you the brand that works for me: Marsona 1250, ordered through the J.C. Penney catalog.

One model offers these sounds: two types of sea and two of rain (rhythmic or steady), waterfall, crickets, running water. You can adjust the volume, tone, and rate, and use a timer if you do not want it on all night. Another excellent choice, especially for traveling, is a smaller version of this machine that also has a clock and alarm (model TSC-350).

Next Week:

Issue # 7
Tuesday, Dec. 16, 1997

Osteoporosis

Stats indicate that for those over the age of 50, one of every two women and one in eight men will have an osteoporosis-related fracture. Our sedentary lifestyle puts us at risk for this disease. Yet osteoporosis is not inevitable. Here's some information on this disease and how we can prevent it.