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Proper Sleep May Help Clear Arteries
Washington Post ^ | Dec. 23, 2008 | Ed Edelson

Posted on 12/24/2008 1:07:13 AM PST by FocusNexus

A good night's sleep may be just what your arteries need.

So finds a new five-year study in which middle-aged people who had an extra hour of sleep each night were less likely to have artery-stiffening calcium deposits.

Lauderdale and her colleagues have been following a group of young adults for years, studying their heart arteries from a number of angles. The latest report linked the sleeping habits of 495 participants, ages 35 to 47, with the incidence of artery calcification, measured by CT scans.

Calcium deposits can make the coronary arteries less flexible and ultimately lead to heart disease. None of the participants had detectable calcium deposits when the study began, but five years later, 61 (12.3 percent) did.

After adjusting for lots of potential risk factors, such as sex, race, and smoking habits, the researchers found that one more hour of sleep a night decreased the risk of calcification by a third. That's about as much as a 16.5-point reduction in blood pressure, the researchers said.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News
KEYWORDS: arteries; beds; calcification; health; heart; heartdisease; mattresses; medicine; sleep
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To: MissCalico
Your waterbed lost air?

LOL! Yes, when I "burped" it out to get rid of bubbles. What I meant was that evaporation is a common enemy of waterbeds. That, and tearing them down and moving them. Just like a car after an accident, they're never the same.

21 posted on 12/24/2008 2:36:13 AM PST by buccaneer81 (Bob Taft has soiled the family name for the next century.)
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To: FocusNexus

I have a sleep number bed and I love it. I have had back problems and neck problems for years. I don’t have any now. You can adjust these beds to any comfort level you want. I don’t like to soft of a matress; so I use a higher setting. Have had no problems with in in the 6 years I have owned one.


22 posted on 12/24/2008 2:39:33 AM PST by freekitty (Give me back my conservative vote.)
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To: freekitty; WhirlwindAttack

I am glad you like your sleep number beds.

As I said, earlier, while I wasn’t comfortable on them, but different people like different things, and eveyone needs to find what works for them personally.


23 posted on 12/24/2008 2:48:03 AM PST by FocusNexus
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To: FocusNexus

You are right. The one problem I had with traditional beds is they are uncomfortable and I had plenty of back and neck aches. Plus you have to turn them over all of the time.

I was miserable for years. I also use a neck support pillow.


24 posted on 12/24/2008 2:54:16 AM PST by freekitty (Give me back my conservative vote.)
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To: WhirlwindAttack
that and add my C.P.A.P. machine I’m sleeping like a baby again.

And it doubles as a birth control device too?

;)

25 posted on 12/24/2008 3:02:48 AM PST by MissCalico
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To: theDentist
Yes, I will post it here if I find one but it's beginning to look like the "Search for the Holy Grail" at this point. or...

...the "Princess and the Pea".

26 posted on 12/24/2008 3:10:54 AM PST by MissCalico
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To: buccaneer81

Do they still even make waterbeds? I would have liked to try one out.


27 posted on 12/24/2008 3:16:05 AM PST by MissCalico
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To: MissCalico

My wife and I bought a sleep number bed. It is far and away the most comfortable bed I’ve ever had. Pricey, but worth it IMHO.


28 posted on 12/24/2008 3:22:39 AM PST by lafroste (gravity is not a force. See my profile to read my novel absolutely free (I know, beyond shameless))
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To: FocusNexus

Being an incredible lover has kept me awake most nights since my wife first met me.


29 posted on 12/24/2008 3:27:14 AM PST by DainBramage
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To: MissCalico
After much searching, studying and sleeping :-), we finally found a mattress that we honestly look forward to sleeping on. I wanted to buy something that I was sure wouldn't develop lumps and bumps after a few years and a mattress that we wouldn't toss and turn on. Not an easy task since my husband is 6'4" and I am 5'2".

We went with 100% latex - hygienic (no bedbugs!), it 'breathes' and it's long lasting but expensive. We both love it! It's a California King Bassett Carrington Chase (made by Sealy & they make the Stearns and Foster brand as well) Bedford Knoll I believe is the particular model. Stay away from pillowtop mattresses even if you like a soft top - pillowtops give away (flat, lumpy) easily after a couple of years. Ours is a 'plush tight top' - which is firm underneath but has a plush top sewn onto the mattress. You can always get a soft mattress pad for the top (Amazon) if you like it even softer. If you look at latex, be careful not to confuse the Sealy Comfort Series mattresses that are latex - they aren't 100% latex and they don't last as long. It's the Sealy Spring Free that are 100% latex.

I hope this helps! It's so hard to commit to something that is so expensive and that you expect to last a long time.

For anyone reading this thread, if you have a pullout sofa and need a mattress for it, the best $300 I ever spent was on an 'Air Dream' air over coil mattress - that thing is fantastic. So comfortable and we've had it for about 4 years and have had zero problems.

I have a good friend who loves her tempurpedic mattress - but I don't like it that much at all... holds body heat and doesn't breathe and my husband is a 'furnace', so that was out. Plus they are $$$ for a mid range model.

30 posted on 12/24/2008 3:44:37 AM PST by american colleen
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To: FocusNexus

I take Melatonin, and within 30 minutes after taking it I sleep like a baby. It doesn’t knock you out like a sleeping pill and you wake up ready to go. You can buy it at the grocery store in the vitamin section.


31 posted on 12/24/2008 3:54:40 AM PST by panthermom
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To: american colleen
Thanks for the thorough rundown. A bed w/100% latex is something I never heard of before. I know some people have allergic reactions to latex but I guess if it's not directly against the skin it should be OK. I'll give it a try if I can find a store that carries them.

I'm not sure I understand what you mean about the air mattress on the sofa bed. Is that something you have to blow up each time before use or can you close the sofa with the bed inflated?

32 posted on 12/24/2008 4:03:45 AM PST by MissCalico
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To: american colleen

“We went with 100% latex”

Si did we and we love it. Except for the price ($1300 mattress only) and the weight they are the best, IMO.

We bought 2 of the Tempurpedic pillows at $90.00 each and the fumes made me pass out two nights in a row. After we took them back, the salesman told us others have had the same experience.


33 posted on 12/24/2008 4:07:44 AM PST by panaxanax ("Those who beat their swords into plowshares will plow for those that don't." T.Jefferson)
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To: FocusNexus

I tell my wife that my naps are important and she doesn’t believe me.


34 posted on 12/24/2008 4:08:51 AM PST by bmwcyle (McCain had no honor when he failed to defend Sarah Palin, Leno was not enough)
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To: panthermom
Same here when I know I'm going to have trouble falling and staying asleep. I take 1 mg of the sub-lingual melatonin. You feel nice and rested and NORMAL in the morning unlike when you take Nyquil or Tylenol PM.

I have heard from a few people that you can become 'psychologically' dependent on melatonin if you take it every night. But I would think that would be true with anything that you take to get to sleep.

Anyway, as I understand it, any more than 1 mg of melatonin is a waste (no additional benefit from the added mg's). I get the sublingual type at a vitamin store. It's really cheap.

35 posted on 12/24/2008 4:11:14 AM PST by american colleen
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To: FocusNexus

I don’t see how they accounted for the cause vs. effect in the study.
Which is it:
Proper Sleep May Help Clear Arteries
or:
Clear Arteries May Help Proper Sleep


36 posted on 12/24/2008 4:17:53 AM PST by Repeal The 17th
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To: FocusNexus
Gee!I drink 3 large cups of Starbucks coffee a day do you think my calcium deposits will be depleted enough to prevent coronary artery disease?
37 posted on 12/24/2008 4:19:44 AM PST by puppypusher (The world is going to the dogs.)
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To: MissCalico
I think the reaction to latex for some people is to 'fake' latex, not the natural kind. It's something about the fumes.

I also think latex mattresses were the standard years ago but for some reason they fell out of favor - not sure why.

That air mattress over coils... it's an 'Air Dream' if you want to google it. I bought it over the internet when I got sick and tired of the crappy sofa mattresses that you get with a pull-out (even the upgraded sofa mattresses stink). It has coils like a regular pull out mattress but it has an inflatable part on top and it's all contained in a regular type mattress cover, very sturdy and you wouldnt know it was an air mattress by looking at it. It comes with a plug in pump and it takes maybe 30 or so seconds to fill it. Same when you let the air out. It isn't a pain or anything to do and it folds up nicely back into the sofa. I've had a ton of compliments from overnight guests and due to an odd work schedule for me (before I got laid off :-) ), I've slept on it myself when I dont want to wake my husband and I love it.

I was leary about it since I bought it sight unseen but it was a very good purchase. I think I remember seeing a small clip of it on the internet - showing what it looks like and how it is inflated. I think people mostly use it for their camper or boat mattresses when they dont want to sleep on a regular pull out mattress for comfort reasons. Anyway, I shouldnt curse myself, but this air dream mattress gets used quite a bit due to many teenaged nieces and nephews sleeping over :-)

38 posted on 12/24/2008 4:22:08 AM PST by american colleen
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To: american colleen

I usually take mine between 10 and 11 and I jump out of the bed at 6 every morning. It is a really good antioxident as well.


39 posted on 12/24/2008 4:29:25 AM PST by panthermom
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To: panaxanax
"We bought 2 of the Tempurpedic pillows at $90.00 each and the fumes made me pass out two nights in a row."

Thinking that maybe the Tempurpedic aficionados are just passing out unknowingly and so they think they got an uninterrupted night's sleep? :-)

Seriously though, I've heard that as well.

Mattress shopping is really tiresome. Even a lousy mattress is not cheap and who wants a lousy mattress that you need to replace in a few years? The no springs mattresses scared me at first until I did some serious sleeping around at various mattress stores :-). There's a lot on the internet too. I'm really happy with the latex but like you, didn't care for the price (wish it were 'only' 1300). But, I figure we'll have it for years and so broke it down by cost per year (assumed @ 10 or so years).

I LOVE to watch TV and read in bed and our mattress doesn't cause a sore 'lower region' by sitting up in it for a period of time :-)

My husband also snores terribly and I swear with the new latex mattress he hardly snores at all. But maybe he is passed out and not really sleeping at all ???

40 posted on 12/24/2008 4:31:57 AM PST by american colleen
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