We Sleep To Remember And We Sleep To Forget

It wouldn’t be healthy, or efficient, to remember every event or experience in its full factual and emotional context.  But separating the emotional aspects of a memory — the anger over an argument with your spouse, the frustration at the guy who cut you off in traffic, the dejection you felt after getting a curt email reply from your boss — from its objective parts allows you to recall the experience without reliving it.  “We sleep to remember and we sleep to forget,” says Walker, the UC Berkeley sleep scientist, of this coping mechanism.  “I call it overnight therapy.”
This type of processing takes time.  It likely happens only during deep, quality sleep, and only over consistent nights of such sleep.  That may explain why people who cut their sleep short or experience interrupted sleep may not fully disentangle the emotional baggage from their memories.
In those cases the memory, in its emotionally taxing entirety, continues to resurface every time the brain tries to sleep, in a vain effort to be properly processed.  The brain tries to store the memory in a neutral way, but without deep sleep, there just isn’t enough time for that triage.
Walker believes these aborted efforts may drive conditions like PTSD, which is well understood to be common among combat veterans but which may be more common among the general population than therapists and researchers previously thought.
“The more nights you sleep, the more soothing the influence of sleep on that memory,” he says.  “Sleep continues to work on those emotional memories and flatten them out after about a week.  Now there’s great evidence that PTSD is a disorder in which that process fails.”
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There’s also strong support for the idea that insufficient sleep may be a trigger for, and not just a symptom of, a number of mental illnesses, including depression, bipolar disorder and even schizophrenia.  Depriving people with bipolar disorder of sleep, for example, can launch a manic episode, while some people with depression report worsening symptoms when they aren’t sleeping well.
Fully understanding the role sleep plays in mental illness is a rich area of future research.  Already many doctors think consistent, high-quality sleep can have a direct bearing on the health of those with mental illness.  “Anyone who suffers from moderate or significant mental-health concerns needs to be aware that sleep may be one of the most important things they can do,” says Walker.
Stress, scientists also know, is one of the more potent accelerators of aging, and a body that’s not sleeping enough looks similar to one that’s stressed out — it’s highly reactive to perceived threats, even when those threats don’t pose any real risk.  Biologically speaking, there’s virtually no difference in the way a body reacts to a startling noise in the middle of the night, a rabid raccoon or a stressful work deadline: in all cases, fight-or-flight mode is triggered, blood pressure spikes, breathing gets shallow, and the heart starts to race.  That’s what happens to a body on no sleep too.
Those stress reactions can be useful, of course: they help you respond more readily to an actual physical threat.  But that’s not usually what’s going on.  And staying in an alert mode can trigger a number of unhealthy conditions, the most damaging of which is inflammation.
Inflammation is the body’s natural defense system against injury or invading microbes like bacteria and viruses.  It’s why your toe turns red and throbs when you stub it or when it’s infected: white blood cells rush to the area in order to protect it for the short time it’s needed to help you get better.  But inflammation can also become chronic, and that’s when the real trouble starts.
Chronic inflammation, doctors now know, is a leading driver of many diseases, including some cancers, cognitive decline, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes—even chronic pain.  And one of the main drivers of chronic inflammation is, of course, not sleeping enough.
Quoted by: Alice Park
In her article: “The Sleep Cure“
Time Magazine
Dtd: Feb 27 – Mar 9, 2017
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On This Day In:
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The Single Most Effective Thing For Health

I used to suggest that sleep is the third pillar of good health, along with diet and exercise.  But I don’t agree with that anymore.  Sleep is the single most effective thing you can do to reset your brain and body for health.
—  Matthew Walker
Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology
University of California, Berkeley
Quoted by: Alice Park
In her article: “The Sleep Cure“
Time Magazine
Dtd: Feb 27 – Mar 9, 2017
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In Full Vigor

Father Time is not always a hard parent, and, though he tarries for none of his children, often lays his hand lightly upon those who have used him well  —  making them old men and women inexorably enough, but leaving their hearts and spirits young and in full vigor.
—  Sheldon Solomon
Skidmore College
From Alice Park’s article: “Alzheimer’s From A New Angle“
In Time Magazine, February 22-29, 2016
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On This Day In:
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Slogging

I just felt like hitting the bricks for a while, so I went for a VERY slow initial jog.  Hil was a bit concerned because I’ve had so many episodes of palpitations lately, but I got through it.  Weighed myself this morning – 350lbs.
Four(4) laps around the school yard.  Maybe, one(1) mile.  Five minutes of stretching afterwards and twenty-five incline push-ups.  Maybe a total of 30 minutes.  It felt good afterwards.  We’ll see how I feel tomorrow…  LOL!
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Day 4 – Blending

Despite a multitude of temptations, I’ve made it through another day.  (Does anyone else begin to salivate at the smell of freshly microwaved popcorn in their work environment?)  Today’s morning weight was 332 lbs.  That’s down about 10 lbs from Sunday (the day before I started the blending fast).  That sounds good for just four days of juicing, until you remember a full belly is about 5 to 7 lbs and excess water retention is another 2 or 3 lbs.  So, 10 lbs is about right for four days of no chewing.  More good news:  I’ve also lost an inch on my waist – as judged by my belt.
The hardest part so far has been a severe kidney pain flair up Tuesday at work.  It was so painful I had to leave work mid-day and come home.  I drank lots of extra water (with lemon concentrate) and stayed off on Wednesday.  I was back at work today, but I feel pretty bruised inside on my right side.  Sometimes kidney stones are like a light switch and as soon as it moves from where it’s hurting you, you are suddenly pain free.  Other times, it’s like today, where it aches.  Still, that is much better than excruciating pain.
For whatever reason, this batch of “juice” isn’t nearly as acidic as some of the batches I’ve made in the past.  Sometimes, I almost get the feeling the juice is burning the lining of my mouth.  Then I have to wash it down more frequently with plain water (which I always keep handy).  It works, but it means having to “go” even more frequently.
I’ve not been hungry so far, but I have gone through the caffeine withdrawal headache phase.  The problem is when I do come off the fast I know I’ll be right back on the java.  I’m afraid it’s one of my last personal allowances and I’ll give up chocolate and salt before I give up my hot coffee with Bailey’s Irish Cream.
Well, the weekend is fast approaching and so a young man’s fancy turns to “Widow-maker” pizzas and BBQ ribs…  Just kidding.  4 down and 26 to go…  After that, who knows.  My better half is already planning the mostly meatless remainder of my life.  Keep me in your prayers.
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On This Day In:
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2012	The Serenity Prayer
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You Just Have To Care

We sometimes forget the importance of what motivates people, and it’s relationships.  You just have to care about people, and that’s something anyone can do.
—  Dr. Monica Peek
As quoted by Mandy Oaklander
In her article: “The Diet Prescription“
Time Magazine, 25 January 2016
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On This Day In:
2015	My Slow Education
2014	Great Service
2013	You Really Should Wear More Sweaters
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2012	The Serenity Prayer
2011	The Victory Of Life

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Day 2 – Blending

Today is the end of day 2 of my blending fast.  Basically, I run a bunch of (mostly) vegetables through a juicer, then I take a blender to the roughage and add juice, beans, some walnuts and a couple of tablespoons of ground flax seeds.  The vegies were: 2 bunches of kale, 2 bunches of spinach, 2 bunches of celery, 1 red onion, a half-pound of frozen broccoli, 1 avocado and 2 large (18 inch) cucumbers.  The juices were: pineapple, apple, Naked Green Machine, Bolthouse Carrot juice and about 4 fluid ounces of lemon concentrate.  Most times, I’ll through in bananas, tomatoes and some frozen mixed fruit, but I didn’t in this batch.   I make seven 64 FL OZ bottles of blend, which tends to last me from four to six days depending on what else I mix in during the week.  Sometimes it’s just 4 oz. of lemon concentrate in 60 oz. of water.  Sometimes I’ll mix in a bottle of cranberry or one of the other “Naked” juices.
When I did my first juice fast a couple of years ago, I lasted about 10 days on “just” juice.  Then I got tired of feeling like I was wasting all the perfectly good roughage.  I also found by including the roughage I didn’t have to worry about enemas or hemorrhoids.
My longest blend fast was 21 days, which I’ve done twice.  I’ve also done a hand full of less than a week.  I’m not good at coping with more than one “big” thing at a time, so if my heart (AFib) or kidneys (stones) flare up, I pretty much drop the fast and just try to feel better.  Of course, this results in a weight yo-yoing, but it is what it is.  My goal this time is 30 days.  As this is only day 2, it feels like a long ways off, but in the grand scheme of things it’s only ’til the end of April.  So, we’ll see…
Sunday night (before I started), I weighed in at 342lbs.  My waist is 50 inches.  I am compulsive so I will weigh myself everyday.  I know I’m not supposed to, but like I said, I don’t like to fight on more than one front at the same time, so for now I’ll blend and I’ll worry about my obsessive behavior later.  I’m walking 30 – 45 minutes each day and after about a week, I plan to start adding in a bit more vigorous exercise.  (But again, one thing at a time.)
Wish me luck and keep me in your prayers (or positive thoughts).
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On This Day In:
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