Joan's Corner - September 2024 Update
Joan has shared her September "Save the Dates" for your information and use. Joan continues to keep you informed! Take a look. Important happenings for Copa S...
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Joan Koczor
Health information insights extracted from the following book from the Mayo Clinic:
Mayo Clinic on Healthy Aging - An Easy and Comprehensive Guide to Keeping Your Body Young, Your Mind Sharp and Your Spirit Fulfilled
Nathan LeBrasseur, Ph.D. and Christina Chen, M.D.
Published by Mayo Clinic Press, 2024
ISBN: 979-8-88770-023-6 (hardcover)
"Diet is the top risk factor for disease and early death worldwide. Heart disease is our No. 1 killer, and what we put in our mouths is the biggest driving force behind it. Close behind is cancer, and at least a dozen cancers are linked to weight and obesity. Diet also has a profound effect on aging, and a poor diet increases the risk of other diseases such as diabetes."
SOURCE: Mayo Clinic on Healthy Aging. p.249, LaBrasseur and Chen, Mayo Clinic Press, 2024.
You're not doomed to toss and turn every night. Consider simple tips for better sleep, from setting a sleep schedule to including physical activity in your daily routine.
"Many factors can interfere with a good night's sleep -- from work stress and family responsibilities to illnesses. It's no wonder that quality sleep is sometimes elusive.
You might not be able to control the factors that interfere with your sleep. However, you can adopt habits that encourage better sleep. Start with these simple tips."
1. Stick to a sleep schedule
"Set aside no more than eight hours for sleep. The recommended amount of sleep for a healthy adult is at least seven hours. Most people don't need more than eight hours in bed to be well rested.
Go to bed and get up at the same time every day, including weekends. Being consistent reinforces your body's sleep-wake cycle.
If you don't fall asleep within about 20 minutes of going to bed, leave your bedroom and do something relaxing. Read or listen to soothing music. Go back to bed when you're tired. Repeat as needed but continue to maintain you sleep schedule and wake-up time."
2. Pay attention to what you eat and drink
"Don't go to bed hungry or stuffed. In particular, avoid heavy or large meals within a couple of hours of bedtime. Discomfort might keep you up.
Nicotine, caffeine and alcohol deserve caution, too. The stimulating effects of nicotine and caffeine take hours to wear off and can interfere with sleep. And even though alcohol might make you feel sleep at first, it can disrupt sleep later in the night."
3. Create a restful environment
"Keep your room cool, dark and quiet. Exposure to light in the evening might make it more challenging to fall asleep. Avoid prolonged use of light-emitting screens just before bedtime. Consider using room-darkening shades, earplugs, a fan or other devices to create an environment that suits your needs.
Doing calming activities before bedtime, such as taking a bath or using relaxation techniques, might promote better sleep."
4. Limit daytime naps
"Long daytime naps can interfere with nighttime sleep. Limit naps to no more than one hour and avoid napping late in the day.
However, if you work nights, you might need to nap late in the day before work to help make up your sleep debt."
5. Include physical activity in your daily routine
"Regular physical activity can promote better sleep. However, avoid being active too close to bedtime.
Spending time outside every day might be helpful too."
6. Manage worries
"Try to resolve your worries or concerns before bedtime. Jot down what's on your mind and then set it aside for tomorrow.
Stress management might help. Start with the basics, such as, getting organized, setting priorities and delegating tasks. Meditation also can ease anxiety."
Know when to contact your health care provider
"Nearly everyone has an occasional sleepless night. However, if you often have trouble sleeping, contact your health care provider. Identifying and treating any underlying causes can help you get the better sleep you deserve."
May 07, 2022 - Healthy Lifestyles: Mayo Clinic staff
"Two important steps to take on your wellness journey are to get a snapshot of your overall health and to strategize about how you can make meaningful changes to your everyday habits that will help you reach your goals."
"Healthy aging is a lifelong journey, and there are many times when the task seems overwhelming. However, by having a good plan, you can help reduce potential pitfalls and setbacks."
"Most people don't fully appreciate the powerful effect changes to everyday habits can have on their current health, their future health and their quality of life. In some cases, the changes can be lifesaving."
SOURCE: Mayo Clinic on Healthy Aging, p. 187, LaBrasseur and Chen, Mayo Clinic Press, 2024
"Retirement is sometime referred to as the third phase of life. Traditionally, it's the time when a person's working years end, and they set sail -- literally or figuratively -- for new horizons. Many people spend decades imaging what they'll be doing for the rest of their lives beyond their careers. The reality is that how well you'll do in your later years is often tied to how well you've planned for them.
If you haven't done much planning and you retire with limited income and health insurance that doesn't cover your medical needs, your retirement years may be stressful.
With good planning, you can avoid many of the hassles that can create hardships in peoples' later years. You don't have to retire rich, but you want to make sure you have your finances, health insurance and living arrangements in order so you can enjoy this phase of your life. Taking care of key paperwork, such as advance directives, is another important step.
Retirement simply isn't what it was for our parents and grandparents. Many Americans who retire today in their mid-60s still have one-quarter to one-third of their lives to live after retirement. In contrast, when Social Security was launched in 1935, life-expectancy was about 63, so most people just lived a few years after retirement.
Retirement today is different. And with so many years to spend in this next phase of your life, you need activities to fill your day and money to live on.
That's why the prospect of retirement is both exciting and scary for many people: Exciting because of the many opportunities it presents -- pursuit of new interests and hobbies, travel and adventure, more time to spend with family and friends -- and scary because of the financial issues involved and the retooling of your lifestyle that retirement may pose.
No matter your age, it's never too early to start planning for retirement. In fact, the earlier you start the better. Making your dreams a reality and dealing with other issues associated with your later years takes some very down-to-earth work, which generally is best done in advance."
SOURCE: Mayo Clinic on Healthy Aging. pp.296-297, LaBrasseur and Chen, Mayo Clinic Press, 2024.
"There is an excess of diet information out there that can lead to confusion and frustration. Despite the latest diet trends, the truth is, there is no magic formula. Each person is different, and therefore must figure out what works best for them. Still, there are actions we can take that support improved weight loss and weight maintenance."
Mayo Clinic specifically recommends the following:
Mayo Clinic staff
Mayo Clinic 200 First St. SW | Rochester, MN 55905
Copyright 2024 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. All rights reserved.
"Researchers continue to look for ways to prevent or reduce the risk of dementia. You probably already know to exercise, eat healthy and keep your brain engaged. Here are some other strategies found to have a positive effect:
Use your hearing aid - When hearing loss is present, a hearing aid can help you tune in to conversations with others. With this, you maintain social connections and help areas of your brain stay active.
Watch less television - Watching TV is considered a passive cognitive activity, which means it doesn't exercise your brain.
Read more - Schooling in childhood helps build up your brain reserve. But even if you didn't get very far with formal education, evidence suggests that reading in your later years makes up for that deficit by maintaining your reserve.
Avoid vitamin deficiencies - Eating foods packed with vitamins and minerals, such as vegetables and fruits, helps provide your brain with optimal fuel. If you can't get enough nutrients through your diet, a daily multivitamin-mineral supplement may help. Excess alcohol consumption is a common cause of vitamin and nutrient deficiencies, so keep your alcohol consumption to a moderate level.
Optimize sleep - A good night's rest rejuvenates your brain. Wake up every day around the same time to set your internal clock. Have a relaxing bedtime routine that avoids TV or digital devices. If you snore or still feel tired after a full night's sleep, talk to your healthcare team about the possibility of sleep apnea.
Improve your vascular health - Managing high cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure keeps blood circulating smoothly to the heart and brain.
Keep your step count high and brisk - Walking has a major impact on health. Walking has been shown to reduce dementia risk, as well, with the greatest reduction occurring at just under 10,000 steps a day. You'll see even bigger benefits with more steps per minute."
For more information on Dementia, see the site listed below:
Mayo Clinic staff
Mayo Clinic 200 First St. SW | Rochester, MN 55905
Copyright 2024 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. All rights reserved.
Learning how to eat more mindfully is an important skill for weight management and great health. Mindful eating teaches you how to tune into your body's natural hunger and fullness signals - something many people have forgotten how to do. It can also help you spot what triggers you to eat when you aren't truly hungry.
Science says mindful eating can help you improve your food choices, eating habits and ultimately your relationship with food.
The process is simple and can be learned. It just takes practice. Try following these steps each time you eat:
Source: Mayo Clinic blog on Weight Management published by Tara Schmidt on June 5, 2024. Original content written by: Margaret Gall, L.D. Margaret is a registered dietitian nutritionist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
Brain health is a lifelong process. Throughout your life, your brain has the capacity to adapt and grow in many ways, and you can strengthen it at any age.
You can strengthen your brain much in the same way you use exercises to strengthen the muscles in your arms and legs, for example. Learning new skills, taking a class and expanding your vocabulary are all examples of ways you can improve your brain health and keep the nerve cells in your brain firing long into your life.
Here are more details researchers have found to help promote brain health across the lifespan:
It takes time to fully embrace lifestyle changes and new behaviors that can improve and protect your memory, but every little bit helps.
Content from: Mayo Clinic on Alzheimer's Disease and other dementias. Jonathan Graff-Radford, M.D. and Angela M. Lunde, M.A., 2020 Mayo Clinic Press
Fall prevention: Simple tips to prevent falls
Falls put you at risk of serious injury. Prevent falls with these simple fall prevention measures, from reviewing your medications to hazard-proofing your home.
"Good old-fashioned sweat-inducing exercise is probably the single most important thing that you can do to live well. Read that sentence again! Even in moderate amounts, exercise can help you better enjoy life and prevent diseases that people mistakenly believe automatically come with age."
"Almost anyone can exercise. Few people are too old, too young, too sick, too poor or too busy to be physically active. Exercise is an equal-opportunity activity. With exercise, people with chronic conditions can improve their stamina, mental outlook and ability to perform daily tasks. Older adults can use strength training to combat the problems of osteoporosis and age-related loss of muscle mass (sarcopenia)."
"People of any age who say they're too tired to exercise often find they have increased energy after just a few sessions of physical activity. Truth be told, very few people have a valid excuse for not engaging in some form of exercise."
SOURCE: Mayo Clinic on Healthy Aging, p. 215, Le Brasseur and Chen, Mayo Clinic Press, 2024.
"Staying well as you age is about more than your physical health. Human connections and feelings of purpose and contentment are important life factors that contribute to well-being and longevity."
"Taking stock of your social and emotional health in your younger years is a good way to start preparing for your later-life journey. What you learn about yourself when evaluating your social and emotional well-being may help you lead a longer and more fulfilling life."
"Evaluating your social ties and emotional well-being is an exercise you may want to revisit periodically to ensure that you stay on a healthy course as you get older and life circumstances change."
SOURCE: Mayo Clinic on Healthy Aging, p. 196, Le Brasseur and Chen, Mayo Clinic Press, 2024.
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