Sleep Archive

Hospital delirium is common and often goes unrecognized

When Mary, age 84, was hospitalized for a hip replacement, everything went well until a complication landed her in the intensive care unit (ICU) and she began behaving oddly. She thought she was in a hotel, reported that a cartoon character had died in the bed next to hers, struggled at night to escape nonexistent intruders, and complained that the staff was ignoring the rats infesting her room. After a psychiatric consult, Mary was given medication to calm her and help her sleep, and eventually she started acting more like her old self.

"We stayed with her day and night, and the delirium cleared once she was back in a regular room. Now we can laugh about it, but she remembers little about those weeks," says her daughter-in-law.

Timing may improve potency and help you cope with side effects.

We all want our medicines to be as effective as possible, and that requires effort on our part. It may be necessary to avoid taking pills with certain foods or drinks, and to check that medications won't interfere with each other.

And in some cases, it may be important to take a drug at a particular time of day. This approach, known as chronotherapy, is gaining attention as research suggests a relationship between when we take medications and how well they work.

Try these simple tips to spice up your workout and keep moving.

Exercise is crucial to good health, but sometimes it's hard to find the motivation to maintain an exercise regimen. Finding the time is one problem. Another is boredom. "Most activity becomes tedious psychologically, even though you know it will benefit you physically," says Michael Bento, a personal trainer at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.

The solution is finding ways to bust that boredom and stay engaged — or at least distracted.

Look for whole-grain breads with the fewest ingredients possible.

It takes just four ingredients to create bread: flour, yeast, water, and salt. After a little kneading and some time in the oven, they transform into a hearty dietary staple that can add texture to your breakfast or structure to your sandwich. But the type of flour, plus additional ingredients, can make or break bread's nutritional value.

What makes bread healthy?

Healthy bread starts with flour that comes from whole grains, such as whole wheat, oats, brown rice, rye, or barley.

Do a thorough assessment to make sure equipment is safe.

Your doctor or an occupational therapist may recommend that you use some kind of medical equipment, such as a walker, electric scooter, cane, lift chair, or shower chair. Such equipment can help you maintain your independence or continue living at home. But what if your insurance won't pay for an item or if you need a spare? For many people, the solution is gently used equipment.

Bargain hunting

You'll find used medical equipment in consignment shops and thrift stores, and through online classified ad sites (such as Craigslist). The deals are substantial: you may find a used electric wheelchair (that retails for $2,500 new) for a few hundred dollars, or a used power lift chair ($500 new) for just $75.

Addressing arthritis, hearing loss, and cataracts will help preserve your independence.

Older age brings lots of physical changes, like stiffer joints and difficulty seeing or hearing. Those developments may not cause disability, but they may have an effect — even a subtle one — on your driving. That's why it's smart to be proactive once you notice physical changes, to find out how each condition can jeopardize your driving skills, your safety, and the safety of others on the road.

Common ailments

There are many physical changes that can affect your driving skills. The following are among the most common.

News briefs

As we've reported before, eating or drinking heavily processed foods — like sugary drinks, chicken nuggets, frozen dinners, or sweetened cereals — is associated with an increased risk for weight gain, heart disease, and even early death. Now a large observational study published online Dec. 16, 2019, by JAMA Internal Medicine links the consumption of such "ultraprocessed" food to an increased risk for developing diabetes. Researchers evaluated the questionnaire responses of more than 100,000 diabetes-free people (average age about 43) over six years. People who ate the most ultraprocessed foods (about 22% of their diet) had a higher risk for developing diabetes compared with people who ate the least amount of ultraprocessed foods (about 11% of their diet). The risk for developing diabetes went up 15% for a 10-percentage-point increase in the amount of ultraprocessed food in the diet. The connection held up even after scientists accounted for known risk factors for diabetes, such as weight and physical activity. The takeaway: Skip processed foods in favor of whole foods, including lots of vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains.

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