Dreaming of sleep
At UMRA’s March workshop, sleep expert Muna Irfan, M.D., gave us an enlightening and useful presentation on sleep, sleep disorders, and ways to improve sleep. Dr. Irfan, a neurologist, began by reviewing the medical evidence for the benefits of good sleep, noting that the National Science Foundation recommends 6–9 hours of sleep a night to promote better cognition, as well as good mental and physical health and quality of life in older adults.
Sleep maintains healthy brain cells, Dr. Irfan said, citing groundbreaking research published in 2012 that shows sleep actually helps clear out toxic metabolites from the brain, including beta-amyloids that have been linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr. Irfan then reviewed the sleep cycle, and how that typically changes with age. People normally cycle through the stages of sleep from near wakefulness through deep sleep several times a night. As we age, we tend to go up and down through those cycles more often. Other changes associated with aging include earlier sleep onset and earlier morning awakening.
“Sleep disorders are common and distressing,” Dr. Irfan said.
What to do? Sleep management should be approached as a multifactorial geriatric health condition, Dr. Irfan said, not as a problem that can be solved with a magic pill. There are medical, physical, psychiatric, and psychosocial factors to consider. “Sleep is not passive; we need to train our brains.”
Regular exercise early in the day can benefit sleep along with light stretching before bedtime. Alcohol may help to hasten sleep onset, but it also causes sleep fragmentation.
“Reserve 45 minutes before bedtime to relax by doing something vaguely interesting, like knitting, or even boring,” Dr. Irfan said. “Avoid watching Stephen Colbert, otherwise you’ll just go to bed thinking about politics!”
Dr. Irfan is an assistant professor of neurology at the University of Minnesota and program director of the sleep medicine fellowship at Hennepin Healthcare. She was asked to lead the UMRA workshop by her colleague, Michael Howell, M.D., who was scheduled to speak but had to cancel.
—Ron Matross, chair, Workshop and Cares committees
How to get a good night's sleep
Tue, March 26 2019, 1:30pm
Coffman Memorial Union, Room ABC
Our March workshop will be on sleep—how sleep patterns are affected by aging and how to get a good night’s sleep. Our presenter will be neurologist Michael Howell, M.D., named one of Minnesota Monthly magazine’s “Top Doctors” in 2017 and 2018.
An associate professor and vice chair of education in the Department of Neurology, Dr. Howell is also medical director of the Fairview Sleep Center–Edina as well as program director of the Clinical Sleep Medicine Fellowship at Hennepin County Medical Center and the University of Minnesota. His clinical interests include sleepwalking and related disorders such as REM sleep behavior disorder, sleep-related eating disorder, sleep seizures, and other violent sleep behaviors.
Dr. Howell completed his undergraduate and medical degrees at the University of North Dakota and his residency in neurology at the U of M.
—Ron Matross, chair, Workshop and Cares committees
Upcoming Events
Our July 15 "hike" is going to be a kayaking adventure on Bde Maka Ska (formerly Lake Calhoun) and Lake of the Isles! If you don't have a kayak (or paddleboard), Wheel Fun Rentals, located next to the new concession stand rents single kayaks at $15 an hour and double kayaks at $25. The second hour is free if we rent before noon. Life jackets are provided with the rental.
Laura Ericksen will lead the discussion of How Stella Learned to Talk by Christina Hunger, a true story by a speech-language pathologist who taught her dog, Stella, to communicate using buttons associated with different words.
Our August 5 hike will be a reprise of our hike last summer at William O'Brien State Park. This is a beautiful park with a winding trail and a great view of the countryside. The hike is about 5.5 to 6 miles and we'll go at a moderate pace with frequent water breaks. After the hike, we will eat lunch at Rustic Roots Winery, a half mile north of the park.
Kathy Cramer will lead the discussion of The Bookbinder by Pip Williams, a book set in 1914 Oxford chronicling the life of Peggy who works in the University bindery, but craves a life beyond binding books but to being a scholar herself.
Enjoy a two-hour cruise on the Jonathan Padelford, leaving from the Harriet Island dock in St. Paul, boarding time at 5:30 p.m. We will have a brief program on board by Patrick Nunnally from the River Life Program of the Institute on the Environment.
August 31 is the due date for annual reports and updates. Annual Reports, Toolkits, web page updates, operating document updates and archives collections are all due each year on this date.
Autumn is a wonderful season in Minnesota so plan to join UMRA at the Andersen Horticultural Library at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Kristen Mastel, head librarian and curator, will reveal its treasure trove of publications and artifacts relating to plant history, horticulture, and natural history. After the tour, those who are interested may stay to eat lunch together, sitting outside if the weather is nice. Later, you are invited to a one-hour tram tour of the entire Arboretum that includes natural areas of flowering shrubs, bogs, and forests, family garden and landscaping showpieces, and the red barn farm
After a summer break the UMRA Photo Club will next meet September 10, 2024 in the meeting room of the Hennepin County St. Anthony Branch Library. For those interested in lunch, meet at the Great Dragon at 11:30 am. For September the THEME will be Curves
We will continue to discuss the pros and cons of Medicare Advantage. You will also hear about notable non-health plan and non-broker resources.