As we get older, the quantity of deep sleep gradually reduces. Above the age of 35 or 40 deep sleep is a minor part of the sLeep experience. What that means is as we get older we tend to have much lighter sleep. We are more easily aroused and sleep is not quite as satisfying.

A young person may sleep through sirens a dog barking or another noise that will awake an older adult who enjoys less slow-wave deep sleep. In addition, some older adults experience pain from arthritis and other conditions that rob them of precious slumber. Hot flashes can wake a menopausal woman. Medications can interfere with sleep patterns.

Some people try over the counter sleep aids, which may make them feel drowsy the next day. Napping during the day may be tempting, but it might make falling asleep at night more difficult. Older adults are more likely to suffer from sleep disorders, such as periodic limb movements disorder and sleep apnea. If you are having problems getting a good nights sleep, ask the doctor or pharmacist if perhaps medications that your on may be part of the problem and work with the doctor to resolve the possible underlying medical problem that may be contributing to the loss of the ability to sleep.

Try these recommended sleep habits

• Establish regular sleep and wake up times
• A cleaning routine before bedtime, warm soak in the bath or sauna
• Avoid caffeine after 3:00 pm
• Avoid stimulating activities such as exercise, paying bills or confrontational situations during the evenings.
• Try to exercise in some way during the day (preferably in the morning). Exercise increases the amount and quality of sleep.
• Meditation, prayer, reading, self help, soul searching literature
• Light candles, burn incence or aroma therapy
• Avoid intense television programs at bedtime
• Drink warm milk (warm milk release’s a natural chemical which induces the ability to fall asleep)
• And when you feel sleepy, expel all thoughts and go to sleep!
  

If for some reason none of these suggestions work, an examination by your Medical Doctor for a potential cause and reason is appropriate.

Scientists have developed a way to rid the brain of the deposits that are thought to cause Alzheimer’s disease. They hope that successful tests on mice could eventually lead to a treatment for the incurable degenerative condition. A team from Massachusetts General Hospital used antibodies to destroy the deposits known as amyloid plaques that had been created in the brains of laboratory mice. The researchers say it is much too early to determine whether the treatment would work in humans.

Sit back, relax, read carefully and with an open mind and allow yourself to go back to the days when…..

You could smell the freshly cut grass as it was being cut by a Push Mower….

When in the summer evenings, it was a neighborhood activity to go out at dusk and catch lightening bugs, then peel the glowing element off (poor bugs) and stick them to your arms or whatever and run around in the dark…. Or scrounge in the basement or cupboards to find an old pickle or jam jar to poke holes in the top and make a lovely lamp for the dining room table, as the lightening bugs would light up the jar.

When you could hear the ice cream truck coming from blocks away as you would scurry to find nickels and dimes to purchase that Push-Up

When the big occasion for the month of July, were Hog Roast’s
...and fireworks

When you would take a Sunday drive in the country with all of the windows down, and the smells seemed almost offensive, but now their inviting and comforting….

When instead of watching sitcom’s in the evening, you would sit on the front porch and visit with the neighbors , play cards and games or get the family instruments out and have a neighborhood sing….

How about when before there was all of the latest technology to consume our thoughts and time with and people actually flooded the streets in the summer with bike riding, casual walking, evening drives to the local hot dog , root beer and ice cream stands ..

When the summer rains were a time for building forts with sheets, boxes or whatever you could find to make a roof and walls with. Or a time to bake cookies, clean and organize dresser drawers.
And then after the rains, when you would go outside and play in the puddles before it was toxic to do so… Does any of this ring a bell?

The Social Security Administration has made available online 65 forms that are most commonly used by beneficiaries. Among these are Benefits Claims forms and Benefits Claims Supporting forms. The site also links to other agency forms such as the Treasury’s direct-deposit request form and application for employer identification number (form SS-4).

Retirees today are one of the wealthiest segments of the U.S. population and they have more wealth than that of any previous generation reports the Federal Reserve Bank Of Cleveland. Some have conjectured that bequests of this wealth will significantly boost the resources of the baby boomers, the next generation of retirees, bridging the gap between their retirement needs and resources. This economic Commentary argues against such a view and explains why boomers have no alternative but to save for their own retirement.

As we embark into the new millennium, it is AMAZING to look back over the last century at all of the technological advances that are now in place. From silent movies of the early 1900’s to the DVD’s of today! From corresponding through the local mail-man to e-mailing letters across the Nations if we so choose via the World Wide Web in literally seconds! WOW! Whats next?

Omit the seafood and you can enjoy the salad as a side dish; it's especially tasty with unusual salad.

Start to finish: 25 minutes

4 cups mesclun or torn mixed salad greens
1 medium fennel bulb, cut into very thin wedged (1 1/2 cups)
1 stalk celery, sliced (1/2 cup)
6 ounces fresh or frozen peeled, cooked shrimp
6 ounces cooked lobster meat cut into bite-sized pieces
3/4 cup packed fresh parsley sprigs
1/3 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
3 tablespoons dairy sour cream
3 tablespoons plain low-fat yogurt
2 tablespoons sliced green onion
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon snipped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
2 teaspoons anchovy paste or 1 large anchovy fillet, cut
1 clove garlic, halved
1 teaspoon snipped fresh tarragon or 1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon, crushed
Borage flowers or other edible flowers (optional)

In a large salad bowl toss together salad greens, fennel and celery. Top with shrimp and lobster. Set aside.

In a food processor bowl or blender container combine parsley, mayonnaise or salad dressing, sour cream, yogurt, green onion, vinegar, basil, anchovy paste or anchovy, garlic and tarragon. Cover and process or blend until nearly smooth.

Drizzle 1/4 cup of the dressing over salad. Toss gently. Top with edible flowers, if desired. Serve immediatly. Pass remaining salad dressing. Makes 4 main-dish servings.

Nutritional Facts Per Serving: 276 cal., 19 g total fat (4 g sat. fat), 127 mg chol., 440 mg sodium, 8 g carbo., 10 g fiber and 21 g pro. Daily Values: 25% vit. A, 55% vit. C, 12% calcium and 20% iron.

Dear Jacqui:
We have been seeing each other for eight months and I am in love with Cynthia. She is attractive, has no kids and holds an executive position. She has not had any enduring relationships since her divorce seventeen years ago. I divorced two years ago and am ready to be committed. Cynthia is fifty-five, I am sixty-six though I look younger because I’m trim, have a full head of hair and plenty of energy. When we’re together we have a great time but…if I don’t call her, I don’t hear from her. When I ask her for a date for an evening out or the weekend, she never commits till the last moment. I’m always on tenterhooks.

When we are together she is warm and loving and intimacy is great as long as she gives me the signal. However, if I wish to cuddle or approach her sexually she’s unresponsive or worse, gets angry and stays in a bad mood for the rest of the weekend. The next time I see her she tells me that I’m the most caring, most loving man she’s ever known. But when I start a heart to heart conversation about our future together she turns me off.
I’m frustrated and confused.
Ron R.

"My girl friend has a fear of intimacy"

Dear Ron:
I believe that Cynthia has a serious "intimacy" problem. She hasn’t been able to commit to anybody in seventeen years, so her pattern of "going forward – pulling back" will probably not change no matter how caring or loving you are. In fact, your advances scare her, make her feel cornered which is why she becomes angry. Understand that her behavior has nothing to do with you. It is her inability to cope with being intimate that is the cause of your problems.

You have three choices: Continue what you are dong and accept the relationship for what it is, if you can. Change your behavior, stop calling, stop being so available and see what happens. The best choice, however, is for both of you to see a couple’s therapist. If she’s not willing to try, you know what the third choice is.
Jacqui

You can mail your own question to Jacqui at: PO Box 491341, Los Angeles, CA 90049. 90077. Or e-mail: info@veryprivate.com For more information visit: www.veryprivate.com. We never reveal or give out names or addresses. © 2001 Brandwynne Corp. All rights reserved. Tune into the Very Private Moments radio show on our web site.