oral care https://www.fiteyes.com/taxonomy/term/67/all en Managing My Blood Pressure and Eye Pressure While Sleeping https://www.fiteyes.com/managing-blood-pressure-and-eye-pressure-while-sleeping <div class="sharethis-buttons"><div class="sharethis-wrapper"><span st_url="https://www.fiteyes.com/managing-blood-pressure-and-eye-pressure-while-sleeping" st_title="Managing%20My%20Blood%20Pressure%20and%20Eye%20Pressure%20While%20Sleeping" class="st_facebook_large" displayText="facebook"></span> <span st_url="https://www.fiteyes.com/managing-blood-pressure-and-eye-pressure-while-sleeping" st_title="Managing%20My%20Blood%20Pressure%20and%20Eye%20Pressure%20While%20Sleeping" class="st_twitter_large" displayText="twitter" st_via="" st_username=""></span> <span st_url="https://www.fiteyes.com/managing-blood-pressure-and-eye-pressure-while-sleeping" st_title="Managing%20My%20Blood%20Pressure%20and%20Eye%20Pressure%20While%20Sleeping" class="st_sharethis_large" displayText="sharethis" st_via="" st_username=""></span> </div></div> <div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>In my first true <a href="/True-24-Hour-Eye-Pressure-Monitoring" title="24-Hour-Eye-Pressure-Monitoring">24-hour eye pressure monitoring</a> period (back in 2007), where supine eye pressure measurements were taken, I found out that my eye pressure is much higher at night than expected. I also found out that my blood pressure is much lower. That's a bad combination of pressures for the health of the optic nerve.</p> <p>Last night my eye pressure was even higher than what I reported in the prior blog post. Last night I measured a peak IOP of 26 mm Hg while sleeping without a pillow. My eye pressure was 11 mm Hg before I went to sleep, so that is quite a large increase. In addition, my blood pressure was once again low at 106/63 (and I don't think that reading represents the lowest value my BP reached).</p> <p>Here are my <span style="font-style: italic;">first thoughts</span> about additional things I can do to help my blood pressure and my eye pressure while sleeping. I'll experiment and refine this program as I learn more.<br /> </p> <p><u><b>My program to sleep better and maintain proper blood pressure and eye pressure while sleeping: </b></u></p> <ul><li>Stop work earlier. Don't work late at night.</li> <li>Go to sleep on time every night.</li> <li>Massage feet with brahmi oil before sleep. Consider massaging head and hair if I find a way to deal with the oiliness while sleeping.</li> <li>Take a warm relaxing shower (or Epsom salt bath) before sleep. Measure BP to be sure it isn't greatly reduced by this activity.</li> <li>Do more extensive oral care routine in the evenings.</li> <li>Do <a href="http://SereneImpulse.com">Serene Impulse</a> meditation practice in the evenings (as well as during the day like I currently do).</li> <li>Drink relaxing herbal tea in the evening.</li> <li>Don't eat after dark.</li> <li>Manage stress during the day -- and laugh as much as possible. Continue doing what I'm doing, but be even more diligent about managing my emotions.</li> <li>Drink plenty of <a href="http://www.vosswater.com/">good water</a> throughout the day.</li> <li>Exercise every day.</li> <li>Eat more beets. (See recipe below.) Consider using <a href="http://www.juicingbook.com/vegetables/beet/">raw beet juice</a> too.</li> <li>Eat more salt. (Natural rock salt.)</li> <li>Sleep with a normal pillow. I found out that sleeping without a pillow increases my eye pressure. I'm not going to elevate my head, but I'm not going to let it be too low either.</li> <li>Play quiet <a href="http://www.maharishi.org/gandharva/index.html">Gandharva Veda music</a> at night.</li> <li><del>Try taking Xalatan around 3 PM instead of right before sleep. One study indicated that Xalatan may become most effective starting 12 hours after administration. I know from my home eye pressure measurements that Xalatan takes about 6 hours before it even starts to reduce my eye pressure. Therefore, if my peak eye pressure occurs around 3-4 AM (or even later) it doesn't make sense to take Xalatan around midnight or later. Taking it earlier might be better. I'm going to try to take it 12 hours before the time of my peak eye pressure.</del> This is not recommended. Take prostaglandin eye drops around 8pm for best 24-hour IOP management.</li> <li>Take more B-Complex vitamins, including pantothenic acid. In addition to being important for the nerve and for combating stress, these are mentioned as helping low blood pressure.</li> <li>Take more B-12 (methyl-cobalamin). This helps both sleep and the optic nerve, but I also saw one mention that it might help low blood pressure.</li> <li>Add magnesium supplements at night. While magnesium can help manage high blood pressure, there are also reports that it can help normalize low blood pressure. It can also help promote good sleep.</li> <li>Continue using ashwagandha. In addition to the reasons I already use it, ashwagandha is said to correct low blood pressure.</li> <li>Milk is said to be good if you have low blood pressure, but milk isn't for everyone.</li> <li>Consider adding a little fish or poultry to my diet (just a little, since I am vegan). This is said to help with low blood pressure. Fish is also a source of DHA which can be important for glaucoma.</li> <li>Increase DHA supplements.</li> <li>Add Nardostachys Jatamamsi (such as <a href="http://www.ayurveda-herbs.com/10.htm">http://www.ayurveda-herbs.com/10.htm</a>). Jatamamsi serves several purposes including increasing low blood pressure, promoting sleep and strengthening the nerves (including the optic nerve and visual centers in the brain, I assume).</li> <li>Soak some almonds in water over night. Grind the almonds with herbs and consume. This is said to be good for low blood pressure.</li> <li>Soak some raisins in water over night. <a href="http://www.medindia.net/homeremedies/bp_low.asp">Chew them one-by-one in the morning</a>. This is said to be good for low blood pressure.</li> <li>Add Coenzyme-Q10. This not only helps prevent the side effects of timolol and strengthens the heart, it potentially helps glaucoma by protecting against optic nerve cell death. I suspect that its positive bioenergetic properties may help low blood pressure too - but that's a guess. (Use the pure trans isomer such as manufactured by Kaneka Corporation of Osaka, Japan.)</li> </ul><p>I already eat a very healthy organic diet (with lots of fruit, vegetables and grains), exercise, practice stress reduction techniques, take herb and vitamins (including a lot of Vitamin C), practice yoga and/or tai chi, use health-promoting spices in my foods, and many other things. I'm also using a good natural Talalay latex mattress, good pillows, etc. The above items are in addition to what I already do.</p> <p><b><font size="3">Beets</font></b></p> <p>Beets are probably one of the most powerful vegetables available. They are said to help circulatory problems, <strong>low blood pressure</strong>, and eye fatigue, among other things. Choose firm and smooth beets. Avoid beets that are either soft or shriveled.</p> <p><b>Ayurvedic Recipe: Sweet Steamed Beets</b></p> <p> <br />    * 4 c. raw beets (5 or 6 medium beets)<br />    * 2T ghee<br />    * 2T lemon juice (or lime juice)<br />    * 1T coriander powder</p> <p>Wash and slice the beets into 1/8 to 1/4 inch slices. Pour one inch of water into a heavy, medium-sized pot. Put in stainless steel steamer. Bring water to a boil. Place sliced beets in steamer and cook until tender, 20-25 minutes. Drain. Put in a serving dish.</p> <p>Melt the ghee in a small sauce pan. Don't heat above 300 degree F. Add coriander powder to ghee and mix well, then remove quickly from the heat. Drizzle melted ghee and lemon juice over the beets. Serve.</p> <p>Recipe adapted from The Ayurvedic Cookbook by Amadea Morningstar, Lotus Press, P.O. Box 325, Twin Lakes, WI 53181.</p> <p><a href="http://www.ayurveda-california.com/namo_amitabha/materiamedica/Nardostachys%20jatamamsi-Jatamamsi-Indian%20spikenard.htm"><font size="3"><b>Jatamamsi</b></font></a></p> <p> </p> <p>Nardostachys Jatamamsi (Indian Valerian root, a.k.a, Indian Spikenard) promotes awareness, relaxation and strengthens the mind. Jatamamsi is one of the best herbs for the nerves, sleeplessness, dizziness, etc. Jatamamsi is used to balance low or high blood pressure. </p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-2 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline inline clearfix"><h3 class="field-label">Filed Under (tags): </h3><ul class="links inline"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0"><a href="/tags/glaucoma">glaucoma</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1"><a href="/tags/stress">stress</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-2"><a href="/tags/emotions">emotions</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-3"><a href="/tags/Eye-Pressure">Eye Pressure</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-4"><a href="/tags/lifestyle">lifestyle</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-5"><a href="/tags/Xalatan">Xalatan</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-6"><a href="/tags/Timoptic">Timoptic</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-7"><a href="/tags/sleep">sleep</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-8"><a href="/tags/optic-nerve">optic nerve</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-9"><a href="/tags/postural-changes">postural changes</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-10"><a href="/tags/oral-care">oral care</a></li></ul></div> Tue, 30 Jan 2007 17:43:00 +0000 dave 46 at https://www.fiteyes.com My Expectations https://www.fiteyes.com/My-Expectations <div class="sharethis-buttons"><div class="sharethis-wrapper"><span st_url="https://www.fiteyes.com/My-Expectations" st_title="My%20Expectations" class="st_facebook_large" displayText="facebook"></span> <span st_url="https://www.fiteyes.com/My-Expectations" st_title="My%20Expectations" class="st_twitter_large" displayText="twitter" st_via="" st_username=""></span> <span st_url="https://www.fiteyes.com/My-Expectations" st_title="My%20Expectations" class="st_sharethis_large" displayText="sharethis" st_via="" st_username=""></span> </div></div> <div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>I had certain expectations for my IOP values today. I expected the values to be lower in my right eye. I thought I had done the same things I did around the period of November 10th or 11th. On those days (and some preceding days), my IOP in my right eye was closer to 15. It may be that the difference in IOP is related to my schedule for using Timoptic in my right eye, or it may be due to something else I have not noticed. What I am sure of is that I can adjust things to get my IOP back down to 15 without too much difficulty.</p> <p>It turns out the overall averages for today are almost identical to yesterday's.</p> <p><b>Left 13.3; Right 16.9 (differential 3.6)</b></p> <p>We collected 117 IOP measurements today, which is about normal. In many ways, today was a typical day. However, it didn't meet my expectations -- and in that respect, it is again a typical day!</p> <p>I almost never achieve everything I hope to on a typical day and that is probably the most common trait among most days for me. I have never thought about it in exactly those terms, but as I write this, I am reminded of the pressure I often feel to accomplish more. </p> <blockquote><p><b>"I’ve always got such high expectations for myself. I’m aware of them, but I can’t relax them."</b><br /> -- Mary Decker Slaney</p> </blockquote> <p>This quote from U.S. runner Mary Decker Slaney (who was ranked 4th in the world at just 15 years of age, and who ran competitively for almost 2 decades) is something I can relate to. I certainly <i>can </i>relax. But I'm realizing that <i>relaxing </i>is different from <i>relaxing the expectation I have for myself</i>.</p> <p>I believe my high expectations for myself, my inability to relax those expectations much, and my habit of putting pressure on myself relate to my IOP on a subtle level.</p> <blockquote><p>The emotional state of constantly feeling pressure is translated, over a lifetime, into pressure in the physiology.</p> </blockquote> <p>It will manifest in different ways, depending on an individual's genetics and lifestyle. That idea may sounds like nonsense to those of us trained to think in Western ways, but my statement would be completely obvious to someone familiar with traditional medical systems from Asia (such as Ayurveda). Those traditional system have introduced plenty of new knowledge into modern medicine and modern science, so I believe it is rational to consider the possibility that "constantly feeling pressure" is related to my IOP over the course of my lifetime.</p> <p><img hspace="5" height="252" width="250" align="right" alt="Pressure Cooker" title="Pressure Cooker" src="/sites/fiteyes.com/files/PressureCooker2.jpg" />I also think my IOP data indicates that my short term feelings of pressure (or stress and anxiety) have an impact on my IOP hour by hour, and even minute by minute. Today's data seems to support that statement, and any previous day posted here on my blog probably supports it as well. However, what doesn't seem so clear to me is why today's average IOP in my right eye is nearly 17. I would have expected something closer to 15, so I'm a little confused. It is also unsettling that my right IOP was often 5 points higher than my left IOP today. (FYI, the Goldman tonometers usually don't pick up this difference very well. The non-contact tonometers usually do a better job identifying periods when my right IOP is higher than my left. In the future, I'll have to write a post about my experiences with the accuracy of different tonometers.)</p> <p>I can't offer any explanation for the higher IOP in my right eye today. I think the next few days will shed more light on the meaning of today's values. However, I'm flying out of town for a conference on Friday (the day after tomorrow), and that will have an effect on my IOP as well as my ability to record measurements.</p> <p>I'm sure I'm not seeing the story my IOP measurements are telling today. I wanted the numbers to turn out a certain way and they didn't. I find myself focusing on why my IOP in my right eye was often 5 points higher than my left eye throughout the day. However, another story that may deserve more of my attention is the story of what happens to my IOP when I lay down to go to sleep. Notice my IOP values at just after midnight. My right IOP jumped up quite a bit. I often (but not always) see this trend if I check my IOP during the night or first thing in the morning. I might need to use more Timoptic for better control at night, even if my daytime IOP values are acceptable. I'm going to have this discussion with my ophthalmologist.</p> <p>The last comment I'll make is that past data have indicated that working on the computer when I'm doing focused, but non-stressful work (working on a spreadsheet would be an example) is correlated with low IOP in both eyes. Obviously, when I do stressful work on the computer, my IOP is higher. We've seen that hundreds, if not thousands, of times in the data. (As of today we have 8215 IOP measurements recorded.) However, today is unusual in that work that didn't feel stressful did correspond with higher IOP values - see 8:07 PM in the table below. Maybe the work was more challenging in some way than I realized. I didn't feel stress, but the high IOP value indicates that something wasn't ideal.</p> <p>Here are today's IOP values:</p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 342pt;"><tbody><tr style="height: 12.75pt;"><td style="height: 12.75pt; width: 40pt;" class="xl27"><b>Time</b></td> <td style="width: 34pt;" class="xl25"><b>Left</b></td> <td style="width: 34pt;" class="xl25"><b>Right</b></td> <td style="width: 234pt;" class="xl24"><b>Comments</b></td> </tr><tr style="height: 12.75pt;"><td style="height: 12.75pt;" class="xl28">9:48</td> <td class="xl26"><b>14.3</b></td> <td class="xl26"><b>20.7</b></td> <td>Working at computer.</td> </tr><tr style="height: 12.75pt;"><td style="height: 12.75pt;" class="xl28">11:26</td> <td class="xl26"><b>21.0</b></td> <td class="xl26"><b>20.7</b></td> <td>Working at computer. Feeling anxiety.</td> </tr><tr style="height: 12.75pt;"><td style="height: 12.75pt;" class="xl28">14:09</td> <td class="xl26"><b>16.0</b></td> <td class="xl26"><b>21.7</b></td> <td>Before brushing teeth.</td> </tr><tr style="height: 12.75pt;"><td style="height: 12.75pt;" class="xl28">14:20</td> <td class="xl26"><b>13.3</b></td> <td class="xl26"><b>16.3</b></td> <td>After brushing teeth. Not trying to relax (or feeling any more relaxed).</td> </tr><tr style="height: 12.75pt;"><td style="height: 12.75pt;" class="xl28">14:40</td> <td class="xl26"><b>11.3</b></td> <td class="xl26"><b>16.3</b></td> <td>After 5m frisbee with my dog, 5m long swing, 3m frisbee.</td> </tr><tr style="height: 12.75pt;"><td style="height: 12.75pt;" class="xl28">14:42</td> <td class="xl26"><b>11.3</b></td> <td class="xl26"><b>16.3</b></td> <td>Repeated measurements.</td> </tr><tr style="height: 12.75pt;"><td style="height: 12.75pt;" class="xl28">15:02</td> <td class="xl26"><b>10.7</b></td> <td class="xl26"><b>12.3</b></td> <td>After 7m weight lifting (arms).</td> </tr><tr style="height: 12.75pt;"><td style="height: 12.75pt;" class="xl28">15:03</td> <td class="xl26"><b>10.7</b></td> <td class="xl26"><b>12.7</b></td> <td>Repeated measurements. No changes.</td> </tr><tr style="height: 12.75pt;"><td style="height: 12.75pt;" class="xl28">15:05</td> <td class="xl26"><b><br /></b></td> <td class="xl26"><b>12.0</b></td> <td>Repeated measurements. No changes.</td> </tr><tr style="height: 12.75pt;"><td style="height: 12.75pt;" class="xl28">16:07</td> <td class="xl26"><b>11.7</b></td> <td class="xl26"><b>13.3</b></td> <td>After eating and reading a news magazine.</td> </tr><tr style="height: 12.75pt;"><td style="height: 12.75pt;" class="xl28">17:54</td> <td class="xl26"><b>13.7</b></td> <td class="xl26"><b>18.3</b></td> <td>Working at computer followed by a short break.</td> </tr><tr style="height: 12.75pt;"><td style="height: 12.75pt;" class="xl28">20:07</td> <td class="xl26"><b>14.7</b></td> <td class="xl26"><b>22.0</b></td> <td>Working at computer. Challenging work, but not feeling any stress.</td> </tr><tr style="height: 12.75pt;"><td style="height: 12.75pt;" class="xl28">20:18</td> <td class="xl26"><b>11.3</b></td> <td class="xl26"><b>16.0</b></td> <td>After 6m weight lifting (back).</td> </tr><tr style="height: 12.75pt;"><td style="height: 12.75pt;" class="xl28">20:19</td> <td class="xl26"><b><br /></b></td> <td class="xl26"><b>16.0</b></td> <td>Repeated measurements.</td> </tr><tr style="height: 12.75pt;"><td style="height: 12.75pt;" class="xl28">20:20</td> <td class="xl26"><b><br /></b></td> <td class="xl26"><b>16.0</b></td> <td>Repeated measurements.</td> </tr><tr style="height: 12.75pt;"><td style="height: 12.75pt;" class="xl28">20:46</td> <td class="xl26"><b>11.3</b></td> <td class="xl26"><b>16.7</b></td> <td>After shower.</td> </tr><tr style="height: 12.75pt;"><td style="height: 12.75pt;" class="xl28">22:21</td> <td class="xl26"><b>12.7</b></td> <td class="xl26"><b>16.3</b></td> <td>Working at computer. Challenging but relaxing work.</td> </tr><tr style="height: 12.75pt;"><td style="height: 12.75pt;" class="xl28">23:16</td> <td class="xl26"><b>13.7</b></td> <td class="xl26"><b>16.3</b></td> <td>Planning travel/conference attendance.</td> </tr><tr style="height: 12.75pt;"><td style="height: 12.75pt;" class="xl28">23:29</td> <td class="xl26"><b>13.3</b></td> <td class="xl26"><b>13.3</b></td> <td>Getting ready for bed.</td> </tr><tr style="height: 12.75pt;"><td style="height: 12.75pt;" class="xl28">0:04</td> <td class="xl26"><b>14.3</b></td> <td class="xl26"><b>21.7</b></td> <td>After laying down.</td> </tr><tr style="height: 12.75pt;"><td style="height: 12.75pt;" class="xl28">1:37</td> <td class="xl26"><b>13.3</b></td> <td class="xl26"><b>19.7</b></td> <td>Working at computer. Interesting work. Not stressful, but challenging.</td> </tr></tbody></table></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-2 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline inline clearfix"><h3 class="field-label">Filed Under (tags): </h3><ul class="links inline"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0"><a href="/tags/emotions">emotions</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1"><a href="/tags/tonometer">tonometer</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-2"><a href="/tags/Eye-Pressure">Eye Pressure</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-3"><a href="/tags/Timoptic">Timoptic</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-4"><a href="/tags/oral-care">oral care</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-5"><a href="/tags/pressure">pressure</a></li></ul></div> Thu, 16 Nov 2006 04:59:00 +0000 dave 186 at https://www.fiteyes.com