Surviving Heatmaggeddon

The District is hotter than hot. Walking outside this morning, I started sweating before breathing.  Although I notoriously complain about being "too cold," I've changed my tune - Help! I'm melting. 

In yoga class the other day, our teacher said this heat wave serves as a reminder of the eternal shifting nature of life. We complain about being too hot or too cold - yet it would be better to find peace despite the constant changing of the weather.

I nodded my head in agreement and vowed to change my ways. But then, I walked outside and my sunglasses fogged up. I had no choice but to complain under my breath as I hurried to my air-conditioned car.

But in all seriousness, how does one survive Heatmaggeddon??

Here are a few of my summer survival tips:

1. "Life is short. Drink water from a wine glass." -Gail

Staying hydrated is a struggle for me, especially because I do yoga and run daily.  So, I stole this concept from my good friend, Gail, who served me water from a beautiful wine glass one evening at her house.  I love wine but I don't drink much because of my narcolepsy medication.  It may sound silly, but drinking water from a fancy glass is more fun!

2. Chill out with a Simple Smoothie:

I don't have much of an appetite in this heat (and with my daytime stimulants). It's been hard to force myself to eat a meal before the sun goes down. This is unhealthy and terrible, but it's the truth. I usually make up by eating for 10 people in the evening. However, given my current commitment to exercise, I'm exploring the smoothie world.

I'm new to this but here's what I'm making now - it's DELICIOUS!

Simple Smoothie Recipe:
8 oz. Almond Milk (original flavor)
3-4 ice cubes
4 frozen strawberries
1/2 frozen banana
1 scoop Slim Fast Chocolate powder

Combine in the blender and enjoy!

(You can use fresh or frozen fruit. I'm freezing my fruit in individual sized ziploc bags to make it as easy as possible to throw together quickly. Also, frozen fruit is easy to find in the grocery store.)

And yes, I recommend the wine glass serving option for the smoothie as well, because... why not?

3. Add a Hint of Mint

Mint or menthol products give off a cooling sensation. Currently, I'm obsessed with Lipton's Bedtime Story Herbal Tea - made with real spearmint leaves and chamomile flavors.  Hot tea is counter-intuitive, but I enjoy ending each day with a delicious cup of minty fresh tea. It calms me and gets me ready to surrender to sleep.

Other ideas: add fresh mint to lemonade or use a peppermint body wash in the shower.

Have other summer survival recommendations? Please share!

Karate Chop Yoga-Style

My eyes were closed. I didn't see karate chops coming.

Since completing the 21 Day Yoga Challenge, I've been hooked on yoga.  It's gentler on my knees than running.  And by now, I'm an expert, knowing all the poses by heart. Or so I thought...

The other day, we were seated when our instructor told us to cross our arms into "Eagle Pose." I stacked elbows, hooked hands, and raised arms towards the sky.

Eagle Arm Pose

I cringed slightly, feeling the heat between my shoulder blades. I closed my eyes and concentrated on my breath, like a Zen Warrior Princess.

"Now, raise your elbows up and down. Karate chop the layers!" my instructor said.

Karate chop what?! Am I dreaming? I quickly opened my eyes to make sure I'd heard correctly.

At the front of the room, the instructor pulsed her elbows in the air, sort of like a karate chop. She kept a straight face, it wasn't a joke.  I hesitated.

"Karate chop the layers that don't serve you," she continued, "As we go through life, we build up all these layers. Break through them, free yourself!"

Although out of my comfort zone, as soon as she described the layers, I knew I had them too. Guilt, worries and fears churn through me sometimes and I sit back and let them take over - as if I am not in control of them, but instead they control me.  Although unhealthy and pointless, I let this negativity hang in my closet and I wear it every so often, like a full-length winter parka on a hot summer day.

So, I smiled and joined in the motion. I closed my eyes and chopped even more vigorously.  As silly as it sounds, the exercise gave me permission to take off the winter parka; to chop through the layers; to let go.

Soon, we moved on to more typical poses, but the karate chops stuck with me and I knew I had to write about them for my narcolepsy blog.  Whether you have narcolepsy or not, everyone has extra layers.

Give it a try:
1. Close your eyes
2. Visualize the layers that no longer serve you
3. Karate chop them
4. Add in the Eagle Arm motions if you like!

Sound crazy? Try it anyway. You may be surprised by what you find hanging in your closet.

Insomnia Drug Develops from Narcolepsy Research

What do people with insomnia and people with narcolepsy have in common? Trick question! I don't know, but we may be coming closer to an answer.

In the late 90's, narcolepsy researchers made a significant breakthrough in successfully identifying the brain cells, called hypocretin (or orexin), that go missing in those that develop narcolepsy.  These brain cells help to control the sleep/wake cycle, so when they disappear, the sleep/wake cycle is not properly regulated and symptoms of narcolepsy develop.

Narcolepsy researchers continue to study this brain cell loss, trying to figure out why the degeneration takes place (now believed to be an autoimmune response due to multiple genetic and environmental co-factors).

The big breakthrough has yet to lead to better treatments for narcolepsy, but the potential is huge. “If we could get orexin into the brains of people with narcolepsy - and get it to the right places at the right times - we could, I think, completely cure this disease,’’ Dr. Thomas Scammell, a neurologist and prominent narcolepsy specialist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center told the Boston Globe, “It would be like giving insulin to diabetics.’’(1)

Despite the potential, there has been little interest from the pharmaceutical industry in developing this possible "cure" at this point. However, another patient population may benefit.  At least one pharmaceutical company hopes to capitalize on narcolepsy research - for people with insomnia.

Merck has worked for the past eight years on a novel insomnia drug that affects the hypocretin/orexin system, reports an informative news article today. Other insomnia medications bind with either GABA or melatonin receptors, which help people fall asleep, but don't necessarily keep them asleep. Instead, Merck's pipeline drug, called suvorexant, works by "binding to the brain’s orexin receptors and blocking hormones known as orexin peptides from signaling the body to wake up."(2)

Merck's suvorexant drug is currently in stage III clinical trials, estimated to wrap up in September 2011. (3)

Yet, the fate of suvorexant is still unclear. "Results of mid-stage studies showed the drug was 'generally well-tolerated,' according to a press release issued by Merck last year. Some of the side effects reported by study participants included upper respiratory tract infections, dizziness and vivid dreams."(2)

Vivid dreams?! Hmm, sounds familiar.  I hope Merck's drug isn't just a dose of narcolepsy. Or wait, is that the point? (I hope this drug gives individuals a healthy sleep architecture and simply isn't putting them into REM.)

In all seriousness, I'm interested to watch the medication's progress. The market potential for a successful insomnia treatment is huge (in 2010, total insomnia market value was $2.73 billion).  I expect we will hear a lot more about this drug in the future.

Beyond the interests of the sleep-challenged amongst us, this story is important for exemplifying the unpredictable nature of scientific research. A discovery for narcolepsy may lead to an advancement for insomnia. There is also great potential for hypocretin/orexin-targeted treatments to help obesity and addiction. (3)

I hope narcolepsy has good karma for helping other disorders, and that this comes back our way eventually!

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Sources:

(1)"Narcolepsy Research Triggers Myraid Brain Studies," by Carolyn Johnson, Boston Globe, Nov. 30, 2009.

(2)"Eight years in the making, N.J.-based Merck developing new kind of insomnia drug," by Susan Ledger, The Star-Ledger, July 3, 2011.

(3) Safety and Efficacy Study in Primary Insomnia - Study A, ClinicalTrials.gov.