Even though it has been freakish double-digit (celsius) weather here in Toronto, I had a hunch that dry air has been causing me great discomfort during sleep.
While talking to a doctor is great, I find much more actionable information on Reddit (đ).
This week I learned about âSilent Refluxâ, which is also called laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR). I donât know what the chicken and the egg here is, but if you suffer from reflux at nighttime, which is more common as we get older, then here is what I have figured out:
Instead of propping your bed up, you can put some books under your mattress near where your head or neck goes
Use snoring strips or dilators to keep your passages clear, especially if your nose is bent out of shape from either genetics or your past boxing career
Run a humidifier through the night (I am happy with this small one)
Rinse your nasal passages in the daytime using the dreaded neti system to remind you of being in swim classes
With a system like this, since you should be breathing through your nose better now, you can also consider trying mouth taping which will give you better airflow through your nose. There is also a checklist of things related to regular GERD/reflux which involves cutting off food and water before bed and avoiding the trigger foods at night like chocolate and citrus.
Audiobooks to Help You Sleep Faster
While weâre on the topic of sleep, I am also enjoying listening to sleep stories that help you nod off.
I liked the ones in the Calm app when I did a trial of it, but just as good you can listen to public domain audiobooks like Walden or A Tale of Two Cities read by everyday folks on Librivox.
There are Librivox apps for your platform and the one on iPhone has a sleep timer to stop playing after say 30 minutes.
Three Ideas from My Notebooks
The more you pine or lust after something, the faster you repel its energy1.
Never rush things that donât need to be rushed. Iâm amazed at how rushed some drivers are, even at 6 am.
Know what is in your control, and whatâs outside of it. This usually means that our effort and intention are in our control, how we show up to do our Most Creative Work, or be a kind of loving person to the people in our orbit. Everything else is left to the cosmos to decide.
All of the ideas going back to May 2023 are now located in The Ideas Index:
Listen to Arcadia
This weekâs piece of music is called Arcadia. I have paired it with a delicious sunrise that I recorded in the middle of the week.
Sunrise video:
Ok thanks for reading. Iâm off to hit some indoor golf balls followed by some bagel intake.
See you next week,
Elliott
Nothing is as desired as much as the thing you want but canât have. Material goods that play hard to get mess with our heads the same way people do. When something you like is just out of reach â you can almost afford it, but not quite yet â it takes on a mystique and exaggerates the dreams you have about how much that thing will make you happy and solve your problems.
From A Few Thoughts on Spending Money by Morgan Housel