(no subject)

[dreamer_easy]

I've buggered up my wrist, so I can't get much housework done today, so you're about to be spammed with all my backed up links. Plus I'm in a rubbish mood. Duck and cover.

Recent postings suggest that lj Doctor Who fandom may be beginning to reclaim itself from the shipwarriors and other obsessives. Huzzah.

Australia's gag rule will soon be lifted. "[Foreign Minister Stephen Smith] Mr Smith said the focus of Australia's foreign aid would remain on avoiding abortions by providing better family planning education, as he pledged to boost funds for preventing maternal deaths by $15 million over four years."

Saith Gordon Brown: UK, US 'aiming for nuclear-free world', with Britain making some reductions to its nuclear arsenal and offering to go further if the US and Russia will.

Are bad sleeping habits driving us mad? "Take anyone with a psychiatric disorder and the chances are they don't sleep well. The result of their illness, you might think. Now this long-standing assumption is being turned on its head, with the radical suggestion that poor sleep might actually cause some psychiatric illnesses or lead people to behave in ways that doctors mistake for mental problems."

Guantanamo guards "take their last revenge"

Carbon dioxide is good, so more carbon dioxide is better! Unless you're a foram and can't make a shell because dissolved CO₂ has acidified the ocean. Oops.

Comments

[fizzixrat.livejournal.com]

'Are bad sleeping habits driving us mad? "Take anyone with a psychiatric disorder and the chances are they don't sleep well. The result of their illness, you might think. Now this long-standing assumption is being turned on its head, with the radical suggestion that poor sleep might actually cause some psychiatric illnesses or lead people to behave in ways that doctors mistake for mental problems."'

As someone with two separate sleep disorders, can I just say, "Duh!!!"? :)

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

When I finally crack, it'll be from being blasted in the eye at irregular intervals with cold air from my CPAP mask.

Two sleep disorders at once! You poor bugger!

[fizzixrat.livejournal.com]

Your sympathy is much appreciated. :) Besides the sleep apnea, I have a circadian rhythm that tends towards 30 hours and a more nocturnal cycle. This makes functioning in the 24 hr daytime-oriented job market rather difficult. Treat the apnea, and the circadian issue rears its ugly head again. (Don't treat the apnea and...well, everything is bad, basically.)

The old CPAP leakage problem -- I know it all too well. The last mask leaked just enough to cause a high-pitched squeal that would wake me and Dr K up. The first mask used to give me dry eyes all the time.

My newest mask fits a little better, so I don't get the leaks much, and usually that bothers my nose first and wakes me up before the eyes get raw. But it is bloody hard to find a mask that fits my face perfectly -- why don't they have more sizes available or custom fitting as a regular thing? (I need a small for the width of my nose and face, but something larger for the height of my nose.) We tried one of those "full face" masks that covers both the mouth and nose during my last titration, because some people with my problem find the fit works better, but I pulled it off a moment later, because I found I couldn't exhale.

I do find that soaking the rubber nose piece of the mask in warm soapy water once a week helps keep it pliable enough to make a good seal. My most recent sleep docs recommended using a mild soap like baby shampoo over some other things (like dishwashing detergents), because they're kinder to the silicone.