Asleep at the Wheel

Too little sleep has become a public health epidemic affecting up to 70 million Americans and contributing to an increase of blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and obesity. I've created an audio CD about Sleep and Your Health as part of my 6 CD Health Accelerator series.

For this "Health Matters and Why it Matters to You" I want to tell you about one of the hazards of too little sleep that is the most lethal of all: falling asleep at the wheel. If that sounds like you, you are not alone. A 2009 study by the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) which was a collaboration between the CDC and the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research found that 4.7% of Americans reported nodding off or falling asleep while driving at least once in the preceding month. That's 1 in 20 drivers. Drivers that drive right up into your trunk, weave around the road, or demonstrate road rage could be exhibiting drowsy driving. That's why 1,500 people die each year from drowsy driving and 40,000 more have non-fatal injuries.

If you find your eyes getting heavy, or you can't remember what happened over the last few exits, or you find yourself opening the window for more air or turning up the radio, listen to your body. Find a safe place to pull over and either rest a few minutes or take a short stretch. Doing this every 100 miles or every two hours is a great idea in general. Driving during the day and avoiding those all night marathon drives is another great way to stay safe. Having a buddy drive with you to help you stay awake can save your life. Remember, driving a two-ton vehicle at 60 or more miles per hour, you might only get one chance to fall asleep at the wheel.

Almost everyone knows someone who has had a medical emergency: a broken bone, a burn, choking, a bee sting, a heart attack. The list goes on and on. But for most people, the hope is that it will never happen to them. That's why so many people don't give it a lot of thought.

If that sounds like you, here are three questions you should be asking:

• Would I recognize a medical emergency?
• Would I know when to call 9-1-1?
• What should I do after I call 9-1-1?

Not knowing the answers to these three important questions is one of the main reasons people die in a medical emergency even though their death could be preventable. Unfortunately, 40% of Americans don't know a single symptom of a stroke even though it's the third most common cause of death in the United States.

That's why I, together with Shelly Glazier, have written a new book called "Save Your Life: What To Do In A Medical Emergency." It's a simple to read and easy guide that answers these three common questions above.

Here are four important examples taken from our book to help you when you are faced with a medical emergency:

If you think there could be a medical emergency:

Should you:

• Call your doctor?
  No! Waiting for the doctor to call back wastes valuable time.

• Rest to see if you feel better?
  No! Waiting to see if the symptoms pass also wastes time that could save a life because the sooner you get medical care: the more likely you are to live.

• Drive yourself to the hospital?
  No! If you drive yourself to the hospital, you might pass out or stop breathing on the way.

• Call a family member or friend for a ride to the hospital?
  No! Do not ask family or friends to drive you to the hospital (unless emergency services are unavailable). If you lose consciousness, your driver likely won't be able to help you.

Here is why you should call 9-1-1 immediately in all of these cases:

• When you call 9-1-1, the responding Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) will monitor you. If you stop breathing or your heart stops beating, they will give you emergency treatment on the way to the hospital.
• They also will notify the emergency room staffs of your condition, so when you arrive they will know you need immediate treatment.

Calling 9-1-1 is the safest and fastest way to get medical care. Remember, car accidents are more likely to happen when family or friends are trying to rush you to the hospital.

Oh, and here is what you need to remember to save someone's life from a stroke. This and so much more is in our book Save Your Life: What to do in a Medical Emergency. Remember the first letters; they spell the word FAST:

The National Stroke Association's "ACT FAST©" list can help you identify the symptoms of a stroke:

If It Ain't Broke, Fix It

Seems like good, solid advice: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. That might work well for a touchy lawn mower or television set, but it is bad advice for healthy living. Our truly remarkable body keeps working, even when things start to go wrong. Most people are able to continue doing all their usual activities: the heart occasionally skips a beat, a small growth begins in a recess of our body, we gain a few pounds. Think about it: almost every health problem from heart disease to cancer to obesity starts before we are aware of it and continues to slowly get worse. Our body often continues to work quite well until things are about 70% along the path to disease.

But by then we are no longer well. We are ill and we have to "fix it." Think how different it would be if we found a problem early, before "it was broke." There is only one way to prevent disease: If it ain't broke, fix it.

Obesity is a huge problem. About one-third of U.S. adults (33.8%) are obese. In 2010, approximately 17% (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 2—19 years were found to be obese.
 According to the CDC in 2010, no state had a less than 20% of the people living there obese. Thirty-six states had a prevalence of 25% or more; 12 of these states (Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia) had a prevalence of 30% or more.

HealthRock's Let's Move: Songs About Exercising, Eating Health and Controlling Weight is an effort to combat this problem. It has just won a 2011 CD of the Year Award from Creative Child. You can hear snippets of the songs at HealthRock® "Let's Move" CD

Copyright Dr. Mache Seibel 2011. All Rights Reserved.

New Releases

Eat To Defeat Menopause makes medicine your food and food your medicine. Combines medical information on menopause with over 130 delicious, healthy and easy to make recipes from Dr. Seibel, Karen Giblin, and numerous top chefs from around the country.

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Save Your Life is an easy to understand guide to recognizing a medical emergency, knowing when to call 9-1-1 and what to do after you call 9-1-1.

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Soothing Instrumental music created by Dr. Seibel and performed by his trio, led by Ben Schwendener. If you are feeling stressed and need a way to relax, this CD is for you.

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