Continuous positive airway pressure machines, otherwise known as CPAP, are used to help persons with sleep apnea, who may experience periods of impaired breathing through the night when throat muscles relax and block airways.

"As a result, oxygen can't get to the rest of the body, the brain in particular," said Andrey Zinchuk at Yale University School of Medicine. "So before they asphyxiate, their brain wakes them up. And this can happen anywhere from 10 to 15 times an hour up to 100 times an hour for some individuals."

CPAP machines are effective, but often cumbersome and not necessarily conducive to restful slumber if one has trouble snoozing with a mask and tube over the face. Not surprisingly, many people don't use their CPAP devices as often or as long as recommended.

In a study of CPAP users, Zinchuk and colleagues found that every additional half-hour of CPAP use was clinically meaningful and that the people most likely to diligently use and benefit from the devices were early birds, otherwise known as morning people. They tended to use their CPAPs 40 minutes more on average than night owls.

Body of Knowledge

The thickest skin on your body is found on the soles of your feet and palms of your hands; the thinnest on your eyelids. The former averages about 1.5 millimeters in thickness; the latter 0.05 millimeters.

Get Me That, Stat!

Rates of loneliness, isolation and lack of social contact have improved after three years of pandemic living, but they remain alarmingly high among older adults. One in three people between the ages of 50 and 80 say they sometimes or often experience those feelings or may go a week or longer without social contact from someone outside the home.

Stories for the Waiting Room

Researchers at New York University have published new data showing a link between dental care, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease. Diabetes is a known risk factor for cognitive decline and dementia. Hallmarks of diabetes — high blood sugar, insulin resistance, inflammation and related heart disease — are believed to contribute to adverse changes in the brain.

Growing data shows a similar connection with poor oral health, particularly gum disease and tooth loss. Like diabetes, inflammation plays a key role in gum disease, and these inflammatory processes may contribute to cognitive decline.

Doc Talk

Limbus: the boundary or edge marking the cornea from the sclera or white of the eye

Phobia of the Week

Euphobia: fear of hearing good news (Don't worry. We'll warn you if we have some.)

Food for Thought

Propylene glycol alginate is a food thickener, stabilizer and emulsifier derived from alginic acid (a naturally occurring sugar found in brown algae) and propylene glycol, a slightly sweet, colorless solvent. It has other uses as an automotive antifreeze and airport runway de-icer.

Best Medicine

Doctor: Did you take the patient's temperature?

Nurse: No, is it missing?

Observation

"I've always enjoyed poor health." — British novelist Taylor Caldwell (1900-1985)

Medical History

This week in 1891, Franz Gabriel Alexander was born. Alexander was a Hungarian-American physician and psychoanalyst who is sometimes credited as the "father of psychosomatic medicine" because he was a leader in identifying emotional tension as a significant cause of physical illness.

Perishable Publications

Many, if not most, published research papers have titles that defy comprehension. They use specialized jargon, complex words and opaque phrases such as "nonlinear dynamics." Sometimes they don't, and yet they're still hard to figure out. Here's an actual title of actual published research study: "The perils of bungee jumping."

The study, published in 1995 when leaping off high places tied to a large rubber band was more of a thing, found (not surprisingly) that aforementioned rubber band failure was likely to result traumatic injury, though having a large air cushion prevented significant harm.

Sum Body

Six tips to protect yourself from ticks (and Lyme disease):

1. Avoid hiking through tall grass and dense brush where ticks like to congregate.

2. Dress appropriately: light-colored clothing to more easily spot attached ticks; long-sleeved shirts; long pants; and closed-toed shoes.

3. Use proven repellents, such as DEET. Spray skin and clothes.

4. Conduct regular body checks for ticks.

5. If you find a tick, don't panic. Remove it using tweezers to grasp the tick at its mouth (where it is attached to your skin) and pull back slowly and steadily, like for a splinter. Wash area with soap and water.

6. Look for rashes. Don't ignore flu-like symptoms. See a doctor if either appear.

Epitaphs

"I'm just resting my eyes." — Headstone of Gloria M. Russell (1926-2000)

To find out more about Scott LaFee and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Alexander Possingham at Unsplash