Our Blog

Read more..

[by Tamara Sellman RPSGT CCSH for Advanced Cardiovascular Sleep Disorders Center] This coming Tuesday is a holiday celebrated in two very different ways.  Shrove Tuesday references a period of Christian feasting that takes place on the eve of Lent, which starts the day after (Ash Wednesday). It is chiefly celebrated through pancake breakfasts. Mardi Gras, in bold contrast, refers to the same holiday, but the consumption of liquor, sweets (such as King's cake), and ...

Read more..

[by Tamara Sellman RPSGT CCSH for Advanced Cardiovascular Sleep Disorders Center] FROM OUR MONTH-LONG SERIES, "SWEET DREAMS SWEET HEARTS," FOR NATIONAL HEART HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH Sleep health can have a hidden impact on heart health, especially as it relates to heart rhythms. Heart rhythm problems When a doctor listens for heart rhythms, it's to check on the overall health of the heart. The heart's activity will speed up and slow down over the ...

Read more..

[by Tamara Sellman RPSGT CCSH for Advanced Cardiovascular Sleep Disorders Center] FROM OUR MONTH-LONG SERIES, "SWEET DREAMS SWEET HEARTS," FOR NATIONAL HEART HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH Blood pressure is checked at every encounter with a medical professional because of its relationship to many health problems. This includes sleep disorders as well. Low blood pressure (hypotension) and high blood pressure (hypertension) indicate an imbalance in the way the body functions, giving doctors some clues as to why ...

Read more..

[by Tamara Sellman RPSGT CCSH for Advanced Cardiovascular Sleep Disorders Center] FIRST IN OUR MONTH-LONG SERIES, "SWEET DREAMS SWEET HEARTS," FOR NATIONAL HEART HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH National Wear Red Day® is the colorful entree into the annual Heart Health Month awareness campaign in the US.  Why Go Red? It's the color of our hearts, of our blood, the very symbol of life. Wearing red today shows you "know your numbers": blood pressure total cholesterol ...

Read more..

[by Tamara Sellman RPSGT CCSH for Advanced Cardiovascular Sleep Disorders Center] On Tuesday, January 30, 2018 (tomorrow morning), at 3:58am Central Time, Alabamians will be able to witness a spectacular supermoon. A supermoon occurs when the moon reaches its closest point to the Earth in its current orbit. When it’s this close to the Earth, the moon will appear up to 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than usual. What’s more ...

Read more..

[by Tamara Sellman RPSGT CCSH for Advanced Cardiovascular Sleep Disorders Center] If you spend even a little bit of time in online forums and social media, you've probably run across lots of complaints from women regarding sleep. Why can't I sleep? Why am I so tired during the day?  Women experience a lot of the same concerns as men when it comes to sleep. Major reasons for sleep disruption include shift work, inadequate ...

Read more..

[by Tamara Sellman RPSGT CCSH for Advanced Cardiovascular Sleep Disorders Center] Looks like smoking is on the minds of the Alabama state legislation these days. Last Thursday, the Alabama House Judiciary Committee approved a new bill generated by state Rep. Rolanda Hollis (D-Birmingham) for consideration by the full House. The bill would make it a crime to smoke in a vehicle with a minor (anybody under the age of 19). Fines levied for the violation ...

Read more..

[by Tamara Sellman RPSGT CCSH for Advanced Cardiovascular Sleep Disorders Center] Since Alabama isn't considered a Northern state, then it seems unlikely that people that live here would succumb to a mood disorder related to seasonal light. However, as the map above suggests, almost all of the United States falls inside the northern latitudes most affected by seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. What is SAD? This mood disorder occurs as the result of changes ...

Read more..

Lee County has the flu [by Tamara Sellman RPSGT CCSH for Advanced Cardiovascular Sleep Disorders Center] And it's a tough bug doing widespread damage to upper respiratory systems all around us.  The map to the right shows that, as of January 12, 2018, Lee County joins the majority of the state of Alabama in reporting SIGNIFICANT lab-confirmed cases of three strains: Influenza A(H3), Influenza A (2009 H1N1) and Influenza B/Yamagata (source: Alabama ...

Read more..