Stop Snoring - How Your Night Sweats Might Lead The Way To A Natural Snoring Remedy
September 17, 2008
I read an article in the Ottawa Citizen recently entitled “Sweat, Snores and Sleep” and thought it was very interesting.
Essentially the article discusses the fact that menopause and snoring may have a symbiotic relationship. Basically, menopause can cause night sweats which in turn cause excess moisture and humidity in mattresses, pillows and comforters. This environment is a haven for dust mites.
What exactly are dust mites?
Well, this website has quite a detailed explanation, but in a nutshell they are microscopic bugs which primarily live on dead skin shed by humans and the pets. Apparently people shed about one gram of dead skin a day, a considerable amount of which ends up in your bed.
A typical mattress can have anywhere from 100,000 to 10 million dust mites inside. Each dust mite excretes feces about twenty times a day. It is this feces which many people are allergic to. Yuck!!
What exactly does any of this have to do with menopause and sweating. Well, according to the article, as we breath this allergen in our sleep our bodies produce antibodies which in turn trigger the release of histamines, which causes swollen mucous membranes, stuffy noses and snoring. As women going through menopause are prone to night sweats, their beds create a fantastic environment for dust mites to thrive.
I found this article particularly interesting as through Norwex I had been introduced to a mattress cleaner. Prior to attending my first Norwex presentation I really had never given a moment’s thought to the dust mites which might be crawling through my bed.
In recent months, my husband’s snoring had become particularly bothersome. Especially given the fact that we have a new baby and that I’m lucky to get three hours straight of sleep with my kids. My husband kept claiming he was snoring because he had a cold, but after months of this I was not buying his theory. I figured the mattress cleaner was worth a shot (pardon the pun) and sprayed our mattress. I had heard that some individuals see results overnight. In any case, I sprayed the mattress and we both forgot about it. It was only upon reading this article last week, that it dawned upon me that I hadn’t contemplated smothering my husband with my pillow for quite a while. Whether or not the snoring has stopped because of the mattress cleaner or other reasons, I can’t say for sure. But, I’m not going to take any chances and will keep spraying my mattress regularly 
Our Vomiting Toddler aka “The generally barfy child”
September 7, 2008
Little did we know when our first little bouncing baby boy was born that we would have a future puker on our hands. Let’s just say if I had a dollar for every time my two year old threw up since he was born, I would be a rich woman and living on a beach somewhere very sunny.
We had a first glimpse at our future when our son was but a few days old. This little baby constantly spit up. Just a few days old, I remember him power puking after gagging while nursing. “Oh, explained the midwife, “he just made a little piggy of himself and overate. Babies do that sometimes. He’ll learn.” Naively - I believed her. I spent most of this child’s first six months cleaning up “spit up”. Then, came solids. This little guy could gag on anything.
Upon expressing my concerns to our family doctor during a wellness appointment, the doctor referred us to a pediatrician. The pediatrician took one look at my son and said, “Ma’am, I’m not sure why you are here but, I can tell you that is one healthy baby you have in your arms.” He said this as my son has always been a big little boy, usually being above the doctor’s growth chart at any appointment. Which I’ll admit has been no small feat on my part.
In addition to being a “puker”, this little guy is also the slowest eater alive. I have spent many an hour feeding him, only to have him gag on some particle of food and have to start the process all over. The pediatrician assured us he was perfectly healthy and said he likely just had a strong gag reflex and he would grow out of it as he got older. Naively - I believed him.
I’ve lost count of the number of reasons and theories we have for him throwing up. Some more recent ones include: stomach flu, ear infection, overeating cheesies at my brother’s while being babysat, strong gag reflex, car sickness during a recent camping trip, trying to get food out of his mouth so he can take a drink, throwing up for attention, being scared by our reflection in a window while dining at my brother’s, running around with food in his mouth and gagging, or forgetting to chew properly and gagging on a chunk of God knows what. So, while other toddlers I know cram whole triangles of sandwiches in their mouth, I spend mealtime carefully monitoring every morsel that goes in this kid’s mouth.
Recently, my husband and I were convinced he was throwing up for attention or to get out of eating his meal, as food is just about the lowest priority on his list of things to do. Just last weekend, I made him a tiny version of a hamburger (ground beef and cheese between two tortillas, cut into a circle). Ever reluctant to try anything new, my husband told him they were “Binou” burgers. Being quite the fan of the cartoon “Toopey and Binou”, he quite enthusiastically sat to the table. He took his first bite and began squirming around and looking under the table for something. Concerned he would bump his head and choke, I told him, “please sit up properly, you’re going to bang your head and end up crying”. Well, don’t you know it, as a result of what I had said, he starts crying hysterically and this causes him to gag on his food and throw up. Pause dinner again. As is the drill frequently at meal time, my husband grabs the Sportzyme and begins the thankless task of clean-up and me, hugs and comfort. Finally, I calm him down, get him a glass of water, and sit him to the table while my husband and I get back to supper. Hey, after two plus years of this, we’ve developed pretty strong stomachs.
And, again the crying starts. Assuming that he is upset because he thinks he still has to eat supper, I tell him, “don’t worry, it’s okay, just drink your water, you don’t have to eat your burgers and Mommy will get you something later when you are feeling better.” The crying continues. I ask him if he is crying because he thinks he has to eat his supper. “No, he says between sobs, “I’m crying because I want to eat my “Binou burgers.” Once reassured he could continue with his supper, he did so and made a pretty good stab at his burgers. Ok, so much for the puking to get out of eating theory.
For the past two years, every time he throws up after theorizing at length as to what caused it this time, I think maybe this will be the last time. Today, the culprit was a poorly chewed Smartie.
My sister-in-law recently sent me this article entitled, I Frew Up”, from Today’s Parent, which discusses potential causes of throwing up in children.
http://www.todaysparent.com/toddler/article.jsp?content=20060706_162254_440&page=1
After reading this, I was convinced that my son falls into the category of “the generally barfy child.” Basically, there is nothing wrong, he is just a child who easily throws up for a variety of reasons.
I try not to get to concerned as I know he is a healthy weight and is obviously growing very well. Sometimes it gets very frustrating worrying there might be something physically wrong with him, cleaning up vomit, and supervising a second meal.
Anyone else with a “generally barfy child” with any theories or advice to share?
Why I Became a Norwex Sales Consultant
September 2, 2008
I’m very excited to welcome you to my site, Casa Naturals. This site features natural household cleaning natural/organic personal care items of the company Norwex for which I am an Independent Sales Consultant.
I was introduced to Norwex several months ago, by one of my friends. I have to admit when I was initially invited to my friend’s home for a Norwex presentation, I was a little skeptical. I thought, “I already have everything I possibly need for cleaning my home, what could I possibly learn from going to this presentation.”
Within moments of the consultant’s presentation I was totally impressed by several of the products, namely the Antibacterial Enviro Micofiber Cloth and Window Microfiber Cloth. The consultant demonstrated these cloths by smearing a bathroom window with butter, cleaning it off with a damp Enviro cloth and then polishing it with the Window Cloth. She effortlessly cleaned the mirror to a shine, and then proceeded to demonstrate how you could clean your entire bathroom using an Enviro Cloth and simply water. I imagined myself wiping my own mirrors with Windex and my roll of paper towels and trying to get all the streaks off and finally just giving up and thinking I guess that’s as good as it’s going to get. I purchased these two cloths that night and couldn’t wait to try them out in my home cleaning.
I’ll admit initially I did not give much thought to the fact I was cleaning without chemicals, but instead was totally impressed by the performance and the ease and speed with which I felt my new cloths would help me with my cleaning.
Once I started using the microfiber cloths in my own cleaning, I became even more impressed. I found myself wishing I had one in each room. I kept finding more and more uses for the Enviro Cloth, e.g. taking stains out of carpet, cleaning mirrors, windows, floors, my kid’s toys, etc. And within a few weeks I began to notice, I was making fewer and fewer trips to the grocery store for cleaning supplies and I was beginning to get used to the fact that a clean house, didn’t smell like anything.
I was beginning to reflect more and more upon the fact that I was enjoying the fact that I was bringing less chemicals into the house that would come into contact with my two kids and my husband. I especially was struck by the fact that I could clean my shower, using just a cloth. No more holding my breath while spraying my shower cleaner and getting in to clean the walls of the shower - a job I especially hated during my pregnancies. Meanwhile I started raving about these cloths to anyone who would listen. Someone commented to me that you should start selling them.
After a little reflection, I thought why not. I could share these products with my friends and family and learn more myself about how to reduce chemicals in my cleaning. No more lugging buckets of water and endless trips to the grocery store.
A now converted chemical-free house cleaner, I once could do away with a bottle of Mr. Clean in a single house cleaning Since becoming involved with Norwex, I’ve also become very interested in the personal care items and my family and I have all started using them. It makes me very happy to have significantly reduced the number of chemicals I am bringing into my family’s home without any compromising on performance. I hope you enjoy these products as much as I do.
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