I wash my allergy/asthma family member's blankets (and all his bedding), once a week. I do not have a comforter on his bed, just sheets and 2 blankets. The allergist told us to do that when he was just a toddler, and so we've done it that way for many years. The idea is that the sleeping space should be as allergy friendly as possible. I don't do my bedding this often--I'm responding for my allergy person.

Thank you! I'm going to try that.

We're rural. We got the fastest internet we could, but it's not fast. There is clear slow down for others when someone is doing something like a youtube video. So I'm nervous about using family wifi while I talk.

The reason we've kept the landline so long (at high cost), is that I spend a lot of time talking on the phone throughout the week. That makes me leery of plans like republic wireless and google fi...I think they would prioritize using wifi for calls. I'm not sure--but it looks like Ting might be using cellular only for calls and maybe the Red Pocket does that too.

Are you doing Leslie Sansone Walk at Home? If so, I'd like to know how you do both at the same time! (I use her stuff a lot.)

I didn't have a lot of time today, but got 30 minutes on my exercise bike tonight.

I'm looking at pre-paid type phone plans, but I'm so lost. I want an inexpensive monthy plan (under $30 max, prefer less) to do this for me: 1. I want the cell to number to be my current landline number (so I need to port the landline, not all companies will do that I've found). 2. I need unlimited domestic calls and texts. 3. I would like to be able to do group texts (group texts has been a problem with some companies I've looked into). 4. I do not want a VOIP service, or a phone that is using our WIFI. 5. We don't need data (unless needed for group texts I suppose). I do not need a fancy phone--just calls and texts. Does anyone have good reviews, or companies I may want to avoid?

I did a Walk at Home boosted walk, then a couple of relaxation based pilates sessions.

We are working my teenager up to a theraputic dose--I'm hoping it helps him function. My husband had been taking Zoloft for years, and he would say it changed his life (for the better).

I did 30 minutes on my exercise bike this morning, 2 sets of pilates (I had some extra time today) this afternoon, and some weights work this evening. I also did some PT exercises, as I've been having some minor issues from things I've dealt with before.

I'm going to try to put a tweet in here, where Dr. Griffin notes that some of the long haulers seem to be feeling improved after vaccination in response to other doctors noticing this as well...anecdotal, but maybe hopeful? Then they speculate about why this might happen.

I did a 30 minute Fitness Marshall, then pilates. I had to make myself start tonight, but, like Amanda/Purpleowl, I'm really glad I did.

I 'm feeling good about my fitness progress tonight. I did a little over 30 minutes on my exercise bike--all on the "next up" resistance level that felt too hard a few weeks ago! I did a pilates routine focusing on back (and core) tonight. I've been doing that particular routine every other day for quite a while because I've noticed it's a really weak area for me. It feels like I really made a leap in strength in that area in the last week or so. I'm stronger.

I'm so sorry.

You know recent studies seem to show that moderate exercise as close to 1.5 hours before bed doesn't harm sleep. I've noticed I can exercise pretty late without issue--just not right before bed. I sleep better when I get good exercise. But my son does pretty high intensity stuff, and he's so super sensitive, that I have always enouraged him to do it no later than early evening-before that evening melatonin dose, 5 hours before sleep, would be. He often exercises quite a bit earlier than that.

We did it to shift him, then when he was solidly sleeping we would eventually stop the day dosing (we have never stopped night/bedtime melatonin dosing). Mostly we stop because it's kind of hard to remember to do melatonin in the day when things are going well sleep wise. I actually think this is probably the better way to use melatonin biologically. My son really does have an underlying sleep phase disorder, so it's really for him to shift back out. When sleep starts getting delayed onset again for even a few nights, we start back in with the afternoon or evening melatonin to reset him. He's doing the afternoon/evening dosing it right now, so it's fresh in my mind! I put afternoon/evening, because, for example, the 3mg afternoon dose worked best here schedule wise Monday, but yesterday the 1/2 mg evening dose was better--it's really important, I was told, to make sure you're giving the right amounts at the right times, but I personally haven't found that it matters if I do one or the other for him. He's sleeping great. (He is doing all the other things--particularly the exercise and mindfulness--too). I will keep doing the day dosing until we just forget/get out of the habit.

Oh, I forgot! Sleep medicine did try this with my son too. It did not help him--he shifted later! But he had so much anxiety around sleep that I think interfered with its success. This is a known technique to shift.

We moved my son, who was dx'd with a delayed sleep phase disorder. He was falling asleep around 3 am. Sleep medicine helped us know what to do to help shift him. I'm going to share all we do with our son, even parts sleep medicine didn't recommend. He is melatonin sensitive, and that is a big part of how we moved him. There are two ways to use melatonin to adjust sleep--give a small dose of melatonin (.5, 1/2 mg) 5 hours before your hoped sleep time OR give a larger dose (3 mg) 7 hours prior to your hoped sleep time. That dosing is what sleep medicine taught us. I think it really helped a lot. My son then takes another (3mg) dose of melatonin 1 hour before sleep, and another 1 mg dose 30 minutes before sleep. Those night doses are just what we did and it evolved over time. Sleep medicine had him taking melatonin (for a while a drug that impacted melatonin somehow) before bed, but we ended up finding that schedule helped most. I imagine that timing really varies by person. But the afternoon evening dosing I mentioned...that comes from studies. I wouldn't tinker with it. The sleep medicine doctor told us not to dose later, even if we missed a dose. He didn't want us varying. After taking that final 1 mg night dose, my son does a mindful progressive muscle relaxation. For a long time, he used sleep with me podcasts to keep his mind from spinning while he fell asleep. Now he just does the progressive relaxation until he falls asleep and doesn't often use the sleep with me podcast. I have tried to tell him, because I honestly believe it AND it helps with sleep related anxiety, that that relaxation and deep breathing is restorative to the body even before he falls asleep. He can't clock watch. Anxiety about sleep makes it so much harder. That said, these days he is asleep about 30 minutes after he takes that final dose most nights. If he has a bad night or nights, its ok. The mindful stuff still helps and we know from experience that things will reset. (At some point, it gets a lot easier to fall asleep when you're exhausted AND doing all the right things to set yourself up for sleep). As soon as he gets up, he does a light box for 30 minutes. Sleep medicine also recommended that, and I think that's already something you've added. It alone was definitely not enough for my son (we tried it alone at first), but we still do it. Sleep medicine recommended he exercise a lot (exhaustion point). My son does much better when he's getting at least an hour of vigorous activity (it would not take that much for me/you I'm sure). That part does seem important. My son does mindfulness (that progressive relaxation--it's what he does well with) at some point in the evening too, not connected to bedtime. If you have anxiety about falling asleep, there are other ways to deal with that. It's important to handle that if it's part of the picture. The things I'm sharing are about the biochemical or physical aspects. Anxiety about insomnia was part of my son's picture, and it's hard to make progress when that is happening. Related, have you had any treatments that help or that were recommended for the PTSD? PE or CPT or even EMDR or similar? It's so hard to work around when those underlying things are interfering. My son also has anxiety outside of sleep, and it does interfere (hence all the mindfulness for him...) He also takes anxiety medicine at bedtime. ----- I have gathered from some questions you've asked recently that you're also trying to lower blood pressure. I noticed because I am too. One thing I wanted to mention, unrelated to sleep, is that there is some research about inspiratory muscle training helping blood pressure. I got an expand a lung to work on that. I do think it helped me (but I'm doing other things at the same time...so hard to say for sure).

I did a relaxation/calming based pilates just now. This quickly became a tough day in so many ways. I didn't get what I intended (and needed) in movement. I thought I would try to do more tonight, after everyone else in the house went to sleep. After that pilates, which did help...I just feel like a good cry. So I think I'll do that and then go to sleep myself instead.

I would definitely contact the owner. What is there to lose (says the person who got into a bidding war in an auction like this for our current home...and we paid much more than we should have as a result)? You could call and ask if you can split a parcel and what is involved in that. If the owner doesn't offer to sell to you, I would probably contact the neighbor before the auction, assuming they are reasonable people. Neither of you want to bid each other up on the property.

Definitely better! I'm sorry for your stress and that your eldest is struggling--that is so very hard. --- I did 30 minutes on my exercise bike, then pilates for strengthening.

For cardio today I tried a Fitness Marshall 30 minute routine after I saw it mentioned on another thread today. I think I got a good workout and it was enjoyable, but goodness I felt silly. I lack coordination. I don't think I would want to do that in front of my family. I then did a core focused pilates routine tonight.

I've found it so much easier to stick with exercise when I do it consistently, day in and out. There will be days, I'm sure, that you have rain or other reasons that an outdoor workout isn't a good option. I really recommend getting a light for SAD that you can use with the treadmill.

I did the boosted Walk at Home for cardio, then some pilates for strengthening.

My teens are doing a couple of indoor (big space) activities that are important to them. This is our highest risk point, because, though my teens mask, they are around other teens who are not wearing masks in those situations. It's hard to weigh risk vs benefit in lots of things, but for these situations--it's clear my teens need them, even with the risk. So we mitigate as much as we can with good masks. We're shopping for groceries (in a KN95) no more than once a week, going to the orthodontist and, because rates here have dropped considerably, we're finally getting professional hair cuts (wearing KN95's). I pretty much stink at hair cutting. So everyone looks better. Other than the teen activities, we're meeting up with others only outside, not in homes. When my parents and in laws are fully vaccinated (soon!), we will visit them indoors (and hug..and I can't wait..makes me want to cry just thinking about it).