Senior Center News, 2017

North Central Senior Citizens Center, May 15-19

Monday — Transportation from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; exercise class at 11 a.m.

Tuesday — Transportation from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; bingo at 1:15 p.m.

Wednesday — Transportation from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m; TOPS at 8 a.m.; cards at 1 p.m.

Thursday — Transportation from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Great Falls trip at 8 a.m.; exercise class at 11 a.m.; cards at 1 p.m.

Friday — Medical transportation will be available from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. but people must make a request at least 24 hours in advance.

Pinochle — First place, Elva Van Dessel; second place, Lois Zinn; third place, Lynn Ophus; pinochle, Lois Zinn and Giles Majerus

Menu by Earlene DeWinter

Monday — Pepperoni pizza bake, salad, rolls, dessert

Tuesday — Roast beef, mashed Potatoes with gravy, cauliflower, rolls, peach crisp

Wednesday — Pork tips, buttered noodles, carrots, coffee cake

Thursday — Swiss steak with peppers, onions and tomatoes, garlic mashed potatoes, beans, tropical fruit

Friday — Soup, salad bar, chef’s choice, dessert, milk

Senior Gift Shop

The Senior Gift Shop has a wonderful selection of greeting cards for your shopping needs. Be sure to stop by and check them out. We know you will be pleased with both our selection and our prices.

If anyone has a working hospital bed that they would like to donate to our In-Home Health Program, please give us a call at 265-5464.

Commodity slots are available, if interested request an application.

Watch for information on our Spring Rummage Sale coming soon.

What should you do when you wake up in the night and can’t fall back to sleep?

Getting a good night’s rest is essential for your health. Insufficient sleep is associated with chronic diseases including diabetes, heart disease, obesity and even depression. You can do just as much harm, if not more, by sleeping poorly than eating poorly or not exercising. But what can you do if you wake up during the night and can’t seem to go back to sleep?

First off, know that you’re not alone. About 10 percent of the population have chronic insomnia, meaning they’ve been experiencing sleep problems for over three months. And 30 percent of the population, have some form of acute, shorter-term, insomnia.

If you can’t fall back to sleep after about 20 minutes, you may want to try actually getting up, going to another part of the house that is dark and quiet, and then returning to bed when you’re sleepy again. If you remain in bed, you may start to feel a sort of “sleep pressure,” where you grow frustrated about your inability to fall back to sleep. That sleep pressure then leads to the production of stress hormones, increased heart rate and general anxiety — all of which just make it harder to fall back to sleep. Your environment can calm this sleep pressure and actually make it easier for you to fall back to sleep. An example, try relocating to a couch with a blanket and pillow. Another benefit, these behavioral techniques can be very effective, and often, they’re better than trying medications. Medications can often be habit-forming.

If you are still having trouble, don’t hesitate to reach out to a doctor. They can help you figure out if you have excessive stress or a real sleep disorder.