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TMJ Hope Weekly Wrap Up

TMJ NewsHave lots of people in your family been sick lately? Im finally getting over the flu…. Still tired, but wanting to get back to life!
Today we are introducing a new weekly post… A weekly wrap up. Every Friday, we will cover any TMJ related research or health related news that we feel you might be interested in, as well as sharing anything that has been going on over the week here at TMJ Hope…either here on the blog, on the forum, or on our Facebook page.
If there is ever anything you think your fellow TMJ Hope readers would like to know, maybe an article you came across or some news you think we would all like to read, please submit it!
First, here is what we were up to here on TMJ Hope this week:
State of the TMJ Hope Union – please stop by and let us know how we can help you in 2011!
And now, on to the health news:
New Painkiller With No Side Effects or Addictive Qualities May Be Ready in a Year – According to researchers at Stony Brook University, a new painkiller that blocks the sodium ion channel involved in the transmission of pain, may be available within the next two years. Scientists at Stony Brook found that this drug could control pain without the same side effects and addictive qualities of opioid drugs. Preparations of the drug in oral and topical forms are being developed now in England & Canada, and a US company announced recently that they have entered Phase I clinical trials as well.Read More »TMJ Hope Weekly Wrap Up

Meet Zeo, Your Personal Sleep Coach! 30 Days of Hope Giveaway

Introducing… Zeo – your personal sleep coach!

Zeo's Bedside Unit


Zeo is a tool that helps you track your sleep patterns. It comes with this bedside unit, that includes a clock and an alarm clock, as well as a headband that tracks your sleep. The bedside unit collects information about how you slept, including your total time asleep, the amount of time it takes you to fall asleep, how much time you spent in each sleep phase (light, deep, and REM sleep), and how many times you woke up during the night. That information is displayed on the unit, but you can then upload it to the My Zeo website, and it will give you tips on how to improve your sleep.
The neat thing about it is that you can track your life and the things that affect your sleep (drink too much coffee? not getting enough exercise? eating things you shouldn’t at night?), and then make changes and track what’s actually working.

Here’s a sample graph that shows exactly how you’ve slept during the night:

Graph illustrates how you've been sleeping


I’ve been using Zeo for a couple weeks so far and I find the data absolutely fascinating. It has been showing me that while I am not sleeping very many hours (average 5.5), I do get a fair amount of REM and deep sleep. However, I’m also waking up a lot. Is this due to pain? Maybe. Studies have shown that people with chronic pain tend to have what’s called “microarousals,” which are when your sleep changes from deep to light but you don’t really wake up. These changes in sleep don’t usually cause problems for people without pain…. but for people with chronic pain they can be disruptive.  I will continue tracking my sleep, and will report back in several weeks with the results.
The best thing about Zeo, in my opinion, is that it enables patients like us to measure and evaluate data that can have a direct positive effect on our lives. I’m a firm believer that knowledge is power, and that participating in your own health care is absolutely necessary to thriving with a chronic condition.

How to Use Zeo


I’ve also written a guest post on Zeo’s blog today: It’s All in Your Head: TMJ, Chronic Pain, and Sleep
And now, for the giveaway!  To win your own Zeo, enter below:Read More »Meet Zeo, Your Personal Sleep Coach! 30 Days of Hope Giveaway

TMJ Travel and Holiday Tips

With the holidays right around the corner, it is time to start planning on how to deal with the stress that comes from the whirlwind of activities during the season. Living with chronic pain can be difficult some of the time – but during the… Read More »TMJ Travel and Holiday Tips