I’ve had trouble getting enough sleep, really feeling rested, for quite some time now. My doctor even referred me to a “sleep lab.”

At the lab, I was given a comfortable sleep outfit consisting of a couple of strap-on sensors and some oxygen tubing, connected to a battery-powered recorder. After spending a (mostly) restful night thus encumbered, the lab tech downloaded the information from the recorder, and informed me that I had a mild case of sleep apnea.

Next step, the sleep class. With a group of similarly-afflicted and somewhat haggard people (we don’t sleep much), I met with a doctor for a two hour class where the group of us were told, among other things and much to our surprise, that one of the devices available to us by prescription could be (should we balk at the $150 price tag) made instead with common household items.

Biggest takeaway from the class: many cases of mild sleep apnea can be cured by losing some weight. In the meantime, avoid sleeping on your back.

This only applies to mild sleep apnea. The range (AHi, or Apnea/Hypopnea index):

< 5       normal

5-15     mild

15-30  moderate

> 30    severe

Even though those in the class had all registered with mild sleep apnea, several treatment options were shown (including surgical options for more severe cases), but with the exceptions of positional therapy (don’t sleep on your back) and weight loss (to a BMI of 23-25), all of them had side effects to contend with. In the “con” column for weight loss – it’s difficult. But given the options, I’m going to give it my best try.

101 degrees on the front porch, in the shade, for the past two days. And it’s not even mid-June. I hate to think what August might be like. Of course, August might be cooler than usual.

The thing about climate change is, you never know how it’s going to change. California’s having a drought. Other areas are having a wetter than normal year. After having more intense tropical storms over the past few years, now I’m hearing there may be fewer storms this year.

Who can tell what might happen next. Meteorologists? They’d be the natural choice, but they don’t have crystal balls, and frankly, even the short-range forecasts don’t seem as accurate as they have historically been.

Chalk it up to climate change. And don’t try to tell me there’s no such thing. “Global warming” was the misnomer that got some folk thinking this was all a fabrication, because climate change changes differently in different parts of the globe. Warmer, drier here may mean wetter, colder there.

The only constant is change. There is no stasis. You’re either growing or withering. With climate change, individual choices we make have small, perhaps imperceptible (think “The Butterfly Effect”) influences on our surroundings. Which is not to say it’s not worth making the effort. Meteorologists’ batting averages may be down, but they’re not giving up. Nor should we. We may be having a heat wave, but nobody knows exactly where (or when) this wave will break.