Check out our November/December newsletter!
Nov/Dec 2020
Why Daylight Saving Time Is Bad for Our Sleep
And Throws Off Our Rhythm
As we get closer and closer to winter, there are fewer and fewer hours of daylight each day. However, when we switched back to standard time at the beginning of November, we got a little bit more light in the mornings, but our evenings darkened even sooner. Most people, including myself, enjoy the extra amount of daylight during the day while on Daylight Saving Time (DST). However, science reveals DST is not as healthy for us as standard time. None of this is mysterious; it happens every year. It’s just the way things work if you live anywhere in the United States that isn’t Hawaii, Arizona, Puerto Rico, or any of the populated U.S. territories (all of which stay on standard time throughout the year). However, many health experts agree that even though DST feels like a normal routine, it absolutely shouldn’t be. Let me explain why. Every person has a regular sleep-wake cycle as a part of their innate biology called the circadian rhythm. Our brains produce certain chemicals to regulate and perpetuate this rhythm, even in the absence of daylight or other external cues.
performed an experiment in which he monitored a graduate student’s sleep cycles under uniform conditions of light, sound, and temperature. He found that though the student didn’t see the sun for 32 days, he still maintained a roughly 24-hour sleep-wake cycle. DST interrupts the circadian rhythm and gives us external cues to start our day earlier or later than we should in an incredibly jarring way. While many people think that the initial push for DST had something to do with giving America’s farmers more time to tend their crops, the truth is that actually that DST was first adopted as a way to conserve energy. Over the years, researchers have studied DST effects on energy savings, but study results are mixed. Some studies insist that it does help us conserve energy, while others claim that DST actually causes us to consume more energy. In any case, it’s not a very good reason to keep a policy that’s decidedly disruptive of and unhealthy for a person’s sleep cycle. As a dental professional, I care that my patients get good sleep. In past newsletters, I’ve written at length about dental sleep medicine and Oral Appliance Therapy (OAT) and what I’ve found
beneficial for patients struggling to catch some z’s at night. There are plenty of things that can keep us from having a good night’s sleep, from our stores being open later and later to viewing too much blue light from our electronic devices before we go to bed. In a world that has recently shown us that no day is certain, I’ve decided that I’m going to take things one day at a time, but I can’t do that well if I don’t get the sleep I need to take on the world when I wake up. So, if DST has you slogging groggily through your day, or you’re just not getting good sleep for some other reason, remember that you can always ask our team here at Briarfield Dental Care about our snoring and sleep options.
As proof of this, a faculty member at the University of Chicago named Nathaniel Kleitman
“DST interrupts the circadian rhythm and gives us external cues to start our day earlier or later than we should in an incredibly jarring way.”
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Top 5 Healthy Life Hacks to Have an Awesome Morning
G etting your day started with coffee isn’t always enough. Sometimes, you need to give yourself an extra boost, especially when you have little energy or trouble focusing. For an awesome start to your day, here are five tips to get you going right off the bat. Wake up 5 minutes early. What’s the power of five minutes? It can be more than you think. Spend this time doing simple breathing exercises or a quick meditation so you can get focused for the rest of the day. If that’s not your style, you can prepare a quick to-do list for your day ahead. Either way, it’s always nice to have a little extra time for yourself without losing too much sleep. Start with green tea, then coffee. A cup of coffee at 7 a.m. can leave you burned out by 10 a.m. Try swapping it with green tea
for a more gentle wake-up call. After that, you can brew your favorite coffee to keep you going strong. This practice also might help you consume less caffeine overall! Take a quick morning walk — and have your meetings on the go. Morning meetings can make us want to fall asleep again. Don’t spend all of them sitting down if you don’t have to! Not only will morning walks help you wake up, but they can also add some extra physical activity to your day. Write in your journal. Who says you have to journal at the end of the day when you’re tired and ready to sleep? You can journal in the morning about what happened yesterday and the things you’re looking forward to that day. Journaling can remind you of your daily goals and motivate you to stick to your commitments.
Pack your lunch (or snacks!). Staying on track with your goals starts with having the energy to do them. Plan a healthy balance of fats, vegetables, carbohydrates, and proteins. This can be as simple as assembling dips, carrots, wraps, and salads each morning.
It’s time to try these tactics to jump-start your day!
Congratulations to Our Contest Winners! Thank You for Your Enthusiasm and Referrals
Whether for referring friends and family to our office, keeping up on their own dental care, or drawing a pretty cool picture of Dr. Stuckey as a superhero, we love creating opportunities for patients of all ages to have some fun through creative contests and neat prizes. In this edition, we wanted to highlight some of this year’s contest winners. They really care about their own dental health as well as the dental health of others around them — and that deserves some recognition.
to improve their oral health. The more first- time patients mentioned the name of a contest participant, the more likely that contestant’s
H. Thank you to the both of you for working hard to keep the plaque and cavities away!
Coloring Contest Winner: Kevin A. Back around Dr. Stuckey’s birthday, we asked the kids that came into our office to draw pictures of him as a superhero. While we absolutely love all the pictures that our youngest patients drew for Dr. Stuckey, the winner of the coloring contest was Kevin A. For his prize, he
name was to be drawn to win the FitBit. We’re so thankful for Beth and her family and their commitment to oral health. Crest Kids Bundle Winners: Sophia C. and Paxton H. Every quarter, we have every child who comes to our practice for their
got a Target gift card and our new Briarfield “Crushin’ My Brushin’” T-shirt. Nice job, Kevin!
FitBit Versa Drawing Winner: Beth Gmitter Back during the summer, we gave away a FitBit Versa for whoever could encourage the most people to come to us
checkup enter their name into a drawing for a Crest Bundle, which is full of kids’ dental hygiene products, as well as a Briarfield superhero T-shirt. This quarter’s winners were Sophia C. and Paxton
Thank you to everyone who participated in our contests this year. We hope to give you more opportunities to win awesome prizes as we enter 2021!
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How to Keep Your Mouth Healthy When You Are Sick The Importance of Oral Care
Flu season is right around the corner, which means people will inevitably get sick. Whether you come down with the sniffles or a fever, one thing is for sure: Taking care of your body should be your No. 1 priority to help you stay healthy. While rest and hydration help, it’s also important to take care of your mouth. An American Dental Association dentist, Dr. Gene Romo, states that “it’s important to take care of your dental health all year, but especially when you’re sick.” Brush With Care The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the flu virus can live on moist surfaces, including toothbrushes, for 72 hours. After you’ve been sick, you need to be especially mindful. It can be in your best interest to throw Don’t Miss Kids’ Day Have you heard about Kids’ Day? Once a month, Briarfield Dental Care throws a special celebration focused exclusively on our youngest patients. The office is transformed with fun decorations, and there are lots of prizes for kids who come in to join the fun. Plus, we have special spin brushes and offers on sealants and mouthguards only available during Kids’ Day.
your toothbrush away, but if you decide to keep it, you can clean the toothbrush by soaking it in antibacterial mouthwash for a few minutes before future use.
Stop the Cough A sore throat and coughing are some of the more prevalent symptoms of the common cold or flu. Cough drops are used to soothe the throat and
help reduce coughing, and while they do work, many cough drops contain sugar. “It is like sucking on candy,” Dr. Romo says. To avoid this, check the label before you purchase them. Make sure to avoid any ingredients like corn syrup and fructose. Swish and Spit Nausea and vomiting can be negative side effects of getting sick. Dr. Romo states that “when you vomit, stomach acids are coming in contact with your teeth and coating them.” It’s tempting to brush your teeth right away after you’ve been sick, but doing so could actually rub those acids all over your teeth. Before brushing, rinse your mouth with a diluted mouth rinse (a mixture of water and 1 teaspoon baking soda) to remove any acids that might be lingering in your mouth and wait 30 minutes.
Keep yourself and your mouth as healthy as you can this flu season!
Dr. Stuckey’s Playlist
Rocking Along With Snow Patrol as the Snow Falls
Since we’re making the transition from autumn to winter during these last couple of months of 2020, I can’t think of a better time to recommend the band
when they released it in December 2005. The album includes “Chasing Cars” as well as the song “Shut Your Eyes,” which is one of my favorites.
Snow Patrol. A lot of you have probably heard of them — or at least heard the song that boosted them to international fame: “Chasing Cars.” They’re an indie rock band with a style that to me sounds like a mix between U2 and Coldplay, and they’ve been making music for over 25 years. Snow Patrol got their start in 1994 at the University of Dundee in Dundee, Scotland. They were
“A Hundred Million Suns,” their next album, was also really good and includes another one of my favorite songs by them, “Take Back The City.” It’s difficult for me to describe their style beyond my original comparison to U2 and Coldplay. But, if pressed, I would say that their style is upbeat but subdued.
Most people would probably classify them as indie rock, alt rock, or maybe even Britpop, because of their origins in the U.K. Their songs lean heavily on the sounds of acoustic and electric guitar, and when paired with lead singer Gary Lightbody’s distinct vocals, they make for an instantly recognizable, unique sound. If you’ve never listened to their music beyond “Chasing Cars,” I highly recommend the rest of their discography.
Nov. 19 Football Day OSU vs MI Dec. 28 New Year’s Party Jan. 18 Western Day Feb. 15 Dinosaur Day March 15 St. Patrick’s Day
originally called Shrug, but over the next few years, and after some band member shifts, they changed their name to Snow Patrol. However, they didn’t see any major success until their 2002 album “Final Straw,” which included the song “Run.” While not one of my favorites of theirs, it’s the song that led them to national fame in the United Kingdom.
“Eyes Open,” my favorite album of theirs, is the one that led them to international recognition
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Why Daylight Saving Time Is Bad For Our Sleep Top 5 Healthy Life Hacks to Have an Awesome Morning Congratulations to Our Contest Winners!
Oral Care During Cold and Flu Season
Dr. Stuckey’s Playlist
How You Can Win a Free Family Membership to the Toledo Zoo!
Now In-Network for Paramount Dental, an Affiliate of ProMedica.
And Win a Free Family Membership to the Toledo Zoo! admission to after-hours events, zoo-wide savings, and more. When you add the Experience Package to that, you also get unlimited rides, unlimited giraffe feeds, unlimited barnyard feeds, free Little Boo and Pumpkin Patch admission, and more.
Refer Your Friends and Family to Our Practice
Normally, the Family Zoo Membership costs $116 for Lucas County residents ($124 for non-Lucas County residents), and the Experience Package costs $99 on top of that! That’s over $200 worth of fun, educational activities for you and your family to enjoy if you win our referral contest! How do I win? If you want to enter our referral contest to win the Family Zoo Membership and Experience Package, get your friends and family interested in their oral health and refer them to Briarfield Dental Care. Any time a new patient gives us your name, it will be entered in the drawing for the prize. The more people you refer, the better your chances of winning the contest! Make your oral health a priority, and help your friends and family do the same. The contest starts on Sept. 1, and we’ll draw the name of the winner on Dec. 21.
Who doesn’t love a trip to the zoo? You get
to see potentially thousands of animals you wouldn’t see anywhere else right in your own city. We’re lucky to have the Toledo Zoo, which boasts more than 10,000 individual animals, representing over 720 different species. You can see animals from all over the world when you visit — and if you win our next referral contest, you and your family could see all of it for free for the next year! That’s right — the winner of our latest referral contest will win a family membership to the Toledo Zoo and Aquarium, as well as the Experience Package. There is a lot of value between these combined packages that you don’t want to miss out on. The Family Zoo Membership includes free admission, free parking,
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