Baltimore City, Baltimore, Howard, Carroll, Harford, and Frederick counties

Protect your heart

Heart disease remains one of our nation’s greatest health threats. The most common type, coronary artery disease, occurs when plaque builds up in the blood vessels that carry blood and oxygen to the heart. This is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

You can greatly reduce your chance for heart disease — or slow the progression if you have had a heart attack — when you know the risk factors for heart disease. There are many factors that you can change: smoking, inactivity, being overweight or obese, diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.

Learn how to make changes in your life to be heart healthy.

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Eat seafood safely

Seafood has protein, vitamins, and minerals that support growth and development, along with omega-3 fats that benefit your heart. However, some fish are safer than others due to the amount of mercury they contain.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency advise the following people to avoid eating fish high in mercury and to eat limited amounts of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury:

• women who may become pregnant
• pregnant women
• nursing mothers
• young children

Shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish all have high levels of mercury. Instead, choose fish that is low in mercury, such as shrimp, salmon, pollock, catfish, and canned light tuna.

Learn more about eating safe seafood.

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Sleep well

Do you find that you have a hard time falling asleep, only to feel tired and need to sleep during the day? Or perhaps you fall asleep early — at 8 p.m. or earlier — and find yourself awake between 3 and 5 a.m.?

Whether you’re a night owl or an early bird, there are steps you can take to reset your biological clock and get better rest. 

Tips for night owls:

• Get up at the same time every day no matter what time you go to sleep. On the weekends (or on days when you don't have to wake up at a certain time) don't sleep more than one hour longer than you do on days you must get out of bed.
• Try light therapy. Light therapy means exposing yourself to bright light as soon as you wake up. You can use sunlight or a bright (10,000 lux) light box for 30 to 45 minutes each day.
• Consider chronotherapy. This method involves creating a 27-hour day. During each sleep-wake cycle, you go to sleep 3 hours later until the time to go to sleep has cycled back around to the time you actually want to go to sleep. After you complete the cycle once, you keep going to bed at that desired time. Chronotherpay requires a rigid schedule and may be challenging to keep up.

Tips for early birds:

• Try light therapy. For early birds, light therapy requires being exposed to bright light in the evening. Use a bright (10,000 lux) light box for 30 to 45 minutes each day.
• Discuss antidepressant medicine. Talk to your doctor about your sleep issues and whether you feel depressed. He or she may prescribe an antidepressant along with having you try to stay up 15 minutes later every few days. This treatment is usually for people who are depressed in addition to having sleep problems.
• Consider chronotherapy. For early birds, this method involves creating a 21-hour day. During each sleep-wake cycle, you go to bed 3 hours earlier until the time to go to sleep has cycled back around to the time you actually want to go to sleep. Chronotherapy may be hard to complete because of its disruptive schedule.

Learn more about sleep and your body clock — plus other tips for sleeping better.

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Take a healthy living class

As a Kaiser Permanente member, you can choose from a variety of healthy living classes at little or no cost. Below is a partial list for the upcoming month in your area.

Learn about additional classes and any class fees.

To register for InStep and nutrition classes, call the appointment line at 703-359-7878 or
1-800-777-7904, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. For prenatal classes, speak with your obstetrician/gynecologist to register. For all other classes, call the health education automated line, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at 301-816-6565 or 1-800-444-6696. Please leave a message and someone will call you back within 24 business hours.

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Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States, Inc. 2101 East Jefferson Street, Rockville, Maryland 20852