You Are The Apple of My Ear

1. You are the apple of my ear.

Last week, Apple offered a preview of its new products, which included a new iPhone and AI tools - but perhaps the most important reveal was simply an add on to an old product: a new feature of Apple’s popular wireless ear buds that will instantly turn them into over-the-counter hearing aids. Approved as such by the FDA, it is hoped that the wide availability of Apple ear buds will expand the use of hearing aids, especially among older adults.

This is an important health issue. Recent research has found connections between hearing loss and falls, difficulty walking and dementia, for example.?Perhaps the most troubling connection is around dementia: a keyA Johns Hopkin’s study found that mild hearing loss doubled dementia risk, moderate loss tripled the risk, and people with a severe hearing impairment were five times more likely to develop dementia.

Nearly 27 million Americans ages 50 and older have hearing loss. Despite the health risk associated with hearing loss, only one in seven people with hearing loss use a hearing aid,?due to some combination of cost, convenience, or image. It is hoped that the ubiquity and relative low costs of the Apple ear buds will be transformative for people with mild or moderate hearing loss.

?

2. Never too Late for Love.

The Golden Bachelorette debuts on ABC tonight, and as always, we will watch so you don’t have to. The Bachelorette, Joan Voss, age 61, has told People Magazine that she wants to exit the show with a committed relationship, but that she doesn’t feel a specific need to be engaged.

That is a different view than that of Marjorie Fitterman and Bernie Littman, who got married in May.?At the combined age of 202 (she’s 102, he’s the?sweet young thing at age?100), they are reported to have the highest “aggregate age”?ever for?a newly married couple. Fitterman and Littman met in their nursing home in Philadelphia and dated for nine years before they decided to get hitched. Both had previous marriages, complete with children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, but if fate was arranged slightly differently, they could have been together a long time ago, as they were both undergraduates at the University of Pennsylvania during the 40s.?

Until further notice, Bernie and Marjorie are our golden (former) bachelor and bachelorette.

?

3. Catch up on your sleep before the Golden Bachelorette begins.?

It would be a shame if you fell asleep and missed the Golden Bachelorette, so here are six tips from our friends at the Lifestyle Medicine Program at Stanford to optimize your sleep.?

1. Sleep in the right window for your body clock (e.g., 10pm – 6am, 11pm – 7am, or 12am – 8am, etc.), and?stay consistent?with those sleep and wake times.
2. Make sure that you have the right exposure to light and darkness that can support the release of melatonin at your sleep time.?Getting morning sunlight, not looking at screens one hour before bed, and making sure the bedroom is dark all will optimize the timely release of melatonin.
3. Increase sleep drive by tiring your body with regular physical exercise and outdoor light exposure.
4. Get out of bed promptly (no hitting the snooze button), and make sure you spend the appropriate amount of time in bed (anywhere from 6-10 hours depending on your individual genetics and age).
5. Practice deep breathing throughout the day to relax the body.
6. Consider mindfulness meditation, journaling, or other similar practices to process emotions before you go to bed. This will help in reducing the chances?that?stress?will?distract?your?sleep.