Saturday, April 26, 2008

The Nose knows

There's nothing better for a body's health than an old-fashioned 'sleeping porch'. These typically can be entered only from within a house or apartment/condomium; one or two walls are entirely windows.

Forget drugs and devices to remedy sleep apnea (both the Associated Press and the National Education Association have your number). During a variety of physiological states, including grief, at least an entire bank of screened windows allows fresh, cool air to circulate such that real sleep becomes possible night after night. With many layers of bed covers or just a sheet, oxygen quietly permeates porch enclosure and nostrils when inhalation seems to be too much effort, or billows around a sleeping body so that a "heaving bosom" regularly intakes oxygen and releases carbon dioxide. A few potted plants to uptake the CO2 virtually guarantees safe, restful sleep.

Houses built during a certain era have enclosures which are specifically designated using the term 'sleeping porch'. Condomiums routinely include a porch area; only the ground-level porches have exit/entry doors. The second-floor-plus porches are approachable only wholly withIN the condo premises, and seem ideal for those who are paranoid (justifiably or not) about intruders.

Popular public-housing-style Florida condominium complexes have the enclosed porches with frosted/opaque glass panes at floor level, so that the sleeper is invisible to passers-by when bunking on the floor (unless grossly overweight). Social climbers are easily spooked when other, operational windows are opened and closed at floor level with the twist of a wrist, fearing that they have been left in the dust with regard to remote-controlled window-openers. When bunking on the floor in some over-rated neighborhoods, kneeling to the floor to sleep on coupled chaise-lounge pads also causes 'red alert' responses where guns are habitually passed along to control 'gators or armadillos roaming the region.

The household anachronism known as the 'day bed' was/is invariably found within household sleeping porches -- the size of a twin bed, it sports arm-rests and a back panel, and also seats two comfortably during balmy summer/tropical weather. 'Oriental' futons are functional analogues to the traditional daybed. Tote along some drinks and snacks.

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