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EAP ARTICLES
Sick? Stay At Home,
Please!
Despite
getting a flu shot, spraying
the disinfectant everywhere,
and using hand sanitizer
every hour, you’re sick.
Sometimes it’s just
unavoidable. You can either
use your sick leave-which
you’ve been saving up, and
fall behind at work-or stick
it out, and go on to work.
Tough choice, right?
Wrong!
Stay at
home.
No good
will come from dragging
yourself in, and attempting
to work like nothing’s
wrong.
Presenteeism
Sick
employees might be able to
sign in for duty, but that
doesn’t mean they’re working
at their best. It’s the
phenomenon of sick employees
showing up for work, even
when they really need to be
at home: “Presenteeism”.
Some
researchers attribute the
rise in presenteeism to
changes in work environments
over the last several
decades. Some employers
don’t provide sick time off,
and others provided paid
sick time off. Among the
latter, many employees save
up this paid sick time and
plan their vacations with
it, resulting in their not
having sick time available
when they unexpectedly get
sick, and really need it,
says Aaron Witsoe, president
of Creative Business
Resources, a human resources
staffing company.
Think About Your
Coworkers
Remember what it’s like to
hear the guy in the next
cubicle sneeze, wheeze, and
sniffle every three
minutes? Not only is it
annoying, it’s a constant
reminder that germs are
flying all over the office.
Don’t be that guy. Imagine
how bad you’ll feel when
everyone else is sick,
because you infected them.
Even if
you’re worried about
burdening someone else with
taking up your slack, and
carrying your
responsibilities, forget
about it. Most people would
rather work a little harder,
if necessary, than to have
someone sick around, says
Witsoe.
You
should also remember that
working when you’re sick
means not working at your
best. Not doing your best
work, means risking
performance, and safety.
Ari
Adler, director of public
affairs at John Bailey &
Associates Public Relations
Consultants finds little
reason for sick employees to
show up at work.
In some
businesses it is now
possible to work from home
with technology affordable
and readily available. Most
companies would rather have
a few employees at home,
sick, than to have an entire
staff sick, under
performing, and potentially
infecting their coworkers
and customers.
On the
other hand, Witsoe advises
sick employees to refrain
from working at all-even
from home. “You can’t heal
if you don’t rest. Working
does not help you rest and
recover,” he asserts.
An
exception to the rule,
Witsoe says, is an important
presentation or meeting that
you can’t postpone. “Rarely
do we have an event of such
magnitude that it can’t be
rescheduled, in almost any
industry.”
Do
yourself, and everybody
else, a favor and stay home!
AFA-CWA Wins DOT Ruling on False Drug
Test Results More
A
September 11th
Anniversary Message
From Your AFA EAP
We know that the
anniversaries of significant
events in people’s lives can
sometimes trigger
reactions. September 11,
2007 will be no different.
Some of us may harness our
responses by participating
in commemorative activities
and memorials. If you’d
like to find one of these
public events, visit
www.familiesofseptember11.org
for a listing by individual
states. For others,
September 11th
will be marked by private
reflections and personal
tributes like a moment of
silence or picking up a trip
for the 11th.
For others, September 11th
will serve as a reminder
that September is National
Preparedness Month. Many
will channel their responses
into creating or updating
family and business disaster
preparedness plans. Several
Internet resources are
available to assist with
this task including an
AFL-CIO disaster
preparedness and response
manual. Go to
www.fema.gov/areyouready/
,
www.ready.gov and
http://www.af.cio.org/boutus/allies/upload/Action_in_the_aftermath.pdf
How ever you choose to
structure your day this
September 11th or
how ever it just naturally
unfolds, please remember
that your AFA EAP committee
representatives welcome
being a part of it. If you
or a flying partner needs a
confidential ear, please
call us at 1-800-424-2406 or
find your local EAP
representatives’ contact
information at
www.afanet.org or
www.afaeagle.org .
Remember, we’re just a phone
call away.
American Eagle MEC Nominates
the Local 51 EAP Committee
Lead By Jeffery Miles, MEC
EAP Chair Nomination Letter
More
Eagle Wins AFA’s Prestigious
EAP Peggy Price Award
Pictured above: Jeffery
Miles, MEC EAP Chair, and
Soad Hamdan, Acting LEC
President for Local 51
In
2006, BOD (Board of
Directors) our very own
Jeffery Miles accepted the
award on behalf of Local 51
EAP Committee and dedicated
to all EAP reps at Eagle. We
are all very proud of
Jeffery and his entire EAP
Team. It is the
well-deserved award given to
a Committee that works
tirelessly on our Flight
Attendant’s behalf 24/7.
Jeffery accepted the award
at the Awards Ceremony from
AFA International President
Pat Friend as Leaders from
all AFA carriers gave him a
standing ovation.
Jeffery spoke about being
kicked out of the Crew
Lounges at Eagle after 9/11
and let the company know “I
have a VOICE, and I’ll be
back”. At that point, the
room stood again to give him
applause. He also spoke on,
although this award is given
to Local 51 EAP because of
the AFA Constitution and
Bylaws, he shares it with
every Eagle base.
On behalf of the entire AFA
Eagle MEC, we salute the AFA
Eagle EAP team and thank-you
for your professional
service you provide us
everyday!
Karen Skaar (ORD)
David Berry (ORD)
Gloria Bangs (BOS)
Dee Lovely (BOS)
Chrissy Wood (MIA)
Maria Ito (LAX)
Leslie Martinez (SJU)
Steve Harris (LGA)
Betty Bellamy (DFW)
Pat Shannon (DFW)
Jan Wyatt (DFW)
Benny Dominguez (DFW)
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Sleep Disorders |
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What are sleep
disorders?
Sleep disorders are
sleep problems that,
if untreated, can
affect a person's
physical health,
daily activities,
and mental health.
More than the
once-in-a-while
tossing and turning
or waking up early,
sleep disorders are
medical conditions
that can potentially
be serious. But,
there is treatment
for all of these
disorders. Talk with
your health care
provider if you
think you may have a
sleep disorder.
Common sleep
disorders include:
·
Sleep apnea. People with sleep apnea stop breathing for a very short time many
times during the
night. Its main
symptoms are loud
snoring and feeling
sleepy during the
day. People with
this disorder don't
get enough restful
sleep at night,
making it hard for
them to function
during the day.
Sleep apnea can lead
to high blood
pressure, heart
failure, heart
attack, and stroke.
·
Narcolepsy. When a person has narcolepsy, brain messages about when to sleep and
when to be awake get
mixed up. This can
make a person fall
asleep when they
don't want to, often
without any warning
like feeling drowsy.
If not controlled
with medication,
this disorder can
cause serious
problems in a
person's personal,
social, and work
life. It can also
limit a person's
activities, such as
driving a car, work,
and exercising. This
disorder may run in
families.
·
Restless legs
syndrome.
A person with this
disorder can have
unpleasant feelings
or sensations in the
legs, mostly in the
calves or lower
legs. In some cases,
the arms may also be
affected. These
feelings are often
described as
creeping, crawling,
tingling, pulling,
or painful. This
disorder can be hard
to diagnose and is
sometimes mistaken
for nervousness,
insomnia, stress, or
arthritis. It seems
to affect women more
often than men.
·
Insomnia. People with insomnia have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep
during the night.
They can wake up
often during the
night and have
difficulty getting
back to sleep, or
they can wake up too
early in the
morning. Sleep does
not feel satisfying
when a person has
insomnia. A person
can feel sleepy,
tired, and irritable
during the day and
have trouble
focusing on tasks.
Why do I need to
worry about sleep?
If you are having
problems with
sleeping, you are
not alone. Studies
show that 1 out of
every 2 Americans
has problems with
not being able to
sleep at some point
in their lives. And,
almost 40 million
Americans have sleep
disorders.
We all know how
great we feel when
we've had a good
night's sleep - we
are ready to take on
the day and handle
whatever may come.
But when we've had a
bad night's sleep,
we also all know the
toll it can take on
every part of our
lives the next day.
Sleep can affect not
only how we function
during the day, but
it can also affect
our physical and
mental health. Not
getting enough
sleep, even just for
one night, can
affect our moods and
our ability to
focus, make
decisions, and
remember things.
When we don't get
enough sleep over a
period of time, our
"sleep debt" adds up
and can cause
serious problems,
such as heart
problems,
depression, and
anxiety. Over time,
long-term sleep
problems can also
affect
relationships, work,
and quality of life.
What happens when
you sleep?
Many people think of
sleep as a passive
activity, but sleep
is actually an
active state. It
restores us, helps
the body to repair
damage and grow new
cells, keeps the
body's nervous
system working
properly, and helps
us to consolidate
memory (helps us to
remember what we
learned during the
day). During sleep,
a person passes
through 5 phases, or
stages, of sleep -
stages 1, 2, 3, 4 of
quiet sleep and
stage 5, called REM
(rapid eye movement)
sleep.
·
Stage 1 sleep is
light sleep, where
we drift in and out
of sleep and can be
woken up easily.
Eyes move very
slowly and muscle
activity slows down.
·
A person spends
almost half of their
total sleep time in
Stage 2 sleep. Eye
movements stop and
brain waves (or
activity) become
slower.
·
Stages 3 and 4 are
called deep sleep.
During Stage 3
sleep, brain waves
slow down even more
and the brain makes
mostly delta waves
(slow brain waves).
The brain makes only
delta waves during
Stage 4 sleep and
there is no eye
movement or muscle
activity. People
often feel groggy
and disoriented for
a few minutes when
they are woken up
during deep sleep.
Some children have
bedwetting, night
terrors, or
sleepwalking during
deep sleep. Deep
sleep restores us,
helping to grow new
cells and repair
cells from damage.
·
A person's breathing
becomes more rapid,
irregular, and
shallow in REM
sleep. The eyes jerk
quickly in many
directions, heart
rate increases, and
blood pressure
rises. When people
wake up during REM
sleep, they often
describe strange
dreams that don't
make any sense. Most
dreaming happens
during REM sleep.
REM sleep is
important, perhaps
in part because it
stimulates the parts
of the brain that
help us learn.
A person cycles
through these 5
stages of sleep
during the night.
The first sleep
cycles contain short
REM periods and long
periods of deep
sleep. REM sleep
periods become
longer in length
while deep sleep
decreases. By
morning, almost all
sleep time is in
stages 1, 2, and
REM.
How much sleep does
a person need?
There is no hard and
fast answer to this
question. The amount
of sleep a person
needs depends on
many things,
including age. Most
adults need at least
7 to 8 hours of
sleep per night,
although some people
may need as many as
10 hours. Children
and adolescents need
about 9 hours of
sleep, while young
infants may need
around 16 hours per
day. Women in the
first 3 months of
pregnancy often need
a few more hours of
sleep than normal,
and sleep quality is
decreased. When
people sleep too
little over a period
of a few days, they
build up a "sleep
debt," like being
overdrawn at a bank.
This debt needs to
be repaid sooner or
later. A person's
body is not able to
get used to less
sleep than they
need. Aging does not
seem to change the
amount of sleep a
person needs,
although older
people tend to sleep
more lightly and for
shorter periods of
time. About half of
the people over 65
have frequent
sleeping problems,
such as insomnia,
and deep sleep
stages that are
shortened or
completely stopped.
These changes in
sleep may be a
normal part of
aging, or can be
caused by
medications or
treatments for other
health problems.
How can I tell if I
have a sleep problem
or a sleep disorder?
Because so many
people "burn the
candle at both ends"
and have large sleep
debts, sleep
problems are common.
Side effects from
medications or
treatments and
stress and worry can
also cause sleep
problems. For women,
hormone changes
during pregnancy,
menopause, and the
menstrual cycle can
cause sleep
problems.
Sleep experts say
that if you feel
sleepy during the
day, even when doing
something boring,
you haven't had
enough sleep. If you
usually fall asleep
within 5 minutes of
lying down, you
probably have a
severe sleep debt,
maybe even a sleep
disorder. Very short
periods of sleep
throughout the day
(sometimes you may
not even know that
you are sleeping)
are also another
sign of a sleep
disorder. To learn
about the signs for
the most common
sleep disorders,
read the sleep
disorder-related
FAQs (sleep apnea,
narcolepsy, restless
legs syndrome, and
insomnia) on this
site. Talk with your
health care provider
if you are having a
problem with sleep
or think that you
may have a sleep
disorder.
What can I do to get
a good night's
sleep?
Good sleep habits
can help you get a
good night's sleep.
Here are some tips:
·
Try to go to bed at
the same time every
night and get up at
the same time every
morning. Try not to
take naps during the
day because naps may
make you less sleepy
at night.
·
Try to avoid
caffeine, nicotine,
and alcohol late in
the day. Caffeine
and nicotine are
stimulants and can
keep you from
falling asleep.
Alcohol can make you
wake up later in the
night.
·
Get regular
exercise. Try not to
exercise close to
bedtime because it
may stimulate you
and make it hard to
fall asleep. Experts
suggest not
exercising for 3
hours before the
time you go to
sleep.
·
Don't eat a big meal
late in the day,
although a light
snack before bedtime
may help you sleep.
·
Make your sleeping
place comfortable.
Be sure that it is
dark, quiet, and not
too warm or too
cold. If light is a
problem, try a
sleeping mask. If
noise is a problem,
try earplugs, a fan,
or a "white noise"
machine to cover up
the sounds.
·
Create a routine to
help you relax and
wind down before
sleep, such as
reading a book or
taking a bath.
Watching the news
just before bed may
keep some people
awake, especially if
the news is
upsetting.
·
Try not to use your
bed for anything
other than sleeping
and sex.
·
If you can't fall
asleep and don't
feel sleepy, get up
and do something
else until you feel
sleepy. Just make
sure that you don't
do anything
stimulating.
·
If you have trouble
lying awake worrying
about things, try
making a to-do list
before you go to
bed. This may help
you to "let go" of
those worries
overnight.
·
See your health care
provider if you feel
that you may have a
sleep disorder. |
Socially Isolated and Sick
Loneliness kills, according
to research dating back to
the 1970s, In one classic
study, published in the
American Journal of
Epidemiology, socially
isolated people were between
two and three times more
likely to die during the
ten-year study than those
who had many friends.
“The
increase in morbidity with
social isolation is equal to
that of cigarette smoking,”
notes Martha McClintock,
PhD, a University of Chicago
psychology professor who
researches social isolation
and stress.
There
is a path from loneliness
and other forms of chronic
stress to many health
consequences-including
increased risk for cancer,
cardiovascular illness and
Alzheimer’s disease. In
humans, some of these
effects may be due to the
practical benefits of having
a social network, according
to Gretchen Hermes, MD, PhD,
at the University of
Chicago. For instance,
people with many friends are
more likely to brush their
teeth, practice good
hygiene, and exercise more
frequently. And outgoing
people may have more friends
to care for them, and bring
them food or medicine when
they are sick.
But new
animal studies suggest that
there are direct,
psychological pathways from
loneliness and other chronic
stressors to illness. And
those pathways may differ
depending on gender and
temperament, with male and
behaviorally inhibited
animals being particularly
susceptible, researchers are
finding.
Hermes
and her colleagues found
that, overall, social
isolation suppressed wound
healing, and further
suppression in immune system
response.
Men and
women who are lonely,
bereaved, or who lose their
partners are known to be
more vulnerable to disease
and death.
In the
animal studies, those who
were group housed, rather
than living in individual
environments, with richer
social contexts and
sexualities, lived longer
lived longer and healthier
lives with happier
dispositions, less anxiety
and depression and fewer
periods of illness. This
same effect has been shown
in the human studies.
Social
interaction, partnerships,
and sexual intimacy are
known to promote good health
and long lives. Humans need
to be together.
As
flight attendants we are
around people all the time
but may experience feelings
of loneliness even in a
crowd. Let’s make an effort
to reach out to each other
and to connect with one
another. We already have a
vital support system in
place.
Let’s
keep one another healthy!
Take care of each other and
be well!
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
By Jeffrey Myles - MEC EAP Chairperson
Are You Okay? Please remember:
After any critical incident, you are not okay, It is just like having accident in your car and the person and or people ask you are you okay? It is a common human response.
You may be okay the first time. But the second time or third time may cause you to suffer post dramatic stress disorder.
Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, affects some people after a traumatic experience. People
with PTSD usually continue to show acute trauma symptoms at least three months after a traumatic experience. In some cases, there may be a delay of six months, a year, or even several years
before symptoms appear.
Common Examples of PTSD:
1. Inability to feel any emotional connection to the event.
2. Frequent sleep disturbances.
3. Acute anxiety, irritability, or outburst of anger.
Treating PTSD
Treatment of PTSD can include individual or group counseling or group behavior techniques such as
relaxation exercises. Although talking about symptoms may be painful and confusing, disclosing them in a safe, can bring relief. Medication can sometimes be recommended.
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, you might be suffering from PTSD. If you feel like you are suffering from any of these symptoms please contact the following:
Jeffrey Myles,
713-447-2164
MEC Employee Assistance Program Chairperson
EAGLEEAP@aol.com
Debt Counseling and Repayment Programs:
The National Foundation for Credit Counseling sponsors a nationwide network of local non-profit
organizations that provides consumer credit education, confidential budget and debt counseling, and debt repayment programs to families and individuals debt free. Find a local consumer credit
counselor at
http://www.debtadvice.org or call 1-800-388-2227.
Emergency Financial Assistance and Other Resources
Pegasus
: This not-for-profit charitable organization was created to assist AFA members coping with
a critical, life-threatening or disabling illness or injury. Pegasus offers short-term emergency grants
for members who have been qualified through an application process. The application and eligibility criteria can be downloaded at
www.afanet.org/pegasusproject
AFL-CIO Community Services: AFA’s affiliation with the AFL-CIO affords members access to a nationwide network of 200 full-time labor liaisons skilled in providing union members and their
families with referrals to local community resources and services when individual and/or family resources are slim. Find your local community service liaison at
www.aflcio.org/communitypartners/peoplehelp under the People Who Help Handbook or call 703-683-7833.
Union Community Fund
: Many local union communities have created charitable funds to assist members when times get tough. Find out if your area has one by linking to
http://www.unioncommunityfund.org/contacts.asp
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