Ask Lucy

Ask Lucy Archive

Dear Lucy: I recently bought a Fitbit, which tracks my exercise and my sleep. The sleep tracker gives me a graph for the night before that shows periods of sleep, wakefulness, and restlessness. But I’ve noticed an unexpected pattern: On nights when I’ve consumed alcohol near bedtime, Fitbit shows that I’ve slept deeply and have been less restless or wakeful. On nights when I’ve consumed no alcohol, my sleep appears very restless. On the other hand, I can’t say that I feel significantly better rested on post-alcohol mornings.     Anyway, everything I’ve read says that the concept of “a nightcap to help you sleep” is a flawed concept. But Fitbit seems to disagree. Am I an exception to the rule? What do you think is going on here? —Beery Bedtime

Dear Lucy: I have dry skin and would like to find a moisturizer that works for me, but I am confused by the plethora of options available in the market. Is a higher (unit) price typically correlated with a greater moisturizing effect? Are there differences between products labeled “face” or “hands” and those for general use? How regularly should I be applying moisturizer to see a visible impact? —Rough Hands, Soft Heart

Dear Lucy: I was just in the bathroom at work reading the fine print on a can of germicide spray. It says that it’s for “hard porous surfaces” and that it is effective against HIV among other things. What gives? I thought the HIV virus couldn't live outside bodily fluids. Am I wrong? —Nancy Drew

Dear Lucy: I’m a 22-year-old male. A few years ago, I got a pain in my middle chest from doing too many deep push-ups. I don’t know if the pain was in my bones or muscles. In any case, the pain came and went, lasting for a few minutes each time, once or twice a week for a few weeks. I haven’t had any pain for a long time, but now, when I spread my arms, I can crack my chest the same way people crack their fingers. It even makes the same sound. It doesn’t hurt when I do it. Is this related to my previous injury? Should I be concerned or get it checked out? —All I’m Cracked Up To Be