I

f you regularly wake up with stiff muscles, creaky joints or the general feeling that your body simply isn’t as limber as it was when you went to bed, the first thing to know is that you are not alone. Waking up with a tight body is “almost a universal human experience,” said Maryclaire Capetta, a physical therapist and assistant professor in the department of kinesiology at the University of Connecticut. And, she added, it’s quite common for it to happen every day.

While feeling stiff in the morning is normal and typically dissipates quickly, it’s also uncomfortable while it lasts. The good news, experts say, is that there are a few tricks you can use – when you feel stiff and even before the feeling arises – to help you get relief, faster.

Why you feel stiff

Most of the time, that tight feeling when you wake up is a result of overnight changes to the lubrication in two different features of the body: the joints and the fascia.

The fascia is a complex group of connective tissues that surround and support the muscles, soft tissues, organs and bones. Think of fascia as a fibrous web that wraps around and through muscle tissue to give it structure and stability. It forms multiple layers, with a gel-like lubricant in between that allows the layers to slide and glide smoothly, and which helps you to feel loose and limber, said Dr. Antonio Stecco, a fascia researcher and professor of rehabilitation medicine at New York University.

In certain situations – like when your body temperature drops, when you’ve been still for an extended time or when lactic acid builds up in the muscles and fascia during intense exercise – the lubricant becomes thicker and more viscous and the layers of fascia can’t glide as easily, leading to feelings of stiffness.

When you sleep, many of those thickening situations occur: you’re usually still for a long time (say, eight hours) and your body temperature tends to drop.

Your joints may also contribute to feeling stiff in the morning. In healthy joints, a thick fluid lubricates the space between the ends of your bones, which are capped with cartilage, to help them move freely and comfortably. Whenever you’re still for a long period of time (like when you’re sleeping), the cartilage sucks up the lubricant like a sponge, Dr. Capetta said, making your joints feel creaky.

How to feel better

The good news is that the remedy for stiffness in the morning – whether it’s caused by your fascia or your joints – is the same: movement.
While you’re still in bed and lying on your back, start by doing a full-body stretch, like a cat or a dog when they first wake up,

by extending your legs and arms wide and in opposite directions. Then, try pointing and flexing your toes or stretching just your arms and torso, mimicking the cliché‚ “just woke up” stretch. To bring fluid back into your joints, try gently bending and unbending your knees and elbows, rolling your wrists and ankles or gently nodding your head from side to side.

If you still feel stiff once you’ve gotten out of bed, try marching in place, continuing to bend and re-bend any joints that feel stiff, Dr. Capetta said. If your back and the sides of your body feel tight, you could try a gentle stretch, like a loose forward hang toward your toes with slightly bent knees or side bends and cat-cow yoga poses. Studies suggest that a regular yoga practice can be effective in reducing discomfort associated with joint and muscle stiffness and chronic back pain. Do whatever feels good. If you have a dog, taking it out first thing in the morning might get your body’s juices flowing and help you feel nimble more quickly. If it’s cold in the morning, try a hot shower.

While it’s healthy and normal to feel a little tight after a night of stillness, you might feel even more tight if your baseline flexibility is already limited. You can lessen this by staying limber and maintaining an active lifestyle in general. If you don’t already stretch regularly, adding even 15 minutes of stretching to your day may help you feel less stiff upon waking, Dr. Stecco said. If you sit in front of a computer for work, try moving around and changing positions throughout the day.

If you’re waking up frequently with a stiff neck and shoulders, you may want to re-evaluate the position you sleep in most often. If you’re a side sleeper, for example, your pillow should support your head so that your neck is in the same line as your spine. If you consistently wake up with a stiff lower back, you may also want to consider whether your mattress is the culprit. There isn’t one universal mattress type that will cure all tight-ness, but experts recommend different firmness levels depending on your needs. If your joint stiffness lasts for longer than an hour after you’ve gotten out of bed and persists for weeks or even months, you should consult with a health care provider, Dr. Capetta said. Joint stiffness that lasts for an hour or longer could be an early indicator of arthritis. You should also see a doctor if you stretch regularly but still feel chronic tightness throughout the day.

Most of the time, morning tightness will naturally recede as you go about your morning. “But everyone has a different threshold for what is bothersome,” Dr. Capetta said. If it troubles you, some movement and stretching first thing in the morning may be enough “to reduce the time or to reduce the impact of this particular experience,” she said – whether it’s a universal one or not.

The New York Times , Katie Okamoto, Feb. 15, 2022

P

ennsylvania remains a leading energy producer and exporter according to a new report by Independent Fiscal Office (IFO). Pennsylvania remains the country’s leading producer and exporter of energy.

The report looked at data published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration and found that Pennsylvania was the largest net exporter of electricity in the country. The state exported 85.5 million megawatt hours, which was 79.9 percent higher than the second largest exporter of energy, Alabama, with 30.3 million megawatt hours.

The state produced 241.6 million megawatts of electricity from natural gas, coal, nuclear and other sources. The state also consumed 156.2 million megawatts of electricity, leaving 35.3 percent of the energy to export. Only West Virginia, with 46.1 percent, had a higher percentage of energy exported among those in the Appalachia region.

Pennsylvania was also the largest regional producer of electricity. The state generated more than 127 million megawatts of natural gas electricity and more than 75 million megawatts of nuclear electricity, more than any other state in the region. Only Ohio and West Virginia (with more than 45 million mega-watts and more than 59 million megawatts, respectively) exceeded Pennsylvania’s coal-based electricity production.

The report also found that Pennsylvania’s average price for electricity fell by 0.5 percent – from 13.86 cents per kilowatt hour in 2016 to 13.79 cents per kilowatt hour in 2021.

Researchers attributed the price reduction to increasing natural gas production, which provided a relatively low-cost input for electricity generators in the state. The share of Pennsylvania plants using natural gas increased from 28 percent in 2016 to 53 percent in 2021.

Prices in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Connecticut were higher than those in Pennsylvania, while rates in Maryland, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina were lower. North Carolina, the lowest, boasted electricity rates at 11.50 cents per kilowatt hour, while Massachusetts had rates of 22.91 cents per kilowatt hour.

The report also found that even though electricity generation rose, net emissions in the state fell. In 2016, the state produced 226.1 million megawatt hours of electricity, compared to 241.6 million megawatts in 2021. Net emissions fell from 129.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions in 2016 to 81 million metric tons of emissions in 2021.

Researchers attributed the reduction in emissions to a significant switch from coal to natural gas in the state’s electricity generation mix.

https://pennbizreport.com

W

e have experienced approximately 10 fraudulent unemployment claims here at the Foundry.

Thousands of fraudulent attempts to get benefits from the state that have been filed by thieves since the start of the pandemic. Pennsylvania’s unemployment compensation system is still grappling with the tsunami of claims two years into the pandemic. The State Department of Labor & Industry must figure out how to reject fraudulent claims, while still paying legitimate ones.

Legislators and advocates say the problem is massive with serious consequences for people who are owed money. It is unclear how many total fraudulent claims have been filed, but state officials have said the fraud problem is enormous, and ever-shifting. In the early months of the pandemic, fraudsters targeted Pandemic Unemployment Assistance—a new program created by the federal government to help people who wouldn’t have qualified for traditional unemployment benefits. In recent months, state officials say, fraud attempts have tended to target traditional Unemployment Compensation.

“Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, foreign and domestic fraudsters have been exploiting unprecedented demand on the nation’s unemployment compensation systems that exist to protect hardworking Americans and their families during times of hardship,” L&I Secretary Jennifer Berrier said in a statement earlier this month. “Fraud-detection measures have revealed an increased level of sophistication in the most recent attacks on our system.”

Since the new computer system went online last June, the department says it has prevented more than $4.7 billion in state and federal dollars from being paid out to fraudsters.

State Rep. Nick Pisciottano, D-West Mifflin, and a member of the House Labor and Industry committee, said the state has a fine line to walk between preventing fraud and still allowing ordinary people to receive aid.

To report fraud, call the PA Fraud Hotline at 1-800-692-7469.

Remember—if someone files a fraudulent unemployment claim on you, they have your personal information.

90.5 WESA
Kate Giammarise
January 20, 2022

Congratulations to Ana Ponce (above), Benton Foundry’s 1st Shift Employee of the Quarter. Ana has worked at the Foundry for several years. She works in our Quality Lab as a lab technician and is currently completing a rotation throughout the foundry. Ana lives in Berwick with her son Samuel, and she enjoys spending time with her family when she isn’t working.

Awesome Job Ana!

Congratulations to Chris Miller (below), Benton Foundry’s 2nd shift Employee of the Quarter. Chis has been employed at the Foundry since August 2021. He works in our Maintenance Department. He lives in Benton with his wife, Amanda and their daughter, Madison. He enjoys spending time with his family, woodworking and being outdoors in his spare time.

Congratulations Chris!

Dave Straub – Highest Molding Efficiency Plus the Lowest Scrap Rate

Travis Hayman – Highest Grinding Efficiency

Nuria Artero – Highest Core Machine Operator Efficiency

Mirian Magorga – Highest Core Assembly Efficiency

We would also like to welcome Xenia Ponce to the 2nd shift Quality Department.

Congratulations to Eric Malcein in his new role as ISO Administrator.

In our last newsletter we published information about our successful LED Lighting Project. While the information was accurate, we failed to mention an integral part of the project and would like to thank Ed Whitmoyer and Ruth Dawson for their hard work on this project. They are our electricians and they physically replaced each one of the lighting fixtures and wired the control box. Their efforts were appreciated and indispensable to the project.

Thank you for your hard work and dedication!