Heading to the Monaco Spa Event. After a mad dash to the airport for my 7:15 p.m. flight and trying to catch up on emails on my Treo (right up until the time the door of the plane closed – OK, and a few minutes beyond), it’s finally time to wind down. I love long flights for just that reason – and in a way the longer the better. I’m guessing we had tail winds because the flight was only 5.5 hours. Bummer… They woke us around one a.m. for the transfer from London to Nice.

I have added one more reason (to my growing list) of why spas should offer sleep health programs, one of my Top 10 Spa Trends for 2007. The guy in front of me on the airplane put his seat all the way back, strapped on a pair of sleeping blinders, and fell asleep. Just a few minutes later he began to snore – loudly. It was absolutely dreadful. The man sitting next to him got up and moved as the rest of us tried to muffle the sound with headsets/music/tv – anything. I couldn’t help noticing that the snorer was overweight and appeared to be breathing irregularly. Clearly a potential sleep apnea case.

This situation reminded me of my friend Rick Aidekman (he and his wife Ellen own the beautiful Cornelia Day Resort in Manhattan). Rick was diagnosed with sleep apnea at Canyon Ranch in the Berkshires about eight months ago. He is now using a small breathing apparatus and reports that his life has changed dramatically for the better. He has lost a lot of weight, the color in his face is restored, and he is no longer exhausted during the day. If more people would take the time to be tested and treated for sleep disorders, not only would they experience personal health benefits, but neighbors on airplanes would also not have to endure being terribly inconvenienced during a lengthy international flight.