Bookmark Website  | Free Registration  | The Team
The Lounge  | Champions  | The Wire |  Schedule |  Audio  |  Arcade  |  The Top Ten  |  Historical  |  Email  |  Video

Sleep for Joy


Better sleep = better metabolism. I have been saying it for years - since my own experience of being stressed out, overworked and under-slept and not able to lose weight but just recently this fact is getting a good amount of press.

According to Michael Tri H. Do, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute predoctoral fellow from Harvard University, "In recent years, a lot of excitement has accompanied the forging of links between sleep and feeding. For instance, there are neurons that make a substance called orexin. These cells are located in a region of the brain that was long understood to be involved in feeding. Consistent with this, giving rats orexin causes them to eat more, while blocking it causes them to eat very little."

Yikes! This could be enough to put you to sleep right here! He IS right though so let's bring it down to what we can do about it because the basic gist is: if you sleep better, you breathe better, you move better, you look better, you feel better and isn't that what it is all about? YES!

Sleep for Joy - the Nutrition Side

Many of us who have trouble sleeping (whether it be falling asleep or staying asleep) turn to prescription drugs such as Ambien, Sonata, Valium, Xanax, and Restoril, or one of the many over-the-counter options such as Benadryl. Taking this route can be habit forming and this actually then inhibits the body from being able to establish its own sleep rhythm, according to Michael Sateia, M.D. and president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Unless you are suffering from a severe sleep disorder (anyone taking any form of major medication should be consulting with a medical physician) taking a more natural way can be a smarter and safer long-term option for your best health:

1) Tryptophan - a naturally occurring amino acid that makes you sleepy. A tryptophan rich snack an hour before bed can promote sleep.

Try these:

? 2 slices of lean turkey
? a small slice of cheese
? pure (no sugar) yogurt
? a handful of sunflower seeds (high in Vitamin B that enhances the body's conversion of tryptophan).

2) Magnesium - a natural sedative. This powerful mineral can be found in:

? wheat bran
? brewer's yeast
? seaweed products
? almonds
? cashews

3) Chamomile - best taken through sipping a nice cup of chamomile tea an hour before bed. This will calm your digestive track and reduce muscle tightness. For a real knocker-outer add a few drops of a lavender tincture and a 1/2 a teaspoon of honey.

Sleep for Joy - the Lifestyle Side

The way you use your bedroom can have a profound effect on your ability to get a good night's sleep.

1. Recover your bed - If you use your bed (or even your bedroom for some people) for anything other than sleep you may be setting up a psychological barrier to a good night's sleep. Get into bed only when you are really tired. Use another room or chair for reading and especially for watching television. If you live in a studio apartment or dorm room, try to separate your bed from other areas with a desk, curtain or screen.

2. Be dark - the brain associates daylight with being alert and active. Believe it or not, even the glow from a neon clock can translate into daylight for the mind (plus, is it really helpful to wake-up, see the time, calculate how much longer you have to sleep and then worry about it?). Cover your clock, close your curtains and wear a sleep mask if you need to.

3. Fresh air - no matter the season, fresh air is a necessity for a good nights sleep. A stuffy room can remind you of your day or keep your head from clearing. Open the window a crack for the night or wide for a minute before you go to sleep to clear the air.

To your health and success,

Heather Dominick is a Holistic Nutrition Counselor accredited by theAmerican Association of Drugless Practitioners and creator of The Energy Rich Lifestyle Program?. In addition to her nutrition services, she is a motivating and dynamic speaker.

To receive bi-monthly Nutrition and Lifestyle Tips you can: subscribe to her free e-Newsletter at http://www.individual-health.net or register for a free teleclass at freeteleclass@individual-health.net


MORE RESOURCES:

USA TODAY

Michelle Obama: Poor nutrition 'a national security issue'
Politico (blog)
By BYRON TAU | First lady Michelle Obama said Thursday that poor nutrition in the military was a "national security issue," and praised the armed forces for taking steps to bring healthier options onto bases. "Our military leaders know that this is not ...
Military food getting nutrition upgradeCBS News
First lady announces expansion of military nutrition program on Arkansas visitArkansas News
Hold the mystery meat: Military bases to get first nutrition standards upgrade ...Washington Post
Bellingham Herald -Los Angeles Times
all 339 news articles »


On Nutrition: Pregnancy advice from mom
SunHerald.com
And now that I'm pregnant, I have your nutrition advice on speed dial." (Whatever that means.) Poor thing. Her first 3 months of pregnancy were rough. Nothing stayed down and it wasn't so pleasant when it came back up. Lots of friends offered their ...

and more »


Chicago Tribune

Coming soon: Nutrition labels for health insurance
Washington Post (blog)
Think of them as nutrition facts for a health insurance plan that outline a health plan's deductible, out-of-pocket limits and costs for visits to the emergency room or primary care doctor. What you see above is one part of a four-page document that ...
Obama: Health plan briefs must be consumer-friendlyUSA TODAY
Summaries to spell out health insurance coverage, copaysChicago Tribune

all 207 news articles »


Globe and Mail

Should shoppers trust Walmart's 'Great for You' nutrition labels?
Globe and Mail
Walmart, the multi-national retail giant, launched a new health-labelling program for its grocery products this week that will affix green “Great for You” labels on foods that meet the company's nutritional criteria. The program is expected to take ...
Walmart to Label Healthy FoodsNew York Times
How Good Is Walmart's 'Great For You' Nutrition Labeling?TIME
Walmart 'Great for You' Healthy Labels: Nutrition Experts Say 'Devil in the ...ABC News
Boston Herald -MarketWatch (press release) -Medical News Today
all 409 news articles »


Work nutritious snacks into diet to help weight goals
Shawnee News Star
Finally, plan ahead and keep a variety of tasty, nutritious and ready-to-eat snacks available at all times. Small containers and baggies will definitely make this task easier when you have to be away from home. Snacks keep you going when you are ...

and more »


4 Stock Strategies From Wall Street
Forbes
Wall Street analysts explain which nutrition retailers make for good stocks and why investors should be careful picking homebuilding stocks this month: Demand for vitamins may boost the stocks of nutrition retailers. JP Morgan analysts say the vitamin ...

and more »


Tucson Citizen

Arizona schools may bypass new nutrition standards
Tucson Citizen
The US Department of Agriculture unveiled new nutrition standards in January that would require schools to add more fruits and vegetables to lunch while reducing the amount of sodium and trans fat. The rules also set calorie limits for the millions of ...

and more »


SmartBrief Partners with School Nutrition Association to Deliver Vital News to ...
MarketWatch (press release)
WASHINGTON, Feb 09, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- SmartBrief, Inc. launched a daily digital media news service on Monday, January 30, 2012, in partnership with the School Nutrition Association (SNA). SNA is a national, nonprofit professional organization ...

and more »


Sports Nutrition & Health Promotions at Holland & Barrett
MarketWatch (press release)
... via COMTEX) -- High street health experts and leading health food retailer Holland & Barrett are doing their bit for those continuing with their healthy and active resolutions for 2012 with a range of offers on sports and nutritional supplements.



USANA® Probiotic Receives ConsumerLab.com Certification
MarketWatch (press release)
10, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- USANA Health Sciences, Inc. /quotes/zigman/3471921/quotes/nls/usna USNA -0.80% , a global nutritional supplements company, today announced that its USANA® Probiotic supplement has been tested and approved by ...

and more »

Google News


Advertisement



Section Site Map - Submit News - Feedback - Comments - Advertise with Us

Copyright 2006 Luminati Inc. All rights reserved.