GETTING THE SLEEP OF YOUR DREAMS! 

- BY WENDY PLACE

Do you ever feel like your sleep is under attack? Mind is racing, too much caffeine, kids having nightmares, pets encroaching on your space, partner snoring? We all KNOW sleep is important but most of us accept lack of sleep as a casualty of the world we live in. But do you know WHY it’s important? Do you really know what lack of sleep is doing to your brain and body? 

Here are two EXTREMELY important reasons to figure out how to up your quality and quantity of sleep: 

#1: People who sleep poorly or do not get enough sleep have higher levels of inflammation; a risk factor for not only heart disease and stroke but the cause for almost all disease. 
     "Individuals who reported six or fewer hours of sleep had higher levels of three inflammatory markers: fibrinogen, IL-6 and C-reactive protein. In particular, average C-reactive protein levels were about 25 percent higher (2 milligrams per liter compared to 1.6) in people who reported fewer than six hours of sleep, compared to those reporting between six and nine hours.” [i] 
     In other words, since inflammation is the root cause of most systemic illness, the lack of sleep is breeding the environment to let illness take over. 
     Look at the list of diseases which have a correlation to inflammation: Allergies (food, animal, seasonal), Alzheimer’s, Anemia, Ankylosing Spondylitis, Asthma, Autism, Arthritis, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Celiac, Crohn’s Disease, Congestive heart failure, Eczema, Fibromyalgia, Fibrosis, Gall bladder disease, GERD, Guillain-Barre, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, Heart attack, Kidney failure, Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, Neuropathy, Pancreatitis, Psoriasis, Polymyalgia rheumatic Rheumatoid arthritis, Scleroderma, Stroke, Surgical complications. [ii] 

#2: While the brain sleeps, it clears out harmful toxins, a process that may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's and dementia, researchers say. [iii] 
     Every organ has two major needs – a continuous supply of nutrients and the clearance of waste. Whereas the body has a series of lymphatic ducts to clear waste, the brain uses another methodology; one that requires sleep. 
     Cerebrospinal fluid or CSF basically works like a dishwasher, it fills the space which surrounds the brain and clears the waste into the blood. But this only works in a sleeping brain. During sleep the brain cells shrinks, allowing more fluid to flush through clearing waste. Here’s where it really gets interesting! 

     “So if sleep, then, is part of the brain's solution to the problem of waste clearance, then this may dramatically change how we think about the relationship between sleep, amyloid-beta, and Alzheimer's disease. A series of recent clinical studies suggest that among patients who haven't yet developed Alzheimer's disease, worsening sleep quality and sleep duration are associated with a greater amount of amyloid-beta building up in the brain, and while it's important to point out that these studies don't prove that lack of sleep or poor sleep cause Alzheimer's disease, they do suggest that the failure of the brain to keep its house clean by clearing away waste like amyloid-beta may contribute to the development of conditions like Alzheimer's.” [iv] 

Thankfully there is help. There are new powerful herbal remedies on the market which address both sleep health and brain health together. Improving the quantity and quality of your sleep along with actively reversing the damage already done can prove to be the answer we’ve been hoping for. 

I urge you to watch this TED Talk. You won’t ever take a good night’s sleep for granted again! 

To learn more about Sleep Health or for a sample sleep diary, download the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's "Your Guide to Healthy Sleep" 

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[i] Emory University, "Poor sleep quality increases inflammation, community study finds." ScienceDaily, 15 November 2010, <http://sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101114161939.htm>   (accessed March 2016) 
[ii] Dr. David M. Marquis, DC, DACBN, “How Inflammation Affects Every Aspect of Your Health”,   <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/03/07/inflammation-triggers-disease-symptoms.aspx> (accessed March 2016)
[iii] Lulu Xie, Hongyi Kang, Qiwu Xu, Michael J. Chen, Yonghong Liao, Meenakshisundaram Thiyagarajan, John O’Donnell, Daniel J. Christensen, Charles Nicholson, Jeffrey J. Iliff, Takahiro Takano, Rashid Deane, Maiken Nedergaard, “Sleep Drives Metabolite Clearance from the Adult Brain”, Science, <http://science.sciencemag.org/content/342/6156/373.full>  (accessed March 2016) 
[iv] Jeff Iliff, “One more reason to get a good night’s sleep”, TEDMED 2014,  <https://www.ted.com/talks/jeff_iliff_one_more_reason_to_get_a_good_night_s_sleep?language=en>  (accessed March 2016)

LOVE YOUR HEART

- BY SUMMER CHABALA, R.N.

The new year is in full swing and flying by.  Are you taking time to achieve your New Year’s resolutions? We might start with good intentions but slowly the motivation wanes. 

WOMEN, don’t let that happen! Heart disease is the number one cause of death for women in the United States. As a nurse of 21 years I have seen so many young patients in surgery. Many exercised or ate low fat diets but they were still having heart attacks. What was the missing piece? Doctors agree there needs to be a holistic approach to our healthcare. Describing how to prevent heart disease, the American Heart Association states “the real preventative power lies with real changes to your lifestyle – which can reduce the risk for heart disease by as much as 80 percent.”   

Here are 7 simple steps to add a little love to your heart healthy lifestyle: 

1. Have a regular exercise routine. Find something that you look forward to and doesn’t add more stress to your busy lifestyle. 

2. Drink eight glasses of water a day. You won’t believe how this increases your energy level!! 

3. Say ‘no’ to processed foods. If you can’t pronounce it – you shouldn’t eat it. 

4. Fill up on seasonal fruits and vegetables. The internet is a lifesaver for amazing recipes & ways to get creative with veggies. Go on….try something new every week! 

5. Eat more fiber. Whole grains will keep you feeling fuller for longer. 
6. Get your rest. Sleep is essential for your hormones to stay balanced and your body to repair itself. 

7. Practice food awareness. Pay attention to mindless or stress eating – only eat if you’re hungry. Control your portions, eat slowly and create a relaxed atmosphere. 

Read more about preventing heart disease: Heart.org

TOP THREE WEIGHT LOSS MYTHS

- BY WENDY PLACE

The struggle is REAL! Genetics, environment, peer pressure, fast food, big boned – we have so many things working against us when it comes to losing weight & keeping it off. And the diet industry knows it! In 2014 it was a $64-billion-dollar industry! That’s with a B people!

Thankfully, we’re slowly catching on. “The percentage of women reporting they are on a diet has dropped 13 points over the past two decades, according to research firm NPD Group.”[1] Sales have been on the decline across the board from diet programs to diet soda. We’re finally learning that a more holistic approach works best.

And yet, there are a few myths lurking in the shadows that seem to persist. Let’s make 2016 the year these disappear!

#1 WEIGHT LOSS = MORE CALORIES OUT THAN CALORIES IN

While on paper this seems to work, in a complicated combustion engine, that is our human body, this proves to be a problem. I think back to the 1990 Tom Cruise movie Days of Thunder (yes there was actually something of value in that movie). Cole (Cruise’s character) learns the lesson that driving fast but reckless burns through tires thus causing more pit stops. While driving a bit slower and in control equals less pit stops = WINNING! The same goes for losing weight. It seems that calories in < calories out should do the trick. But what if you save all your calories for strawberry pie a la mode @ 10 pm? What does that do to the inner workings of the body? How much stress might this cause and how much cortisol is produced in the process? What if we’re eating primarily empty calories and we stay in a state of hunger all day? What if we are eating inflammatory foods? It’s crucial to learn (or work with a skilled coach or nutritionist) how the body functions and eat accordingly. Here’s where common sense comes into play; small portioned low glycemic, anti-inflammatory foods eaten every few hours to keep blood sugars balanced will help the body do its job efficiently and without adding undue stress. An unstressed, well running engine will lose weight. How’s that for a simple equation?

#2 EXERCISE IS KEY TO LOSING WEIGHT

Let’s start with the obvious disclaimer – MODERATE EXERCISE IS IMPORTANT AND NECESSARY FOR WELLNESS. The problem lies in adding the RIGHT type of exercise. Many add exercise but actually hinder their weight loss progress. A month and tons of sweat later, there’s no movement to the scale, discouragement sets in and they give up. Sound familiar?

RIGHT TYPE OF EXERCISE. At what level of exertion does exercise begin to hinder the weight loss process? Let’s put the pieces together. 

#1 Cortisol hinders weight loss: “The stress hormone, cortisol, is public health enemy number one. Scientists have known for years that elevated cortisol levels: interfere with learning and memory, lower immune function and bone density, increase weight gain, blood pressure, cholesterol, heart disease... The list goes on and on.”[2]

#2 High intensity exercise releases cortisol: “There was a significant increase in the level of salivary cortisol immediately following the high intensity exercise session. There was a significant difference between the low intensity and high intensity exercise session immediately post-exercise. The low intensity exercise did not result in any significant changes in cortisol levels.”[3]

#3 What is considered moderate/high level exertion? Moderate: A raised heart rate but you’re not out of breath. High: Vigorous effort, heart is pounding and you feel winded.[4] You can see this has less to do with the type of exercise and more with the shape a person is in. For some, just walking from the gym parking lot into the gym could be considered high level exertion! We tend to be “all or nothing” in our thinking and the media’s “no pain no gain” message has influenced this harmful paradigm. And yet, walking around the block every day for a month might be all that it takes to help us reach our goal this month.

Putting the pieces together: If you haven’t exercised in a while and/or if you have quite a bit of weight to lose (35+ lbs.) focus on healthy eating until your body has had time to adjust, usually about 3-4 weeks. Once your body has adjusted begin with NEAT exercise (non-exercise activity thermogenesis); parking further away, using stairs instead of elevators, standing during a meeting instead of sitting, etc. Once again, work WITH your body’s chemistry, not against it.

#3 ALL I NEED TO DO IS SUMMON MORE WILLPOWER

“Whether you think you or think you can’t, you are right” “If only I had more willpower, I’d be able to stick to a diet” “I saw that chocolate cake and I lost all willpower” – the magic of WILLPOWER. Turns out, some of us have it and some of us have to learn it!

Remember the Marshmallow Study by Walter Mischel? He gave 5 year olds one marshmallow but told them if they could wait until he came back into the room they could have two marshmallows. The findings were amazing. The overall life success rate of the 1/3 who had “delayed gratification” followed them throughout their years. These children/adults performed better academically, earned more money, and were healthier and happier. They were also more likely to avoid a number of negative outcomes, including jail time, obesity, and drug use.

Following this experiment Mischel and his colleagues began instructing both children and adults how to learn mental distancing techniques to strengthen their self-control. They even consulted on “Sesame Street,” in which Cookie Monster underwent a self-control transformation. Willpower, self-control, delayed gratification turns out to be like a muscle, the more you use it the stronger it gets. [5]

If you’re one of the 2/3 of “children” who hasn’t flexed their “delayed gratification” muscle in a while, the good news is IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO LEARN. Shoot, if Cookie Monster can do it, you can!

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[1] Kell, John, “Lean times for the diet industry”, Fortune, <http://fortune.com/2015/05/22/lean-times-for-the-diet-industry> (accessed Dec. 2015)

[2] Bergland Christopher, “Cortisol: Why “The Stress Hormone” Is Public Enemy No. 1”, Psychology Today, <http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201301/cortisol-why-the-stress-hormone-is-public-enemy-no-1> (accessed Dec. 2015)

[3] McGuigan, Egan and Foster, “Salivary Cortisol Responses and Perceived Exertion during High Intensity and Low Intensity Bouts of Resistance Exercise”, National Center for Biotechnology Information <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3896117> (accessed Dec. 2015)

[4] Harvard, “The Borg Scale of Perceived Exertion”, <http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/borg-scale> (accessed Dec. 2015)

[5] Konnikova, Maria, “The Struggles of a Psychologist Studying Self-Control”, New Yorker, <http://www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/struggles-psychologist-studying-self-control> (accessed Dec. 2015)