Health
Wake-Up Call – Better Sleep
by Steve Hernandez on May.16, 2009, under Health
Rise and shine! Follow these 8 tips to start the day refreshed and ready-to-go
By Michele Bender
do in the hour after you get up can help you look and feel your best for the rest of the day.
Tap into the Power Hour
What you
The right moves and foods will give you the focus, stamina, and positive outlook you need to plow through your busy schedule. Plus, you’ll kick-start your metabolism, helping you torch extra calories and melt more fat. Our get-up-and-go routine outlines the latest research-based tips guaranteed to make your morning a true power hour. Here’s how to rise and shine.
1. Cue Energy with Color
“Seeing a bright, vibrant hue when you open your eyes gets your adrenaline going–and that sudden surge of energy helps clear the cobwebs and kicks you into gear,” says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. Put a red, orange, yellow, or fuchsia throw pillow, blanket, or piece of art in the area you first see in the morning, or slip on a robe in one of these shades. You can even make breakfast visually stimulating (and get a nutritional boost) by pouring yourself a glass of antioxidant rich pomegranate or cranberry juice with a sweet slice of orange.
2. Wake Up and See the Roses
Seeing a bouquet of blooms when they first woke up gave women in a new study a mood lift and energy boost that lasted all day, reports Nancy Etcoff, PhD, a faculty member at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard University Mind/Brain/Behavior Initiative.
3. Stop Hitting the Snooze Button
There’s truth in the adage “You snooze, you lose.” When you hit snooze, your brain knows it will go off again in a few minutes–so you won’t go into the deeper, more restful stages of slumber. That means you’ll be more tired than if you’d gotten up when it first sounded. A better strategy: “Set your alarm for when you really need to get up,” says Jodi Mindell, PhD, associate director of the Sleep Disorders Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “That extra, uninterrupted sleep makes you feel more rested and refreshed when you get out of bed.”
4. Picture the Day Ahead
Once you’re awake, close your eyes and picture yourself alert and energetic. “Imagining an activity fires up the same parts of your brain that are used when you actually experience it,” says Dana Lightman, PhD, a behavioral psychologist in Abington, PA. “Thinking positively about the day ahead energizes you.”
5. Drink Instant Energy
Drinking a big glass of water as soon as you get up is a good way to replenish the fluid your body loses overnight, and it provides instant energy. “Everything that happens in your body requires water,” says Holly Andersen, MD, an assistant professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical Center. “Without enough of it, your systems have to work harder in every respect–which can cause fatigue.” Indeed, even a 2% drop in water stores can tire you physically and mentally. Starting to sip early also gives you a head start on the 11 cups of water the Institute of Medicine now recommends women consume throughout the day to stay hydrated.
6. Let the Sunshine In
A splash of sunlight makes you feel more awake, so read the paper by a sunny window or step outside for a few minutes while having your coffee. “Daylight signals your biological clock to stop the secretion of melatonin, a hormone that makes you sleepy, and promotes wakefulness,” says James B. Maas, PhD, a professor and past chairman of the department of psychology at Cornell University. It also increases the brain’s level of serotonin, a chemical that boosts mood. If it’s still dark when you get up, consider purchasing a dawn stimulator (from $80; Light Therapy Products), a device that gradually brightens a light source at a preprogrammed time. Set it to create a dawn that breaks a half hour before your usual wake up time and grows to maximum brightness when your alarm goes off–even when your eyes are closed, the light that passes through your lids signals your internal clock to trigger waking neurons in your brain.
7. Give Yourself a Face Rub
“Massaging your face boosts circulation, making it a surefire way to wake up,” says Maggy Dunphy, general manager of the Aria Spa and Club in Vail, CO. Starting at your forehead and working down to your chin, lightly flutter tap or drum your fingertips, varying the velocity, intensity, and location until you’ve touched your entire face. Bonus: These moves give you a quick healthy glow.
8. Have a Romp in the Hay
Physical activity is one of the best ways to shake off grogginess–and having sex boosts your body’s levels of chemicals associated with stamina (testosterone), energy (dopamine), and calmness (oxytocin), says Helen E. Fisher, PhD, a research professor in the department of anthropology at Rutgers University. What a great way to start the day!
9 Ways To Sleep Better Instantly
by Steve Hernandez on May.16, 2009, under Health
Three exhausted women fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly with the help of a top expert. Learn how you can get more Zzz’s too.
A good night’s sleep is as easy as slipping under the covers and closing your eyes—right? If only. More than half of American women say they sleep well only a few nights a week, reports a National Sleep Foundation survey.
“Sleep issues are common for women over 40—and usually very solvable,” says sleep specialist Rubin Naiman, Ph.D., a clinical assistant professor of medicine at the University of Arizona’s Center for Integrative Medicine. “With simple lifestyle changes, you can improve the quality of sleep, as well as mood and overall well-being.” Here’s how he helped three women get the shut-eye they need for optimal health and happiness.
My sleep thief: Hyperactive brain
Margot Tohn, 44, is a self-described overachiever: On top of running her own publishing company, she takes care of her ailing father, volunteers for several charity organizations, and tries to play tennis with friends or go to the opera once a week. Her list of to-dos and obligations never ends, yet she often feels as though she’s not doing enough. Even after she turns in for the night, her mind is still going, running through what she accomplished that day and planning for the next. She doesn’t actually get to sleep until 1 a.m. to 2 a.m., then wakes at about 5:30, feeling anxious to get started. By the afternoon, Margot feels irritable and in desperate need of a nap.
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Our expert says: “This sleep problem is primarily psychological,” explains Naiman. “Margot is entirely too hard on herself, and all that ruminating creates anxiety, which shifts the brain into high-alert mode instead of allowing it to wind down.” When she starts to criticize herself or feel guilty about not running an errand right away for her family, for example, she needs to stop and think: Am I really hurting anyone by not doing this immediately? Taking a second to think rationally will help her calm down. The other problem is that Margot’s day is too jam-packed, adds Naiman. “She has no alone time to process her thoughts, so her mind essentially makes up for it at night.” This pre-bed routine will help her mind and body relax:
- Unplug an hour before bed. That includes the television, computer, cell phone, and any other glowing tech tools. Research shows that the brain misreads artificial light as daylight, so it doesn’t release melatonin, a sleep-regulating chemical, which is normally triggered by darkness.
- Take a warm shower or bath. Your body temperature goes down when you get out, which makes you feel sleepy. That’s because it mimics what occurs deep inside the body at night, when internal temperature drops to its lowest level.
- Meditate or pray for 10 minutes. Several studies show that it can help reduce anxiety, release negative thinking, and improve sleep. Sit quietly in a comfortable position and repeat a phrase you find relaxing, such as Keep letting go.
How it worked: “Though I’m not sleeping for 8 hours a night yet, the quality of my sleep has definitely improved because I’m much more energized during the day. The relaxation routine took me a little while to get used to: I never meditated before, so at first, I could sit quietly for only about two minutes at a time. I eventually worked up to 10 minutes, and it does help ease my mind. I also take a hot shower at night and do a few stretches before I go to bed, which relaxes my body. Plus, I started to realize that my all-or-nothing attitude wasn’t doing me any favors, so on nights when I get home late, I make sure to do my pre-bed routine for even just 10 to 20 minutes, instead of forgoing it entirely because I don’t have a full hour.”
Key Move: Keep a journal
“I make a list each night of 10 things I am grateful for—from good friends to a good hair day. I feel less anxious when I take a few minutes to focus on how much I’m blessed.”
My sleep thief: Waking up four times a night
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Virginia Camasca, 40, has battled insomnia for five years, trying all sorts of things, from herbs to special diets, with no success. At night, she spends up to an hour trying to get comfortable before eventually dozing off, but then she wakes up several times before the alarm rings—often to use the bathroom, sometimes just because.
She used to dream frequently but now rarely does, which some research suggests is a sign of poor quality sleep. But when she tried taking the sleep supplement melatonin, she had nightmares. Virginia’s insomnia leaves her stressed-out and so exhausted that sometimes she even dozes at work.
Our expert says: “Virginia is stuck in a vicious cycle—the more she agonizes about not sleeping, the harder it is for her to nod off,” says Naiman. Stress keeps the mind active and triggers the release of chemicals that rouse the nervous system—all of which sabotage slumber. There’s no doubt Virginia is waking up too often, but once or twice during the night is normal. Knowing that may alleviate some of the negative feelings she has toward nighttime. A more relaxed mindset—and the following tips—will up the odds she gets better quality sleep:
- Limit liquids after 6 p.m. The reason she wakes up so often to use the bathroom is simply because she drinks too much fluid during the second half of the day. After 6 pm, have just one to two glasses of water; also do 10 to 20 Kegel exercises daily, which strengthen the bladder. (To do Kegels, clench only the muscles that control the flow of urine.)
- Set a bedtime and stick to it. Going to bed at different times throws the internal body clock out of whack. It’s better if she hit the sack at the same time every night and set the alarm for the same time every morning—even on weekends, suggests Naiman. This will help get her body on a regular pattern, which makes it easier to fall and stay asleep.
- Try a small dose of melatonin. The brain makes this chemical naturally, but it’s often in short supply in people with insomnia. Studies have shown that taking a melatonin supplement helps improve sleep, but you need only a small amount: 0.5 mg, 15 minutes before bed. Last time Virginia tried it, she took 3 times as much, and that can cause side effects like nightmares or even depression. Before taking any supplement, talk with your primary care doc.
How it worked: “I started taking melatonin after a checkup with my doctor, and it seemed to work right away, helping me fall asleep faster than I had in forever—and I’m dreaming good dreams again. Keeping a bedtime was tough at first, but now it feels normal to be in bed by 10. And because I have only one glass of water with dinner and did Kegels regularly, I wake up less often to use the bathroom and sometimes sleep straight until the morning. I’m thrilled that I feel so relaxed and healthy. Friends who didn’t know I was doing this program tell me I’ve never looked better. I guess there is such a thing as beauty rest!”
Key move: Hide the time
“I turn my alarm clock away from me so I can’t count the minutes I’m awake if I get up in the middle of the night. That way, I’m less stressed if I wake up, so it’s easier to drift off again.”
My sleep thief: Night sweats and heavy snoring
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Tracy Lobdell, 52, has gained more than 50 pounds over the past five years—and it’s taking a toll on her sleep habits. She snores heavily and suspects she may have sleep apnea, a serious condition that occurs when a person stops breathing for seconds at a time because of airway obstructions, which are often caused or made worse by excess body fat.
She recently lost a few pounds by adopting a healthier diet and practicing portion control, but she never has the time or energy to exercise. Tracy is also in the throes of menopause and suffers from hot flashes and night sweats. Plus, her husband and dog—both of whom share her bed—snore, too, and there’s barely room for the three of them on their queen-size mattress. The result: Tracy tosses and turns all night and is moody, unproductive, and tired during the day.
Our expert says: “Severe snoring, weight gain, and significant daytime drowsiness all indicate possible sleep apnea,” says Naiman. “But even if Tracy doesn’t have the condition, snoring can make it difficult for her to get into the deep stages of sleep.” Although it’s a good idea that she get tested for apnea, Tracy can help ease snoring and other possible apnea symptoms by keeping up the weight loss. To slim down even faster, she should add 30 minutes of aerobic exercise to her routine five or six days a week, says Naiman. Shedding extra pounds may ease night sweats too. And to sleep more soundly, she should try these bedtime tweaks:
- Switch to the side. Sleeping on the back, as Tracy does now, isn’t ideal for heavy snorers or people with apnea—it allows the soft palate to hang in a direction that can obstruct breathing. Sleeping on either side, however, opens up airways to alleviate breathing issues. To help stay in this position, Naiman suggests propping one pillow behind your back and another in front of your waist.
- Make the bed a pet-free zone. Tuck the pooch into a doggie bed in another room. When Tracy shares her sleeping space with her pet, it gives her little room to move, and though she may not realize it, her dog’s fidgeting and kicking wakes her throughout the night.
- Keep the bedroom cool. Exactly how cool depends on your preference, but Naiman suggests around 68°F. Wear lightweight pajamas, and cover up with a sheet instead of a blanket. This will help reduce the severity of night sweats.
How it worked: “For the first time in years, I actually feel well rested. I plan to get tested for apnea, but I’m already falling asleep much faster, and my hot flashes are less frequent and severe. I even got used to sleeping on my side. The toughest part for me was making my dog sleep in the other room. I felt guilty, but it really is so much more comfortable. Instead, I let her spend 10 minutes in bed with me in the morning—I think of it as trading quantity for quality. I’ve continued to lose weight by watching my diet—I’ve dropped 10 pounds and counting. I haven’t made time for exercise yet, but I definitely have more energy now, so it’s next on my list.”
Key move: Cut back caffeine
“I used to drink about six glasses of iced black and orange tea every day. Dr. Naiman suggested that I switch to decaf or 100 percent iced green tea, which can have half as much caffeine. Now in the mornings I have a little black and orange tea, but in the afternoon, I stick to green. I actually don’t miss the caffeine at all.”
5 Sleep Myths Busted
by Steve Hernandez on May.16, 2009, under Health
It accounts for a third of your life and a big chunk of your health and longevity. So why aren’t you sleeping enough?
What a night. The woman of your dreams appeared. Your pulse raced. Heavy breathing ensued. You do remember it, right? Oh, wait, you were asleep. And that’s not all you missed. Under cover of night, sleep floods your veins with age-defying human growth hormone. Sleep raises an army of T cells and sends them into battle against colds and infection. Sleep resets the appetite controls that tell you to not hit the turn signal when you pass a McDonald’s. And, of course, sleep helps you above the neck as well as below the belt.
“It stabilizes your waking brain, makes you more alert, and allows you to process information faster,” says David Dinges, Ph.D., who studies shut-eye at the University of Pennsylvania. “It helps you remember things and consolidate those memories.” You won’t get that from a Red Bull. So then why are we engaged in a society-wide experiment in sleep deprivation? Average nightly sleep time during the workweek in the United States is down nearly 20 minutes in the last decade, to six hours and 40 minutes. And men ages 30 to 44 are the worst offenders: Thirty percent of them say they log less than six hours of sleep at night, according to a survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The price you pay for this sleep deficit is more than just lost productivity—your health can suffer too. So wake up! It’s time to shed some light on this dark territory.
Successful, driven guys should be good to go on five hours a night: MYTH
True, Napoleon slept four to five hours a night, and Thomas Edison got by on four. But world domination and the lightbulb might have been mere warm-ups had these guys slept more. Sleep scientists estimate that only 10 percent of adults are hardwired to need appreciably less (or more) sleep than the recommended seven to eight hours. And by cheating on sleep, you’re limping through life with the cranial equivalent of a torn calf muscle. Scarier still, people who are sleep-deprived often don’t even know they’ve turned into zombies. After dividing 48 volunteers into four sleep regimens—eight, six, four and zero hours a night (a.k.a. torture)—University of Pennsylvania researchers found that the six-hours-a-night group fared as poorly on measures of alertness and memory after two weeks as the no-sleep crew did after 24 hours. But participants in the six-hour group didn’t feel very sleepy even when they were performing at their worst. Accumulating a sleep deficit also leads to “microsleeps” while you’re awake. “Your brain becomes unstable and will go ‘off-line’ for half a second,” Dinges says. The more sleep-deprived you are, the more frequent and longer the lapses.
Snooze strategy: If you didn’t sleep seven to eight hours every night this past week, go to bed this weekend at your regular weekday time, but don’t set your alarm clock. Did you rise on Saturday and Sunday at the same time you would have on, say, a Tuesday? Then you may be one of those few people who can sleep less yet remain healthy. The rest of us mere mortals can begin to repay our sleep debt by dozing 10 hours a night on weekends and then sticking to seven to eight hours during the week. Your brain will use this strategy whenever you accumulate a sleep debt, says Ruth Benca, M.D., Ph.D., medical director of the Wisconsin Sleep Center. Otherwise, you want to stay consistent with your sleeping.
Frequently needing to pee in the middle of the night might indicate a health problem: TRUTH
That first stumble to the bathroom in the dark can be chalked up to the beer you drank watching the Knicks game. The second one can spell trouble. “If you habitually take two or more bathroom trips a night, you probably have obstructive sleep apnea,” says Alex Chediak, M.D., medical director of the Miami Sleep Disorders Center. With sleep apnea, the soft tissue at the back of your throat blocks your upper airway during sleep, stopping your breathing for anywhere from 10 seconds to a minute or even longer. This can occur hundreds of times in a night, depriving you of restorative deep sleep and starving your vital organs of oxygen. No wonder sleep apnea has been linked to heart disease, hypertension, and mood disorders.
But why does it wake you up to pee? Because those mini-suffocations result in lower circulating oxygen levels, your heart pumps harder, raising your blood pressure. As excess fluid builds up in your veins, a feedback loop triggers the release of a pressure-relieving diuretic, making you need to pee. An enlarged prostate and high blood sugar can also prompt middle-of-the-night bowl breaks. But with those conditions, says Dr. Chediak, you’ll pee a lot day and night.
Snooze strategy: Raising the pillow end of your bed by a few inches can help prevent that tissue from blocking your throat. Snoring could also be waking you in the middle of the night, and one major cause is nasal obstruction. Wash out mucus and irritants by mixing 1/4 teaspoon of table salt in 2 cups of warm water and flushing your nose twice a day using a medical or bulb syringe. Japanese researchers found that people with nasal obstruction were twice as likely to experience daytime fatigue as people with clear passageways. For video instruction on the technique, visit mayoclinic.com and search “nasal irrigation.” If the peeing persists around the clock, schedule a prostate exam and have your blood-sugar level checked by your doctor after an overnight fast.
The post-lunch bonk can’t be avoided: MYTH
Many Europeans scarf down a carb-loaded lunch and then shut down from 1 to 4 in the afternoon. But with unemployment soaring, let’s assume a three-hour nap won’t play well at the office. If you find yourself entering what amounts to a food coma after lunch, you’re probably eating too many carbohydrates in the morning. And what you’re not getting enough of is making it worse. “A postlunch crash is a telltale sign of poor nighttime sleep, as is dozing in meetings, theater performances, or similar environments,” says Dr. Benca. Not sure if you’re experiencing a modest dip or a true crash? Take a minute or two to fill out the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. This online questionnaire is the same one sleep docs use on their new patients.
Snooze strategy: Along with improving your nightly sleep pattern, eat three small meals spaced two hours apart in the morning. Try a protein shake at 7 a.m., two eggs and a small cup of oatmeal at 9, and an apple and a handful of almonds at 11. You’ll consume fewer carbohydrates, and you won’t be as likely to overeat at lunchtime. In fact, a salad with grilled chicken and avocado on top should be enough to keep your mind focused and your head off the desk all afternoon, says Keith Berkowitz, M. D., medical director of the Center for Balanced Health in New York City.
Waking up at 4 a. m. every day just means I’m an early riser: MYTH
More likely, you—along with 60 million other Americans—have insomnia, an inability to fall or stay asleep. “Insomniacs wake at the slightest disturbance and feel unrefreshed in the morning,” says Dr. Benca. Insufficient sleep exposes the sufferer to a litany of performance and health problems. In a study published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research, researchers found insomniacs were more than twice as likely as normal sleepers to call in sick for long periods.
Snooze strategy: Let’s assume that you’ve already cut back on caffeine. What you want to do is make your sleep more efficient, says W. Christopher Winter, M.D., medical director of the sleep medicine center at Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville, Va. Dr. Winter likens poor sleep to a bookcase missing a few volumes, representing gaps in your sleep. By going to bed an hour or so later, those gaps won’t be as long as or frequent. Soon enough, you should be waking up after the roosters, not before them.
A tiring workout before bed will help me sleep more soundly: MYTH
Regular exercise is one of the best sleep-promoting remedies, but working out late at night risks leaving you wide-eyed in bed. “It’s easiest to fall asleep when your core body temperature goes relatively quickly from very warm to very cold,” says Dr. Chediak. “After exercise, that cooling process takes four to six hours.” It’s better to take a hot bath or sauna session close to bedtime. “Anything that raises core body temperature will help get you started on sleep,” says Dr. Chediak. He says the cooldown period into the sleep zone following a bath takes just two hours—half that of an exercise session.
Snooze strategy: Work out—but do it first thing in the morning for all-day energy and a quick drift into deep, restful sleep. Studies show that exercise improves sleep as effectively as a class of sleeping pills that includes Restoril and Halcion.
Alcohol can help me sleep at night: MYTH
Only if you equate a good night’s sleep with passing out drunk on your girlfriend’s sofa. Alcohol messes with the normal sleep cycle, especially the back end of the cycle. “Four hours into sleep, alcohol wears off and leaves you in an excitable state,” says Dr. Chediak. You’ll sleep lighter, wake more easily, and be hung over when you do wake. After three nights of intoxicated slumber, even the initial knockout punch begins to wane. Dr. Chediak warns of another drawback to using a six-pack as a sleep aid. “Being a muscle relaxant as well as sedative, alcohol can even create sleep apnea symptoms in snorers who don’t otherwise have the condition,” he says. Unfortunately, liquor is a go-to therapy for many sheep counters, used as often as over-the-counter sleeping pills and more often than prescription sleep meds.
Snooze strategy: Be consistent with your overall schedule and you won’t need booze. “Your internal clock is a structure in your brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus,” says Dr. Winter. “To set this clock, eat your breakfast, lunch, and dinner at exactly the same time every day for a week.”
Green Tea
by Steve Hernandez on Jun.19, 2007, under Health
Green tea is one of the healthiest teas (and drinks for that matter) that you can consume. That’s a very strong statement, but I stand by it. I have yet to come across a beverage (or chemical for that matter) that has so many health benefits with little or no negative side effects.
Well, after reading this quick summary of the benefits of green tea (http://chinesefood.about.com/library/weekly/aa011400a.htm) I’ve been trying to drink at least 3 cups of tea a day. I’ve calculated that it’s about 360mg of the powerful EGCG antioxidants. Although that’s not as great as most supplements out there which can contain a gram or more of the stuff, it’ll work for now since 1) I cannot drink coffee on a regular basis, so tea is my stand-in, and 2) there’s something about drinking it naturally as opposed to taking a supplement, which I’m hoping will have some additional benefit. Maybe there’s some additional chemicals in the tea which work together with the EGCG, who knows? There’s really only one way to find out either way, and that’s to drink the stuff on a regular basis.
It’s been 2 months into my “3 cups of green tea a day” campaign. Thus far I’m averaging 2.333 cups a day. That’s only counting weekdays since I only drink tea at work. So if I continue at this pace, I should be able to bring the average up to the ‘effective’ amount. This is particularly important to me because a variety of cancers run in my family as well as diabetes. While there have not been any links between green tea and diabetes, there have been between green tea and cancer, since the EGCG protects cellular DNA from free radicals and hinders the growth of cancer cells.
Thus far I have had no negative side effects. The caffiene it contains is minimal (30 mg / 8 oz hot serving) according to my Lipton Green Tea with Lemon and Ginseng box. 30mg is nothing, especially for someone like me who can down several hundred milligrams just to be alert.
One last note regarding the amount of antioxidants. I’ve noticed that the flavored variations of green tea (such as my lemon-ginsend and vanilla caramel truffle) decreases as you add additional ingredients. I’ve attributed this to the simple fact that there has to be less tea in the tea bag to make room for the flavoring agents. It’s a signicant decrease (200mg in 8oz of regular green tea as opposed to 120mg in Lemon-Ginseng Green Tea) but it doesn’t hurt to mix it up. After all, you’re more likely to drink more of something you like that not (obviously).
CORRECTION: Water is the healthiest liquid you can drink. Green Tea would have to be #2 
