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Stop Dreaming About Quality Sleep and Do Something!
An old Chinese proverb states, “Only when one cannot sleep does one know how long the night is.” Anyone who’s ever experienced an occasional bout with insomnia—and that’s most of us—can relate to this all too well.
In fact, surveys have shown that between 40 and 60 percent of the general population has trouble sleeping. Daily stress and worries, pressures from job and family, body aches and pains caused by uncomfortable beds or pillows, and a host of other issues can keep a person from getting enough quality sleep.
Sleep is critical to good health and functioning, so lack of it is a serious matter. “Sleep is one of the most important functions of the brain,” says Frederick R. Carrick, DC, PhD, president of the American Chiropractic Association’s Council on Neurology. Through it, our bodies recharge and renew for the next day’s challenges.
As wellness experts, doctors of chiropractic can provide patients with a different approach to their sleeping problems— without the use of sleeping pills, which leave many people in a mental haze the next morning. To start, here are a few helpful tips they would recommend for the sleepless in Seattle (or any city, for that matter):
- Exercise regularly. Exercising in the morning is best, but if you must exercise in the evening, do so at least two or three hours before bedtime. Any later, and your increased heart rate can interfere with your sleep.
- Limit your intake of caffeinated beverages such as coffee, colas and tea—try to avoid them altogether late in the day and near bedtime. In addition, for each cup of caffeinated beverages you drink each day, drink an equal amount of water.
- If you have trouble sleeping and then get thirsty, drink tap water at room temperature (cold water may disturb the digestive system).
- Eat an early dinner. Eating after 6 p.m. may interfere with sleep as your body works to digest the food you’ve eaten.
- Go to bed at the same time each night and get up at the same time each morning. The routine will help your body know when it is time to rest.
- Keep your bedroom at a cool, comfortable temperature and try to make it as dark as possible when you’re ready for bed.
Creating a comfortable place to sleep by choosing the correct mattress and pillow is also essential to getting the quality sleep that your body needs to function at its best.
A mattress, for instance, should support the body’s weight evenly and allow the spine to stay in its natural alignment. Choosing the right one is a personal matter.
“There are a wide variety of comfort preferences. It’s very subjective,” says Brian Darcy, operations manager for Springwall, the manufacturer of premium-quality Chiropractic® sleep sets that ACA has endorsed for the past 38 years.
But regardless of whether you like your mattress firm or soft, give it a good trial run before you buy. Darcy recommends lying down on a mattress for a minimum of three to five minutes to get a good feel. Sitting on it simply won’t do.
Useful mattress facts…
- A mattress should provide uniform support from head to toe. If there are gaps between your body and your mattress (such as at the waist), you’re not getting the full support that you need.
- If you do have back pain and your mattress is too soft, you might want to firm up the support of your mattress by placing a board underneath it. But do this just until the pain goes away; such firmness is not good for “routine” sleeping.
- Every few months, turn your mattress clockwise, or upside down, so that body indentations are kept to a minimum. It’s also good to rotate the mattress frame every so often to reduce wear and tear.
- If you’re waking up uncomfortable, it may be time for a new mattress. There is no standard life span for a mattress; it all depends on the kind of usage it gets.
- Be aware that changes in your life can signal the need for a new mattress. For example, if you’ve lost or gained a lot of weight, if a medical condition has changed the way you sleep, or even if you have changed partners, it could mean that it’s time to find a new mattress that will accommodate those changes and help you sleep more soundly.
- If you’re not in the market for a new mattress, and your current mattress is too firm, you can soften it up by putting a 1- to 2-inch-thick padding on top of it – usually available at mattress and bedding stores.
Next, pillow talk…
After investing in a quality mattress, don’t forget to choose an equally supportive pillow, advises Peter Mckay, DC, who is in private practice in San Diego and also works as a consultant for Innovative Choices, the maker of the Therapeutica Pillow-another ACA-endorsed product. “People will spend thousands of dollars on a mattress and then skimp on a pillow that doesn’t support their head and neck properly,” he observes. A good pillow will keep the cervical (neck) section of the spine aligned with the thoracic and lumbar (chest and lower back) sections. “[The sections] move together and should be supported together.”
- When choosing a pillow, be selective. When lying on your side, your head and neck should remain level with your mid and lower spine. When lying on your back, your head and neck should remain level with your upper back and spine. In other words, your pillow should not be so thick that it causes your head and neck to be propped up or angled sharply away from your body.
- Be wary of pillows that are made out of mushy foam materials. The weight of your head can displace this kind of foam, leaving little support. Choose firmer foam and materials that press back and support the head.
- If you find yourself sleeping on your side with one hand propped under your pillow, that’s a clue that you’re not getting the support you need from that pillow.
- There is no such thing as a universal fit when it comes to pillows. Find one that is consistent with the shape and size of your body.
Protect Your Brain With One Powerful Nutrient
By Dr. James LaValle
You might think that a head injury has little in common with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other neurogenerative diseases. And, yes, they are unrelated on the surface. But when it comes to protecting your brain from all of these traumas, you can rely on one natural nutrient: magnesium.
Studies have confirmed that better magnesium levels help protect brain tissue from the damage that can be caused by any head trauma.
Magnesium acts as a natural calcium channel blocker, which makes it a principle nutrient for helping to control blood pressure. In the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) study, researchers found that people who took in enough magnesium while on a calorie-controlled diet were able to lower their blood pressure. And this same calcium channel blocking effect plays a role in protecting the brain.
The brain operates on a balance between “excitatory” and “inhibitory” activity. A neurotransmitter called glutamate is the primary trigger for the excitatory activity. When brain cells are activated by glutamate, calcium ions rush in. This is fine as long as the excitation is kept under reasonable control. But too much calcium entering the cells can be deadly to brain tissue. That’s where the calcium channel blocking effect of magnesium comes in.
Magnesium is also known to help control glutamate levels, possibly because it blocks the primary excitatory receptor (NMDA). And it helps glucose metabolism in the brain. Together, these functions of magnesium prevent brain cell death.
As I mentioned above, magnesium doesn’t just protect your brain from physical injury caused by an accident. Over-excitation of the brain as a result of excessive glutamate activity is a major cause of neurodegenerative disease. Stress hormones promote excitatory activity, as do dietary sources of glutamate. Of course, we need to control the amount of stress we have in our lives and watch what we eat. But getting enough magnesium is also critical for prevention.
The recommended daily allowance for magnesium is 400 mg/day. However, I think 500 to 800 mg is necessary for most people. Beans, nuts, and seeds are good dietary sources of magnesium – but to get optimal levels, it’s helpful to take supplements too.
Running On a Treadmill Vs. Running on the Road
Treadmill Running
Many enjoy treadmills for the pure and simply fact that they are safe and readily available anytime. With crime soaring in many areas, the treadmill is one of the only viable options for many that fear for their safety while trying to achieve a workout. Another great benefit to a treadmill is that the weather will not determine if you will be able to run or not each day. The weather doesn’t just refer to cold or wet but also if you suffer from allergies or have super hot weather that may cause problems with overheating.
Treadmills also offer much more joint protection than road running. Besides the fact that users are running on a piece of MDF or some other shock absorbing material, many now offer Orthopedic belts that are specifically designed to reduce shock for those with knee, ankle, or hip problems.
Many beginners also prefer the pace that a treadmill will allow users to attain that they may have a harder time finding on their own. The speed and pace are easily controlled and changed at any time so beginners may monitor their progress, whereas road running is nowhere near as precise a science for those not so aware of their stats.
Road Running
Roadies are a little harder to convince. Many road runners are usually hardcore and do not mind the weather or the crime possibility. Road runners generally find that treadmills are to confining and boring. With a treadmill the runner is not moving your body forward, thus you are moving your arms and legs with no resistance. Many say that for this reason treadmills are easier because you are not exerting the energy it takes to propel your body forward.
Outside you are also dealing with the wind friction that can make going forward harder.
Road running is a mental relief to many making their workouts much more enjoyable, thus making to more of a fun activity than a necessary evil that must be completed. Some even think that they run a better time while outside than on a treadmill, which is great motivation for anyone!
Conclusion
Weather you choose to use a treadmill or go the much cheaper route (free!), running/walking is the fastest and easiest way to fitness and weight loss. Both methods are sound and will help anyone achieve overall fitness.
Exercise to Reduce Stress
Stress – Yes, Exercise Helps!
Exercising regularly benefits the body in more ways than one. Improved health and general well-being is the most commonly-known. There are also those who exercise regularly to maintain their good figures and build. Still, others exercise as a means to a higher end like sports or a highly-physical line of work. But do you know that exercising regularly aids in reversing the damaging effects of stress and prepares your body to withstand some more?
Stress and exercise are a perfect match. One is negative, while the other is positive. Stress is the stimulus while exercise should be the proper response.
Exercise And How It Helps Reduce Stress
The body undergoes over 1500 biochemical reactions during stress response (fight or flight reflex) – an amazing chemical feat, indeed! However, byproducts of these processes are toxic to the body if they continue to circulate in the system. Regular exercise simulates the ‘fight or flight’ reflex and aids the body to attain homeostasis faster, thus, reducing the harmful effects of stress. Homeostasis is the constant condition within the body or the processes necessary to achieve this ideal condition. Thus, exercising helps the body get back to its normal functioning condition.
Regular exercise promotes health. A healthy body will not easily succumb to illnesses that are common among stressed-out people. During exercising until a few hours after, there is a marked increase in the body’s production of macrophages – the body’s immune cells in charge of eating up infectious viruses, bacteria and tumor cells in the body.
Aside from this, exercise improves blood circulation. Improved blood circulation allows all immune cells to circulate freely in the blood, thereby increasing their efficiency to defend the body. So, one avoids the added trouble of dealing with ailments while under a lot of stress, say, in the workplace.
One common symptom of stress are tensed muscles. Well, exercise, relaxes the whole body and gets rid of tightness and cramps in certain places, particularly the neck and upper back. Regular use of these muscles during exercising keeps them relaxed and allows blood to reach them with much-needed oxygen and cleanses them of cellular activity byproducts.
Some forms of exercises qualify as moving meditation like jogging and running. The repetitive movement makes for some kind of mantra that alters the mood in a positive way. It is as if the mind goes on a tranquil state that allows it to relax and let go of distressing thoughts.
With regular exercise, you also achieve a better figure as it promotes weight loss. Having an appearance that is socially desirable improves your self-image. A healthy self-image, plus a general sense of well-being can do wonders to one’s confidence to face any stressful situation.
Exercising regularly also allows you to set fitness goals that become part of a healthier lifestyle. And a healthier lifestyle has no room for stress – only the means to cope with it.
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