Hope your doing well!  Hard to believe summer is just about over.  September is always busy and holidays are just around the corner. The days get shorter (which I think is true) and our ‘to do’ list gets longer (this I know!).  Stress levels get higher and tempers get shorter.  This is all the more reason to get a GOOD NIGHT sleep. Read below and learn how much the lack of sleep has effect on our body, hormones and yes………our weight.  If you get a good night sleep things look brighter, you have more energy and you will gain a sense of humor.  During the day take a few moments for a good laugh…..it’s good for your HEART and ABS :)

Remember - Make exercise a part of you life – If you need help just let me know!

Now read on about the importance of SLEEP and LAUGHTER………….

Sleep Off the Pounds

By Jennifer Gruenemay, ACE-Certified, LifeScript Staff Writer

Think you can make up for missed Zzzs on the weekend? Think again. Skipping out on sleep can stall weight loss by causing hormonal imbalances that increase your appetite and trigger weight gain. Research has found that neglecting a proper night’s sleep can elevate levels of cortisol (the stress hormone), which in turn increases your appetite. Your body needs a full 7-8 hours of undisturbed sleep every night in order for you to perform at your best the next day. If you’re not getting enough sleep, ask yourself why. Is it because you’re staying up too late watching TV? Set new guidelines for TV time and get to bed on time. Are you waking up in the middle of the night feeling wired or with a full bladder? Don’t drink caffeinated beverages within seven hours of bedtime or a lot of liquid right before you hit the hay. And be sure to empty your bladder before you go to sleep. Figure out what’s keeping you up too late or making you wake up during the “wee” hours of the morning and fix it. Aim for a full eight hours of sleep every night and you’ll wake up feeling rested and ready to make the most out of your day and your weight loss goals.

14 Ways to Improve Sleep Now!

Source - Barbara C. Phillips

 Sleep disturbance or insomnia is not uncommon in women starting at midlife. While this may be due to a physical concern, usually it's not. Let's discuss some things you can do NOW to improve your sleep.

1.  Good sleep is a component of good health. Things that you do for good health are essential and will directly impact your quality of sleep. This means eating a healthy diet, regular exercise and good daily multivitamin/mineral supplements.
2. A healthy diet that is high in phytoestrogens such as fruits and vegetables may help if the cause of your sleep disturbance happens to be related to being perimenopausal. Apples, carrots, cherries, green beans, oats, peas, potatoes, soybeans and sprouts - just to mention a few!
3. Avoid stimulating agents such as nicotine and caffeine -- that includes coffee, tea, soft drinks, and chocolate. Even one cup of coffee in the morning can affect sleep quality hours later. We, as women, tend to metabolize caffeine much slower than men.
4. Sleep in a dark room. (How bright is your illuminated clock?)
5. Develop a sleep routine: going to bed at the same time; rituals such as having a cup of relaxing tea and then washing up, and the like.
6. Avoid taking naps.
7. Is your sleeping space comfortable? Look at light, noise and temperature. How about your bed? Is it too firm or too soft?
8. Avoid late night heavy meals. However, a light snack at bedtime may be helpful.
9. Try relaxation -- mediate, take a bath, listen to soft music, read a gentle book, get a massage.
10. Avoid the news and other violent or emotional stimulation before bed! It's hardly relaxing!
11. Avoid alcohol late in the day. It can cause waking in the night and impairs sleep quality.
12. Limit your bed activities -- avoid getting used to things like reading or sewing in bed.
13. If you cannot sleep, get up and do something until you can sleep.
14. If worries are keeping you awake, try journaling -- it may provide a way for you to release the worry onto paper and thus relax and sleep.

There are natural supplements that can be tried. If you are a milk drinker, consider having a glass of warm milk. Milk when it is warm releases tryptophan, the same substance that was in that Thanksgiving turkey that had you napping. On the other hand, I recently read that warm milk also has substances that can keep you awake. Let your own body tell you what it likes about milk.

Other suggestions include valerian root, melatonin, passion flower and of course the chamomile, catnip, anise or fennel teas. Some companies package teas in their own formulations for sleep, such as "Sleepy Time". Your local herbalist or health food store may also be able to give you suggestions. As with anything else, the key to try different things and see what you respond to.

Reprinted from iSnare.com.

Sleep Facts

 
Did you Know .......?

•  About 70 million Americans suffer from a sleep problem; nearly 60 percent of them have a chronic sleep disorder.
• Sleep apnea affects about 18 million Americans. 95% of these cases go undiagnosed and untreated.
• More common than asthma, sleep apnea causes 38,000 cardiovascular deaths annually.
• Sleep apnea is associated with high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, heart attack, pulmonary hypertension, congestive heart failure, stroke, mental impairment, sexual problems and injury from accidents.
• Sleep apnea affects more than
•        30% of coronary artery disease patients
•        50% of congestive heart failure patients
•        60% of stroke survivors
•        80% of drug-resistant hypertension patients
• Approximately 10% to 30% of adults snore.
• For 5% of adults, snoring is the first indication of obstructive sleep apnea.
• An estimated 200,000 people suffer from narcolepsy.
• More than 50 percent of Americans aged 65 and older have a sleep problem.
• The prevalence of sleep disorders appears to increase with advancing age, and as Americans age, an estimated 80 million Americans will have a sleep problem by the year 2010.
• About 25 percent of American children aged 1-5 have a sleep disturbance.
• Approximately 60% to 85% of people who have tried continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) to relieve sleep apnea have been able to continue its use.
• Sleep disorders and sleepiness cost the general public over $16 billion annually; an additional $50 - $100 billion results from the indirect costs of accidents, litigation, property destruction, hospitalization and death.
• The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that 200,000 reported automobile accidents each year may be sleep-related.
• Individuals with OSA are seven times more likely to have car accidents.
• Physicians receive, on average, a total of only 2.1 hours of formal education in sleep medicine during their medical school training.

Source - Sleep Health Doctor

Prescription for Sleep: More Is Better

Getting anything less than 7 or 8 hours of sleep a night may be harmful to your health.

By R. Morgan Griffin Source: WebMD the Magazine

Want to lower your risk of heart disease, cancer, obesity, and depression? Go to bed.

“We don’t take sleep seriously enough,” says Michael J. Sateia, MD, medical director of the Sleep Disorders Service at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H. “It’s essential to life. If you disrupt the sleep cycle, you could face grave health repercussions throughout your body.”

It’s not absolutely clear that sleep loss leads to bad health, but evidence is mounting. Decreased sleep is now associated with dozens of different illnesses and health problems. We live in a chronically overtired society. In this country, half of us aren’t getting the seven to eight hours of sleep we need -- and our health may be suffering for it. “Getting enough sleep should be considered just as important as eating a healthy diet and exercising,” Sateia says. Who knew that lying around could be so good for you?

Sleep as Rx

While scientists still don’t know exactly why we need sleep, we know with certainty that we do need it. “A natural cycle of rest and wakefulness dictates all sorts of biological functions,” says Michael Twery, PhD, director of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research in Bethesda, Md. In other words, start messing with the sleep cycle, and lots of things -- metabolism, hormone levels, and blood pressure -- go out of whack. Sleep loss has been associated with:

Heart disease. Not getting enough sleep may trigger the release of stress hormones and proteins that bump up the risk of heart attacks and strokes. One large study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in 2003 showed that women who slept less than five hours a night were 45% more likely to have heart problems than women who slept eight hours.

Diabetes. Being sleep-deprived can affect how your body processes blood sugar, and that could raise your risk of diabetes. One 1999 Lancet study of 11 healthy, young men found that after just six days of sleeping for four hours a night, their insulin and blood sugar levels were similar to those of people on the verge of diabetes.

Obesity. Multiple studies show that chronic loss of sleep may increase the risk of obesity. One 2004 study showed that people who sleep five hours a night are 73% more likely to become obese than those who sleep seven to nine hours. Sleep loss may cause the hormones that control appetite to get out of balance.

Depression. Depression and sleep are closely linked: While depression can cause sleep loss, sleep loss can lead to depression. In fact, some researchers believe a cause of postpartum depression is sleep deprivation.

Infection. Recent studies show that being well rested improves the body’s ability to fight off infection. One 2002 JAMA study showed that men who were vaccinated for the flu after sleeping only four hours a night for six nights had less than half the flu-fighting antibodies of men who slept normally.

Accidents. You might not consider accidents a health risk. But there’s no denying a car crash can have a severe impact on your health. Lack of sleep may be the culprit in up to 20% of all serious auto accidents. And several high-profile disasters -- such as Chernobyl and the Exxon Valdez oil spill -- were caused, in part, by overtired workers.

 Feel a lack of sleep doesn’t affect you that much? Don’t trust yourself. People who are chronically overtired often don’t realize it -- they’ve just gotten used to feeling that way.

 
Tell a Joke to Get in Shape

Knock, knock. Even if the punch line isn’t that funny, go ahead and have a good laugh. It could very well prolong your life. Doctors at the University of Maryland School of Medicine found that natural laughter increases a person’s blood circulation by more than 20% and prevents hardening of the arteries. Not only is laughter great for your heart, it’s great for your abs. Laughing is a product of forceful abdominal contractions, which help to build abdominal strength and contribute to shaping your six-pack. In addition to the direct physical benefits of laughter, researchers believe that joy leads individuals to make healthier diet and lifestyle choices and avoid harmful habits such as smoking. Though humor alone should not replace a proper nutrition, vitamin and exercise program, doctors recommend 15 minutes of laughter on a daily basis. Now might be a good time to ask your cube-mates if they’ve heard the one about the lawyer and the pit bull.

Source - Lifescript

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