Fight Sleep Deficiency with Healthy Choices
Chronic sleep deficiency is a problem for many people. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) more than a third of American adults are not getting enough sleep on a regular basis. Is this you? We can help.
Sleep Deficiency
Chronic sleep deficiency is a problem for many people. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) more than a third of American adults are not getting enough sleep on a regular basis. Lack of sleep can have serious impacts on our health. Glucose metabolism declines 30-40% resulting in weight gain and a larger waistline. We become fatigued faster than when we have a full night’s sleep. Two days with sleep restriction leads to a threefold increase of lapse in attention and reaction to situations. Sleep insufficiency is linked to motor vehicle crashes, industrial disasters, and medical and other occupational errors. Unintentionally falling asleep, nodding off while driving, and having difficulty performing daily tasks because of sleepiness contribute to these hazardous outcomes. Persons experiencing sleep insufficiency are also more likely to suffer from chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, depression, and obesity, as well as cancer, increased mortality, and reduced quality of life and productivity. Sleep deficiency may be caused by broad scale societal factors such as round-the-clock access to technology and work schedules, but sleep disorders such as insomnia or obstructive sleep apnea also play an important role. An estimated 50-70 million US adults have sleep or wakefulness disorders.
Cognitive performance after less than six hours of sleep is equivalent to getting no sleep for 48 straight hours. Cognitive performance relates to mental processes of perception, memory, judgment, and reasoning.
A 2017 study commissioned by the University of Washington Health Sciences concluded chronic sleep deprivation suppresses the immune system. Simply stated, people get sick more often when they don’t get enough sleep. Dr. Nathaniel Watson, co-director of the UW Medicine Sleep Center at Harborview Medical Center states, “What we show is that the immune system functions best when it gets enough sleep. Seven or more hours of sleep is recommended for optimal health.”
How Much Sleep Do We Need and are We Getting Enough?
How much sleep we need varies between individuals but generally changes with age. The National Institutes of Health suggests that school-age children need at least 10 hours of sleep daily, teens need 9-10 hours, and adults need 7-8 hours.
“Sleep is the most under-appreciated health crisis in America,” states Dr. Mehmet Oz, host of “The Dr. Oz Show”. In conjunction with ResMed, Dr. Oz and ResMed gathered sleep statistics from 20,000 people representing over 1.5 million nights’ worth of sleep. Their findings demonstrate that sleep is chronically neglected by most Americans.
Observations from the data collected includes:
79% of the population sleeps less than the 7 hours recommended by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine – Most Americans sleep one hour less. To put this in context, a recent study by AAA reported that sleeping as little as one hour less than recommended doubles the risk of a traffic accident.
Women sleep longer than men – Men average 5 hours, 45 minutes, while women average 6 hours, 9 minutes.
On average, Americans go to bed at 10:21 pm and wake up at 7:41 am. People in the Pacific time zone go to bed the latest, at 11:17 p.m., and people in the Eastern time zone wake up the earliest at 7:40 a.m.
Exercise is good for sleep – Any amount is helpful, but the optimal amount is 30 minutes, which correlates with 14 minutes of extra sleep per night.
Caffeine – Three or fewer cups of coffee didn’t notably affect average sleep time, but those who drank four cups or more slept 26 minutes less.
Alcohol – Those who had one or two drinks slept an average of 16 minutes more than people who had more than two drinks – or none.
Children can be both good and bad for sleep – Men with 0-1 children get the most sleep, and women with 2-3 children get the most sleep. Having more children seems to impact men more – they lose 45 minutes of sleep per night with 4 or more children, whereas women with 4 or more children only lose 25 minutes.
Mattresses matter –The type of mattress people sleep on appears to make an average difference of 20 minutes sleep per night.
Common sleep problems – Excessive fatigue during the day and taking too long to fall asleep were the most common reported issues. Waking up in the middle of the night is also a major problem for many Americans.
Sleep aids – 50% of study participants reported using a mix of two or more sleep aids per night, such as prescription medications, over the counter sleeping pills and herbal remedies/food supplements for sleep.
Sleep is an essential physiological process, but in our fast paced, highly productive lives, we often sacrifice sleep for other activities. This is due in part to our perception of sleep as a non-productive endeavor, when from a physiological and health standpoint it is our most productive time of our day.
William C. Dement, M.D., Ph.D., Stanford University, is the one of the world’s leading scientists on sleep. For this pioneering work in a previously uncharted field, he is sometimes referred to as the father of sleep medicine. Dr. Dement states, “Healthy sleep has been empirically proven to be the single most important determinant in predicting longevity, more important than diet, exercise and heredity.”
Sleep Matters and getting enough sleep is one way that we all can be healthier, more productive and happier.
Tips for a better night's sleep:
Stick to a sleep schedule, even on weekends.
Practice a relaxing bedtime ritual.
Exercise daily.
Evaluate your bedroom to ensure ideal temperature, sound and light.
Beware of hidden sleep stealers, like alcohol and caffeine.
Turn off electronics before bed.
Sleep on a comfortable mattress and pillows.
Get 8 hours a night of good quality sleep. It’s one way to be Healthy by Choice. Sweet Dreams.
Be Healthy by Choice and not by Chance
Becoming Portion Control Savvy
Portion control is at the heart of eating what you enjoy and maintaining an effective weight management program.
Healthy Portion Choices Every Day, All Day.
Portion control is at the heart of eating what you enjoy and maintaining an effective weight management program. To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume. Maintaining a healthy weight requires a balance between what you consume and the energy you use. Being portion control savvy means you are satiated, energized and in control. Here are 6 easy tips to help you make healthy portion choices every day, all day.
1. Start with water. Studies show that proper hydration (we recommend drinking ½ of your body weight in ounces daily) leads to less consumption of calories. Healthy hydration is the cornerstone of self care and a great way to help you fill full faster which prevents over eating. Drink a glass of water at least 30 minutes before a meal. Bonus: water also aids the digestion.
2. Don’t skip meals. When you skip meals, your body goes into survival mode because you are risking nutrient deficiencies linked to fatigue, poor mental function, and other health concerns, therefore, your body begins to store fat. “If you routinely skip breakfast, you may be headed for trouble,” says Leah Cahill, PhD, of the Harvard School of Public Health. One of Cahill's studies found that women who skipped breakfast regularly had a 20% increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Another of her studies—this one in men—linked going without a morning meal to heart disease. "Our bodies need to be fed food regularly in order to maintain healthy levels of blood lipids such as cholesterol, hormones such as insulin, and normal blood pressure," Cahill says. You may also over indulge at the next meal which throws your body out of balance.
Instead of skipping meals try a healthy meal replacement protein shake but do your research when choosing a shake. You may also want to add a small portion of protein like a hard-boiled egg to aid in curbing your appetite.
3. Use approximation. Don’t sweat not being able to accurately measure a serving size instead learn some helpful approximation tips. For example, a healthy serving size of lean meat is approximately the size of a deck of cards. Use your hand. 1 cup is about the size of your fist and 1-2 ounces of a food like nuts or pretzels = your cupped hand. Although, this seems small when paired with other healthy portions you will be satisfied.
4. Divide and conquer. Divide your dinner plate down the middle. Then fill 50% of your plate with vegetables. Divide the other half of your plate again into two 25% sections. Use one section for your protein and the other 25% section fill with a healthy starch like brown rice. The more color you can get on your plate the healthier the meal.
5. Know your measurements. We tend to choose our food based on calories, and that is a good thing, but we often ignore serving sizes. Try to stick to the serving size by measuring out your meal or healthy snack.
6. The dining out conundrum. A review published in 2013 stated that larger plates of food can lead to us eating up lead to 45% more than what our average intake would be. This can be managed by eating only half of what is on your plate and then taking home the other half. You can even take this a step further by asking your server to box up half of your meal before it reaches you, thus eliminating the temptation to over eat.
More Healthy Choices
We recommend you watch our short 3 minute video "Weight Matters: The 1st Few Pounds" then explore even more healthy choices with "Weight Matters."
Be Healthy by Choice and not by Chance.
Sources used: http://www.prevention.com/weight-loss/effects-skipping-meals
San Joaquin Health "Understanding Portion Control" pg. 32
https://www.dukedietandfitness.org/Portion-Control-Why-is-it-so-important
Break the Sugar Addiction
Public enemy No. 1 is sugar but what can you do?
Do you know how much sugar you consume daily? Do you want to know? The fact is you NEED to know.
According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) over 70% of Americans are overweight or obese. This can lead to severe health issues and/or chronic diseases. The CDC predictes 1/3 of the American population will have diabetes by the year 2050.
Public enemy No. 1 is sugar. To learn more watch the short video "Weight Matters: The 1st Few Pounds."
What can you do? The first and easiest step is to read labels. We mean all labels. We have seen sugar added to "organic" asparagus in the produce section.
Second log what you eat and the sugar content for an entire week. At the end of the week add up the sugar then divide by 7 and this will give you your average daily sugar consumption. Then evaluate and eliminate or substitute foods with less added sugars. Third continue to read labels.
Kenzen Vital Balance
Our favorite way to break the sugar addiction is a healthy Kenzen Vital Balance (KVB) shake. KVB is sweetened with organic moringa and monk fruit. Have a shake twice a day if you wish to loose weight or have a shake when you are craving something sweet.
We always recommend you do your research so you can be healthy by choice and not by chance.