Why We Need More Sleep

Sleep, Hormones and Weight

My only new year’s resolution is to get MORE sleep each night.  I average about 5-6 hours per night now – and I know that this is not enough!  We should be getting 7.5 to 8.5 hours of sleep each night.  I've been trained to read and analyze clinical studies, so I've been reading studies on sleep, hormone balance and weight.  Maybe, when I see scientific proof with my own eyes, I will be able to make myself get more sleep!  Nearly 2/3 of American’s aren't getting enough sleep during a typically week. 

Today, more than 30% of adult men and women are sleeping less than 6 hours per night.  Numerous studies have been and are being conducted that link less sleep to increased weight.  Many hormones are affected by sleep duration and sleep plays an important role in our energy balance.

Lack of sleep decreased activity in our brain’s frontal lobe.  The frontal lobe is responsible for decision making and impulse control

Lack of sleep increases our brain’s reward centers – setting us up to look for something that feels good.  For example, craving comfort foods and carbs.

A consistent bedtime and consistent wake time are associated with lower body fat percentages.

Quality of sleep is important for body composition.

Less than 6.5 or more than 8.5 hours of sleep per night is associated with higher body fat.

Many hormones are impacted from insufficient sleep.

The 2 main hormones impacted by sleep are our hunger and fullness hormones.  Ghrelin is the hormone that signals our brain that it’s time to eat.  Leptin is the hormone that signals our brain that we are full.  When we are sleep deprived, our bodies make more ghrelin and less leptin.  So it is no wonder that sleep deprivation leads to overeating and extra pounds.

Chronic insufficient sleep keeps our bodies under stress – and increased stress leads to an increase in the stress hormone cortisol.  Excess cortisol tells your body to conserve energy thus lowering your metabolism, storing fat, increasing appetite and increasing sugar cravings.

Another effect of sleep deprivation relates to insulin.  Our bodies aren't able to respond to insulin (also a hormone) as effectively as we should, insulin resistance.  Insulin is needed to change sugar, starches and other foods into energy.  Our bodies end up storing fats from our bloodstream as actual fat when we can’t respond to insulin as we should.

Tips for higher quality of sleep include exercising regularly, keeping temperature in your room cool, having a quiet room, having a dark room, not using our beds to work or read, turning off all electronics at least 30 minutes before bedtime and no caffeine after 2 pm.

Believe in Yourself

So, I told everyone that I had not planned to bake Christmas cookies this year because they didn’t fit into my nutrition goals that I’ve set for myself.  But the family talked me into it – and I knew that it wouldn’t be pretty for me or my goals…and I’ve eaten more than I should have.  I knew that this would happen because I have a horrible sweet tooth that I constantly have to control.  And I’m able to keep it in check by drinking Shakeology every day and not buying sweets.  But when sweets are in the house I will eat them – and these cookies are in my house. 

So now I’m not feeling great because I’ve eaten too many cookies and not enough vegetables over the holiday week.  And now I’m reminding myself that it’s OK to fail every now and then.

I’ve created this list of motivational guidelines that are helping me to overcome obstacles and helping me succeed.

• Believe in yourself
• You can accomplish your goals.
• You are worth it - you are worth taking care of yourself.
• Learn and teach yourself about nutrition
• Better nutrition is the key to reaching your goal weight or your ideal body shape.
• Decide to make a change and commit with no excuses.
• Every small step in the right direction is one step closer to your goal.
• Make that decision and stick with it.
• Write your specific goals and give yourself deadlines.
• Think about your goals and write down each small step that you need to accomplish to reach your larger goal.
• One step at the time.  Large goals are easier to accomplish when they are broken down into smaller goals.
• Be proud of any and every positive change that you make.
• Every little positive change is a change in the right direction.
• Be proud of every positive change that you are able to make, no matter how small it may seem.
• Surround yourself with people who support your goals and motivate you.
• Supportive people help to encourage and lift one another higher.
• Surround yourself with people who want to see you succeed.
• Motivate each other - provide support to each other.
• Tell your mind to get out of your body's way - you can do it.
• Our minds will fail us long before our body physically fails.
• Believe that you can and you WILL!
• Don't compare yourself to others.
• We all start somewhere.
• We can all be successful and FEEL successful at every point in out journey.
• Find exercise programs that you enjoy - you're more likely to do this every day.
• Make fitness part of your everyday life - make it a habit.
• Let your fear motivate you to succeed.
• Fear can cripple us - do not allow fear to stop you from achieving your goals.
• Don't let a small set-back derail your entire goal.
• No one is perfect - no one sticks to their meal plan and exercise plan every single day.  We all have "off" days when we can't or don't stick to our plan.
• Don't let a couple "off" days stop you from working towards your goals.
• Accept the day, forgive yourself and do better the next day.

Strategies to Help Curb Cravings over the Holidays

No matter what our dietary enemy is, we can count on it being near us during the Christmas season!  We’ve survived all the Halloween candy and all the Thanksgiving foods – so we CAN survive Christmas without setting ourselves back 15 steps!

Here are a few strategies to help us manage cravings, either sweet cravings, salty cravings, or just any craving in general:

1.   Keep the enemy out of the house and out of the office!  If we don’t see it we will be less likely to think about it.  I don’t know about you guys and how your cravings are – but I work at CVS – the candy capital of the world – and I see my cravings all day long!  One thing that I do that helps tremendously is not buying any junk or candy at the grocery store or my store – it doesn’t come in the house and isn’t here for me to think about.

2.   Have a protein shake for breakfast.  This will keep you full for hours and starts your day off on the right foot.  I have Shakeology EVERY DAY to start my day with a healthy dose of nutrition and protein.  It’s full of protein and I add fruit to the shake for my complex carb component – this is nutrition that sticks with me through the morning.  And it’s FAST, making it easy for me to have breakfast.

3.   Eat stabilizing foods.  Keep your blood sugar and energy levels steady all day with lean protein, healthy fats, slow-release high fiber carbs (whole grains, fruits/veggies & beans) and leafy veggies. 

4.   Eat by the clock – don’t skip meals or space them too far apart.  Try to eat breakfast, and then eat at least every 4 to 6 hours. 

5.   Write everything down – keep track of what you’re eating.  If you see it on paper, you are more likely to behave.

6.   Substitute some of your favorite foods with healthier versions.  Eat sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes.  Use cauliflower to make mashed “potatoes” instead of white potatoes.  Use quinoa instead of rice.

7.   It’s ok to have a COUPLE bites of whatever it is that you are craving.  Satisfy the craving and move on.

8.   Get enough sleep!  Lack of sleep raises your hunger hormone, gherlin, and decreases your leptin hormone.  Leptin is responsible for making you feel full.  When these 2 hormones are out of balance, you will have more cravings.

9.   Exercise!  Burn more calories to make up for extra that you might eat. 

The Day My Body Failed Me

You know what they say: Your mind gives out long before your body does.  Not today my friend, not today.  My body gave out when my mind wanted to push harder.  I’ll explain…I’ve been working out with PiYo since it was released in June and I’ve gained strength physically and mentally over the last 6 months.  This program has taught me to believe in myself and my own abilities. 

Today, I woke up feeling a little tired and lacking energy, but I decided to push play and go for it.  And I even chose the longest PiYo workout that I have.  This was where I set myself up…not for failure…but for a test.  I realize now that I wanted to test myself and my abilities – I just didn’t think about that being what I was doing when I chose the workout.

I made it through about 20 minutes when it happened.  I was in down dog with an open hip (my PiYo friends understand this…but just know it’s HARD).  This is when my body physical quit on me, my arms and legs were shaking, I held it as long as I could, then finally my legs and arms just collapsed under me and I fell to the ground.  The old me would have been completely upset and mad at myself.  But do you know what happened?  I wasn’t mad at all – I felt great!  I knew that I had pushed as hard as I could and failed.  It is in failure that we find courage and can grow.  So, I picked myself up, caught my breath and started again.  I did fast forward past the burpees (there was no way that I could physically do those!).  BUT even though I skipped some of the workout, I pushed through my exhaustion and finished the workout.

When I finished, it didn’t bother me that I skipped some of it, I just knew that I finished.  This is what mattered.  I have a goal to become healthier and take better care of myself.  And today I am one step closer to that goal.  I am finally at the place where I can fail and not be upset with myself or feel defeated.  Admitting failure does not mean you admit defeat.  It is very much the opposite.  Admitting failure allows you to know that you pushed yourself to your limits.  This allows you to create more goals and to push yourself harder each time.  Because each time you fail, you grow and get stronger.  You develop physical strength, but more importantly, you develop emotional strength.

How to Boost Your Immune System

Winter is upon us as well as cold and flu season.  With the cooler weather, germs spread more easily because we are cooped up indoors more.  This causes us to be in contact with more bacteria and viruses.  We can help to boost our immune systems and allow our “natural army” to defend our bodies against bacteria and viruses.  Our immune systems are complicated.  Because there are so many cells involved in the immune response, it is difficult to study scientifically and prove results.  But the medical community agrees that there are positive links between a healthy lifestyle and a stronger immune system.

The first line of defense is to choose a healthy lifestyle.  A truly healthy lifestyle allows our immune system to function more effectively.

Here are a few healthy lifestyle choices:

·        Eat a diet high in fruits, vegetables and whole grains and low in saturated fat.  A healthy, well-balanced diet will nourish our bodies and help our bodies function at peak levels.

·        Exercise regularly

·        Maintain a healthy weight

·        Control your blood pressure

·        If you drink alcohol, drink in moderation

·        Get adequate sleep

·        Reduce stress

·        Wash your hands frequently/use hand sanitizer and clean surfaces that you touch frequently

·        Don’t smoke

Stress and Our Immune System

There is a link between both types of stress and our immune systems; either can have negative effects on our bodies.  One type of stress is physical stress.  Examples of physical stressors towards our bodies are lack of exercise, lack of sleep, obesity, chronic pain, physical injury, chronic illness.  The other type of stress is psychological or emotional stress.  This can be anything that emotionally causes you to feel stressed or anxious, either short-term or long-term.  Any of these stressors can cause every system in our bodies to perform at lower levels.  And stress causes excessive cortisol levels in our bodies – cortisol is the “stress hormone”.  Excessive cortisol levels will weaken our immune systems.

How can we lower stress?

1.  Regular physical activity can help to “burn up” excess cortisol levels

2.  Meditation – simply taking about 10 deep breaths will help you body and brain relax, lower heart rate, lower blood pressure and decrease cortisol.

3.  Laughter reduces cortisol levels

4.  Listening to music can lower cortisol levels.

Exercise and our Immune System

Regular exercise is a necessity for healthy living.  It improves cardiovascular health, lowers blood pressure, helps control body weight and keeps our immune systems functioning at peak levels.  Exercise also promotes good circulation, which allows the cells of the immune system to move through the body more efficiently and function more efficiently.

Probiotics and our Immune System

Prebiotics act as the “food” that fuels the growth of probiotics (the good bacteria) that are naturally found in our intestines.  Probiotics help our bodies absorb nutrients and minerals and help keep our digestive system functioning properly.  Probiotics improve intestinal function and help with digestion.

About 70% of the cells that make up our immune system are found in the wall of our intestines.  Supplementing the amount of probiotics in our intestines helps to boost our immune system’s ability to stay healthy and fight infection.  The good bacteria challenge our immune system to keep it strong.

Over the Counter Products and Immune Systems

As a pharmacist, I have questions from patients every day about how to boost immune systems to prevent and treat colds and flu.  We have so many products marketed as immune boosters and it can be confusing for patients.  Scientific evidence is not concrete but some benefit has been shown with a few products.  Products such as zinc and vitamin C have the most evidence supporting their use as immune boosters.  They are used to prevent sickness and lessen the severity of sickness.

**How do I stay healthy?  I’m in contact every day with patients who are sick and I cannot remember the last time that I was sick.  I wash my hands all day long and clean surfaces that people come into contact with.  I only use my own pens to write with and I keep my phones clean with sanitizing wipes.  I exercise regularly.  I eat healthy to nourish my body and support it’s functioning.  I also drink Shakeology EVERY DAY to ensure that I am providing my body with dense nutrition, vitamins, minerals and probiotics.

Healthy Granola

I love granola – but most of it contains too much sugar and fats.  It’s usually pretty easy to make adjustments in a recipe to make it healthier.   So, I adjusted my favorite recipe to decrease the sugar content and I used a healthier fat.  Then I added in more nuts.

Here’s what I did:  

1. The original recipe called for vegetable oil – I used coconut oil instead. 

2. The original recipe called for ½ cup brown sugar – I decreased that to only 1 tablespoon.  

3. The original recipe called for ½ cup honey – I decreased that to ¼ cup honey.   

4. The original recipe called for only pecans – I used pecans, cashews and sunflower seeds. 

    (Almonds, flaxseed or coconut flakes would  be good too)

These 4 changes make the recipe much healthier.  Even with less sugar, the granola is still sweet.

Healthy Granola Recipe

Preheat oven to 250.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  (I use only 1 baking sheet so that I can press the granola together and have larger chunks)

3 cups old fashioned rolled oats

2 cups chopped nuts/seeds (pecans, almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds)

1 tbsp brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup raw coconut oil,  melted

1 tbsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

*Can add dried fruit such as raisins after baking

1. In large bowl, combine brown sugar, honey, coconut oil, vanilla and salt

2. Add chopped nuts/seeds and oats to mixture, stir to combine well and coat oats evenly

3. Spread evenly onto 1 or 2 baking sheets

4. Bake for 60-70 minutes, stirring twice during baking.

*Cool completely on pan before storing in airtight container.