Day: April 5, 2022

Our Key Takeaways

• Try different “routine” on how you can wake up and check what’s best for you.
• Check first if you are a night owl or a morning person, then create a sleeping schedule.
• Exercising helps great with sleeping soundly and how you wake up.

This article is a repost which originally appeared on mindbodygreen.com
Julia Guerra - March 12, 2022
Edited for content and readability - Image sourced from Pexels Images

For some, waking up can be hard to do. Unless you’re a morning person, or just so happen to wake up during the right stage of sleep, the sound of your alarm can sound a whole lot like torture. Still, they say the early bird catches the worm, so if you’re trying to figure out how to wake yourself up in the morning to start conquering the day, you’ve come to the right place.

Why is it hard to wake up in the morning?

The reason is as physiological as it is mental. See, humans have a circadian rhythm and a biological clock. The two are not mutually exclusive, but they do work in tandem. Sleep expert Michael J. Breus, Ph.D. (affectionately known as the Sleep Doctor), defines the circadian rhythm as an organism’s 24-hour cycle that keeps the body working properly. The biological clock, Breus tells mbg, is a “natural timing device” that not only regulates the cycle of the circadian rhythm but adjusts it based on the time of year, a person’s living environment, and age. 

ogether, your circadian rhythm and biological clock determine when you feel tired, when you feel most awake, and how much rest your body needs to function most optimally. They’re also telling of your chronotype—whether you’re an early bird or a night owl. “A chronotype is your body’s natural disposition to be awake or asleep at certain times,” Breus explains. It’s an inherent quality and affects all parts of your daily life, including your appetite, core body temperature, productivity window, and even your ideal time for sex. 

Someone who is struggling to figure out how to wake up when tired in the morning is likely working against their circadian rhythm. Or, at least, trying to. For example, a night owl who sets their alarm for 6 a.m. may find their biology is working against them because their melatonin (sleep hormone) hasn’t worn off and won’t until 7 or 8 a.m., Breus explains.Ideally, you want to schedule your bedtime and wake time based on your chronotype. That way, your circadian rhythm will stay regulated, resulting in consistent and sound sleep. Fight it, and you’re likely to experience suboptimal sleep, warns Sanam Hafeez, PsyD, an NYC-based neuropsychologist and the director of Comprehend the Mind.

12 tricks to wake yourself up:

1. Stop pressing snooze.

That extra five minutes of sleep isn’t doing you any favors—physically or mentally. In fact, according to Hafeez, not only does 10 to 15 minutes of extra snooze time not provide a substantial sleep cycle, it just makes you groggier and can make you cranky.

“Combat this by setting your alarm for the same time every day. As soon as the alarm goes off, get out of the bed, stretch your body, and begin your ready regimen,” says Hafeez. If you’re still tempted to hit snooze, stash your alarm on your dresser across the room, or even outside your bedroom, leaving you no choice but to get up and shut it off.

2. But first, water.

Tempting as it may be to make a beeline for your coffee maker first thing in the morning, Breus recommends reaching for a glass of water instead. Hours of sleep (and therefore hours without consuming any fluid) leave your body dehydrated; drinking a glass (or two) of water helps kick-start your hydration for the day. Leave a bottle by your bed, or set a glass in front of your coffee machine as a gentle reminder to toss one back before your morning cup of joe.

3. Take a cold shower.

Splashing your face with cold water can do the trick, but Breus says dousing your entire body in cold water will be more effective. “The effects are directly related to the amount of time in cold exposure,” Breus tells mbg. “If you throw some water on your face it’s very different than taking a cold shower for two to three minutes.”

4. Get up and out.

According to Breus, getting outside within 20 minutes of waking up and soaking in at least 15 minutes of sunlight is a great way to wake up and stay awake. It’s as simple as going outside in your yard or taking a morning walk around the neighborhood. “[Exposure to sunlight] turns off the melatonin faucet in your head,” Breus tells mbg.

5. Abide by your chronotype.

Some people are early birds; some people are night owls. “Knowing your chronotype is extremely helpful for scheduling your day’s work around your productivity windows so you can accomplish all that you want while you still have the energy to do it well,” explains Breus. Identify which category you fall under, and schedule your sleep and wake times accordingly.

6. Play with your pets.

One of the first things I do when I wake up is pet my cat, and according to Breus, this is an excellent strategy for waking yourself up in the morning. Not only is it a more interesting way to wake up, but starting the day with an element of fun makes getting out of bed more enticing. “I play with my dogs,” Breus tells mbg, adding, “They love it and I like the unconditional love.”

7. Make your bed.

There are a few benefits to making your bed every morning. The first is a sense of accomplishment; you’ve only been awake for a few minutes but have already checked something off your to-do list. The second is fluffing your pillows and fixing your sheets will also weaken your argument for why you should crawl back under the covers. The more primped and primed your bedding, the more likely you are to stay awake and move on from your bedroom.

8. Get a workout in.

Endorphins don’t just make you happy, they make you alert. So rather than save your sweat sesh for after work, incorporate some sort of movement into your daily morning routine to help wake you up. However, it’s important to find exercises you genuinely enjoy and will look forward to doing every day, so find what works for you—be it walking, Pilates, yoga, dance cardio, strength training, etc.—and get moving.

Looking for a new routine? Yoga teacher and fitness professional Suki Clements created a 15-minute morning workout for mbg readers in hopes that it will help awaken your body, mind, and spirit.

9. Try earthing.

The practice of earthing involves taking off your shoes and putting your bare feet on, well, the earth. Also called “grounding,” the gist is that standing or walking on the earth, feeling the grass and dirt under your feet and against your skin, opens you up to receiving earth’s healing energies and health benefits.

“By walking, we exercise our muscles and cardiovascular system, improve our mental health, reduce stress, and support our overall wellness,” functional medicine doctor Isaac Eliaz, M.D., M.S., L.A., a proponent of earthing, wrote on mbg back in 2013. “Simply taking our shoes off seems to multiply those benefits.”

10. Experiment with aromatherapy.

Some people perk up to the smell of caffeine. Others need an alternative scent to awaken their sense. That’s where aromatherapy comes in. Certain essential oils can also help promote mental clarity. So rather than fire up the coffee maker as soon as you open your eyes, try diffusing oils like lemon, peppermint, and frankincense to wake up the mind.

11. Pump up the jams.

Another easy way to sneak movement into your morning routine is to dance the sleepiness out of your system. Rather than scrolling through social media, hit play on your favorite playlist and bust a move right in your bedroom. You can take your dance party into the kitchen as you make your breakfast or into the bedroom for a teeth-brushing soundtrack.

You might not work up as many endorphins as you would running around the block, but research says music can trigger energizing emotions, so a track like “Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina and the Waves is sure to have you bright-eyed in no time.

12. Eat a high-protein breakfast.

Smoothies, omelets, quinoa porridge, and nut butter toast are all examples of protein-packed breakfasts that not only taste delicious but will also fuel you for the day ahead. Breus recommends leaning toward breakfasts with high protein and healthy fats so you stay full, satiated, and energized until lunch. 

How to ensure you’re getting good-quality sleep.

 A good night’s sleep is a reflection of good sleep hygiene, which encompasses a person’s sleep environment and bedtime routine. In order to ensure you’re getting high-quality sleep and therefore wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day, it’s important to be mindful of the following:

• The temperature in your bedroom. According to the National Sleep Foundation, the ideal temperature for quality sleep is between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Blue light exposure. If you can’t power down your devices completely (i.e., if your phone is your alarm), it’s important to, at the very least, limit your usage before bed, as blue light can throw off the body’s circadian rhythm, preventing you from falling or staying asleep.
• Late-night cravings. Ditch sugary ice creams and processed treats in favor of sleep-promoting snacks like yogurt bark and golden milk. Food is fuel and is meant to give you energy, and sweets before bed are bound to keep you up at night (not to mention give you some funky dreams).
• Environmental sounds. Is your neighbor’s dog particularly rowdy after dark? Maybe city traffic is causing you to stir, or silence gives you the creeps. Investing in one of the best sound machines on the market can majorly improve your sleep quality by drowning out any unwanted (or a lack of) sound so you can snooze through the night.
• What’s going through your mind. Falling asleep can be a challenge if your mind is racing with a million different thoughts. Writing in a journal can help clear your mind. Once you’ve settled into bed, take pen to paper and dump it all out before your head hits the pillow.
• If you’re truly relaxed. One of the best tips for getting great sleep is to acknowledge and address your stress levels. If you’re feeling tense, it’s likely you’ll end up tossing and turning when it’s time to get some shut-eye, so identify relaxation techniques that actually work for you and implement them into your nightly routine. This can include a gentle bedtime yoga sequence or a warm bath, diffusing essential oils, or cuddling under a weighted blanket for some physical support.

The bottom line.

The secret to waking up and staying awake when all you really want is to go back to bed is to first identify your chronotype (are you an early bird or a night owl?) and create a sleep schedule that works for your body. This will ensure you get enough REM sleep, and falling into a regular routine (relaxation techniques and all) can even lead to your body being so accustomed to its schedule that you end up waking up and falling asleep naturally.

Our Key Takeaways:

• Optimists have a healthier outlook than pessimists and tend to be less susceptible to illness
• New study shows that people’s energy tends to drop when they generate happy fantasies about the future
• The team explained that optimism helps older men limit how often they experience stressful situations

This article is a repost which originally appeared on sciencetimes.com
Margaret Davis - March 10, 2022
Edited for content and readability - Image sourced from Pexels
Source: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbac025

Winston Churchill once said, “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” That means that optimism reflects how one person sees the outcomes of events that will generally turn out to be positive.

Although it is not easy to always look at the bright side of things, especially during the trying times, optimism can help people live longer, according to a new study. Boston University researchers surveyed 233 older men for 14 years and found that optimistic men led longer, healthier lives than pessimists because they had fewer stressors to deal with.

Optimistic Men Handle Everyday Stress Differently

Household chores, traffic, and work problems are just some examples of everyday stressors that people encounter. In the new study, titled “Optimism, Daily Stressors, and Emotional Well-Being Over Two Decades in a Cohort of Aging Men,” published in The Journals of Gerontology, researchers found that optimism promotes emotional well-being.

The team explained that optimism helps older men limit how often they experience stressful situations or change their interpretation of stressful situations, Science Daily reported.

Clinical psychologist Lewina Lee from the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder at the VA Boston Healthcare System said that the study tests the hypothesis that optimistic people handle daily stress more constructively, resulting in better emotional well-being.

Indeed, after following 233 older men who first completed an optimism questionnaire 14 years ago, they found that optimistic men reported lower negative and more positive moods. More so, the participants reported having to deal with fewer stressors, which explained their lower levels of negative mood.

While studies like this support the idea that optimism promotes good health, emotional well-being, and longevity, the mechanism behind it is not yet fully researched. But by looking at how optimistic men handle the stressors that would have a negative impact on their health, the findings of the new study support the claim that optimism promotes good health later in life.

While the study is conducted in older men, researchers believe that the findings can also be applied to older women. Also, Lee added that less is known about age differences in the role of optimism in one’s health.

Being Too Optimistic Can Make A Person Lazy

According to Psychology Today, optimism is a way of looking at the world positively and should not be mistaken for wishful or fantastic thinking. Optimists have a healthier outlook than pessimists and tend to be less susceptible to illness. However, some people forget to work to fulfill their wishes, which somehow forfeits the purpose of positive thinking.

Gabriele Oettingen, a New York University psychology professor who wrote the Rethinking Positive Thinking: Inside the New Science of Motivation, said that people’s energy tends to drop when they generate happy fantasies about the future. They often forget to exert effort to actually achieve their fantasies and end up unsuccessful.

This phenomenon of overestimating the likelihood of positive events and downplaying negative outcomes is called optimism bias. At the end of the day, optimistic viewpoints can help achieve one’s dreams, but a dose of realism can make a person succeed more likely.

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Key Takeaways

• Nordic diet reducing blood sugar and cholesterol even when no weight was lost.
• The team detected differences in fat-soluble substances in the patients who benefitted most from the diet change.
• It includes berries, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, and beans amongst other fruits and vegetables, whole-grain cereals like rye and barley, as well as fatty fish.

This article is a repost which originally appeared on sciencealert.com
Tessa Koumoundouros - March 12, 2022
Edited for content and readability - Image sourced from Pexel
Source: Clinical Journal: https://www.clinicalnutritionjournal.com/article/S0261-5614(21)00596-3/fulltext

A new study adds support to the idea that eating better foods is beneficial even without obtaining weight loss – with the Nordic diet reducing blood sugar and cholesterol even when no weight was lost.

“It’s surprising because most people believe that positive effects on blood sugar and cholesterol are solely due to weight loss,” University of Copenhagen nutritionist Lars Ove Dragsted said. “Here, we have found this not to be the case. Other mechanisms are also at play.”

While the better-known and thoroughly studied Mediterranean diet is highly recommended for good health, it is not always practical for people in other regions of the world to consume, due to limitations of what grows locally or cultural challenges.

So the concept of healthy regional diets, like the Nordic diet, has been developed, using equivalent food items that are easily available locally and traditionally eaten in the region.

The Nordic diet has many similarities to the Mediterranean diet with an emphasis on plant-based foods, with moderate amounts of fish and eggs, and a small amount of dairy.

Both limit processed foods, sweets, and meats, but the Nordic diet favors canola oil over olive, which has some healthy omega-3 fatty acids similar to those found in fish.

It includes berries, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, and beans amongst other fruits and vegetables, whole-grain cereals like rye and barley, as well as fatty fish.

Like the Mediterranean diet, observational studies suggest following it lowers the risk of cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and overall mortality.

In the new study, Dragsted and colleagues analyzed regular blood and urine samples from 200 overweight volunteers over the age of 50 from six centers across Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, and Finland during a four-week period where they ate their usual diet.

They sampled them again during another 19-24 weeks when half the participants followed the Nordic diet and the others followed a control diet. Both diets were calculated so that the volunteers maintained a stable weight.

“The group that had been on the Nordic diet for six months became significantly healthier,” explained Dragsted, “with lower cholesterol levels, lower overall levels of both saturated and unsaturated fat in the blood, and better regulation of glucose, compared to the control group.”

The team detected differences in fat-soluble substances in the patients who benefitted most from the diet change.

“The fat composition in the Nordic diet, which is higher in omega-3 and omega-6 unsaturated fats, is probably a considerable part of the explanation for the health effects we find from the Nordic diet, even when the weight of participants remains constant,” explained Dragsted.

These fats come from fish, flaxseeds, sunflower, and canola oil, but how they influence both blood sugar and cholesterol levels is still to be investigated

“We can confirm that the absence of highly processed food and less saturated fats from animals have a very positive effect on us,” Dragsted concluded.

With obesity levels rising around the world, contributing to cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and other diseases, researchers stress that weight loss remains important, but that it’s not the only factor contributing to the Nordic diet’s benefits. 

Similar results have also been found with the Mediterranean diet – with a huge, long-term study of 79,000 people revealing those who mostly stuck to the diet had better mortality outcomes regardless of their weight. 

A 2018 study also indicated focusing on types of foods rather than portions can be a more effective and more sustainable method for weight loss. But how effective any particular diet ends up being may also depend on the quality of foods you can afford.

So focusing on healthy food choices (to the best of our ability!) could prove more beneficial to those of us struggling with our weight than shaming ourselves – or each other – over how heavy we are.

This research was published in Clinical Nutrition.

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Our Key Takeaways:

• You can try each tip once a night to check what works best for you.
• Exercise, so there will be no room for your brain for anxious thoughts that will reduce muscle tension.
• Set-up a “worry-time”, a time to just think of things you did or haven’t done so you won’t have to do it in bed.

This Article is a repost which originally appeared on CNN
Sandee LaMotte, CNN - March 13, 2022
Edited for content and readability - Image sourced from Pexels 

You’re exhausted, your body yawning for sleep. Yet once your head hits the pillow, your mind is flooded with worry, making sleep elusive, at times impossible.

Don’t fret, experts say: There are relaxation techniques you can use to calm that racing mind.

“Think of these relaxation exercises as tools in your tool kit for better sleep,” said sleep specialist Rebecca Robbins, an instructor in the division of sleep medicine for Harvard Medical School.

“Practice them, and you’ll get better and better at falling asleep, which is the holy grail, right? No one wants to spend time tossing and turning at night.”Sign up for the Sleep, But Better newsletter series. Our seven-part guide has helpful hints to achieve better sleep.

1. Controlled deep breathing

Deep breathing is a science-backed method of calming the body and mind that can be done easily before you get into bed and when you wake during the middle of the night. Changing the rhythm of your breath slows your heart rate, reduces blood pressure and stimulates the body’s parasympathetic “rest and digest” system, which can take worry and anxiety offline. “Consciously focusing on the breath can help you separate yourself from the darting thoughts that fly through your brain,” Robbins said. There are a number of deep breathing techniques you can try. Diaphragmatic breathing, also known as belly breathing, focuses on relaxing the diaphragm, the main muscle of respiration. Start by taking a deep breath through your nose to a slow count of six, making sure that you can feel your stomach rise with your hand as it fills with air. Count to six again as you let the breath slowly escape.

“Strive for effortless inhales that are soft and soundless while treating your exhales like gentle, extended sighs of relief,” suggested CNN contributor Dana Santas, a certified strength and conditioning specialist and mind-body coach.Stay in the moment, Santas said, by focusing on the sounds and sensations of your breath: “Direct all of your senses to follow the path of air in through your nose, down your throat, into your lungs and out again. If your mind wanders, bring it back to your breath, happening in the here and now.”

2. Meditation

Meditation is a centuries-old method of calming the body and the mind. Studies show it can help perfectionists stop judging themselves and can assist in the treatment of smoking, pain, addictive disorders and depression, among others.Using direct measures of brain function and structure, one study found it only took 30 minutes a day of meditation practice over the course of two weeks to produce a measurable change in the brain.

“When these kinds of mental exercises are taught to people, it actually changes the function and the structure of their brain,” neuroscientist Richard Davidson, professor of psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the founder and director of the Center for Healthy Minds, told CNN in an earlier interview.There are many resources on the internet to help someone begin to meditate. Davidson and his colleagues have created a free, science-based app designed to help people practice meditation and mindfulness.

3. Visualization

Visualization is another sleep aid. Picture a calm and peaceful spot in your mind’s eye and fill it with specific objects, colors and sounds. Researchers have found that people who visualize in detail were able to push unwelcome thoughts more successfully from their minds.If you have trouble populating the scene, the researchers suggest asking yourself questions about smell, touch and light, such as “Can I feel the sun on my skin? What do I smell in the air?”

You can also visualize your body relaxing, experts say. While breathing deeply and slowly, imagine your breath is a wind coursing through the body, easing stress and relaxing tension as it moves through each part of the body and then escapes.”I like to think of the breath as a light in your mind’s eye that grows when you inhale and gets smaller as you exhale,” Robbins said. “Those tangible strategies where you visualize something and match that to a breath are really powerful.”

4. Progressive muscle relaxation

Most of us aren’t even aware of how much tension we carry in our muscles until it shows up in backaches and headaches.

Progressive muscle relaxation is a way of relaxing those muscles, thus making it easier to fall asleep, experts say. You tense and release muscle groups in the body in a certain order, starting at the head and working your way down to the toes and feet.Each section of the body is tightly tensed and held for 10 seconds as you breathe in. Strive to squeeze each muscle hard, but not to the point of cramping or pain. Then, as you breathe out, relax the muscle suddenly and all at once. University of Michigan Health recommends you do the exercises in a systematic order that you can find here.

There’s an added benefit to the exercise, experts say: There’s no room in your brain for anxious thoughts.

5. Set up a ‘worry time’ before bed

Here’s a way to stop your mind from repetitively listing all the things you need to do (or haven’t done), but it only works if you do it before you hit the sack.”Don’t worry in bed. Schedule a ‘worry time’ — a period of time outside of the bedroom, outside of sleep, to worry about the things that naturally creep in your mind at night,” said sleep specialist Dr. Raj Dasgupta, an assistant professor of clinical medicine at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California.

“Write down a list of things you need to do tomorrow,” suggested Dr. Vsevolod Polotsky, a professor of medicine and director of sleep research at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.”You can even email it to yourself. It gives you satisfaction and the realization that it is night and there’s nothing you can do with your list, but you can attend to it tomorrow,” Polotsky said.

All these mental tricks and relaxation tips serve a purpose beyond that night’s sleep, experts say.”They are extremely beneficial from a classical conditioning standpoint,” Robbins said. “If your body knows what comes after the end of these activities is sleep, then you start to condition yourself, and after a bit of time, your body will more easily slip into a state of relaxation, which increases your chances of sleep.”

Erection Issues, More Erection Levels For Girth Training, and Hanging Training: Ask The Experts

Big Al, of MaleEnhancementCoach.com, answers questions about erection issues, more erection levels for girth training, cycle lengths, and hanging training.

If you have questions you’d like answered in an Ask the Experts article, please PM Big Al

Q. I’ve been doing the basic stamina workout but have not had much luck maintaining erections for most of the exercises. Morning erections are sporadic and not always hard and I require a lot of arousal for sex. When I do manage to get hard, I ejaculate pretty fast. Is there anything I can do to make my erections better? I’m not even stressed out over it and my wife is understanding, but it’s no fun!

Al: It would be good for you to monitor yourself to see if you’re getting morning erections. Duration and hardness should be considered. You can use the stamp test to see if there’s erectile activity during your sleep.

It would also be good to get a hormone profile done. Even if your T levels are normal or even high, there could be imbalances with other hormones like SHBG which can affect EQ and libido.

In the meanwhile, we can see how the next week or so plays out to note changes. An increase in cardio or working more towards the aerobic range with your walking should be helpful also. You can’t have too strong a heart, especially for penile functioning.

Q. Why is it that I was making better gains when I was using a lower degree of erection for jelqing? I thought more intensity means more growth.

Al: The equation isn’t as simple as that. With girth work, it’s easy to get caught up into thinking training with a higher erection level is always better. If you’re new to training or to an exercise, it’s good to err on the side of caution with intensity. In this case, a 70% erection jelq (or other girth movement) is considered a good place to start because there’s still ample room for tissue flexibility. Once you begin to approach 90% erect, the internal pressure begins to make it much more difficult to manipulate the tissues- and increasing force is needed.

If you’re not conditioned enough then higher intensity will actually harm you or lead to a lack of gains.

Q. So far I have been adding time and weight to my hanging for 9 weeks but still don’t feel worked. Am I adding the weight too slowly? EQ is improving so this has to be ok?

Al: If you can go for much longer than 6 weeks without overtraining length, it’s a sign you’re UNDERworking. That being said, we need to be very careful with training and recovery clues and note during and each session how the movement affects us. It’s VERY easy to get caught up with the weight in hanging and lose the feel of the stretch.

It may pay to test out a weight you feel comfortable but challenged for 3 sets of 10 minutes (as per the 3×20 Routine instructions). Once you’ve found a suitable weight, begin to add 1 minute per set per session, as described until you get to 3×20- then add weight and start the process over.

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Our Key Takeaways

• A lower salt intake implies a significant decrease in the blood pressure, thus reducing the risk of stroke and heart disease.
• The WHO recommends the adult population of consuming no more than 5 grams of salt per day and 2 grams (or less) of salt per day for children.
• Many people are not aware of the amounts of salt contained in most processed foods, thus WHO recommends Member States to intensify the policy on the use of clear and consistent front-of-pack nutrition labelling to help consumers better understand the products that they are procuring.
• Meal delivery apps (MDAs) became increasingly in demand during the COVID-19 pandemic and it is important to consider that most of the foods that they offer contain high levels of salt, calories, sugar and saturated fat.
• Socioeconomically disadvantaged groups are specifically more vulnerable in higher salt intakes which results to health inequities. Both government and non-government organizations in each Member States should ensure that appropriate actions must be made so that people would be properly educated in the effects of salt consumption in their health and well-being.

This article is a repost which originally appeared on www.euro.who.int
www.euro.who.int/ - March 14, 2022
Edited for content and readability - Images sourced from Pexels
Sources: Accelerating salt reduction in Europe: a country support package to reduce population salt intake in the WHO European Region (2020), WHO global sodium benchmarks for different food categories, A systems approach to meal delivery apps (‎MDAs)‎: WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (2021), Manual to develop and implement front‑of‑pack nutrition labelling: guidance for countries on the selection and testing of evidence‑informed front‑of‑pack nutrition labelling systems in the WHO European Region (2020), and Improving dietary intake and achieving food product improvement: policy opportunities and challenges for the WHO European Region in reducing salt and sugar in the diet (2020)

During Salt Awareness Week, WHO is highlighting 5 simple recommendations that can help lower salt intake and blood pressure, significantly reducing the risk of stroke and heart disease. High salt intake is one of the leading causes of death in the WHO European Region.

Often, we can consume large amounts of salt without even knowing it – while eating processed food or choosing meals through delivery apps.

WHO emphasizes the importance of reducing salt intake and highlights practical actions that Member State authorities can take to implement policies to reduce population level salt intake and promote health and well-being.

1. Shake the salt habit: no more than 5 grams (g) per day

For adults, WHO recommends consuming no more than 5 g of salt every day. For children the recommendation is even less: 2 g of salt a day. However, current daily salt consumption in the Region ranges between 8 g and 19 g – well above this recommendation.

It is estimated that reducing salt intake even by 15% would prevent 8.5 million premature deaths in 10 years in low- and middle-income economies and could deliver cost savings in high-income countries.

Member States have agreed to a 30% reduction in salt intake by 2025 as a priority intervention to reduce noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).

2. Check the label, and choose the lower salt option

In some countries of the Region, up to 75–80% of salt consumed by people every day comes from processed foods. Many people are not aware of these amounts.

WHO recommends Member States to implement an important policy tool – clear and consistent front-of-pack nutrition labelling. This will help consumers to understand what is in the foods that they are buying as well as drive the reformulation of products by the food industry.

3. Reformulate salty products

Given the high proportion of processed foods in current diets, many countries in the Region have chosen to focus efforts on improving the composition of processed foods.

Reformulation has been identified as a cost-effective policy, and – for the most part – a politically feasible one. Studies have demonstrated that diets containing more products meeting nutritional targets are associated with an overall reduction in the risk of disease.

Reformulation may be accompanied by efforts to change individual purchase habits and consumption behaviour, gradually and over time, and without announcement to consumers.

WHO has developed global sodium benchmarks for sodium levels in different food categories as an important step to facilitate the reformulation of food products which contribute to salt intake, and drive progress towards meeting global goals to reduce population salt intake.

4. Meal delivery services: take away the salt

Foods available through meal delivery apps (MDAs), which became increasingly popular in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, are also associated with high levels of salt, as well as calories, sugar and saturated fat.

As more and more of our decisions surrounding food and beverages are made in the digital arena, it is important for public health authorities to understand the potential impacts of MDAs on NCDs and other public health concerns.

5. Focus on vulnerable groups

Salt intake patterns – as well as nutrition habits in general – differ between social groups, and this may lead to health inequities.

Research shows that, among socioeconomically disadvantaged groups, knowledge of government guidance and health literacy is often lower while voluntary table salt use and total salt intake may be up to 5–10% higher.

Data from salt surveys indicate that salt intake among the general population ranges from 8.7 g in the Netherlands to 19.0 g in Kazakhstan.

The WHO European Programme of Work 2020–2025 (EPW) calls for action to reduce health inequities and advocates united action for better health. WHO guidelines and country support packages can assist Member States to find the right approach in this context.
“It is crucial for all countries to build a solid foundation for health literacy. People deserve to know how dietary intake and salt consumption affect their well-being and their future,” said Dr Kremlin Wickramasinghe, Acting Head of the WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases.

“An enabling environment for salt reduction can be created through local policy interventions and the promotion of healthy food settings in schools, workplaces, health facilities, communities and cities. A healthier choice should be an easier choice for consumers in the WHO European Region and beyond.”

Our Key Takeaways:

• A night of sleep exposed to moderate room lighting can negatively contribute to heart disease, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome.
• Moderate room lighting in sleep causes ‘sympathetic activation’, a body state where heart rate, force of heart contraction, and blood circulation increases.
• It also causes insulin resistance the morning after sleep, increasing risk for diabetes and obesity.
• Exposure to artificial light at night during sleep is common, but adjustments with the presence of light can be done in different circumstances.

This article is a repost which originally appeared on scitechdaily.com
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY - MARCH 15, 2022
Edited for content and readability - Images sourced from Pexels
Source: DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2113290119

Close the Blinds During Sleep To Protect Your Health

• Exposure to artificial light at night during sleep is common
• Sleeping in a moderately light room increases risk for heart disease and diabetes
• Your heart rate rises, and body can’t rest properly in light bedroom at night

Close the blinds, draw the curtains and turn off all the lights before bed. Exposure to even moderate ambient lighting during nighttime sleep, compared to sleeping in a dimly lit room, harms your cardiovascular function during sleep and increases your insulin resistance the following morning, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study.

“The results from this study demonstrate that just a single night of exposure to moderate room lighting during sleep can impair glucose and cardiovascular regulation, which are risk factors for heart disease, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome,” said senior study author Dr. Phyllis Zee, chief of sleep medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a Northwestern Medicine physician. “It’s important for people to avoid or minimize the amount of light exposure during sleep.”

There is already evidence that light exposure during daytime increases heart rate via activation of the sympathetic nervous system, which kicks your heart into high gear and heightens alertness to meet the challenges of the day.

“Our results indicate that a similar effect is also present when exposure to light occurs during nighttime sleep,” Zee said.

The study was published on March 14, 2022, in PNAS.

Heart rate increases in light room, and body can’t rest properly

“We showed your heart rate increases when you sleep in a moderately lit room,” said Dr. Daniela Grimaldi, a co-first author and research assistant professor of neurology at Northwestern. “Even though you are asleep, your autonomic nervous system is activated. That’s bad. Usually, your heart rate together with other cardiovascular parameters are lower at night and higher during the day.”

There are sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems to regulate our physiology during the day and night. Sympathetic takes charge during the day and parasympathetic is supposed to at night, when it conveys restoration to the entire body.

How nighttime light during sleep can lead to diabetes and obesity

Investigators found insulin resistance occurred the morning after people slept in a light room. Insulin resistance is when cells in your muscles, fat and live don’t respond well to insulin and can’t use glucose from your blood for energy. To make up for it, your pancreas makes more insulin. Over time, your blood sugar goes up.

An earlier study published in JAMA Internal Medicine looked at a large population of healthy people who had exposure to light during sleep. They were more overweight and obese, Zee said.

“Now we are showing a mechanism that might be fundamental to explain why this happens. We show it’s affecting your ability to regulate glucose,” Zee said.

The participants in the study weren’t aware of the biological changes in their bodies at night.

“But the brain senses it,” Grimaldi said. “It acts like the brain of somebody whose sleep is light and fragmented. The sleep physiology is not resting the way it’s supposed to.”

Exposure to artificial light at night during sleep is common

Exposure to artificial light at night during sleep is common, either from indoor light-emitting devices or from sources outside the home, particularly in large urban areas. A significant proportion of individuals (up to 40%) sleep with a bedside lamp on or with a light on in the bedroom and/or keep the television on.

Light and its relationship to health is double-edged.

“In addition to sleep, nutrition and exercise, light exposure during the daytime is an important factor for health, but during the night we show that even modest intensity of light can impair measures of heart and endocrine health,” said co-first author Dr. Ivy Mason, who at the time of the study was post-doctoral fellow at Northwestern and now is a research fellow at Harvard Medical School.

The study tested the effect of sleeping with 100 lux (moderate light) compared to 3 lux (dim light) in participants over a single night. The investigators discovered that moderate light exposure caused the body to go into a higher alert state called sympathetic activation. In this state, the heart rate increases as well as the force with which the heart contracts and the rate of how fast the blood is conducted to your blood vessels for oxygenated blood flow.

“These findings are important particularly for those living in modern societies where exposure to indoor and outdoor nighttime light is increasingly widespread,” Zee said.

Zee’s top tips for reducing light during sleep

1. Don’t turn lights on. If you need to have a light on (which older adults may want for safety), make it a dim light that is closer to the floor.
2. Color is important. Amber or a red/orange light is less stimulating for the brain. Don’t use white or blue light and keep it far away from the sleeping person.
3. Blackout shades or eye masks are good if you can’t control the outdoor light. Move your bed so the outdoor light isn’t shining on your face

Is my room too light?

“If you’re able to see things really well, it’s probably too light,” Zee said.

Proponents of the Silicon Valley–based health trend say you can biohack any part of your lifestyle, including your sex drive. Here’s what that entails.

By Sophia Benoit
February 6, 2019

This article is a repost which originally appeared on GQ

Edited for content

Our Takeaways:

‧ Someone doesn’t have to go to extremes to biohack their bodies for better sexual performance.

‧ Some of the best techniques are as simple as learning how to develop a better emotional attitude.

‧ “…anything through natural lifestyle changes via diet, exercise, sleep, hormones, and stress reduction. So, basically, anything you’re already doing that’s healthy? Yep, ‘it’s all biohacking’”

Biohacking, for the unfamiliar, is a controversial health trend that’s popularized thinking about wellness like you’d think about a computer system—and finding backdoor ways to “hack” that system, so to speak. According to its proponents, the applications of biohacking are essentially limitless, offering practitioners the ability to optimize anything from their sleep schedule to their sex life. Biohacking’s patron saint, Dave Asprey, the 45-year-old multimillionaire founder of Bulletproof Coffee, described how he goes about the latter by injecting stem cells into his dick. This, according to him—there’s not many other people out there shooting up their dicks, so hard to say for sure—is a cure for erectile dysfunction. He also makes a point to specify that he doesn’t have ED but that he still, for some reason, wants stem cells injected into his penis. An extreme approach, to say the least.

The good news here is that you, a normal person, don’t have to go that far to biohack your way to better sexual health, at least according to Jeff Egler, M.D., at Parsley Health. What does that mean, exactly? Well, according to Dr. Egler, biohacking is “getting away from traditional medicine and into more natural, healthy ways of doing things.” If that sounds about as specific as a newspaper horoscope, that’s by design: The doctors at Parsley Health claim to be able to do just about anything through natural lifestyle changes via diet, exercise, sleep, hormones, and stress reduction. So, basically, anything you’re already doing that’s healthy? Yep, “it’s all biohacking,” says Dr. Egler.

When it comes to getting your freak on (and keeping your dick hard), what would a biohacking appointment look like? I asked Dr. Egler what he would do if someone came in complaining of low libido, and he stopped me. “Men coming in complaining of a low sex drive is actually very rare.” Color me surprised. “They will come in for erectile dysfunction,” he added. But typically his male patients are “in the office for something else, and the talk of not having a sex drive comes up.” Come on, guys! If you’re not having good sex with your partner, please for the love of God, talk to your doctor. Low sex drive is not uncommon, especially in people who are taking antidepressants or anti-anxiety meds. (One 2010 study estimated between 25 and 73 percent of patients taking SSRIs experience some kind of sexual dysfunction.) It’s incredibly normal, and the very least you can do is get a professional to try to help you with it. If that’s you, here’s a few places to start:

Find the real problem, don’t just treat the symptoms.

A major tenet of biohacking is using traditional medicine as a last resort, so don’t expect to go in and get a prescription for Cialis or Viagra. The focus of the doctors at Parsley Health is diagnosing the root cause of the issue, rather than just treating the symptoms themselves. “We just want to make sure that we’re not bypassing the actual problem. If you go more upstream, where the problem is, by changing their diet, for example, you’ll not only relieve their symptoms but you’ll cure them. Those problems will go away.” Okay, so eat differently and perhaps your erectile dysfunction will go away, according to biohackers? Well, maybe.

Incorporate more strength training in your workouts.

It might not be your diet. It could also be that HIIT workout you’ve been doing for the past five years, according to Dr. Egler. The way he breaks it down, high-intensity workouts cause a release of the stress hormone cortisol, which ends up competing with testosterone in your body. So now you have stellar abs, but your dick doesn’t get as hard. Apparently, it can be something that simple. A 2017 study actually found a similar connection: High-intensity workouts were correlative (but not necessarily causal) with low sex drive. As with most things in life, the key to balanced exercise is moderation; just pepper in some low-intensity and strength-building workouts among your regular cardio routine.

Take it to the lab.

Here’s where biohacking gets “sexy,” according to Dr. Egler. “We look for points of leverage. They might be eating perfectly and exercising in a really balanced fashion, they might be meditating, but they’re only sleeping six hours a night, so we try to see where the weak spots are. And then you test your hypothesis. That’s where we bring in lab testing.” The major emphasis in all of biohacking is monitoring, testing, tracking, and then using that feedback to get healthier. (Dave Asprey famously has a blood-glucose monitor implanted into his arm, and no, he’s not diabetic).
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Increase your testosterone levels.

From these blood tests, depending on what your hormone levels suggest, they might “prescribe” biohacks like dietary fiber, lignans from flax seeds, or even simply green tea, all of which are aromatase inhibitors. Aromatase is what converts the testosterone in your body into estrogen, which then gets broken down. So theoretically, if you have an issue with low testosterone, one thing that you can do is inhibit that enzyme, leaving you with more of the hormone.

Another possible treatment involves inhibiting 5-alpha reductase, an enzyme that turns testosterone into DHT (Dihydrotestosterone) and also often causes male hair loss. Natural 5-alpha reductase inhibitors (don’t worry, you’ll never need to remember the name) include omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil, quercetin (an anti-inflammatory supplement), and once again green tea or flax seeds. According to Dr. Egler, all these things can help raise your testosterone levels, which are a key component to sexual health.

Finally, relax.

The last thing he recommends? Reducing stress. “A simple biohack to increase testosterone is anything that reduces stress.” So make time for meditating, exercising, or any other hobby that helps you clear your head. And if you aren’t sure what’s causing you to be so stressed out, it might be time to consult a therapist. As Dr. Egler says, “CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) is a biohack.”

At the end of the day, this approach to biohacking your sex life essentially encourages people to cultivate healthy habits in order to improve their overall health. So if you’re the kind of person who wants more from your Fitbit (and your coffee and green tea) and loves the word “metrics,” maybe re-labeling the advice your GP doc has been giving you for years as “biohacking” will help you get it done.