Whether you get enough sleep or not has a big impact on your health! I remember being told things in the past such as sleep improves your memory and is restorative to body tissues. This is true and it doesn't surprise me when I see a reference from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) that says not getting enough sleep can lead to chronic illnesses. The CDC also reports that not getting enough sleep is a problem in our nation:
"More than one-quarter of the U.S. population report occasionally not getting enough sleep, while nearly 10% experience chronic insomnia" (CDC, 2011).
So what can we do to ensure we get more sleep each night?
Healthline offers some suggestions including:
*Having proper sleeping routines or habits
*Not smoking since cigarettes are a stimulant, which in turn could contribute to the problem of not being able to fall asleep
*Avoiding a lot of caffeine due to caffeine also being a stimulant and contributing to not being able to fall asleep
*Avoiding drinking a lot of alcohol. Alcohol may be a depressant rather than a stimulant at first, but it also does not allow for deeper stages of sleep to take place
*Participating in regular exercise routines on a daily basis can aid in having a good nights sleep
*Having a healthy diet is also said to aid in having a good nights sleep
*Using behavioral type of therapies to help get rid of insomnia such as certain relaxation techniques
*Drugs used for insomnia may be of option to some people. Of course, this would need to be discussed with your physician. It is a good idea to discuss even over the counter sleep aids with your physician rather than just taking something you see
(Healthline, 2010).
All of these above ideas to aid in sleep could be used in combination with each other.
References:
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2011, January). Sleep and sleep disorders. Retrieved March
16, 2011, from http://www.cdc.gov/sleep/
Healthline. (2010, October). Insomnia treatments. Retrieved March 16, 2011, from
http://www.healtline.com/health/insomnia-treatments
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Blog update:
I am so sorry for those of you who regularly follow this blog and haven't had anything new to read for some time now. I do plan on posting a new blog soon, hopefully within the next few days! Be sure to leave me comments on my last most recent blog if there are health subjects in particular you would like me to touch on. I will also try to use a new source of reference besides the Center for Disease Control (CDC) for my next blog. I will have a couple of reference sources or one other aside from the CDC. Again, leave me comments if there is a particular source you would like me to look into and if there are particular health topics you would like to hear about so I can incorporate it into my next post, thanks!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Having clean water:
I posted a blog last week I believe is when it was regarding clean water sources. I also posted a link to visit that provides education about what contaminated water sources can do to your health. I mentioned the fact that most public water sources in the U.S. can be trusted to be non-contaminated. Bottled water was also a water source with very few reports of contamination. Then there are water filters you can attach to faucets that will increase the chances that you always get clean water. Water filters can also filter out elements found in tap water that you may not want to drink, such as fluoride. Another bonus to water filters is that they will cost you less overtime. It costs more to buy bottled water each year or month than it does to pay one sum for a water filter that will serve its purpose for a long while if not a lifetime. There may be some water filters that are more expensive than others, but most will save you money over purchasing bottled water. I know of a great water filter in particular that is cheaper to use than buying bottled waters. If you have any interest in this water filter contact me. You can also view the product by clicking on "view my complete profile" on my blog page then clicking on my "webpage" from there.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Drinking water for your health!
Most of us think our public drinking water is safe granted it is regulated and filtered safely before it gets to our taps. According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) it is true that public drinking water in the U.S. is safe. The CDC states:
"The United States has one of the safest public drinking water supplies in the world. Over 286 million Americans get their tap water from a community water system. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates drinking water quality in public water systems and sets maximum concentration levels for water chemicals and pollutants." (CDC, 2010, p.1).
Despite the fact that the U.S. has one of the safest systems to purify water there is still the chance that contaminants can make their way into the water you drink. I know that there are many people who choose bottled water over tap water due to concerns like this. There are also those who choose bottled water over tap water due to not wanting to drink certain things that are known to be in tap water such as fluoride. Is bottled water really much safer to drink than tap water? According to the CDC bottled water also has the chance to be contaminated and some bottled waters may even contain fluoride. If you are somebody who does not want fluoride in your drinking water, it is best to call the manufacturer of your bottled water to find out. Also, each manufacturer of bottled water although regulated by the FDA does have different ways of filtering their water before final bottling and purchase. The CDC mentions that although bottled water contamination is not often reported it can occur based on the following factors: how the manufacturer protects their water source and if it is properly treated before bottling, whether the manufacturing process is efficient, also if the bottled water is protected properly when being stored, packaged, and shipped (CDC, 2010).
One other option for a water source is that of water filters. Many people choose to purchase water filters to attach to their faucet or they choose to use the filter attached to their refrigerator. Water filter products will claim to filter out contaminants from your drinking water as the water comes through the faucet and hits the filter. The filter system basically is said to only allow pure water to pass through into your cup and to not allow contaminants to pass through into your cup. Personally, I think water filters are a great way to go. I have seen water come out of faucets that is obviously cloudy. To me this means there are probably certain molecules or contaminants passing through the faucet that are not going to be healthy to drink. After attaching a water filter the water will come out clear which is telling.
If you drink water that has contaminants it can cause various illnesses that the CDC mentions. Visit the website I will post at the bottom of this blog in order to read all of the possible illnesses contaminated water can cause. Although most public drinking water in the U.S. has been proven to be safe and bottled water manufacturers don't have many reports of contamination it is still best to protect yourself the best you can since contaminants have the potential of entering your drinking water. If you drink tap water it might be best to attach a water filter to your faucet just to be on the safe side. If you drink bottled water know where your water is coming from. You can also call the manufacturer to find out information such as how is the water treated or what exactly does the company filter out of the water before bottling it? Another good question is how is the water protected and how well does it continue to be protected during the storage and shipping process?
References:
Water-related diseases and contaminants in public water systems. (2010). Center for Disease
Control and Prevention. Retrieved January 24, 2011, from
http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/public/water_diseases.html.
Commercially bottled water. (2010). Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved January 24,
2011, from http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/bottled/index.html.
"The United States has one of the safest public drinking water supplies in the world. Over 286 million Americans get their tap water from a community water system. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates drinking water quality in public water systems and sets maximum concentration levels for water chemicals and pollutants." (CDC, 2010, p.1).
Despite the fact that the U.S. has one of the safest systems to purify water there is still the chance that contaminants can make their way into the water you drink. I know that there are many people who choose bottled water over tap water due to concerns like this. There are also those who choose bottled water over tap water due to not wanting to drink certain things that are known to be in tap water such as fluoride. Is bottled water really much safer to drink than tap water? According to the CDC bottled water also has the chance to be contaminated and some bottled waters may even contain fluoride. If you are somebody who does not want fluoride in your drinking water, it is best to call the manufacturer of your bottled water to find out. Also, each manufacturer of bottled water although regulated by the FDA does have different ways of filtering their water before final bottling and purchase. The CDC mentions that although bottled water contamination is not often reported it can occur based on the following factors: how the manufacturer protects their water source and if it is properly treated before bottling, whether the manufacturing process is efficient, also if the bottled water is protected properly when being stored, packaged, and shipped (CDC, 2010).
One other option for a water source is that of water filters. Many people choose to purchase water filters to attach to their faucet or they choose to use the filter attached to their refrigerator. Water filter products will claim to filter out contaminants from your drinking water as the water comes through the faucet and hits the filter. The filter system basically is said to only allow pure water to pass through into your cup and to not allow contaminants to pass through into your cup. Personally, I think water filters are a great way to go. I have seen water come out of faucets that is obviously cloudy. To me this means there are probably certain molecules or contaminants passing through the faucet that are not going to be healthy to drink. After attaching a water filter the water will come out clear which is telling.
If you drink water that has contaminants it can cause various illnesses that the CDC mentions. Visit the website I will post at the bottom of this blog in order to read all of the possible illnesses contaminated water can cause. Although most public drinking water in the U.S. has been proven to be safe and bottled water manufacturers don't have many reports of contamination it is still best to protect yourself the best you can since contaminants have the potential of entering your drinking water. If you drink tap water it might be best to attach a water filter to your faucet just to be on the safe side. If you drink bottled water know where your water is coming from. You can also call the manufacturer to find out information such as how is the water treated or what exactly does the company filter out of the water before bottling it? Another good question is how is the water protected and how well does it continue to be protected during the storage and shipping process?
References:
Water-related diseases and contaminants in public water systems. (2010). Center for Disease
Control and Prevention. Retrieved January 24, 2011, from
http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/public/water_diseases.html.
Commercially bottled water. (2010). Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved January 24,
2011, from http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/bottled/index.html.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
More on bone health:
About 2 weeks or so ago I posted a blog about bone health. I discussed some ways that you can keep your bones strong and healthy. One of those ways was to increase calcium intake. Certain foods that are higher in calcium were listed on my previous blog. It was also mentioned that Vitamin D is an important part of bone health since this is the vitamin that helps to absorb the calcium taken in. Vitamin D and calcium go hand in hand basically. In my opinion it is always best to get the elements you need from food as much as possible. But lets face it, life is busy and doesn't always allow for the time needed to eat nutritiously all of the time. On these busy days, it is always good to use a supplement. You can get daily vitamin supplements at any grocery store of course. Then there are nutrilite products. These products are advertised on my webpage for healthy products. There are supplements available that focus on supporting bone health. There are also supplements that cover a wide array of nutrient needs that you may not even think about. Compared to other daily vitamin supplements I have seen the supplements on my webpage contain many more nutrients that you need daily. Email me or visit my webpage to see for yourself or inquire of these products. You can also call me if you are interested in seeing these products.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
What should you do to keep your bones healthy?
Bone health is important. If we don't take care of our bones properly it could result in brittle weak bones and lead to osteoporosis at some point in life. Osteoporosis simply refers to the bones being less dense. When bones come to be in this brittle and less dense state there is more of a chance for bones to easily fracture. Fracture means that the bone breaks, a broken bone basically. This introduction to bone health comes from no particular source. This introduction is simply my knowledge and understanding based on my educational background and profession.
I can now provide you with some tips that will support bone health. Based on my educational background I can say that to support bone health you need to have an appropriate daily intake of calcium and vitamin D. Vitamin D is what will allow calcium to be absorbed into bones. Vitamin D is found in most milk and is also obtained from the sunlight. It does not take long to get your days worth of Vitamin D from the sun. I would say 10 to 15 minutes in the sunlight will give you all you need for the day. I can also say that exercise that is weight bearing in nature is of importance. When performing weight bearing exercises the body will respond by taking calcium from the bloodstream and bringing that calcium into bones. I will now go ahead and elaborate on these general thoughts of my own by using information from the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) website:
1. Have an appropriate daily intake of calcium and vitamin D: Good sources of calcium include dairy products, dark green vegetables such as broccoli, nuts (almonds in particular), and anything that is calcium fortified. The CDC has a chart that provides information regarding how much calcium you should be including in your daily diet. The chart gives this information based on age. It would be more efficient for you to visit the site and view this chart to find your needed calcium intake rather than me giving you all of that information on this blog. I will post the CDC website I have used for this section of the blog at the end of my blog.
2. Perform weight bearing exercises: The CDC lists some examples of weight bearing physical activities including walking jogging or running, tennis (the bones and muscles in your arms are working against gravity to activate the response of calcium being pulled into bones), jump rope, ball sports, dancing, hiking, and weight lifting. This section of my blog has also been supported by information from the same CDC website as the above section.
Reference:
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2008, December 3). Calcium and Bone Health. Retrieved
on December 19, 2010 from http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/vitamins/calcium.html
I can now provide you with some tips that will support bone health. Based on my educational background I can say that to support bone health you need to have an appropriate daily intake of calcium and vitamin D. Vitamin D is what will allow calcium to be absorbed into bones. Vitamin D is found in most milk and is also obtained from the sunlight. It does not take long to get your days worth of Vitamin D from the sun. I would say 10 to 15 minutes in the sunlight will give you all you need for the day. I can also say that exercise that is weight bearing in nature is of importance. When performing weight bearing exercises the body will respond by taking calcium from the bloodstream and bringing that calcium into bones. I will now go ahead and elaborate on these general thoughts of my own by using information from the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) website:
1. Have an appropriate daily intake of calcium and vitamin D: Good sources of calcium include dairy products, dark green vegetables such as broccoli, nuts (almonds in particular), and anything that is calcium fortified. The CDC has a chart that provides information regarding how much calcium you should be including in your daily diet. The chart gives this information based on age. It would be more efficient for you to visit the site and view this chart to find your needed calcium intake rather than me giving you all of that information on this blog. I will post the CDC website I have used for this section of the blog at the end of my blog.
2. Perform weight bearing exercises: The CDC lists some examples of weight bearing physical activities including walking jogging or running, tennis (the bones and muscles in your arms are working against gravity to activate the response of calcium being pulled into bones), jump rope, ball sports, dancing, hiking, and weight lifting. This section of my blog has also been supported by information from the same CDC website as the above section.
Reference:
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2008, December 3). Calcium and Bone Health. Retrieved
on December 19, 2010 from http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/vitamins/calcium.html
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Next weekend's blog:
Next weekend I will focus 1 to 2 blogs on healthy ideas rather than specific products to improve beauty and health. If there is anything specifically you would like me to research or elaborate on please leave me a comment here letting me know. Otherwise I will choose the topics for focus. Thanks!
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