Why you should tell your boss to let you nap in the office

As long as it doesn’t take more than 30 minutes to an hour, a nap is good for our health in many ways.

It’s perfectly natural for mammals to take naps and is even part of the work culture in China.

Why not take advantage of the warm, relaxing weather to have a little snooze after lunch?

JULY 11, 2017

Taking a short nap may actually make you better at your job. Photo: 123rf.com

Here’s a list of all the benefits of a short siesta.

A healthier heart

A nap is beneficial for the heart because it lowers blood pressure and allows the cardiovascular system to recover.

Two hormones, adrenalin and noradrenalin, which help to keep the body awake, stimulate the heart rate.

A Greek scientific study in 2007 showed that a habitual 30-minute nap (three times a week) reduced the risk of death by heart failure by over 30%.

Try it out also to improve your sports performance.

A nap may help you live longer.

Boosting creativity

By improving attention, memory and vigilance, a nap stimulates creativity and helps with solving difficult problems.

It is virtually obligatory in Japan, and other countries are beginning to realise its benefits.

Employees who rest at the beginning of the afternoon are more productive and come up with new ideas more easily.

A quick nap is ideal for recharging your batteries and will pay dividends when you get back to your work.

Catching up on lost sleep

Chronic insomnia, drowsiness, and sleep debt are all part of modern life.

There’s nothing like a power nap to catch up if you didn’t get enough sleep last night.

And contrary to popular belief, a nap does not prevent you from sleeping the next night (as long as it doesn’t last longer than an hour).

In fact it helps nocturnal sleep.

It’s the perfect way to stay alert and in a good mood until the evening.

Improving immunity

A lack of sleep affects antiviral proteins produced by the immune system.

And sleep deprivation is associated with lower resistance to infections.

Even a short nap restores the levels of hormones and proteins which help fight stress, thereby improving our immune system.

So, if you don’t want to get sick, take more naps.

A perfect non-drug treatment

The French National Institute of Sleep and Vigilance (InSV) considers sleep to be a non-drug treatment with analgesic effects.

Migraines and muscular/joint pain can be improved by a short sleep.

The InSV says that napping could reduce the need for medicines such as antihypertensives (a treatment for high blood pressure), stimulants and vitamins.

So it’s better to nap than taking lots of dietary supplements. – AFP Relaxnews

http://www.star2.com/health/wellness/2017/07/11/nap-health-heart-immunity/

The 7 Best Energy Boosters

October 1, 2013

Are you tired all the time? You have plenty of company. About 10 million doctor visits each year are attributed to fatigue. And all of those bottomless cups of strong coffee won’t help. Too much caffeine actually saps energy and makes fatigue worse.

The only way to beat fatigue is to create the conditions that bring more energy into your days and remove the obstacles that drain it away.

Most people know that exercise is energizing. It increases blood flow and circulates oxygen to the brain and other tissues. It also increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that improves alertness and focus, along with physical energy.

Other energy-boosters that really work...

1. Green drinks. We are always being told to eat more greens, but ­drinking them can be a much better choice when your energy flags during the day.

What to do: Take advantage of the liquid greens in health-food stores. Juices made from wheatgrass, barley and other vegetable extracts are alkalizing. They increase pH and shift the body’s balance to a less acid state. Too much acidity—a consequence of all the meat and grains in the American diet—­impairs energy as well as health.

The grasses used in green drinks contain chlorophyll and related substances that remove energy-­depleting toxins from the body. The drinks typically have little or no added sugar, so they won’t cause the spike and drop in blood sugar that you get from sweetened soft drinks or fruit juices.

Green drinks are not delicious. They have a slightly grassy taste that takes some getting used to. My favorite is Barlean’s Greens, which is readily available online and in health-food stores and tastes surprisingly good.

2. Whole eggs. You need plenty of protein to satisfy your appetite, keep your energy humming and prevent the postmeal slump that occurs when you eat too much.

For years, people thought that egg-white omelets were the perfect high-protein meal. Not true. Whole eggs are better because the yolks are high in choline, a B vitamin that reduces inflammation—and the fatigue that accompanies it.

Don’t worry about the saturated fat in egg yolks. It’s not the enemy that people once thought. When researchers from Harvard and other institutions analyzed 21 previous studies that looked at the relationship between saturated fat and heart disease, they found that ­saturated fat did not cause an increase in heart disease or stroke.

What to do: Include a source of protein with every meal. It could be eggs, nuts, fish, grass-fed meat, beans or tofu.

3. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). This is probably the most important ­energy-producing nutrient that most people don’t get enough of.

CoQ10 increases the activity of mitochondria, the energy-producing structures within cells. The body naturally produces CoQ10, but it’s a complicated process that involves at least seven vitamins. Since many people don’t get enough of these nutrients—including vitamin C and a variety of B vitamins—levels of CoQ10 tend to be too low to boost energy.

What to do: Supplement with 100 milligrams (mg) of CoQ10 daily if you’re generally healthy. If you have been ­diagnosed with a heart condition or are taking a cholesterol-lowering statin, increase the daily dose to 200 mg. Statins deplete CoQ10 from the body. It’s particularly important for heart patients to get enough because the heart requires CoQ10 to beat efficiently.

4. High-glycemic foods occasionally. You probably have heard that the best carbohydrates for long-term energy have a low-glycemic load. Fiber-filled foods such as lentils, peanuts, carrots and chickpeas are absorbed slowly into the intestine. They keep blood sugar and insulin at steady levels—not too low or too high.

There’s one possible exception. If you’re trying to lose weight and still keep your energy high, you might want to have occasional servings of high-glycemic foods. There’s some evidence that people who mainly eat low-glycemic carbs but allow themselves a high-glycemic meal every four to seven days help the body to overcome its tendency to burn fewer calories during a weight-loss diet.

My advice: Suppose that you eat mainly low-glycemic carbs but still want to lose a few pounds. Once or twice a week, have one meal that includes ­faster-burning carbohydrates, such as pasta, white potatoes or white rice. Scientists speculate that the jump in insulin overcomes the slowing of your metabolism that comes along with ­dieting.

5. Replenish your bacteria. You might not think that digestion has much to do with energy, but the action inside your intestines greatly affects how you feel.

A study published in Journal of Psychiatric Research found that probiotics (live, beneficial bacteria) may have antidepressant effects. The same organisms improve immunity and make it easier to fight off the fatiguing effects of viruses and bacteria.

My advice: Eat one or more daily servings of live-culture yogurt. Look for the letters LAC (Live and Active Cultures) on the label. It means that the yogurt contains at least 100 million live organisms per gram.

6. Lights out. Nothing saps your energy more than a poor night’s sleep. And what people don’t realize is that even very dim lights—such as the small LED indicators on computers, cell phones and bedside clocks—can make it difficult to get a decent night’s rest. Sleep scientists have found that even trace amounts of ambient light inhibit the production of melatonin, a sleep-promoting hormone.

My advice: Minimize the amount of light. Turn your digital clock so that it faces away from the bed, for example, or drape something over the computer to cover up the “on” light.

If you don’t get enough sleep, take a nap. Napping improves memory, lowers stress and improves all-day ­energy. Studies done by NASA have found that a short 26-minute nap can increase performance by 34% and alertness by 54%. Limit your naps to 26 minutes or less, preferably late in the morning or early in the afternoon.

7. Breathe deeply and well. You would think that nothing is more natural than breathing, but many people don’t breathe the way that nature ­intended.

Reason: We live in a very fast-paced world…and we spend a lot of time hunched over desks, staring at computer screens. Both stress and poor posture tighten muscles in the upper body and make it harder for the lungs to expand. We have become shallow breathers, which decreases oxygen and causes mental and physical fatigue.

My advice: Every few hours, take a breathing break. While sitting or ­lying down, place one hand on your abdomen and one hand on your chest. Slowly breathe in through your nose, then exhale just as deeply through your mouth. Make sure that the hand on your belly rises and falls while the hand on your chest barely moves.

During the day, if you notice that you’re breathing shallowly or more quickly than usual, remind yourself to relax and breathe in more fully.

Source: Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS, a nutritionist and weight-loss expert based in Los Angeles. He is board-certified by the American College of Nutrition and is a member of the American Society of Nutrition. He is author of The Most Effective Ways on Earth to Boost Your Energy and coauthor with Stephen Sinatra, MD, of The Great Cholesterol Myth (both by Fair Winds). JonnyBowden.com

http://www.bottomlinepublications.com/content/article/diet-a-exercise/the-7-best-energy-boosters#at_pco=tcb-1.0&at_tot=5&at_ab=-&at_pos=3

How to Boost Brain Power

Until just a few years ago, doctors believed that the brain stopped making new neural connections - meaning that the memory began to get irreversibly worse - when the body stopped developing, usually in the early 20s. And doctors knew that, like any other part of the body, neurons weaken as people age. Loss of brain function due to neural breakdown was assumed to be a normal, unavoidable part of aging. It turns out they were wrong.

In the past few years, it has become clear that you can, in fact, make new neurons starting in your 20s and continuing well into old age. You can literally rewire the brain with new parts as the older parts wear out. How?

There are lots of things you can do right now to preserve, protect and enhance your gray matter.


1 Physical exercise

A healthy body really does mean a healthy mind. In the last decade it became clear that regular exercise beneficially affects brain function. Exercise boosts brain power by stimulating formation of new brain cells (neurons), the process known as neurogenesis2. Also, exercise strengthens connections between those cells. Researchers have found the areas of the brain that are stimulated through exercise are associated with memory and learning1.

Physical exercise may even help prevent Alzheimer's disease. Several studies7 have confirmed that regular physical activity reduces the risk of cognitive decline and dementia in old age.


2 Lifelong learning - your brain is a learning machine

For most of us, after we graduate from high school or college, our pursuit of new knowledge bottoms out over time. We may be masters at what we do, but we aren't learning new things. There is clear evidence8 that education and learning produce favourable changes in the brain. Researchers believe that intellectual activity play a neuroprotective role against dementia. Some studies suggest that having a low level of formal education and poor linguistic skills is a risk factor for cognitive decline in later life.

But if you continue to learn and challenge yourself, your brain continues to grow, literally. Recent research9 have demonstrated that learning over time enhances memory and the survival of new brain cells. An active brain produces new connections between nerve cells that allow cells to communicate with one another. This helps your brain store and retrieve information more easily, no matter what your age.

How can you challenge yourself? Scientists agree that anything that is new and expands your knowledge will be effective:

• Learning to play a musical instrument
• Switching careers or starting a new one
• Starting a new hobby, such as crafts, painting, biking or bird-watching
• Learning a foreign language. According to the latest study speaking more than one language may slow the aging process in the mind.
• Staying informed about what's going on in the world
• Learning to cook new dish

If you let your brain be idle, it's not going to be in the best health.


3 Mental stimulation

Researchers found that a woman's memory can be impaired for at least a year after giving birth, although the effects are minor
 

Stimulate your brain. Make sure you're actively problem-solving and having to use your memory. Just as physical activity keeps your body strong, mental activity keeps your mind sharp and agile. The more we think, the better our brains function - regardless of age. Without something to keep us mentally charged, our brains, like unused muscles, can atrophy, leading to a decline in cognitive abilities.

The study6, conducted by researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, found that mentally active seniors reduced their risk of dementia by as much as 75 percent, compared to those who do not stimulate their minds. Researchers from the Princeton University10 found that simple cognitive stimulation such as Bingo can be of great value to the daily management of Alzheimer's patients.

 

Some good ways to stimulate your mind:

• Travel
• Going to museums
• Reading books, newspapers, or magazines
• Play 'thinking' games like cards, checkers, chess, crosswords, sudoku puzzles
• Scrabble or doing crossword puzzles
• Playing musical instruments
• Dancing
• Crafts such as drawing, painting, and ceramics
• Ditch the calculator once in while and forcing yourself to do the calculation
• Volunteering

4 Social interaction - People are good medicine

"Social interaction" can be measured by how often people talk on the phone with friends, neighbors and relatives, how often they get together with them, how many people they can share their most private feelings and concerns with.

Men are one and a half times more likely than women to develop mild cognitive impairment (the transition stage before dementia).
 

Socializing may have a protective effect on the brain because it's a form of mental exercise. Not only does interacting with people stimulate the brain, but it can also keep you sharp, because dealing with people can be pretty challenging. Strong social ties have been associated with lower blood pressure and longer life expectancies.

And having no social ties is believed to be an independent risk factor for cognitive decline in older persons.

A U.S. team found11 that talking to another person for 10 minutes a day improves memory and test scores. They found that socializing was just as effective as more traditional kinds of mental exercise in boosting memory and intellectual performance. They also found that the higher the level of social interaction, the better the cognitive functioning. Social interaction included getting together or having phone chats with relatives, friends and neighbors.

In a study of more than 2,800 people ages 65 or older, Harvard researchers12 found that those with at least five social ties - church groups, social groups, regular visits, or phone calls with family and friends - were less likely to suffer cognitive decline than those with no social ties.


5 Sleep & Nap

Sleep plays a crucial role in brain development and growth.

One of the explanations the science has come up with for the healing power of sleep is that sleep may contribute to neurogenesis, the formation of new nerve cells in the brain. New research in animals13 provides a clue about how the sleep deprivation harm the brains - reduces the number of new brain cells. Without sufficient sleep, neurons may not have time to repair all the damage, and so could malfunction during the day.

Sleep is necessary for the brain to process and consolidate knowledge and for memories to form. Neuroscientists say that during sleep the hippocampus (where memory is stored) becomes highly active and moves knowledge from short-term memory to long-term memory14.
     
The memories laid down by the sleeping brain are of two kinds. Declarative memory is memory for information - facts, dates, and names. Procedural memory is what allows us to do things like play a musical instrument, ride a bicycle, or add up a bill. Scientists think these two types of memory are influenced by different parts of the sleep cycle. Slow wave sleep benefit mainly the consolidation of declarative memories. In contrast, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep seems to benefit procedural memory15.

According to animal studies, when you perform a task, the brain cells fire in a certain sequence. If you then fall asleep, the same cells automatically fire in an identical sequence without being distracted or disrupted by incoming visual stimuli.

There is a consistent pattern: Learn something new during the day, consolidate what you have learned during a good night's sleep, then remember or perform the task better in the morning. However, sleep before learning is also critical in preparing the brain for next-day memory formation.

Even a nap in the middle of the day may benefit some learning, according to a recent study5. Sleep appears to help "set" the declarative memories and make them easier to recall.


6 Stress management

The brain uses 20 percent of our body's oxygen and 20 percent of its blood.
 

Scientists believe people exposed to chronic stress tend to have elevated levels of cortisol - a hormone produced by the adrenal glands in response to acute and chronic stress. High cortisol levels are dangerous to the brain.

Some of the most impressive effects of the stress on brain are hippocampus atrophy, shrinkage of the hippocampus or prefrontal cortex (the area of the brain unique to humans), and even neural death in some brain regions20. The hippocampus, a vital brain region for episodic, spatial, and contextual memory, has many cortisol receptors, which makes it especially susceptible to stress.

Severe stress lasting weeks or months can impair cell communication in the brain's learning and memory region. Increased stress hormones lead to memory impairment in the elderly and learning difficulties in young adults19.

 Short-term stress is also destructive. Researcher from the University of California18 have found short-term stress lasting as little as a few hours can impair brain-cell communication in areas associated with learning and memory. They found that rather than involving the widely known stress hormone cortisol, which circulates throughout the body, acute stress activated selective molecules called corticotropin releasing hormones, which disrupted the process by which the brain collects and stores memories.

Stress is a constant in our lives and cannot be avoided. So, stress management is the key, not stress elimination. Several ways to help you manage stress in your daily life:

• See problems as opportunities
• Get away from the noise
• Exercise
• Learn relaxation techniques such as yoga and meditation
• Cut down on unnecessary responsibilities and avoid over-scheduling
• Make time for leisure activities
• Get a massage

7 Laugh & Humor

Laughter is the best medicine! We've heard the expression time and again. Medical world has begun to take more serious notice of the healing power of humor and the positive emotions associated with it. By having fun and laughing, your stress levels decrease significantly. Humor stimulates the parts of our brain that use the "feel good" chemical messenger dopamine. Also, researchers found that humor improves memory26.


8 Healthy breakfast

It might be the last thing on your morning to-do list, or it might not be on your list at all. However, many studies have shown that having breakfast improves the ability of concentration, reaction time, learning ability, mood and memory, whereas skipping breakfast reduces people's performance at school and at work27.

A recent study done at Cardiff University in Wales found that subjects who ate a high-fiber cereal in the morning showed a 10 percent reduction in fatigue, lower incidence of depression, and better cognitive skills. Fiber helps slow down the absorption of food in the stomach, so you have more energy for a longer period of time.


9 Omega-3 fatty acids

High intake of omega-6 rich oils (such as sunflower or grape seed oil) may boost the risk of developing memory problems, say French researchers4.
     

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for brain health - they provide the physical building blocks necessary for the development and maintenance of the structural and functional integrity of the brain. In fact, one of the omega-3 fatty acids, commonly known as DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), makes up a large portion of the gray matter in the brain and is vital for brain cells function. Adding more DHA to your brain directly influences cell-to-cell communication, affects nerve conduction and neurotransmitter release, and other things that allow brain cells to send messages to each other21. DHA is essential to normal brain function, and a diet rich in DHA improves learning, while a lack of DHA worsens learning ability.

French researchers4 found that people who regularly consume omega-3 rich oils, such as canola, flaxseed, and walnut oil, are 60 percent less likely to develop dementia than those who do not regularly consume such oils. Regular consumption of fruits and vegetables lowers dementia risk by 30 percent. People who eat fish at least once a week are 40 percent less likely to develop dementia.

Coldwater fish, such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, and herring are rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids (just be careful to eat this in moderation due to potential contamination with mercury). Dutch studies22 revealed that high fish consumption may reduce the risk of dementia and cognitive decline.


10 Blueberries

 

Would you believe that eating this tasty, low-glycemic superfood every day was found by the USDA at Tufts University23 to slow and even reverse age-related brain decline, as well as improve short-term memory loss and help reverse age-related loss of balance?!

Blueberries are a major source of flavonoids, in particular anthocyanins and flavanols. Although the precise mechanisms by which these plant-derived molecules affect the brain are unknown, they have been shown to cross the blood brain barrier after dietary intake. It is believed that they exert their effects on learning and memory by enhancing existing neuronal connections, improving cellular communications and stimulating neuronal regeneration.


11 Vegetables

Researchers found that eating vegetables appears to help keep the brain young and may slow the mental decline sometimes associated with growing old16. Cruciferous and green leafy vegetables including cauliflower, spinach, kale, broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprout and collards appear to be the most beneficial17. Researchers say that may be because they contain healthy amounts of vitamin E, an antioxidant that is believed to help fight chemicals produced by the body that can damage cells.

Increased blood level of homocysteine is a strong risk factor for the development of Alzheimer disease and dementia31. Three B vitamins, folic acid, B6, and B12, can help lower your homocysteine levels. Fortified cereal, other grains, and leafy green vegetables are good sources of B vitamins.


12 Want to drink? Choose red wine!

People who drink to forget bad memories may actually be doing the opposite by reinforcing the neural circuits that control negative emotional memory3

While heavy drinking clearly causes serious problems for many people, drinking in moderation may be good for the brain.

Intake of up to three daily servings of wine, unlike other alcohol beverages (liquor, beer), is associated with a lower risk of dementia. This may be due to the ability of red wine polyphenols to protect brain cells against alcohol-induced damage25. There is well-documented evidence that resveratrol, a polyphenol found in red wine and red grape skin and seeds, has a significant antioxidant properties and produces neuroprotective effects24.


13 Care for your heart and vessels

Many risk factors for cardiovascular disease may also contribute to cognitive decline and dementia.
High blood pressure in midlife increases the risk of cognitive decline in old age28.

Diabetes29 and high levels of LDL ("bad") cholesterol30 appear to significantly increase the risk of dementia.

14 Neurobics

Created by Lawrence C. Katz, Ph.D., a professor of neurobiology at Duke University Medical Center, neurobics is a unique system of brain exercises using your five physical senses and your emotional sense in unexpected ways that encourage you to shake up your everyday routines. Studies have shown that even small changes in daily patterns cause brain stimulation.
Neurobics can be done anywhere, anytime, in offbeat, fun and easy ways. These exercises can activate underused nerve pathways and connections, helping you achieve a fit and flexible mind:

• Drive to work a different route
• Get dressed with your eyes closed
• Brush your teeth with the other hand
• Unlock the door with your eyes closed
• Use your opposite hand to dial the phone or operate the TV remote
• Listen to music and smell flowers at the same time
• Shop at new grocery store

Research has suggested that using your left hand if you're right handed or your right if you're left handed more often, can help stimulate parts of the brain that you don't normally use.

 

 

Sources & References

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• 2. van Praag H. Neurogenesis and Exercise: Past and Future Directions. Neuromolecular Med. 2008 Feb 20.
• 3. Bruce KR, Pihl RO. Enhanced consolidation of emotionally charged memory by alcohol. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol. 1997 Aug;5(3):242-50. PubMed
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• 7. Andel R, Crowe M, Pedersen NL, Fratiglioni L, Johansson B, Gatz M. Physical exercise at midlife and risk of dementia three decades later. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2008 Jan;63(1):62-6. PubMed
• 8. Hatch SL, Feinstein L, Link BG, Wadsworth ME, Richards M. Adult education and midlife cognitive ability. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2007 Nov;62(6):S404-14. PubMed
• 9. Sisti HM, Glass AL, Shors TJ. Learning over time enhances memory and the survival of new neurons. Learn Mem. 2007 May 10;14(5):368-75.
• 10. Sobel BP. Bingo vs. physical intervention in stimulating short-term cognition in Alzheimer's disease patients. Am J Alzheimers Dis Other Demen. 2001 Mar-Apr;16(2):115-20 PubMed
• 11. Ybarra O, Burnstein E, Winkielman P, Keller MC, Manis M, Chan E, Rodriguez J. Social interaction promotes general cognitive functioning. Pers Soc Psychol Bull. 2008 Feb;34(2):248-59.
• 12. Bassuk SS, Glass TA, Berkman LF. Social disengagement and incident cognitive decline in community-dwelling elderly persons. Ann Intern Med. 1999 Aug 3;131(3):165-73
• 13. Guzman-Marin R, Suntsova N, Bashir T, Nienhuis R, Szymusiak R, McGinty D. Rapid eye movement sleep deprivation contributes to reduction of neurogenesis in the hippocampal dentate gyrus of the adult rat. Sleep. 2008 Feb 1;31(2):167-75.
• 14. Gais S, Born J. Declarative memory consolidation: mechanisms acting during human sleep. Learn Mem. 2004 Nov-Dec;11(6):679-85.
• 15. Wagner U, Born J. Memory consolidation during sleep: Interactive effects of sleep stages and HPA regulation. Stress. 2007 Jul 20;:1
• 16. Morris MC, Evans DA, Tangney CC, Bienias JL, Wilson RS. Associations of vegetable and fruit consumption with age-related cognitive change. Neurology. 2006 Oct 24;67(8):1370-6.
• 17. Kang JH, Ascherio A, Grodstein F. Fruit and vegetable consumption and cognitive decline in aging women. Ann Neurol. 2005 May;57(5):713-20. PubMed
• 18. Chen Y, Dube' CM, Rice CJ, Baram TZ. Rapid loss of dendritic spines after stress involves derangement of spine dynamics by corticotropin-releasing hormone. J Neurosci. 2008 Mar 12;28(11):2903-11.
• 19. Lupien SJ, Fiocco A, Wan N, Maheu F, Lord C, Schramek T, Tu MT. Stress hormones and human memory function across the lifespan. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2005 Apr;30(3):225-42. PubMed
• 20. Madrigal JL, Garci'a-Bueno B, Caso JR, Pe'rez-Nievas BG, Leza JC. Stress-induced oxidative changes in brain. CNS Neurol Disord. 2006 Oct;5(5):561-8.
• 21. Kurlak, L.O., Stephenson, T.J Plausible explanations for effects of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) on neonates. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 1999 March; 80(2).
• 22. Kalmijn S, van Boxtel MP, Ocke' M, Verschuren WM, Kromhout D, Launer LJ. Dietary intake of fatty acids and fish in relation to cognitive performance at middle age. Neurology. 2004 Jan 27;62(2):275-80. PubMed
• 23. Galli RL, Bielinski DF, Szprengiel A, Shukitt-Hale B, Joseph JA. Blueberry supplemented diet reverses age-related decline in hippocampal HSP70 neuroprotection. Neurobiol Aging. 2006 Feb;27(2):344-50. PubMed
• 24. Bastianetto S, Zheng WH, Quirion R. Neuroprotective abilities of resveratrol and other red wine constituents against nitric oxide-related toxicity in cultured hippocampal neurons. Br J Pharmacol. 2000 Oct;131(4):711-20.
• 25. Assunc,ao M, Santos-Marques MJ, de Freitas V, Carvalho F, Andrade JP, Lukoyanov NV, Paula-Barbosa MM Red wine antioxidants protect hippocampal neurons against ethanol-induced damage. Neuroscience. 2007 Jun 8;146(4):1581-92.
• 26. Schmidt SR. Effects of humor on sentence memory. J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn. 1994 Jul;20(4):953-67.
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http://www.emedexpert.com/tips/brain.shtml

9 Sleep Myths That Make You Tired

By Barbara Loecher & Lauren Gelman, Prevention
Fri, Oct 01, 2010

If you're one of the 60 to 70 million Americans with a sleep problem, there's a good chance that a sleep myth or two may be keeping you up at night—or leaving you exhausted during the day. Before you invest in a new $1,500 mattress or spend a couple of nights wired with electrodes in a sleep lab, see if you can trace your sleep troubles to one of these widely believed myths. Then try our tips for better sleep every night.

1. Many people are "short sleepers"
Fact: If you genuinely require less than 6 hours of sleep a night, you're a rarity. A just-discovered genetic mutation does enable some people to function okay on 20 to 25% less sleep than average, but—here's the catch—researchers estimate that fewer than 1% of people have the trait.

Energy fix: Two likely signs you're among the lucky short-sleeping crowd: You wake up regularly without an alarm clock, and at the same time every day—weekdays, weekends, vacations—says Emory University sleep expert David Schulman, MD. "But most of us need 7 to 8 hours of sleep to stay healthy."

8 New secrets for all-day energy.

2. Napping only makes you more tired
Fact: Some people swear that quick naps make them sleepier, but a snooze that's less than 20 minutes should perk most of us up.

"Just 10 to 20 minutes is all you need to get the benefits of napping, such as alertness, improved performance, and better mood," says Kimberly A. Cote, PhD, a sleep researcher at Brock University in Ontario. Here's why: During sleep, your brain produces different kinds of waves, which correspond to how deeply you sleep. After about 20 minutes, the sleeping brain may move into what's called slow-wave sleep, which is the deepest phase of sleep. If you nap too long, you may feel groggy and disoriented upon awakening instead of refreshed because long naps are more likely to contain deep slow-wave sleep.

When you nap also matters. "A power nap should be early in the day so it doesn't interfere with your ability to fall asleep at bedtime," says David Neubauer, MD, associate director of the Johns Hopkins Sleep Disorders Center. Most people's inner body clocks trigger drowsiness somewhere between 1 and 4 PM.

Energy fix: To make naps a daily ritual, doze off faster by using something you associate with sleep (a favorite pillow or lavender eye mask). Also, nap in a comfortable chair or couch instead of your bed to avoid the temptation to doze for too long, so you don't wake up with a sleep hangover.

3. Exercise too close to bed keeps you up
Fact: That's not true for everyone. In fact, research shows that even vigorous exercise right before bedtime doesn't cause trouble sleeping for many people (and in some cases it may help).

This is good news if your busy schedule gives you a short window of time after work to squeeze in some activity. Even people who have trouble sleeping can probably exercise about an hour before bed without problems. "But we don't have hard data, so people really have to do their own testing," says Michael Perlis, PhD, director of the University of Pennsylvania Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program.

Energy fix: Experiment. If you exercise at night and suspect that your workout may be keeping you up, reschedule it for earlier in the day for several days to see whether you sleep better. Keeping a sleep diary for those days—noting when you exercise and how well you sleep—can help. If you find you do sleep better when you exercise earlier, make the switch permanent.

10 Tips for better sleep.

4. It's normal to nod off during a meeting
Fact: It's normal to feel slightly less energetic in the afternoon because of your body's natural circadian rhythms.

But you shouldn't feel like your head's about to droop while your group VP is giving a 4 PM presentation or when your preschooler is explaining why Superman is better than Batman. If your eyelids feel heavy, you're too tired, says William C. Dement, MD, PhD, the Stanford University scientist known as the father of sleep medicine.

In fact, if you feel tired during the day, you may be running a significant "sleep debt"—the total hours of sleep you've lost, one sleep-deprived night after another. If you need 8 hours of sleep and get only 7, after a week you've lost the equivalent of almost one night's sleep. That's your sleep debt. After losing only the equivalent of one night's sleep over the course of a week, your body will respond as if you'd pulled an all-nighter: You may experience waves of extreme fatigue; itchy, burning eyes; mood swings; inability to focus; and even hunger as your body tries to find a way ("Aha! Chocolate-covered pretzels!") to grasp on to energy. Sleep debt is linked with chronic, serious health issues like high blood pressure and diabetes.

Energy fix: If your sleep is interrupted once in a while, one good night's sleep will help you feel refreshed. Chronic problems—stress, a snoring spouse, the snuggling pet—will require specific solutions (a visit to the doctor, a bed in the hallway for Spike). But if you're cheating yourself of sleep time "to get things done," or if you just don't realize how much sleep you need, you have to adjust your bedtime and hit the hay earlier (try this tip to get more sleep).

5. Go to sleep earlier if you have insomnia
Fact: Step away from the bed.

If you suffer from true insomnia, this could make your tossing and turning much worse, says Cote. Blame it on something called the sleep homeostat. A hardwired system controlled by brain chemicals, it's not unlike your appetite. The longer you go between meals and the more active you are, the hungrier you become. Likewise, your homeostat builds up a hunger for sleep based on how long you've been awake and how active you've been. The more sleep hungry you are, the faster you nod off and the more soundly you doze. But just as you're not eager for a big meal at night if you pig out all day or snack too close to dinner, you're not going to feel tired if you go to bed earlier or nap. When you have insomnia, experts recommend that you let your sleep homeostat adjust itself naturally, without trying to compensate with different bedtimes and catnaps.

Energy fix: Go to bed an hour later than usual (to make yourself more tired). If you feel anxious about falling asleep, get up and leave the bedroom. Try reading or some other low-key activity. Two other tips that can help bring on natural sleep: Dunk in a warm bath before bed. It temporarily spikes your body temperature, but lying down afterward makes it drop because your muscles relax and produce less heat. Sleep tends to follow a steep decline in body temperature. Also, exercise during the day. Research shows that a 30- to 45-minute bout helps insomniacs enjoy better and somewhat longer sleep.

Tired all the time? It could signal a more serious health problem.

6. Skipping a little sleep isn't that horrible
Fact: Missing even 90 minutes of sleep for just 1 night can reduce your daytime alertness by as much as 32%.

That's enough to impair your memory, your thinking ability, and your safety on the job and on the road. One Australian study found that volunteers who stayed awake just 6 hours past their normal bedtime for a single day performed as poorly on tests gauging attentiveness and reaction time as those who were legally drunk. The National Sleep Foundation's 2009 poll showed that as many as 1.9 million drivers have had a car crash or a near miss due to drowsiness in the past year.

What's worse, sleep deprivation also impairs your ability to recognize that you're not running on all cylinders. In other words, you really shouldn't be operating heavy machinery (or much else), but you don't realize it. "The ability to judge how well you're doing is probably one of the first things to go when you don't get enough sleep," says Cote. "That's why you need to take preventive measures."

Energy fix: If you miss several hours of sleep one night, consider calling in sick the next day or ask if you can work from home. (That way, you won't have to drive.) If you find yourself nodding off at your desk, take a brisk walk up and down the stairs or hall. Exercise helps you snap to, in part because the accompanying rise in body temperature appears to boost alertness for a time. If possible, set aside part of your lunch hour for a nap. Remember to set an alarm, or ask a buddy to wake you.

7. Just catch up on sleep on the weekend
Fact: Unless you have insomnia, it's theoretically possible to make up for some lost sleep by dozing longer on the weekend. But it's not realistic.

With kids' birthday parties, sports practices, and all those inevitable weekend errands, chances are you won't really be able to make up for the sleep you missed, says Dement. You'll end up finishing the week in the red, with an ever-bigger sleep debt.

Energy fix: Don't regularly skimp on weekday sleep with the expectation you'll bounce back over the weekend. If you do happen to rack up an occasional sleep debt during the workweek, try to sleep later on the weekend or take a nap so you can pay at least part of it down, Dement says. Invest in a white-noise machine to help snooze through the din of lawn mowers and your kids' afternoon games in the yard.

5 Signals you're sleep deprived.

8. It doesn't matter when you go to sleep
Fact: Night owls are nearly 3 times more likely to experience symptoms of depression than early birds, one study found—even when they got the same total amount of sleep.

Experts aren't sure exactly why, but there may be an optimal time within the 24-hour clock to fall asleep and wake up, says Lisa Shives, MD, sleep expert and founder of North Shore Sleep Medicine. "This and other research shows that going to bed late can be bad for your mood and your overall health."

Energy fix: If you want to shift back your bedtime, start gradually: head to bed 15 to 30 minutes earlier every few days, and make sure the lights in your home are dim for about 2 hours before that time, says Shives. Then set your alarm to wake up 7 to 8 hours later.

9. You have to be in bad shape to take sleeping pills
Fact: Actually, sleeping pills are most helpful if you take them before insomnia becomes chronic, says Carl E. Hunt, MD, director of the National Institutes of Health National Center on Sleep Disorders Research. They can help correct your off-kilter sleep homeostat.

Today's popular pills like Ambien and Sonata, unlike older versions, help you drift off to sleep within minutes and stay asleep, thus breaking the cycle of sleeplessness and anxiety that can turn a few nights of insomnia into chronic sleeplessness. They also wear off faster than older meds, so you're not semi-comatose in the morning. Like all medicines, sleeping pills can cause side effects (dizziness, headache, agitation), and they're not meant for long-term use.

Energy fix: Ask your doctor about the pros and cons of sleeping meds for you. If you'd prefer a drug-free alternative, consider cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT); long-term, it can be more effective than pills at combating insomnia. CBT trains insomniacs to avoid bad habits and counterproductive worries about lost sleep. Usually the therapy runs from four to eight sessions, but some patients find relief with as few as two. The downside of CBT: It can cost hundreds per session and, unlike pills, may not be covered by insurance.

http://health.yahoo.net/rodale/PVN/9-sleep-myths-that-make-you-tired

Top 10 Health Benefits of a Good Night's Sleep

Why sleep matters to you

From Mark Stibich, Ph.D., former About.com Guide

Updated May 08, 2009

About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by our Medical Review Board

Sleep, we all love it, especially when you wake up from a great night's sleep. In the past, sleep was often ignored by doctors and surrounded by myths, but now we are beginning to understand the importance of sleep to overall health and well-being. In fact, when people get less than 6 or 7 hours of sleep each night, their risk for developing diseases begins to increase.

Note: Stay up-to-date on longevity and anti-aging with my weekly newsletter.

1. Sleep Keeps Your Heart Healthy

Heart attacks and strokes are more common during the early morning hours. This fact may be explained by the way sleep interacts with the blood vessels. Lack of sleep has been associated with worsening of blood pressure and cholesterol, all risk factors for heart disease and stroke. Your heart will be healthier if you get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each night.

More Info

2. Sleep May Prevent Cancer

People working the late shift have a higher risk for breast and colon cancer. Researchers believe this link is caused by differing levels of melatonin in people who are exposed to light at night. Light exposure reduces the level of melatonin, a hormone that both makes us sleepy and is thought to protect against cancer. Melatonin appears to suppress the growth of tumors. Be sure that your bedroom is dark to help your body produce the melatonin it needs.

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3. Sleep Reduces Stress

When your body is sleep deficient, it goes into a state of stress. The body's functions are put on high alert which causes an increase in blood pressure and a production of stress hormones. Higher blood pressure increases your risk for heart attacks and strokes. The stress hormones also, unfortunately, make it harder for you to sleep. Learn relaxation techniques to counter the effects of stress. There are also stress reduction techniques for sleep.

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4. Sleep Reduces Inflammation

The increase in stress hormones raises the level of inflammation in your body, also creating more risk for heart-related conditions, as well as cancer and diabetes. Inflammation is thought to one of the causes of the deterioration of your body as you age.

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5. Sleep Makes You More Alert

Of course, a good night's sleep makes you feel energized and alert the next day. Being engaged and active not only feels great, it increases your chances for another good night's sleep. When you wake up feeling refreshed, use that energy to get out into the daylight, do active things, and be engaged in your world. You'll sleep better the next night and increase your daily energy level.

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6. Sleep Bolsters Your Memory

Researchers do not fully understand why we sleep and dream, but a process called memory consolidation occurs during sleep. While your body may be resting, your brain is busy processing your day, making connections between events, sensory input, feelings and memories. Your dreams and deep sleep are an important time for your brain to make memories and links. Getting more quality sleep will help you remember and process things better.

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7. Sleep May Help You Lose Weight

Researchers have also found that people who sleep less than seven hours per night are more likely to be overweight or obese. It is thought that the lack of sleep impacts the balance of hormones in the body that affect appetite. The hormones ghrelin and leptin, important for the regulation of appetite, have been found to be disrupted by lack of sleep. So if you are interested in controlling or losing weight, don't forget to pay attention to getting a good night's sleep.

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8. Naps Make You Smarter

Napping during the day is not only an effective and refreshing alternative to caffeine, it can also protect your health and make you more productive. A study of 24,000 Greek adults showed that people who napped several times a week had a lower risk for dying from heart disease. People who nap at work have much lower levels of stress. Napping also improves memory, cognitive function and mood.

9. Sleep May Reduce Your Risk for Depression

Sleep impacts many of the chemicals in your body, including serotonin. People with a deficiency in serotonin are more likely to suffer from depression. You can help to prevent depression by making sure you are getting the right amount of sleep, between 7 and 9 hours each night.

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10. Sleep Helps the Body Make Repairs

Sleep is a time for your body to repair damage caused by stress, ultraviolet rays and other harmful exposures. Your cells produce more protein while you are sleeping. These protein molecules form the building blocks for cells, allowing them to repair damage.

More on Improving Your Sleep

More Fun Ways to Live Longer

More Info

Sources

<sub>Archives of Internal Medicine, 1 2003;163:205-209. Archives of Internal Medicine, 2. 2007;167(3):296-301.

Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention. Vol. 13, 936-943, June 2004
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The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Vol. 89, No. 5 2119-2126.

Public Library of Science. PLoS Medicine Vol. 1, No. 3, e68 doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0010068.

Brigham and Women's Hospital Reducing Your Risk for Depression.

NIH Senior Health Sleep and Aging.</sub>

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 http://longevity.about.com/od/lifelongenergy/tp/healthy_sleep.htm