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Deep sleep for glowing health

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    Starting as early as 30, improving the quality and quantity of sleep can eliminate future risk of memory loss and a wide range of mental and physical disorders. UC Berkeley researchers think that nearly every disease killing us in later life has a causal link to lack of sleep.

    If you have trouble sleeping more now than when you were younger, don’t worry that this is how your nights will be from here out. Generally, you will be able to fall back asleep as fast as you used to with a strategy. Researchers find that the aging brain has trouble generating the kind of slow brain waves that promote deep restorative sleep, called deep non-rapid eye movement. This time-out for the brain helps sort the unimportant to important information from the hippocampus, to the prefrontal cortex, which consolidates information into long-term storage.

Here are some suggestions to how you can get the sleep you need:

Daytime routine

 Caffeine: Generally, caffeine lasts for five to six hours in the body. Try to not have caffeine later than mid-afternoon.

  Naps: Naps are great, but no later than mid-afternoon.

  Late-night eating: Try to avoid eating less than three hours before bedtime or overeating at dinner.

Evening routine

 Minimize screen time: Turn off your iPhone, iPad and TV to minimize screen time.

Bedroom: Have your bedroom quiet and dark, and a cool temperature. Core body temperature drops with the onset of sleep, but then increases because of a greater blood flow to the skin, so have comfortable bedding. Around 9 p.m., your body produces melatonin, which helps control your sleep-wake cycle. Melatonin is a natural hormone made by the pineal gland, located just above the middle of the brain. When the sun goes down, the pineal turn on signals in the brain that controls hormones, body temperature and other functions that play a role in making us sleepy or very awake. Its transmission is better promoted in a dark environment. Melatonin level stays elevated typically throughout the night, and drops before the light of a new day. When traveling, pack an eye mask and earplugs.

    Meditate in bed: Promote relaxation by relaxing as much as you can once you get into bed. It takes practice, but focus on slow, quiet breathing. A simple breathing practice can consist of only a few minutes to reconnect to mind, body and spirit. Keep focusing on your breath, and let any thoughts go. If you start to think about things, give yourself credit for noticing that your mind has wandered, and return to gentle breathing.

 Connie Aronson is an ACSM-certified exercise physiologist at the YMCA in Ketchum. Learn more at www.conniearonson.com.

Published in the Idaho Mountain Express May 5, 2017

Eat, Sleep, Massage-Research Tidbits

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 Lights out/shades down

If you habitually survive on less than 7 hours of sleep a night, as 1/3 of US adults report, and struggle with your weight, you might consider turning off the lights earlier. In recent studies, getting as little as 4 hours of sleep a night elevates the sympathetic nervous system and evening cortisol production, both of which increases fat stores. The hunger hormones, leptin and gherlin, are particularly affected. Lack of sleep lessens the production of leptin, which signals the brain in how much fat the cells need for energy. In turn, the hypothalamus, the brain center for hunger, mistakes this as a signal to eat more. With sleep dept, gherlin, swings the other way and increases, stimulating hunger. Another wrench is thrown into the mix by decreased levels of the protein called peptide tyrosine-tyrosine,or PYY, secreted from the stomach, triggering , perhaps, a late night reach for the refrigerator door. Last, chronic sleep interferes with glucose metabolism. Research also suggests that if you are weary, you’re less inclined to do more physical activity and more inclined to fend off fatigue with high calorie food. No wonder you might feel hungry all the time!

Front Pull with Hands Facing out Best for Lat Pull-Down

The  pull-down machine is an excellent machine to use at the gym for back strength, as the broad, flat muscles of the lower back , the latissimus dorsi, extent, adduct , and inwardly rotate your arms. Recently, researchers tested various combinations of arm and grip positions with electromyography to determine which grip trained the lats best. Their findings, published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research July 2010, found the larger joint moment at the shoulder was best with the bar pulled down in front of the face, palms facing away, for back strength. They noted safety concerns pulling the bar behind the head , as unnecessary stress is placed on the front shoulder. A narrow or wide grip had no significant effect on the electrical activity of the lats, and the findings from this study showed that the grip types were at similar levels for both the arms ( bicep bracchi,)and the trapezius, the large flat muscles of the upper back. While you’re at it, since your weights are nearby, perform arm curls to keep your arms strong.

30 seconds and You’re  Done- Quick Massage Stretching

Flexibility is an important part of an exercise program, yet many people just don’t stretch, for lack of time, or because they are so stiff that stretching isn’t   a pleasant   experience for them. Numerous studies have demonstrated how static stretching before exercise can actually diminish force production in sports that involve sprinting or jumping, so researchers took a look at massage as an alternative  warm-up or cool-down in this recent study, published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research July 2010. The main finding was that 10 and 30 second massage at the musculo-tendinous junction increased flexibility without affecting performance.  It’s good news for athletes, as including a 10 or 30 second musculotendinous massage to your stretching routine will improve range of motion. Now you can’t say you never stretch!

 

Connie Aronson is an ACSM Health & Fitness Specialist and an IDEA Elite Certified Personal Trainer located at the YMCA and High Altitude Fitness in Ketchum

Published in the Idaho Mountain Express November 19, 2010