Sleep: A Key To Wellness

A good night’s sleep is essential for your physical and mental health. Adopting simple habits can help ensure better sleep, which will help you feel better while you are awake.

After observing your sleep patterns for one to two weeks, try these five strategies to help improve your sleep:

1. Minimize light and sound.

These two environmental factors can impact your quality and quantity of sleep. Darkness causes your brain to release melatonin for a calming, sleepy effect. As a result, it's important to minimize your exposure to light before bedtime. Even the light from your computer, TV or other devices might make it more difficult to fall asleep. Ban these devices from your bedroom, and create a dark space using blackout shades or an eye mask. Noise also can interfere with your ability to sleep. Try using a fan or a noise machine to block out unwanted noises.

2. Get comfortable.

Adults spend about a third of their lives asleep, so it's worthwhile to invest in bedding that comforts and relaxes you. Before climbing into bed, try lowering your thermostat a few degrees. Your core temperature drops during rest, and keeping your room chilly will aid in this natural temperature drop.

3. Keep a routine.

Everyone can sleep better when they have a bedtime routine. Stick to a regular sleep schedule. Aim to go to bed and wake up at the same time, during the week and on weekends. Doing the same thing before bed each night can help prepare your body for rest and condition your brain for sleep. Stick to activities that promote relaxation, such as gentle stretching, writing in a journal, reading or meditation.

4. Manage stress.

How you handle stress can significantly affect your ability to fall and stay asleep. While stress isn't all bad, it can disrupt your sleep when it turns into worry or anxiety. If your busy mind keeps you up at night, try practicing stress management techniques bedtime. Listening, but not watching, sleep talk-down meditations can help clear your mind. Experiment with aromatherapy, deep breathing, keeping a gratitude journal or other meditation.

5. Get out of bed.

If you lie in bed stressing about your inability to sleep, get out of bed and do something that will promote relaxation. This might be reading an uninteresting book, practicing a relaxation technique or focusing on your breath. When you begin to feel sleepy, head back to bed. Avoid spending time in bed frustrated about sleep.

Make sleep a priority. Even if you're already sleeping soundly, these tips can help.

If you're still not getting enough sleep, use these additional suggestions until you get the sleep you need to feel your best each day:

• Keep a written log of your sleep schedule this week.
• Turn off your electronic devices — including your phone and TV— an hour before bed each night.
• Do some gentle stretches before bed to help you relax.

Rachel Ziegler, M.D., is a physician in Sleep Medicine in Fairmont and Mankato, Minnesota.

Source: https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/wellness/journey/march

Relaxation techniques: Try these steps to reduce stress

Relaxation techniques can reduce stress symptoms and help you enjoy a better quality of life, especially if you have an illness. Explore relaxation techniques you can do by yourself to implement this holiday season. 

Relaxation techniques are a great way to help with stress management. Relaxation isn't only about peace of mind or enjoying a hobby. It's a process that decreases the stress effects on your mind and body. Relaxation techniques can help you cope with everyday stress. And these techniques can help with long-term stress or stress related to various health problems, such as heart disease and pain.

Whether your stress is spiraling out of control or you've already got it tamed, you can benefit from learning relaxation techniques. Learning basic relaxation techniques is easy. Relaxation techniques are often free or low cost, pose little risk, and can be done nearly anywhere.

Explore simple relaxation techniques and get started on de-stressing your life and improving your health and overall well-being.

The benefits of relaxation techniques

When faced with many responsibilities and tasks or the demands of an illness, relaxation techniques may not be a priority in your life. But that means you might miss out on the health benefits of relaxation.

Practicing relaxation techniques can have many benefits, such as:

• Slowing heart rate
• Lowering blood pressure
• Slowing breathing rate
• Improving digestion
• Controlling blood sugar levels
• Reducing activity of stress hormones
• Increasing blood flow to major muscles
• Reducing muscle tension and chronic pain
• Improving focus and mood
• Improving sleep quality
• Lowering fatigue
• Reducing anger and frustration
• Boosting confidence to handle problems

To get the most benefit, use relaxation techniques along with other positive coping methods, such as:

• Thinking positively
• Finding humor
• Problem-solving
• Managing time and priorities
• Exercising regularly
• Eating a healthy diet
• Getting enough sleep
• Spending time outside
• Reaching out to supportive family and friends

Types of relaxation techniques

Health care providers such as complementary and integrative health specialists and mental health providers can teach many relaxation techniques. But you can also learn some relaxation techniques on your own.

In general, relaxation techniques involve refocusing your attention on something calming and increasing awareness of your body. It doesn't matter which relaxation technique you choose. What matters is that you try to practice relaxation regularly to reap its benefits.

Types of relaxation techniques include:

• Autogenic relaxation. Autogenic means something that comes from within you. In this relaxation technique, you use both visual imagery and body awareness to reduce stress. You repeat words or suggestions in your mind that may help you relax and reduce muscle tension. For example, you may imagine a peaceful setting. Then you can focus on relaxing your breathing, slowing your heart rate, or feeling different physical sensations, such as relaxing each arm or leg one by one.

• Progressive muscle relaxation. In this relaxation technique, you focus on slowly tensing and then relaxing each muscle group. This can help you focus on the difference between muscle tension and relaxation. You can become more aware of physical sensations. In one method of progressive muscle relaxation, you start by tensing and relaxing the muscles in your toes and progressively working your way up to your neck and head. This is best done in a quiet area without interruptions. You can also start with your head and neck and work down to your toes. Tense your muscles for about five seconds and then relax for 30 seconds, and repeat.

• Visualization. In this relaxation technique, you may form mental images to take a visual journey to a peaceful, calming place or situation. To relax using visualization, try to include as many senses as you can, such as smell, sight, sound and touch. If you imagine relaxing at the ocean, for instance, think about the smell of salt water, the sound of crashing waves and the warmth of the sun on your body. You may want to close your eyes, sit in a quiet spot, loosen any tight clothing, and focus on your breathing. Aim to focus on the present and think positive thoughts.

Other relaxation techniques may include:

• Deep breathing
• Massage
• Meditation
• Tai chi
• Yoga
• Biofeedback
• Music and art therapy
• Aromatherapy
• Hydrotherapy

Relaxation techniques take practice

As you learn relaxation techniques, you can become more aware of muscle tension and other physical sensations of stress. Once you know what the stress response feels like, you can make a conscious effort to practice a relaxation technique the moment you start to feel stress symptoms. This can prevent stress from spiraling out of control and decreasing your quality of life.

Remember that relaxation techniques are skills. As with any skill, your ability to relax improves with practice. Be patient with yourself. Don't let your effort to practice relaxation techniques become yet another stressor.

If one relaxation technique doesn't work for you, try another technique. If none of your efforts at stress reduction seems to work, talk to your health care provider about other options.

Source

The New Year is the perfect time to recommit to healthy habits! You don't have to jump right in to running 5 miles everyday -- start will small goals that get you more physically active. Positive physical health habits can help decrease your stress, lower your risk of disease, and increase your energy. Here are tips for improving your physical health:

 

GET ACTIVE

 

Sedentary behavior has been linked to many medical problems. Moving more and sitting less can have major health benefits. Experts recommend adults get at least 150 minutes (two and a half hours) of moderate physical activity a week. You can benefit from even a little activity at a time. Every minute counts when it comes to movement.

 

TO INCREASE YOUR ACTIVITY:

 

• Set specific goals for your physical activity.
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Park your car at the far end of the street or parking lot.
• Try an online exercise class to stay active from home.
• Set an alarm to go off every hour as a reminder to move around for a minute or two.
• Have small weights in your office or around your home for doing arm exercises.
• Take a walk on your lunch breaks. Or have “walking meetings” with colleagues at work.

https://www.nih.gov/health-information/your-healthiest-self-wellness-toolkits

https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/28/health/one-minute-exercise-cancer-wellness/index.html?iid=cnn_buildContentRecirc_end_recirc

How lifestyle exercise can lower your cancer risk, according to a new study

As little as one or two minutes of vigorous exercise a day could lower your cancer risk, according to a new study.

This activity can include power walking, climbing stairs, doing strenuous housework or playing with the kids, according to Dr. Emmanuel Stamatakis, lead author of the study that published Thursday in the journal JAMA Oncology.

This report relied on data of more than 22,000 people in the UK Biobank, a large biomedical database and research resource that follows residents long term.

Participants reported not regularly exercising in their leisure time, and they wore accelerometers to track their VILPA, or vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity, the study said.

“Until recently we knew very little about activities done as part of daily living that reach vigorous intensity,” said Stamatakis, a professor of physical activity, lifestyle and population health at the Charles Perkins Centre and faculty of medicine and health at the University of Sydney in Australia, via email.

Adults who incorporated about 4½ minutes of vigorous activity in short one- or two-minute bouts had more than 30% lower incidence rates of cancer, the study found.

Understanding the health impact of vigorous activity in daily life is important because for many it may be more manageable, said CNN fitness contributor Dana Santas, a mind-body coach for professional athletes.

“The large majority of middle aged and older adults, more than 70-80% in most countries, are not regular exercisers in leisure time, or simply never do any exercise,” Stamatakis said via email.

For people who do get regular leisure-time exercise, there is no need to switch to these short spurts, he added. Instead, the results open up more options.

“The principle here is that the best physical activity regimen is the one every person can fit into their weekly or daily routine,” Stamatakis said.

Why it works

Because it was an observational study, researchers could only prove that small bursts of physical activity were associated with lower cancer incidence, not that the exercise directly caused less cancer, said Dr. Glenn Gaesser, professor of exercise physiology in the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University. Gaesser was not involved in the research.

However, there have been indicators as to why the two might be connected.

“Previous early-stage trials (showed) that VILPA leads to rapid improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness,” Stamatakis said in an email. “Cardiorespiratory fitness, in turn is linked to less insulin resistance and chronic inflammation, both of which are major risk factors for cancer.”

These lifestyle exercises are not meant to replace a good exercise program, but there are benefits for people who don’t like to work out.

First, VILPA doesn’t require the financial or time commitment of using exercise tools or going to a facility, Stamatakis said.

“Research is gaining new insights into what a healthy movement profile looks like. And it doesn’t necessarily have to be just spending an hour every day at the gym,” said Dr. Keith Diaz, assistant professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City. Diaz was not involved in the research.

Second, it takes away the primary excuse not to exercise.

“ ‘Not enough time’ is the most frequent reason cited for not exercising. But who is so busy that they can’t get in 1-2 minutes … during the day?” Gaesser said in an email.

Where to find that minute or two

You know you are getting vigorous exercise if you are out of breath to the point where you wouldn’t want to hold a conversation, Santas said.

That could mean jogging in place or doing squats, mountain climbers or walking lunges, Santas said.

A short time frame may be less intimidating than signing up for a 30-minute spin class, but Santas recommends habit stacking if you are looking for ways to incorporate exercise consistently into your routine.

Try adding an exercise habit to those you already have built into your life, she said.

Santas, for example, does about 20 push-ups while waiting for the water to warm up in the shower and does wall sits or squats while brushing her teeth.

“A lot of us have electric toothbrushes that have a two-minute timer on them,” she said. “Now you’re doing that every day, hopefully twice a day.”

Such exercise is accessible, but it also is more likely to keep you coming back because of how it feels emotionally, Santas added.

“You realize how quickly a minute goes by. It’s not intimidating, and it’s easier and it makes you start to quickly feel healthier because you’re like, ‘I can do it,’” she said. “You’re doing it consistently, and it makes you proud of yourself.”

Routine jobs raise the risk of cognitive decline by 66% and dementia by 37%, study says

https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/17/health/brain-job-dementia-wellness/index.html

Working your brain hard at your job could pay off in more ways than boosting your career — it may also protect your cognition and help prevent dementia as you age, a new study found.

Having a routine job with little mental stimulation during your 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s was linked to a 66% higher risk of mild cognitive impairment and a 37% greater risk of dementia after the age of 70, according to the study, when compared with having a job with high cognitive and interpersonal demands.

“Our results show the value of having an occupation that requires more complex thinking as a way to maintain memory and thinking in old age,” said lead author Dr. Trine Edwin, a researcher at Oslo University Hospital in Norway. “The workplace is really important in promoting cognitive health.”

Years spent in school did help counter the impact of a repetitive job, but not entirely, Edwin said. Attending college, for example, reduced the impact of a repetitive job by about 60% but didn’t fully negate the risk.

“Staying actively engaged in life, maintaining a sense of purpose, learning new things and remaining socially active are powerful tools to protect against cognitive decline as we age,” said Dr. Richard Isaacson, director of research at the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Florida, in an email.

“Similarly, this study shows that being cognitively engaged at work can also have profound benefits in our fight against dementia,” said Isaacson, who was not involved in the new study.

“Just like we can use physical exercise to grow and maintain our muscles, exercising our brain through more engaging work assignments and ongoing collegial interactions seems to also help fend off dementia.”

Routine jobs are often repetitive

The study, published Wednesday in Neurology, the journal of the American Academy of Neurology, analyzed health and occupational data on 7,000 Norwegians who were followed from their 30s until they retired in their 60s.

“Many other studies on this topic have just looked at the most recent jobs that people have,” Edwin said, “but due to the national database we have in Norway we were able to follow people over much of their lifetimes.”

To do the analysis, Edwin and her team categorized the cognitive demands of 305 occupations in Norway. Routine jobs that were not classified as “cognitively protective” often involved repetitive manual and mental tasks, such as is typical of factory work and bookkeeping.

“Most people in routine jobs in our sample included housekeepers, custodians, construction workers and mail carriers,” Edwin said.

More cognitively demanding jobs were not based on routine tasks, even though repetition was required at times. Daily duties would more often include creative thinking, analyzing information, problem-solving and explaining ideas and information to others. Interpersonal skills, such as coaching or motivating others, are also required in these types of mentally stimulating jobs.

“There were lawyers, doctors, accountants, technical engineers and people in public service in this group, but the most common occupation was teaching,” Edwin said. “Teachers have a lot of interaction with students and parents and have to explain and analyze information. It’s not so routine-oriented.”

‘If you don’t use it, you lose it’

Many people in the study stayed in jobs with the same degree of complexity during their working lives. This consistency was a strength of the study in that it allowed researchers to study the impact of a job type over time, Edwin said. The study could not account for differences in duties within a certain job category, however.

“As they say, if you don’t use it, you lose it. This is similarly true for cognitive engagement throughout the lifespan,” Isaacson said.

“While I’d speculate that people at risk for Alzheimer’s would be well served by taking advantage of professional advancement opportunities, learning new job tasks, and refining their skills at work over a period of time, further studies will help clarify which specific activities have the most brain healthy benefits,” he added.

Adopting a brain healthy lifestyle, such as eating a Mediterranean-style diet, limiting alcohol and stopping smoking, staying on top of vascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol, regularly evaluating and treating hearing and vision loss, all while “getting adequate sleep and managing stress can help people slam the breaks on cognitive decline,” he said.