Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Photo by Malvestida Magazine on Unsplash It turns out, aging doesn’t just impact your looks. Aging also impacts the ability of the circadian clock (your body’s natural sleep/wake cycle) to re-set itself when exposed to light. Yes – that means your cell phones, tablets, TVs …
Resveratrol is a phytoalexin, a natural substance that is released by plants to protect them from fungus and other microbes, from extreme temperatures, and from excessive dampness or drought. Resveratrol is found in the skin of red grapes, red wine, and peanuts. As a supplement, …
A recent review of scientific literature published in the journal Neuron found that aging adults may be losing their ability to produce deep, restorative sleep.
Medical News Today states that as the brain ages, neurons and circuits in the areas that regulate sleep slowly degrade, resulting in a decreased amount of non-REM sleep. Since non-REM deep sleep plays a key role in maintaining memory and cognition, that’s is a major issue. Matthew Walker, who leads the Sleep and Neuroimaging Laboratory at the University of California, reports, “Every one of the major diseases that are killing us in first-world nations – from diabetes to obesity to Alzeheimer’s disease to cancer – all of those things now have strong causal links to a lack of sleep. And all of those diseases significantly increase in likelihood the older that we get, and especially in dementia.”
Bryce Mander of University of California Berkeley says the loss of deep sleep starts as early as the mid-thirties. The major change that individuals feel is the “early-to-bed, early-to-rise” schedule or waking up in the middle of the night more often.
Millie Lytle, ND, MPH former Director of Nutrition for InVite® Health, states that if you have a hard time falling asleep or staying asleep, you may have insomnia. Nearly 50% of older adults have insomnia, with difficulty in getting to sleep, early awakening, or feeling unrefreshed on waking. With aging, several changes occur that higher ones risk for insomnia, including age-related changes in various circadian rhythms (your body’s internal clock), environmental and lifestyle changes, and decreases in nutrient intake, absorption, retention, and utilization of these nutrients. In addition to fatigue, insomnia in older adults is of particular concern because it could increase risk of injury, with impaired quality of life, cognitive impairment, depression and a heightened risk of metabolic syndrome. Insomnia is also associated with a moderately increased risk for cardiovascular diseases.
There are some natural alternatives that may be just what you need to begin getting the sleep you deserve, according to Mille Lytle, ND, MPH –
Magnesium is an essential mineral that has been shown to relax the nervous system, improving measures of insomnia such as sleep efficiency, sleep time, and early morning awakening. Melatonin is a hormone produced in the pineal gland in your brain that regulates the body’s circadian rhythm. When Melatonin levels are high, coritsol levels are low, making this supplement an excellent factor in healthy sleep patterns. Valerian Root has been used as a sedative and anti-anxiety treatment for more than 2,000 years. Extracts of the roots of valerian are widely used for inducing sleep and improving sleep quality. L-Theanine, an extract from green tea, is an excellent support for anxiety, panic, to calm down worrisome thoughts and sleep. One. Japanese study on rats found that chamomile extract helped them to fall asleep just as quickly as rats that got a dose of benzodiazepine (a tranquilizing medication). There are further solutions and other forms of medication that can help anyone get through this as well.
One of the best practices that help to fall asleep is exercising. Another good tip is to finish dinner at least 2 hours prior to “hitting the hay” and develop a routine. Follow this checklist to help turn your nights into dreams:
Once into bed, only do sleep-time activities. At this time, using essential oils such as lavender applied to the bottoms of feet and dropping on pillow is enjoyable and soothing. If counting sheep are not enough to blank your mind, then try an exercise-based relaxation technique called progressive-relaxation, which involves clenching each muscle group of the body as hard as possible, then enjoy the relaxation. Progressive relaxation clears the mind and relaxes the body.
Amanda Williams holds a doctorate in medicine from Xavier University in Aruba, a Master’s degree in Public Health from Nova Southeastern University, and a Bachelor’s degree in biology from St. Mary’s College Orchard Lake. Her background in disease state management allows for a unique nutritional …
Written by Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND As we age, the need to keep up with the constant changes in our bodies can prove to be difficult. The aging process gives way to deficiencies as our bodies become less able to process many vitamins and nutrients. …
Once you’ve hit age 40, you’ve most likely started to experience some of the normal bodily changes that come along with the aging process. Your metabolism might be a bit slower, losing weight is more of a challenge, and keeping your muscle tone can be a much more difficult task.
In your early twenties, you didn’t have to work as hard to see the same results. Your recovery time post-workout is much shorter when you’re younger, too – exercise takes more of a toll on your body as you get older. To keep your muscle tone and density as you age, it’s important to include strength training several times a week. You may also want to learn more about muscle tone and strength training in order to ensure that you are meeting what your body needs to keep going even as you age.
To avoid injuries, try this expert tip: lift lighter weights, but perform more repetitions. If you constantly lift heavy weights, eventually your knees, back, hips and upper body will begin to give out and become more prone to injuries. A smarter long-term approach is to go with lighter weights – this still builds and maintains muscle, and trying to push yourself too hard as you get older won’t do any good. In fact, it can hinder your goals by making you more susceptible to injury.
Stretching should be a vital part of your routine as well. Perform either one single stretch lasting 60 seconds, or six separate stretches lasting 10 seconds. Stretching is helpful for preventing injuries, increasing flexibility and enhancing your overall physique, and these two methods work equally well.
Source: http://www.msn.com/en-us/health/strength/the-best-way-to-keep-building-muscle-after-40/ar-BBi9Mhx