Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Photo by Nik Shuliahin on Unsplash Whether your doctor feels its best, or you feel your body is out-of-whack, speaking with your doctor about a cortisol level test is never a bad request. It can tell you a lot about what’s going on in your …
Photo by Jacob Townsend on Unsplash A good nights sleep is the key to all things healthy; everything from your focus to your digestion is impacted by your sleep routine. With our busy schedules, its hard to get the rest that helps us feel refreshed, …
A circadian Rhythm is the 24 hour cycle that determines when you should go to sleep and when you should wake up. It is basically the clock that runs your entire body, and is also known as your sleep/wake cycle.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, when it’s dark at night, your eyes send a signal to the hypothalamus – a portion of your brain that controls your circadian rhythm – that it’s time to feel tired. Your brain then sends a signal to your body to release melatonin, which makes your body feel tired.
A healthy circadian rhythm is working at its best when you follow regular sleeping patterns, like getting 7-8 hours of sleep each night. But outside factors like jet lag, daylight savings time or staying up late can disrupt it, making you feel tired throughout the day.
A new study has found that sticking to a normal daily rhythm is linked to improvements in mood and cognitive function, as well as a decreased likelihood of developing major depression and bipolar disorder.
The study, published in the journal The Lancet Psychiatry, looks at disruptions in circadian rhythms of over 91,000 adults in the U.K. It measured these disruptions using a device called an accelerometer that is worn on the wrist and measures one’s daily activity levels. The participants were taken from the UK Biobank, a large cohort of over half a million UK adults ages 37 to 73.
The researchers found that individuals with more circadian rhythm disruptions – increased activity at night and decreased activity during the day, or both – were significantly more likely to have symptoms consistent with bipolar disorder or major depression. They were also more likely to have decreased feelings of well-being and to have reduced cognitive functioning, bacsed on a computer-generated reaction time test.
L-Theanine, an extract from green tea, is excellent for persistent thoughts. Day or night, take for anxiety, panic and to calm down worrisome thoughts by increasing blissful alpha-waves in the brain, before bed or in the middle of the night.†
Melatonin is a hormone produced that regulates the body’s circadian rhythms. The levels of melatonin in the blood are highest prior to bedtime. When Melatonin is high, cortisol is low. Melatonin is also essential for the synthesis of Serotonin. As a supplement, it re-calibrates your 24-hour body clock for shift workers or those who work nights. This hormone, when used as a supplement, has been shown to support jet lag and traveling.†
Rhodiola is a plant that grows in the northern-colder parts of Europe. It has been shown to increase your energy and help you handle stress, while improving your mood and reducing mental fatigue. It promotes a soothing, calming effect, while steadily improving a sense of wellbeing. This herb also supports endurance so you can achieve more with exercise or for sports performance. Rhodiola may also support healthy immune system function over the winter and during times of prolonged stress.†
Photo by Awar Jahfar on Unsplash Do you have trouble falling or staying asleep? Or do you find yourself not waking up feeling rested? You’re not alone! A third of US adults report that they usually get less than the seven hours that is recommended. …
Photo by Vladislav Muslakov on Unsplash There are thousands of us who like to slip into our pajamas and put our heads down for a good night’s sleep. But what happens when you find yourself lying away in the early hours of the morning because …
After water, green tea, along with its white and black variants, all from the Camellia sinesis shrub,is the most consumed beverage in the world. There may be no beverage more salubrious. The tea plant is rich in valuable antioxidants known as polyphenols. The polyphenols in green tea are called catechins, of which EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) is the most active and well known.
Other beneficial compounds like the relaxation amino acid L-theanine and the energizing, mind sharpening alkaloids theobromine and theophylline may also be present. Green tea has numerous health benefits, from quelling the fires of inflammation to protecting healthy heart and brain function, from supporting immunity to improving metabolism while impacting blood sugar balance. This time of year, it piques the interest of anyone looking to keep the flu at bay, and the evidence is impressive.
Nobody wants their winter holiday season to be plagued with a cold or the flu. When you need a simple and effective immune boost, look towards green tea. This mighty leaf strengthens and supports the immune system in several significant ways. Green tea has long been recognized as having powerful antiviral properties. Tea actually alters the structure of the virus itself, which suppresses the ability of the virus to cause an infection. EGCG has the ability to attach to the cell membrane of the flu virus. EGCG binds to a glycoprotein on the flu virus called hemagglutinin, which blocks the ability of the virus to infect other cells.i This makes green tea a potent weapon against contracting the flu, and can aid in a quick recovery as well. Recent research shows that green tea also inhibits the neuraminidase enzyme slowing the spread from cell to cell of many viruses.
Another component of green tea, L-theanine, has been shown to increase immune responses. L-Theanine activates and aids in the production of a type of white blood cell called gamma-delta-T lymphocyte ii , a quick acting immune cell that launches a mighty attack on invading pathogens like the flu virusiii . L-Theanine also helps to make interferon-gammaiv , an important cytokine (signaling protein of the immune system) that has powerful antimicrobial propertiesv . These immune cells are an essential part of the body’s defenses against viruses and other invaders. By directly stimulating the action of the immune system and inactivating viruses, green tea offers unrivaled protection against illness.