Problems in BED anyone?

Have you ever spent a night wide awake?  I bet the next morning wasn’t the best.  

This blog is made for you, I have gathered some recommendations that can help you avoid those awful insomnia episodes…

• Naps

Napping makes matters worse if you have trouble falling asleep. But if you must nap, keep it brief, 26 minutes or less (the astronaut’s nap)-- and do it early in the day.  Any shut-eye within eight hours of your bedtime can sabotage a good night's sleep.

Tip: When an afternoon slump hits, go for a short walk, drink a glass of ice water, or call a friend.

• Clock

When you glance at the clock in the wee hours of the night, your sleep will suffer.  You worry about how few hours are left before your busy day begins.  

Tip: Put your clock in a drawer, under the bed, or turn it away from view.

• Eat Right

Avoid heavy foods and big meals late in the day; they tax the digestive system and make it hard to get high-quality sleep.  Some people do well with a light evening snack of sleep-inducing foods.  

Complex carbs and dairy foods fill the bill, such as cereal with milk or crackers and cheese.

Tip: Finish any snack at least an hour before bed.

• Caffeine

Coffee in the morning is fine for most people, but as soon as the clock strikes noon, avoid caffeine in foods and drinks.  

Caffeine interferes with the deeper stages of sleep, so even small amounts found in chocolate and decaffeinated coffee may impact your rest.

Tip: Read labels, some pain relievers and weight loss pills contain caffeine

• Alcohol

Although the tranquilizing effects of alcohol may make you sleepy at bedtime, beware -- after the initial effects wear off, alcohol actually causes more frequent awakenings at night and less restful sleep.

Tip: Warm milk or chamomile tea are better beverage choices in the evening. And remember to stop drinking within two hours of bedtime to avoid bathrooms visits in the middle of the night.

• Exercise

Regular exercise has been shown to improve sleep quality, as long as you don't work out too close to bedtime.  A post-workout burst of energy can keep you awake.  Aim to finish any vigorous exercise 3 to 4 hours before you hit the hay.

Tip: Gentle mind/body exercises are fine just before sleep. Yoga, tai chi, and similar routines are a perfect, sleep-inducing nightcap.

Next weekI will give you 5 effective ways to sleep like a baby!

Can You Really Be Hooked on SUGAR?

Even though it is not an actual addiction if you crave it, lose control, and eat more than you planned, it would be wise to try to reduce the amount of sugar you are eating.

Think you don't have a sweet tooth, but crave bagels, chips, or french fries? These starchy foods are complex carbs that the body breaks down into simple sugars. White rice, white flour, and potatoes do this.  Highly refined starches like white bread, pretzels, crackers, and pasta are worst.

How does a sugar craving works?

First: Sugar fuels every cell in the brain. Your brain also sees sugar as a reward, which makes you keep wanting more of it.

Second: When you eat candy, the sugar in it is quickly turned into glucose in your bloodstream.  Your blood sugar levels spike. …

Third: Your body needs to move the glucose out of the bloodstream and into your cells for energy. To do this, your pancreas makes insulin, as a result, your blood sugar level may have a sudden drop. This rapid change in blood sugar leaves you feeling wiped out and shaky and searching for more sweets to regain that sugar "high."

How do I STOP it?

Train your taste buds:  Try cutting out one sweet food from your diet each week.  For example, pass on dessert after dinner, put less sugar in your coffee or cereal.

Choose a good-4-U sweet:  Instead of sugar you can use stevia, try fresh berries or pureed fruit, you can also explore fruit that's dried, frozen, or canned.

Let Protein Help:  Eating protein is an easy way to curb sugar cravings. High-protein foods digest more slowly, keeping you feeling full for longer.

Fill Up on Fiber:  Fiber helps fight a sugar itch in many ways.  It keeps you full, gives you more energy, it doesn't raise your blood sugar so there's no hungry crash after.

Limit the 'Healthy' Sugars, Too:  Honey, brown sugar, and cane juice may sound healthy, but sugar is sugar.  Whether it comes from bees or sugar cane, it can cause your blood glucose to rise.

Scout Out Hidden Sugar:  Sugar can hide in foods where you least expect it. Although they don't seem sweet, ketchup, barbecue sauce, and pasta sauce can have loads of sugar. So can reduced-fat salad dressings, bread, baked beans, and some flavored coffees. 

Get in the habit of reading labels. Filter out high-sugar foods before they hit your shopping cart.

See you next week!

Sugar: Myth or reality

Sugar has been our partner since we were little; it has been the reward, the prize and the consolation after a heartbreak.  And we wonder: Why do we love it so much? 

Well, sugar consumption causes the brain to secrete substances that make us feel better.  There is also the theory that eating sugar intermittently can change your behavior, through addiction related hormones such as dopamine, creating dependency.

In the last two decades sugar has become one of the causes of the world epidemic of overweight, which goes hand in hand with many diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes, depression and cancer.  

Currently 1 billion adults worldwide suffer from excess weight ... This is equivalent to all the inhabitants of the American continent!

Let's do a little calculation:

An average soda can (360ml) has 150Kcal and 5 tablespoons of sugar, if these calories are added to the daily diet ...

A can of soda a day can lead to weight gain of 7 kg in 1 year!

But, unfortunately, we not only eat sugar when we add it to the coffee or have a soda.  It's amazing the amount of foods developed by the food industry, which use sugar to flavor, texture or color to food.  We can find it in ketchup, marmalade, bread, cereals, te...almost every where!

It sounds terrible isn't it?! I suggest this week we try to add half of sugar to our coffe or drink water instead of soda, or just read the food labels of the products we buy.

See you next week!