As the population continues to age, more research is being conducted on how to keep our brains active and growing throughout our lives. Tips abound, but here's some of the best suggestions for keeping your brain healthy:
Exercise: Exercise increases our brain's ability to learn. Recent research even shows increased exercise grows brain cells and can reverse age-related brain cell loss (study was of older adults who walked 40 minutes a day three days a week). Exercise also is good for heart health, decreased depression, leads to weight loss, and fosters social interaction. So go for a walk, do crunches, lift weights, .....
Deep Breathing: Doing as little as 20 minutes a day of meditation three times a week has been shown to cause changes in the amygdala, the area of the brain that regulates emotion (2012 study). The changes seen in the brain could be correlated to more happiness and less depression. So take a few minutes each day to simply breathe and observe your breath. Let other thoughts go as you focus only on the now.
Learn something new: A 2009 University of Oxford study showed new brain cell growth when people practiced juggling 30 minutes a day for 6 weeks. The benefits suggested by the study include increased coordination and faster reflexes. But learning anything (especially after exercising) is good for your brain. So learn a language, a craft, or a new skill.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Recent research on improving sleep
Summarized below are three new studies that help us understand more about sleep. Summaries below are draw from WebMed (www.webmd.com) research summaries and articles on sleep written by Dr. Micheal Breus, PhD, ABSM.
1. The National Science foundation interviewed 1000 adults (ages 23-60) to determine the effects of exercise on sleep. Respondents reported their physical activity for the week (vigorous, moderate, light, and no activity). All respondents reported the same amount of sleep, but the more people exercised in the day time, the higher the quality of sleep (i.e. they felt more rested and refreshed when waking). 61% of the non-exercisers reported bad sleep (e.g. difficulty falling and staying asleep, difficulty falling back asleep, sleeping too little), and were more likely to report feeling sleepy during the day. But perhaps most significant is that even those who only reported light exercise (e.g. 10 minute walk a day), reported better sleep than those who did no exercise. Participants who exercised more reported improved sleep regardless of when during they day they exercised.
2. A new study conducted by the University of California Berkeley suggests poor sleep may contribute to the lack of appreciation in couples. Researchers studied 60 heterosexual couples between ages 18 and 56, asking them to record amount of sleep and their feelings of gratitude. Results suggest that people tend to feel less appreciated by their partners if they slept poorly. In fact, when just one member of the couple slept poorly, both partners are negatively effected emotionally and have a lower level of appreciation felt in the relationship. This may explain why more couples are sleeping separately (25% and rising). Poor or insufficient sleep leads to crankiness and less ability to adapt to changes. So it's no wonder that we are less appreciative when we have slept poorly.
3. Modest sleep improvement appears to increase tolerance for pain. Researchers at the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Sleep Disorders Center extended the sleep of half the participants (ages 21-35) to 10 hours a night and then tested both groups for pain tolerance (how long it took them to remove hands from a heat source). The extended sleep group had a 25% increase in pain tolerance, the equivalent of taking a pain killer. Findings are found in the December 2012 issue of Sleep. Although this small study cannot conclude that increased sleep causes higher pain tolerance, it does suggest that those
expecting to have surgery or suffering from chronic pain would benefit from increased sleep.
So what can we conclude?
1. Arrange your schedule so that you can get 7-10 hours of sleep each night.
2. If you, your partner, boss, or best friend is experiencing sleep problems, get or encourage them to get some help improving their sleep habits.
3. Exercise everyday, even on busy days.
4. If you're experiencing chronic pain, consider other causes of pain beyond the initial diagnosis such as sleeping more.
Need help with sleeping better. See the last blog post (from May 8, 2013, below).
1. The National Science foundation interviewed 1000 adults (ages 23-60) to determine the effects of exercise on sleep. Respondents reported their physical activity for the week (vigorous, moderate, light, and no activity). All respondents reported the same amount of sleep, but the more people exercised in the day time, the higher the quality of sleep (i.e. they felt more rested and refreshed when waking). 61% of the non-exercisers reported bad sleep (e.g. difficulty falling and staying asleep, difficulty falling back asleep, sleeping too little), and were more likely to report feeling sleepy during the day. But perhaps most significant is that even those who only reported light exercise (e.g. 10 minute walk a day), reported better sleep than those who did no exercise. Participants who exercised more reported improved sleep regardless of when during they day they exercised.
2. A new study conducted by the University of California Berkeley suggests poor sleep may contribute to the lack of appreciation in couples. Researchers studied 60 heterosexual couples between ages 18 and 56, asking them to record amount of sleep and their feelings of gratitude. Results suggest that people tend to feel less appreciated by their partners if they slept poorly. In fact, when just one member of the couple slept poorly, both partners are negatively effected emotionally and have a lower level of appreciation felt in the relationship. This may explain why more couples are sleeping separately (25% and rising). Poor or insufficient sleep leads to crankiness and less ability to adapt to changes. So it's no wonder that we are less appreciative when we have slept poorly.
3. Modest sleep improvement appears to increase tolerance for pain. Researchers at the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Sleep Disorders Center extended the sleep of half the participants (ages 21-35) to 10 hours a night and then tested both groups for pain tolerance (how long it took them to remove hands from a heat source). The extended sleep group had a 25% increase in pain tolerance, the equivalent of taking a pain killer. Findings are found in the December 2012 issue of Sleep. Although this small study cannot conclude that increased sleep causes higher pain tolerance, it does suggest that those
expecting to have surgery or suffering from chronic pain would benefit from increased sleep.
So what can we conclude?
1. Arrange your schedule so that you can get 7-10 hours of sleep each night.
2. If you, your partner, boss, or best friend is experiencing sleep problems, get or encourage them to get some help improving their sleep habits.
3. Exercise everyday, even on busy days.
4. If you're experiencing chronic pain, consider other causes of pain beyond the initial diagnosis such as sleeping more.
Need help with sleeping better. See the last blog post (from May 8, 2013, below).
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Tips for Getting Better Sleep
1. Have a bedtime ritual:
a. Self-care: teeth, bath, hair, etc.
b. Relaxation: warm bath, quiet music, gratitude list,
tea,…
2. Go to bed and get up at the
same time every night/morning.
3. Make a comfortable sleep
area:
a. Mattress less than 10
years old
b. Consider darkening
shades to prevent light
c. Consider earplugs or white
noise machines
d. Pillows to support
lower back and neck
What
encourages sleep
1. Daily exercise (esp.
aerobic).
2. Making relaxation a habit
(e.g. meditation, neuromuscular relaxation, yoga, mindfulness, spiritual
practices, etc.)
3. Healthy encouraging
relationships.
4. Processing (vs. ignoring)
stress (therapy, talk to friend, worry list, setting smaller goals, decreasing
expectations, etc.).
5. Some foods: warm milk,* bananas, almonds, cherries
(only natural source of melatonin), oatmeal,* small portion of protein (cheese,
cottage cheese, meat, hard boiled egg), and some herbal teas.* (*Remember to avoid high sugar
additives.)
Things
to Avoid:
1. Exercise and heavy eating right before bed (esp. high fat
meals).
2. Naps more than 20 minutes in the afternoon.
3. Looking at electronic screens before bed.
4. Stress and arguments, especially before bed.
5. Alcohol, caffeine, sugar, and nicotine within 3-5 hours of
bedtime.
6. Using bed for other things (reading, chatting, working, TV,
…)
7. Suspenseful books, shows, etc. that are hard to stop.
8. Turning the light on when you get up for the bathroom, kids,…
9. Staying in bed and worrying that you aren’t sleeping.
10. Distractions (e.g. pets, kids, snoring,
neighborhood noise…).
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