Sleep better: Tips for getting a good night’s rest

Being healthy is more than just having a disease-free body. It also includes feeling rested and energized and enjoying a state of well-being. The center of this, is quality sleep.

Tossing and turning. Long, sleepless nights. They're draining, frustrating, and, well, exhausting—physically and mentally. Sometimes these problems can be triggers by life events or stress. Regardless, minor lifestyle and deity tweaks can make a radical difference. "The majority of people with day-to-day insomnia could be sleeping like puppies if they made just a few changes," says Jacob Teitelbaum, medical director of the Fibromyalgia and Fatigue Centers, which are located nationwide, and author of From Fatigued to Fantastic. "And if you know how to eat right? You're going to be way ahead of the game."

Replenish and Restore

Many people understand that there is a connection between fruits and vegetables and their ability to positively impact how the mind and body function. For example, the advantages of eating vitamin-rich spinach and antioxidant-filled blueberries have been widely acclaimed and accepted. But there is also hundreds of herbs and plants that may help replenish the mind and body and restore balance in multitude of ways.

The Sunny Side

Protein: High-protein foods promote sleep, and also fight acid reflux, Teitelbaum says. That's important, since heartburn often flares up at night, interrupting your Zzzz’s. Smart picks for a pre-bedtime snack: two slices of lean meat or cheese, a hardboiled egg, or some cottage cheese mixed with fresh fruit.

Almonds: They're full of protein and also provide a solid dose of magnesium, which promotes sleep, muscle relaxation, and bowel function. Chow down on a handful before bed, or spread some almond butter on toast.

Milk: Sipping on a warm glass isn’t just an old fib. Donald Hensrud, chair of the division of preventive medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota adds, “It's full of tryptophan, so it will have a sedative effect. Plus, it's a good source of calcium, which helps regulate the production of melatonin.”  So if you can't fall asleep or if you're woken up in the middle of the night, have some milk.

Cherries: They're one of the only natural sources of melatonin, according to a study published in the Journal of Experimental Botany in 2011. Have a handful an hour before bedtime; if they aren't in season, a good substitute is cherry juice or the dried variety.

Tea: Not just any, but decaf.  Herbal and mild flavors are soothing, Green tea in particular contains theanine, which helps promote sleep.

Oatmeal: A single bowl provides plenty of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, and potassium—all sleep-promoting nutrients. Go light on the sweeteners though, as too much sugar could sabotage shut-eye.

Deal Breakers

While loading up on sleep-promoting foods is important, so is steering clear of those that'll have the opposite effect:

High-fat meals: Initially, that greasy burger and fries will make you feel tired by cutting off some of the oxygen headed to your brain. However, research suggests people who have heavy, fatty meals in the evening clock fewer hours of total quality sleep than those who don't. Be particularly cautious if you suffer from acid reflux. These high fat and high calorie meals can worsen indigestion and heartburn. If a heavy meal is on the menu, make sure it's at least three hours before bedtime.

Caffeine: Go easy on caffeine, especially if it’s in the late afternoon. It's often the culprit lurking behind troublesome sleep. It’s my personal rule to avoid caffeine after 3:00 pm. Watch out for less-obvious sources, like chocolate, gum, and certain medications. Still, not everyone finds it problematic. "We metabolize caffeine differently—there's a genetic basis," Hensrud says. "If I have caffeine even in late afternoon, I'll be up all night, while my wife can have a cup of coffee and go right to bed."

Spicy meals: Especially for those facing acid reflux, spicy foods will lead to a long night of tossing and turning. Avoid laying down after a spicy meal for at least two hours. 

Resources

Newell, S. (2014, August). Make the most of each day- and night. U.S. Airways,126-128 

Walker, R., Battistelli, A., Moscatello, S., Chen, Z., Leegood, R., Famiani, F. (2011). Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase in cherry (Prunus avium L.) fruit during development. J. Exp. Bot. 137 (4): 215-220. doi: 10.1093/jxb/err189 

Choosing a Healthy Breakfast Cereal

Diet advice is everywhere and bold claims like “reduced sugar” or “all natural” catch your eye on food packages everywhere. However, before you take hold of a box of that "New and Improved" breakfast cereal, take a look at these tips to help you pick a healthy cereal for you.

Experts from The American Dietetic Association reviewed the leading cereals, including these reduced sugar versions, only to discover that the calorie amount was equal to the regular high-sugar variety. In fact the only one that had somewhat fewer calories was General Mills Cinnamon Toast Crunch—and it only dropped by 10 calories in each serving.

"How can this be?!"

Well, the manufacturers replaced the sugar with other forms of refined carbohydrates. So the manufacturers are legal in their marketing of “reduced sugar”, but the calorie amount is virtually the same. Check out the nutrition labels the next time you are in the grocery store. 

So place the box back on the shelf as quickly as you grabbed it, and select a breakfast cereal based on the following Healthy Now and Later tips:

• For a fiber-rich cereal reach for oatmeal, Cheerios, Wheaties, shredded wheat, raisin bran or Kashi.
• Add sweetness with fruit, honey, or agave nectar. Give sliced bananas, frozen blueberries, or fresh strawberries a try.
• Top it all off with some low-fat milk, soymilk, or almond milk. I’ve even added Greek yogurt to create a parfait-like treat. 
• If you or your loved ones are screaming for the sweeter stuff, first try to go half-and-half. For example, half chocolate puffs mixed with half Cheerios. The amount of sugar and flavorings is more than ample to sweeten the contents in the entire bowl. 

Above all, ignore those catchy claims on the front of the box. Go straight to the nutrition facts label. Here's what to look for:

• Remember the "Rule of Fives": Choose cereals with at least 5 grams of fiber per serving, and less than 5 grams of sugar.
• Look for each serving to contain at least 3 grams of protein.
• Read the ingredients list. Avoid cereals that list hydrogenated oils, artificial dyes or colors, and chemical preservatives.

Resources

Schwartz, M., Vartianian, L., Wharton, C., Brownell, K. (2008). Examining the nutritional quality of breakfast cereals marketed to children. Journal of The American Dietetics Association. 108(4), 702-705. 

Are Your Food Choices Causing Premature Aging?

Your colleague follows a Paleo Diet. Your boss is gluten-free. Your sister swears she turned lactose intolerant last week and your roommate is an acolyte of Michael Pollan. So who’s right? Maybe they all are.

In research published January of 2014 in Cell Metabolism, USC scientists Sean Curran and Shanshan Pang identified a collection of genes that allow an organism to adapt to different diets and showed that without the genes, even minor tweaks to diets can cause premature aging or death.

A genetic explanation for an organism’s dietary needs suggests that different individuals may be genetically predisposed to thrive on different diets and that now, in the age of gene sequencing, people might be able to identify which diet is best suited for them through a simple blood test.

“These studies have revealed that single gene mutations can alter the ability of an organism to utilize a specific diet. In humans, small differences in a person’s genetic makeup that change how well these genes function could explain why certain diets work for some but not others,” said Curran, corresponding author of the study and assistant professor with joint appointments in the USC Davis School of Gerontology, the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

In their study, Curran and Pang identified a gene called “alh-6”, which delayed the effects of aging depending on what type of diet a worm was fed by protecting it against diet-induced mitochondrial defects.

“This gene is remarkably well-conserved from single-celled yeast all the way up to mammals, which suggests that what we have learned in the worm could translate to a better understanding of the factors that alter diet success in humans,” Curran said.

Future research will focus on identifying what contributes to the success or failure of various diets and whether these factors explain why specific diets don’t work for everyone. This could very well be the start of personalized dieting based on an individual’s genetic makeup, according to Curran. As he puts it; “We hope to uncover ways to enhance the use of any dietary program and perhaps even figure out ways of overriding the system(s) that prevent the use of one diet in certain individuals.”

Resource

Curran, S., Shanshan, P. (2014). Adaptive capacity to bacteria diet modulates aging in c. elegans. Cell Metabolism. 19(2), 221-231.