Sleep For Optimal Health

Not sleeping well at night? Sleep is vital for optimal health and is one of the four pillars of health.
Regeneration occurs during sleep. It stimulates tissue regeneration, liver cleansing, muscle-building, break down of fat stores and normalization of blood sugar. Sleep helps minimize aging and many health problems are aggravated by inadequate sleep. Sleep renews energy and contributes to a more positive outlook on life contributing towards our complete potential.

Inadequate sleepers are often experience:

• impaired memory
• reduced stress tolerance
• mood changes
• irritability
• muscle tension
• drowsiness
• fatigue
• decreased concentration

To improve the quality of your sleep do the following:
1. Exercise regularly
2. Make sure your room is clutter free, quiet, and comfortable
3. Reduce excess lighting in the room
4. Reserve the bed for sleep only. Do not watch tv, eat or worry in bed.

Help your body prepare for sleep by
1. Taking warm baths
2. Meditating for 5-30 minutes
3. Acoustic recordings can help relax the brain for sleep
4. Try an herbal sedative like essential oils: chamomile, valerian, lavender or passion-flower

Simple Tips to Avoid Getting Sick

As the seasons change, we all can’t help but wonder how to avoid the flu and common colds. Well, we have compiled ten tips on how to stay flu free:

1. Eat immune boosting foods like citrus, red chili peppers, garlic, carrots and fish.
2. Sleep! Your body can fight off infections if you are getting enough sleep
3. Limit alcohol and caffeine for a while. Or try to give them up all together so that your body can mount immune responses
4. Get out your juicer! Now is the time to load your juicer with green veggies like kale, cucumber, swiss chard, and spinach
5. Try to eat as many whole foods as possible
6. Drink as much water as possible
7. Take a probiotic bacteria supplement which will help your body resist infection
8. If you have an integrative medicine practitioner make an appointment and get tips on how to boost your immune system and avoid infection.
9. Do not panic about the flu. Panic weakens your immune system.
10. Get your exercise in