Sleep

New Research Indicates Omega-3 for Asthma Could Help You Breathe Easier

Are you one of the millions of people who struggle with respiratory concerns? New research on omega-3 for asthma suggests this natural remedy may make a huge difference.

Asthma is a common disease, affecting around one of out every 12 people. Overall, asthma costs the United States alone around $56 billion a year in medical costs, lost work productivity and other expenses. While modern medicine offers a variety of treatments for this and other inflammatory respiratory conditions, there are few ways to actually prevent it. However, new research on omega-3 for asthma suggests that in addition to the myriad of other health benefits this fatty acid provides, taking in sufficient amounts could be effective as a treatment for this devastating health concern.

What Causes Asthma?

People with asthma have chronic inflammation and narrowing of their airways that interferes with their breathing on a daily basis. In addition, this inflammation and narrowing can lead to asthma attacks, which is when the muscles that make up airways narrow and can even prevent breathing. People with asthma also tend to have mucus build up in airways from the inflammation, which can further compromise breathing. Over time, the airway inflammation can lead to permanent damage to the airways and chronic obstruction.

Modern medicine offers a variety of treatments that can reduce and slow the damage caused by asthma. Beta-agonists such as albuterol can immediately open airways that are constricted by tight muscles. Steroids such as cortisol and prednisone are also used because they reduce inflammation. However, many people still suffer—and sometimes die—from asthma every year, even in developed countries with excellent medical care. Many people have begun trying alternative remedies in addition to traditional medicines as a way to breathe a little easier.

Asthma and the Circadian Rhythm

Research on the circadian rhythm of asthma has offered a great deal of promise for people looking to overcome this condition. Our respiratory tracts have a distinctive circadian rhythm. People who have a dysregulated circadian rhythm, such as those with insomnia, are more likely to develop asthma. In addition, they are more likely to have severe asthma instead of a milder form. While most people think of asthma as a childhood disease, these findings indicate that adults who do not sleep well are also at risk.

How can sleep affect asthma? First, sleep affects the immune system. People who do not get enough high-quality sleep are likely to suffer from dysfunction of the immune system, which can lead to an autoimmune attack on airways. Second, our respiratory systems, and thus conditions affecting these systems, follow a circadian rhythm. Timing daily medications to coincide with the times when asthma sufferers are most at risk for an attack may be beneficial.

Omega-3 for Asthma: A New Treatment Option

There are several natural supplements that also may be beneficial for people who suffer from asthma and other respiratory concerns. Omega-3 fatty acids are currently the supplements with the most evidence backing them. Research on omega-3 for asthma suggests that these fatty acids have a regulatory effect on B cells, the type of immune cell that governs IgE reactions such as asthma attacks. People who are suffering from regular asthma attacks may see the frequency and severity lessened if they get more omega-3 fatty acids, either from diet or from a supplement.

Women who are pregnant may even be able to lower the chances of their offspring having asthma by taking one of these supplements. A recent study found that women who took 2.4 mg of omega-3 fatty acids in their third trimester of pregnancy were almost a third less likely to have babies who grew up to have asthma. Supplementing with omega-3 fatty acids when pregnant may not only remove the burden of chronic disease from many children, but also remove a large burden from our economy in which asthma and other respiratory conditions are an expensive problem.

Getting Enough Omega-3s in Your Diet

This new research on using omega-3 for asthma is promising, but still in the preliminary stages. However, there are plenty of reasons to ensure that you ingest plenty of these fatty acids. They are available not just in supplements but in a variety of foods including:

pasture-raised or grass-fed meats
free-range poultry and their eggs
fresh soy foods such as edamame
wild rice
walnuts and walnut oil
flaxseeds and flaxseed oil
certain legumes such as black beans and kidney beans
fatty fish such as bluefin tuna and salmon

Because the Western diet tends to be low in or even completely devoid of these foods, many experts suggest taking an omega-3 supplement to ensure that you get all the benefits of these nutrient-rich oils.

If you have not been getting enough omega-3 fatty acids in your diet, there has never been a better time to start. New research on the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids for asthma as well as a variety of other health disorders suggests that everyone should be getting plenty of these oils in their daily diet.

New Links Between Sleep and Health Highlight the Importance of Getting Your Zzzs

Feb 07 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

Millions of people struggle to get adequate, restful sleep. New research on sleep and health suggests that not getting enough sleep can have more serious effects on your health than previously realized.

Have you ever struggled to fall asleep? Have you ever woken from a deep slumber unable to get back to sleep? If so, you are not alone. Sleep disorders are a common problem that leaves many people fatigued and sleepy throughout the day. However, the effects may go far beyond temporarily feeling too tired. New studies have found links between sleep and health that suggest that getting enough high-quality sleep is one of the most important parts of a healthy lifestyle.

Sleep and Health: Immune Effects

Many people notice that they are more likely to get sick when they are overworked or simply worn out. Scientific research supports this observation. Studies of twins have found that even among identical twins, the twin who does not get enough sleep is more likely to become sick when they are both exposed to bacteria or viruses. They also have measurably lower levels of white blood cells circulating in their bloodstream, which are the first line of defense against pathogens.

This is especially important when you consider that people in the Western world are getting less sleep than ever before; as many as one to two hours less per night. This can have a very negative effect on our immune systems, which we rely upon to keep out foreign pathogens and fight the ones that somehow breach our barriers. The result is that we may be more prone to infections than ever before, spending more days ill and living at higher risk of developing an infection that can be deadly.

Cognitive Impairment: A Side Effect of Insomnia?

Sleep disturbances may also have an effect on how you well you think and remember. Doctors tested elderly people with cognitive impairments and those without them. They found that those who have better cognition also report better sleep patterns. A similar link has been found in several other studies as well: Older people who sleep well suffer less of the loss of thinking skills that we associate with aging. While we think of retirement as a time of rest, many older people do not appear to be getting enough sleep.

This makes intuitive sense to people who have suffered a sleepless night or even jet lag. Most people who have not had adequate sleep find that they struggle with concentration and memory for one or more days. Although more study is needed, it is logical that people who struggle with sleep throughout their lives may see more long-term effects.

The Circadian Rhythm of Respiratory Health

Although we think of asthma as a childhood disease, it affects many adults as well. This and other chronic respiratory illnesses are a major cause of emergency room visits in the United States. While most adults with asthma develop it as children, some actually do not get the disease until well into adulthood. Doctors and scientists have struggled to determine exactly why this happens. Obesity, pollution and other factors have been linked to adult asthma, but insomnia also appears to play a role. Researchers looked at adults with sleep disorders and those without. Over an 11-year period, those with sleep disorders were around three times as likely to develop asthma and other respiratory illnesses.

How can asthma be linked to sleep? Researchers believe that the effect of insomnia on the immune system may be partially to blame. People who do not sleep as well are more likely to live with high levels of inflammation, which is a key feature of asthma and several other respiratory illnesses. This link suggests that the issue of sleep and health may be extremely important in preventing costly chronic illnesses and even in preventing deaths from respiratory failure.

In the Bedroom and Beyond

One final area that modern research suggests may be impacted by sleep is sexuality. In a study of almost 100,000 pre-menopausal and menopausal women, researchers found a clear link between sexual satisfaction and getting high-quality sleep. Women who report sleeping seven to eight hours a night, which most researchers consider ideal, are also more likely to experience higher sexual satisfaction.

While most people believe that menopause is a time when women lose their sex drive, this does not always appear to be true. Over half of women who get adequate slumber report feeling sexually active and satisfied with their sex lives.

Many of these new links between sleep and health are correlations, which means that they merely show a link between two variables and do not offer definitive proof that one causes the other. However, it is clear that getting enough high-quality sleep is important in maintaining the good health that we all wish to enjoy over our lifetimes.

Are Your Holiday or Christmas Lights Causing You to Lose Sleep?

Dec 06 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

Tis the season for holiday decorations including stockings, sleighs and lots of lights. If your neighborhood is like most in the Western world, there is a good chance that your own home, as well as those around you, is trimmed with holiday or Christmas lights. These twinkling lights may have a positive effect on your holiday spirit, but a very negative effect on your physical health.

Light Pollution and Sleep

Do you have trouble sleeping when lights are on? If so, you are not alone. We all may feel a bit better in well-lit areas but science suggests that just the opposite should be true. When your neighborhood is bathed in light, your eyes sense this and send messages to the suprachiasmatic nucleus of your brain. From here, hormones such as melatonin and cortisol are released to let your body know what time of day it is and coordinate important activities such as cell repair. The problem is that so many people are trying to sleep in the winter even as Christmas lights are blazing in our neighborhoods. As a result, they are suffering from a disturbed circadian rhythm.

The light pollution from these lights can cause problems that we do not even realize. We may feel tired but be unable to sleep simply because we are bathed in light. Studies have linked Christmas lights to insomnia in children, but there is a good chance that we all suffer the biological consequences of sleeping in a world bathed in light, even if we don’t even realize it. Our brains perceive this light pollution as a legitimate reason to stay awake even while we are desperate for sleep and release hormones that promote wakefulness and productivity.

Christmas Lights: Bad for Your Health?

While a disrupted sleep-wake cycle can lead to health problems, this is not the only way that Christmas lights can harm your health. Three percent of people with epilepsy have a type of epilepsy called photosensitive epilepsy, in which bright or flashing lights can induce seizures. For these people, the holiday season can be a real challenge requiring stronger prescription medication or even abstaining from holiday events. Light perceived by the eyes can have a larger effect on the brain than most people realize.

Melatonin Deficiency: More Than Sleep

The melatonin deficiency caused by constant light can have a variety of health effects. Difficulty sleeping is the most obvious and noticeable effect but you also may see more nonspecific issues. Immediate effects include hypertension, decreased memory and depression. If you are chronically deprived of melatonin over a long period, you may have a higher risk of serious life-threatening diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. This is especially true if you use white or blue holiday lights, which have been proven to depress melatonin production more than other colors. Even worse, children and the elderly, two groups that need their sleep badly, are more likely to have their sleep disrupted by low melatonin production.

Not only are holiday lights bad for your health, but they are bad for the environment as well. The electricity used to keep Christmas lights aglow is often made from fossil fuels. In addition, the light pollution from these lights can have negative effects on the small animals and wildlife that live in your neighborhood. This is a choice that enlarges your carbon footprint measurably while directly affecting the creatures around you.

Dealing With the Season of Lights

The holiday season may be too well-lit, but this does not mean you have to go without sleep until Santa has come and gone. Experts suggest that you turn off Christmas lights as well as other lights a half-hour before you go to bed to allow your body to produce enough melatonin to support good sleep. If your neighbors and community have lights near your home that may interfere with sleep, consider using blackout curtains or other means of blocking light. Last, if you still struggle to get the sleep you need, consider taking a melatonin supplement before bed.

Holiday decorations are a great way to brighten up the cold winter nights. While these can cause negative health effects, there are ways to protect yourself. It’s important to take care of your health so you can enjoy many holiday seasons to come with your family and friends.

The Health Benefits of Tryptophan (and Why Getting it From Your Thanksgiving Turkey Isn’t Enough)

Nov 22 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

Most of us have experienced the feeling of sleepiness and well-being that comes after a large turkey meal (think Thanksgiving dinner). A popular misconception is that this feeling comes from tryptophan, an amino acid that is present in high amounts in turkey. Despite this popular rumor, it’s not necessarily the tryptophan in your turkey that makes you groggy or sleepy. Many experts now believe that the huge number of carbs eaten along with your Thanksgiving turkey are actually the culprit when it comes to post-Thanksgiving fatigue.

However, this does not mean people who actually relish that post-meal food coma should reject turkey for a plate of mashed potatoes. While it may not be responsible for your afternoon nap this Thursday, the benefits of tryptophan can positively impact your health and well-being in other ways.

What Is Tryptophan?

Experts recommend that people eat a diet rich in all of the essential amino acids, including tryptophan. Like other amino acids, tryptophan serves as a building block for the many proteins and hormones we need to perform vital cellular processes and generally be healthy. The exact form of this amino acid used in the human body is L-tryptophan, and luckily that’s the kind also found in many animal foods and supplements. Tryptophan’s most important role in the human body is to serve as a precursor to the biochemicals that sustain good mental health and functioning. Most notably, tryptophan is a building block for serotonin, also known as the “happy hormone,” and thus can improve mood and decrease anxiety. In fact, people who are low on tryptophan are more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, and other potentially debilitating mental illnesses.

However, the health benefits of tryptophan extend far beyond improving your mood. It is a precursor for several neurotransmitters that help your brain to transmit signals efficiently. It has been found to protect the liver, help heal an inflamed GI tract, and encourage good, quality sleep. It’s important to get enough tryptophan in your diet on a daily basis and not just holidays, so don’t let your Thanksgiving Day feast be your only source of this vital nutrient.

Are You Getting Enough Tryptophan in Your Diet?

Determining whether you are low on tryptophan is not as simple as getting a blood test. Low levels of tryptophan are not the only reason you may suffer the effects of a deficiency. Some people do not use this amino acid as efficiently as others, while some have higher tryptophan needs that the recommended daily allowance simply doesn’t accommodate. These people may eat plenty of tryptophan-rich foods even while at the same time suffering from a functional deficiency.

While turkey is a well-known way to get this essential amino acid in your diet, there are actually many foods that contain tryptophan. You can get some of the benefits of tryptophan from eating poultry, seafood, legumes and dairy products. Because all animals use tryptophan in a similar way to humans, their meat can contain a great deal of this amino acid. However, because it’s often difficult to eat enough tryptophan-rich foods to maintain proper levels of this important amino acid, many people still find that they see tangible health benefits when they take an L-tryptophan supplement.

The Benefits of a Tryptophan Supplement

There are several conditions that have been found to respond well to tryptophan supplementation, even in people who eat a well-balanced diet with ample amounts of this amino acid. These include:

depression
bipolar disorder
insomnia
premenstrual syndrome
anxiety
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
migraine
obesity
high blood pressure

Because tryptophan is important as a building block of many different hormones and neurotransmitters, increasing your intake can improve your health in a variety of ways. Although the Western diet includes many tryptophan-rich foods, some people simply need more of this amino acid to maintain optimal health and mood. These people may see their health improve when they include a simple supplement in their diet.

While many of us are planning to reap the benefits of tryptophan this fall from Thanksgiving turkey, it shouldn’t be merely an annual event. Getting enough of this essential amino acid is too important to leave it for once or twice a year. Fill your diet with foods rich in tryptophan or consider taking a high-quality tryptophan supplement to ensure that you always have the building blocks you need for good physical and mental wellness.

Discovered: A Direct Link Between Circadian Clock and the Immune System

Nov 11 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

You may have noticed that you are more likely to get sick when tired or otherwise feeling out-of-sync. Many people who travel have noted that they are most likely to become ill just after a large trip, especially one that takes them across time zones and causes the dreaded jet lag. Is this a coincidence? Studies have long suggested a link between the circadian clock and the immune system, but were unable to find a direct cause for the connection. However, new research now suggests that T cells, an important part of the immune system, are the missing link.

The Circadian Rhythm of the Immune System

Like all cells in the human body, the cells of your immune system run on a distinct circadian, or 24-hour, rhythm. There are daily rhythms in the release of immune proteins such as cytokines as well as in the migration of immune cells to inflamed tissues and the production of T cells and other cells involved in immunity.

How is this circadian rhythm maintained? Like many cells, immune cells appear to express circadian rhythm genes as well as to responding to melatonin and other hormones governing our sleep-wake cycle. According to new research, circadian genes may be more important to our immune system than we previously realized.

T Cells: The Link Between the Circadian Clock and the Immune System

If you have a loved one with a disease that affects their immune system, you have probably heard of T cells. T cells are tested to measure the strength of an immune system, and are in fact one of the most important parts of your immune system. T cells scout your body looking for microbes. When they see them, they attack. In addition, T cells have an amazing ability to remember the microbes that they have encountered, which is why you can only get some diseases once. Because T cells are so important, their numbers are tightly regulated.

However, T cells appear to be regulated in a different way than most cells in the body. Most cells can divide a set number of times, while T cells appear to have a time limit for division instead. They can divide as often as needed within their allotted lifetime and then they self-destruct. This appears to be controlled by a gene called Bcl-2, which also is involved in the circadian rhythm.

Circadian Rhythm-Governed Expression of Immune Cells

There are yet other ways that the circadian clock and the immune system are linked. The immune system revs up production of immune cells at certain times of day in response to melatonin levels. In addition, the expression of certain cell receptors that are crucial in the function of immune cells also appears to be governed in part by the time of day. These receptors are crucial in helping T cells to detect an antigen and then set off the immune cascade that will prevent or lessen the symptoms of an illness. The result is that you are far less likely to catch a cold that you are exposed to in the late morning, and far more likely to die from a serious infection such as sepsis in the late night and the hours just before dawn.

These new studies add to a growing body of research on the link between infections, immunity and the circadian rhythm. It explains a phenomenon that researchers have already repeatedly observed: Animals exposed to an illness just before or during their resting phase get more serious infections and become sicker. Your circadian rhythm appears to have an immense effect on whether you get sick from the many pathogens we are exposed to on a daily basis.

You may not be able to choose the time of day at which you are exposed to an illness, but there are a few things you can do to improve your odds of making it through the fall and winter with as few sick days as possible. Be especially vigilant about hand-washing and other common-sense disease-control measures in the evening and late at night when your immune system is most susceptible. Maintain a healthy circadian rhythm with set bedtimes and wake up times. Keeping a healthy body, including a healthy sleep-wake cycle, is one of the best disease prevention measures you can use to reduce your chances of catching the next office cold.

Turning the Clocks Back This Weekend Could Be Detrimental to Your Health

Oct 31 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

Couldn’t most of us use an extra hour of sleep? Many people look forward to the fall time change, which occurs on November 6 this year. Unlike the spring changing of the clocks, which equates to lost sleep, turning the clocks back in the fall, or “falling back,” gives us a much-needed extra hour of slumber. It also means waking up to a little more sunshine, even if we pay for that sunshine with an earlier sunset. However, the fall time change can impact your health in a variety of negative ways.

The History of Daylight Saving Time

The tradition of turning the clocks back in the fall and forward in the spring began in World War II. Seasonally adjusting the clock in this way allowed people to enjoy maximum sunlight during the day, thus lowering the amount of resources used in lighting homes and businesses. Fuel was at a premium during the war, so this tactic had a measurable impact on how much fuel citizens used. When the war ended, the United States and Europe made Daylight Saving Time (DST) a local option.

Some communities continued the twice-yearly change in clocks while others did not. As the country became more mobile and well-connected, this inconsistency led to a great deal of confusion. This spurred the creation of the Uniform Time Act of 1966, which made changing clocks mandatory for the entire nation (except in the case of special exemptions). Since then, most Americans and a great deal of Europe as well changed clocks one hour forward in spring and one hour backward in the autumn.

The Effects of Time Change on Your Circadian Rhythm

Our bodies run according to a series of internal clocks known as our circadian rhythm. When our sleep-wake cycle changes suddenly, we suffer from the mixture of fatigue and clouded thinking that we call jet lag. Our bodies are suddenly out of sync with our environments and must adjust to the new time, a process that happens slowly.

In the spring, a switch to Daylight Saving Time means that many people lose an hour of sleep and must adjust to waking up significantly earlier. The effects of this change in time have been well-documented, including an increase in strokes, heart attacks and even car accidents. Until recently, much of the research on the effects of time change has centered on the spring change in clocks, as this involves losing sleep. However, it has become increasingly evident that the fall time change may also have a variety of negative effects on your health.

How Is Turning the Clocks Back Bad for Your Health?

While getting an extra hour of sleep is better than losing one, it still has an effect on the circadian rhythm. Many scientists believe that any change in the circadian rhythm can have long-term effects on health, including an increase in cancer risk. The decrease in light during the day also can have an effect on health. Children are less likely to play outside during the long dark hours of winter evenings, increasing the risk of obesity and the many other health risks associated with it. Adults are similarly less likely to go for a jog or otherwise get exercise when it’s dark out.

In addition, the decrease in light during waking hours can affect mental health, worsening mood disorders and increasing depression. Many people are affected mentally by a change in light, even among those who haven’t been diagnosed with seasonal affective disorder (SAD). We rely on light to regulate our circadian rhythms. A lack of light can throw metabolism into disarray and disrupt the internal clocks.

Healthy Ways to Deal With a Time Change

If you are concerned about how turning back the clocks affects your health, there are a few things you can do to soften the blow. Begin by slowly changing your schedule in the week before the time change, so it has a less-abrupt effect on your sleep-wake cycle. Maximize outdoor time and access to sunlight, even adding light therapy if you feel you can’t get enough sunshine. Take a melatonin supplement before bedtime if you aren’t feeling sleepy. Last, be sure to get enough exercise even if this means switching to indoor activities. Caring for your health and replacing the light stolen from your day can mitigate many of the effects of turning the clocks back.

Our circadian rhythms are essential to our health and well-being. There are many ill effects, both short-term and long-term, when we disrupt our internal clocks. However, there are ways to make Daylight Saving Time easier on our bodies and minds. Caring for your circadian rhythm is an important part of leading a healthy lifestyle.