The importance of Sleep

I've talked a lot about supplements, natural aides and similar things that will help a person be healthy.

But the fact of the matter is, that unless someone is getting adequate amounts of sleep, all the supplements in the world won't do you any good.

Here are some ways to tell if you're sleeping enough:

When you wake up:

1. You can see clearly.
Generally within 5 minutes of getting up, the excess fluids from in and around your eyes should clear and your vision returns to normal. Ever wonder why your eyes water or you have to blow your nose right when you get up? This is from the fluid that collects around your eyeballs during sleep. It circulates during sleep cycles to clean the area of debris and detritus that you accumulate during waking hours(Sand). It also cleans off the excess protein that accumulates on your eyeballs. Your skin sloughs constantly throughout the day through normal skin regeneration, but so too do the cells on your eyes. Except that they have nowhere to go, so they get cleaned during sleep.
(There are also very small organisms that you're born with that live off of the dead cells on your eyes, everyone has them, but you don't want to hear about that.)

2. Higher brain function.
I'm not saying that if you get enough sleep that you'll be a candidate for MENSA, but studies have shown that if you get enough sleep(and eat right, workout, etc) that your brain functions better. The theory is that seratonin, which is secreated by the glands in your brain produce during active dreaming, effectively clears your mind to aid in high brain function.
Basically, its much like rebooting your computer. When you reboot, the RAM memory in your computer is cleared away and the computer runs faster because it has that active memory for use.

Through the day:

1. This should be a 'duh' sort of thing, but grogginess. Banishment of grogginess is a very telling factor of whether or not you're getting quality sleep. Quantity is all well and good, but if the quality of sleep is poor, then all the sleep in the world won't help you.

2. Lack-luster nutrition. Vitamins (such as A, B, C, etc) are absorbed and distributed throughout the body through water and can be taken any time through the day. Minerals, on the other hand, are digested through fat and are best taken before bed. The reason for bedtime? Simple. Fat reserves are slow moving and require extra energy to process. The simple act of digesting minerals takes longer because of the required fat in the small intestine and liver for distribution to the cells.
Ever wonder why skinny women have such poor bone density? Its a combination of lack of stress(weird, I know) on their muscles and bones, and a lack of calcium absorption. They can't process Calcium and other minerals as effectively because they don't have enough fat to process them. If a doctor tells you to drink whole milk, its not because he wants to make you overweight. The fats in the milk with help you absorb the Calcium.

3. Healthier skin.
Much of the cleansers and creams on the market right now won't do you any good if you're not getting enough sleep. Here's the deal: Cleansers clean your face. Moisturizers help to keep it hydrated.
The bad news? Moisturizers are formulated in such a way that they keep moisture IN. The title is a little misleading in that it sounds like its the thing hydrating your face in the first place. Its not. Your skin receives most of its hydration through your circulatory system(ie your blood). The waste products that each cell produces is then taken away mostly through a system called Lymph. If the toxic waste is not cleared by your Lymph, which occurs during sleep or restful periods when you are laying down, they your skin looks dull and dry. No amount of moisturizer in the world can counteract that.
Also, moist skin absorbs nutrients more readily, making it healthier inside and out.

Hope this helps you choose sleep...

Next time's topic: Relaxation techniques!

Water

Every day, especially in Colorado, it is recommended that you drink around three tenths of your body weight in water everyday.

Meaning, if a person weights 140 then they should drink 32 ounces of water. This works out to about four small(8oz) glasses.

This means that everyday I have to drink around 50 ounces of water. That is a Nalgene (32 ounces) plus a little more than two small glasses (18 ounces).

Between working out and drinking all this water, you'd think I would feel more energized and all that fun, right? Well, sorta. Mostly I'm just hungry.

Speaking of which, time to start breakfast!

New Hair

As with many things in life, the simplest things are often the sweetest and most overlooked.

The pleasure of newly colored hair is one of those simple things that I treasure in life. As a treat of sorts for bicycling to work yesturday, I decided to take the opportunity of having the house to myself to color my hair.

Granted, its basically a retouch of the exciting color scheme that I have had for about two-three months now, but I enjoy it quite a bit.

Here's are two rough pictures of the pattern I used:

The Pink is 5RV (Medium Brown-Red-Violet) and the Yellow is 9G (Light Golden Blond)

Monday Monday Monday

I like to try and start Mondays with a bit of an affirmation.

This weeks affirmation is "I will make this week healthier than last week"

I am riding my bike to work, have already logged my food for the day and checked my emails. So things are going well so far.

I will be starting hair coloring in school tomorrow, and a website project tonight.

Ah, Monday... you're not Sunday, so I have to go back to work... but I'll make the best of you.

Happy Monday Everyone!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year all!

In celebration of the first day of the new year, or more probably just my having a day off, Sean and I went for a drive around town. During the drive we talked and enjoyed the scenery and each others company. The quiet time also gave me the opportunity to think about my New Year's resolutions.

Perhaps the New Year resolution is not something that we resolve but something that we strive for in ourselves. The idea of losing ten pounds... why? Because that ten pounds is a symbol for greater self-confidence and empowerment to do the things that we might have been afraid to do. It gives us the strength to do those things that we didn't do because we were hiding behind that ten pounds.

So this year? I'm resolving to be confident in myself and to not be afraid of challenges. The ten pounds I still want to lose, that hasn't changed. But my motivations have definitely received an upgrade.

Don't let you get in your own way! If you want something, get off your butt and do it!

Good Luck!