Why Lack of Sleep Increases Late Night Snack Cravings

Decades of studies have shown that those who sleep poorly are more likely to be obese—our need for sleep and calories seem deeply linked. Why that may be, however, has been difficult to understand.

A new study published in the journal Sleep, suggest that the reason so many of us crave late-night snacks may have to do with how sleep changes brain chemistry. Though it’s a small study, it builds on previous research about how the body responds differently to food consumption at various times of the day.

Researchers from the University of Chicago recruited 14 men and women in their twenties to be monitored in a sleep lab and split them into two groups. In two, four-day sessions, both groups’ food consumption and sleep time were strictly controlled. They all received three meals at 9am, 2pm, and 7pm. During the first visit, one group slept 7.5 hours a night and the other slept a little more than four hours. Then, during the next visit, they kept their meal times the same but swapped their sleeping hours.

After the final night in each session, the volunteers were offered as much food as they would like to eat. In both sessions, the researchers found that those who had slept less ate, on average, 300 calories more than those who had slept more.

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Its Never Too Late to Start Over

It’s never too late to start over. To hit the pause button. Breathe. Then begin again.

 

You don’t need to lose yourself in the shuffle, get caught up in your mistakes and your fears and your anxieties. You don’t have to hold onto your anger or your sadness and carry it with you in a little jar. You are more than a little jar, waiting to be filled by unsatisfying things—material things, superficial love, addictions and vices and so many other negatives that leave you feeling emptier than before. You are more than that little jar you feel defines the person you are, so much so that you try to fit yourself in its glass walls, try to keep contained within the edges and not overflow.

Life is imperfect.

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3 Tips on How to Raise Kids Who won't Bully

By Samin Razzaghi for YourTango

I recently read an article on YourTango about what it’s really like to be the mom of a bullied child. What’s so disheartening is that the experience of that mom and her daughter is SO much more common in our schools and communities than we want to believe.
Before I was a life coach in private practice, I had the chance to work with teen girls as a school counselor. I was privileged to have them share with me their struggles with bullying, feelings of low self-esteem and the daily challenges that most parents are either unaware of or feel powerless to do anything about. I’ve seen teen girls call each other names, put out compromising photos of each others on the internet, and just be plain mean to one another.
What I found the hardest to witness as confidant for these girls was the messages they received from adults. Whether it was the teachers or the parents, when kids bring up the topic of bullying, the response is that it’s a totally normal part of growing up – almost a right of passage. People drum it up to the fact that “all kids get bullied,” or that “girls are mean”.

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Learn How to Solve Problems Like a Designer

Consider this. You work for an organization in East Africa. The organization sells treadle pumps (used for farmland irrigation) to the local farmers. After years of operation you notice that in some regions the treadle pumps sell extremely well, while in other regions they don’t sell at all. You’ve been tasked with generating sales of the pumps in those weak-performing regions.
What do you do?

Design Thinking is a problem solving framework. The concept has been around for decades, but in the past five to ten years, IDEO, a design consultancy, has championed the process as an alternative to a purely analytical approach to problem-solving.

Tim Brown, IDEO’s president and CEO, defines design thinking like this:
“The mission of design thinking is to translate observation into insights and insights into products and services that will improve lives.”

The goal of improving lives is an important endpoint to the process of design thinking. In fact, it’s what design thinking is all about: finding fresh, creative solutions to problems, but in a way that puts people and their needs first.

Design thinking came to the rescue for the organization selling treadle pumps in East Africa. They were able to identify why their product wasn’t selling in some regions and they found a solution. Of course, you’ll have to keep reading to find out what the solution was…

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Alzheimer's Signs and Symptoms: What to Expect

Common symptoms: When they happen, why they happen, and what you can do

Jump to:

• Mild-stage Alzheimer's symptoms
• Moderate-stage Alzheimer's symptoms
• Severe-stage Alzheimer's symptoms

Mild-stage Alzheimer's symptoms

During mild-stage Alzheimer's, your loved one will likely be able to manage his or her basic self-care -- what experts refer to as activities of daily living (ADLs) and communicate with you and others fairly well. However, problems with memory or other mental functioning will begin interfering with your loved one's ability to manage instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) -- complex skills usually learned during the teenage years -- such as managing finances, driving, meal preparation, and managing medications.
Memory symptoms
The ability to retain immediate memories will increasingly affect your loved one's short-term thinking. Click on any of the symptoms, below, to learn more about what to expect and what to do:

• Repeats questions, stories, ideas within minutes (or less)
• Forgets appointments and important tasks
• Gets lost, even on familiar routes

For More and Original Article: https://www.caring.com/articles/alzheimers-symptoms

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What All Great Leaders have Mastered: 5 Types of Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is widely known to be a key component of effective leadership.
The ability to be perceptively in tune with yourself and your emotions, as well as having sound situational awareness can be a powerful tool for leading a team.

The act of knowing, understanding, and responding to emotions, overcoming stress in the moment, and being aware of how your words and actions affect others, is described as emotional intelligence.
Emotional intelligence for leadership can consist of these five attributes: self-awareness, self-management, empathy, relationship management, and effective communication.

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The Overlooked Caregiver: Take Care of Yourself Too

It’s an unfortunate paradox: Family members who devote countless hours to caring for a loved one may wind up becoming so worn down — physically, mentally and emotionally — that they may need care themselves.
Pamela D. Wilson, a leading expert in the caregiving industry, addresses this problem in her new book, The Caregiving Trap: Solutions for Life’s Unexpected Changes®. Caregiving can become such an overwhelming burden that family caregivers may become susceptible to what Wilson calls “compassion fatigue.” Symptoms of compassion fatigue include a sense of hopelessness, stress, anxiety, sleeplessness, and a persistent negative attitude. Another term used to describe this state is “caregiver burnout.”
Those who experience compassion fatigue or caregiver burnout often feel consumed by guilt. “We feel guilty that we can’t do it all, but the reality is that we cannot do it all,” says Wilson, a Lakewood, Co.-based care navigator who has helped thousands of family members and professional caregivers with the challenges related to healthcare and aging.


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What to Do if You Suspect Elder Abuse

We love to read heartwarming stories about devoted caregivers and thriving seniors. When we look at seniors who are well cared for, we think, “Of course – that’s the way it should be.”

Unfortunately, the good stories don’t tell the whole tale of senior care in the United States. According to the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA), 1 out of 10 seniors is a victim of abuse. What’s more, elder abuse is typically underreported. The National Elder Abuse Incidence Study estimates that only 1 in 14 cases of elder abuse ever comes to the attention of authorities.
Here, NCEA Deputy Director Julie Schoen offers tips on how to intervene in cases of suspected elder abuse.

What Is Elder Abuse?

“Elder abuse takes many forms,” says Schoen. The major categories of mistreatment include physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, exploitation, neglect, and abandonment. Elder abuse can happen at the hands of a trusted friend or family member (domestic abuse), or it can be perpetrated by caregivers at a senior care facility (institutional abuse).

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How to Care for a Parent After a Stroke

When an elderly parent is recovering from a stroke, there is perhaps no more helpful advice for family caregivers than “Expect the unexpected.”

“Every stroke is different,” says David Siegelman, Director of Rehabilitation at The Hebrew Home in Riverdale by RiverSpring Health in the New York City area. “People can experience vastly different effects based on such factors as the type, location and severity of the stroke.”

Stroke After-Effects

Among the most common after-effects of a stroke are hemiplegia or hemiparesis, which is paralysis or weakness of one side of the body.

“This is what people most often associate with a stroke,” Siegelman says, “but depending upon its location, a stroke also may affect balance, vision or communication. The inability to communicate is often a major issue that people experience immediately after a stroke. They may lose their ability to speak or they’ll use words that don’t make sense. They may develop swallowing difficulties, also called dysphagia.”

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Can Middle Age Memory Deficits Predict Alzheimer's?

Results from an extensive new study suggest that early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease appear up to 18 years before the disease is officially diagnosed.

Researchers publishing in the journal Neurology gave 2,125 people, average age 73, a test of memory and thinking skills every three years for 18 years. All of the participants were either European-American or African-American and none had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s when the study began.

During the course of the study, 23% of the African-American and 17% of European-American participants developed Alzheimer’s. Those who scored lowest on the memory and thinking tests during the first year of the study were 10 times more likely to develop the disease.

“The changes in thinking and memory that precede obvious symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease begin decades before,” said study author Kumar B. Rajan, PhD, with Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

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Seniors: When is the Right Time to Stop Driving?

For many of us, driving is a vital component of freedom and independence. But aging brings physical changes that can jeopardize your future on the road.

“Most people I see don’t think they have any driving problems,” says Barbara Moscowitz, a geriatric social worker at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. “But even subtle changes in your health can affect your reaction time. You need to address them while you’re well, so you can keep driving.”

SENSORY CHANGES

Changes in eyesight may make it harder to see at night, read traffic signs, and cope with glare. The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends that people ages 65 and older have comprehensive eye exams at least every other year.
Hearing loss also can affect your driving skills by keeping you from noting outside noise such as sirens and horns. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association recommends getting hearing checks every three years after age 50.

Quick fixes: Keep noise in the car to a minimum, and cut back on night driving.

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Early Signs of Parkinson's Disease

More than 1 million Americans currently have Parkinson’s disease, with an additional 50,000 to 60,000 cases being diagnosed every year. How can you tell if you or a loved one is developing Parkinson’s? Knowing the early signs can help.

Parkinson’s Early Symptoms

 

Parkinson’s disease is a neurological disorder whose symptoms were first described by British physician John Parkinson nearly 200 years ago. “It is caused by a lack of the chemical dopamine and is a progressive degenerative disease, meaning that there is no cure and it gets worse over time,” says Shelley Webb, a registered nurse from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, with more than 30 years experience who is also an Alzheimer’s Association support group facilitator.

In most cases, Parkinson’s disease has no known underlying cause. However, Webb reports that genetic factors as well as environmental factors such as exposure to certain pesticides or industrial toxins may be involved. The average age of onset is 60. However, the disease has been diagnosed in people at 40 or even younger.

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Appetite Stimulants for the Elderly

Older adults sometimes experience a loss of appetite that may adversely affect their health. Even foods they once loved no longer seem appealing. Caregivers of seniors with this problem will certainly want to explore ways to stimulate their loved ones’ appetites and get them eating again.

Causes of Loss of Appetite

There are several causes for loss of appetite in the elderly. One may be a poorer sense of taste due to a diminishing number of taste buds as we age. Our sense of smell also diminishes, and with it, potentially, our enjoyment of food.
Disinterest in food also can be caused by physical or cognitive maladies. Those with multiple medical conditions may be particularly vulnerable to poor appetite. If they are taking medications, they may experience loss of appetite as a side effect.

Weight Loss in Elderly

Loss of appetite can lead to substantial weight loss, which is a major health concern.
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3 Healthy Behaviors for Working Moms

Working moms have to share their life with not just their family, but their career. A career outside of the home means more time to give and less time to spend on the things that allow us to be healthier. Regardless of why we work, whether if its' for the additional income or the professional career that is important to maintain, a healthy lifestyle is still foundational to being effective in our responsibilities.

Healthy living doesn't have to be another check list on the bottom of the to-do list but rather can be a mindset we adopt as we continue with our responsibilities. There are ways that we can be healthy as a working mom -- we just need to do things a little different.

Here are three habits that every working mom can be adopt to become healthier:

1. Use exercise as a means to be healthy, not as a punishment for bad behavior. There isn't any faster way to hate exercising than to use it as punishment. We are guilty of this behavior all the time, even in the littlest ways. Maybe you ate dessert at the office meeting and snagged a piece of candy off of a desk as you passed by. And as you took that last bite, you thought to yourself, "It's okay, I'll just hop on the treadmill tonight" or "I walked today at lunch." Or even worse -- using exercise as punishment for how you look or fit into your jeans.

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Ultimate Power Nap to Make up for a Bad Night's Sleep

Here's some welcome news for those of us who didn't sleep so well last night: New research suggests that a short power nap can make us feel and perform better.

The study, recently published online in the journal Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, looked at how much a nap can really help in a memory task. On the first day, the 41 participants all took demographic surveys and IQ tests. Then, for a week, they went back to their normal lives and kept sleep logs of their bedtimes, wake-up times, whether they took naps, and if they drank any alcohol. On the last day, they were asked to sleep one hour less than they normally do. Then, the real testing began.

Back in the lab, participants were presented with individual words and word pairings. They then performed a baseline memory test in which they had to decide as quickly as possible whether they had just seen certain words or pairs. Afterwards, half of the participants were allowed 90 minutes for some sweet, sweet shut-eye; the other half had to watch relaxing DVDs — and stay awake. Finally, all participants performed the memory tasks one more time.

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Better to Run a Mile Instead of a Marathon?

So you swore you'd run a marathon this year.
Good news: You can stop feeling guilty about not starting to train for it yet.
As it turns out, you can get some of the same benefits of long-distance running and other types of endurance training without ever passing the five-mile mark.

That's right. Running fast and hard for just five to 10 minutes a day can add years to your life, just as running for hours can. In fact, people who run for less than an hour a week — so long as they get in their few minutes of daily running — get similar benefits in terms of heart health compared with people who run more than three hours a week.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/is-short-intensity-exercise-better-than-endurance-training-2015-1#ixzz3VDpV46Hh

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Fitness Tips for Every Age Group

Fitness should be timeless, and a lifelong commitment. However, fitness should also be fun. As a mother of a toddler and now a newborn, I love to watch the little ones' attitudes toward fitness. It is just part of play, and an innate part of each day. 

There is no second thought, but most likely a motivating thought like, “I have to run as fast as I can, so I can get that ball over there!” Wouldn’t it be great if we could spend each day like that and expend all of that energy, aka calories?

If you have a young child who is less active getting them involved in a baby or toddler fitness class is a great way to get them started. There are many venues which encourage kids to do the things that they are excited to do at this stage of development. 

They learn to roll over, to sit up by themselves, to crawl, to walk, and to climb.

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The 7 Deadly Emotions of Caregiving

Nobody would ever choose a smiley face as the perfect symbolic emoticon for a caregiver. Caregiving for an ailing loved one is just too stressful -- often triggering damaging emotions that can not only undermine your good work but harm your health, as well. Here's how to cope:

Caregiver emotion trap #1: Guilt

Guilt is virtually unavoidable as you try to "do it all."

What causes guilt: Guilt stems from doing or saying what you believe is the wrong thing, not doing what you perceive to be enough, or otherwise not behaving in the "right" way, whether or not your perceptions are accurate. Caregivers often burden themselves with a long list of self-imposed "oughts," "shoulds," and "musts." A few examples: I must avoid putting Mom in a nursing home. I ought to visit every day. I shouldn't lose my temper with someone who has dementia.

Risks of guilt: Caregiver guilt is an especially corrosive emotion because you're beating yourself up over faults that are imagined, unavoidable -- or simply human. That's counterproductive at a time when you need to be your own best advocate.

What you can do: Lower your standards from ideal to real; aim for a B+ in the many aspects of your life rather than an across-the-board A+.

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WeCareOnline February Staff Highlight - Bonnie Henningson

This month we get to learn about Bonnie Henningson. 

Bonnie has been in the healthcare field for over 30 years. Bonnie began working as a nursing assistant in high school and later worked as a volunteer EMT. Bonnie’s mother was also a nurse. She originally advised Bonnie not to become a nurse letting Bonnie know that the work was hard and the pay was low.

Bonnie did not heed her mother’s advice and has gone on to possess multiple credentials in the healthcare field! Bonnie obtained a Gerontological Nurse Certification through ANCC, and has been CPHQ certified (Certified Professional of Healthcare Quality). She also has been licensed as a nursing home administrator and has taught CPR and EMT classes. Bonnie has a master’s degree in Public Health with an emphasis on health care administration. She has been a member of NAHQ (National Association of Healthcare Quality), NGNA (National Gerontological Nurse’s Association) and NNSDO (National Nursing Staff Development Organization). Bonnie served on a committee to revise the scope and standards for Gerontological nursing. Over the years she has worked has a charge RN, nursing director, nursing consultant and nursig educator. Bonnie developed and delivered training for staff development coordinators and charge nurses and has presented training at national and state conventions on topics such as pain management. If there were a piece of advice Bonnie wishes someone had given her when she began her career she wishes they would have told her to get her BSN as soon as possible!

Bonnie is married and the Henningson’s have one son and two grandchildren. They also have a Cavalier King Charles. When Bonnie is not working she likes to read, do crossword puzzles, garden, bake, take walks, travel to parks and historic sites, play cards and do hospice volunteering.

Everyone at WeCareOnline plays an important role in helping students have the best online learning experience possible. Bonnie teaches Nursing Assistant and Medication Assistant for several states. Over the years Bonnie has witnessed many changes in the healthcare field. Bonnie states that “Healthcare is a science and we need to be sure to recognize that the current standard of practice WILL change – new studies and research often prove what we once learned to be erroneous and one must do lots of reading to keep up with the changes.”

5 Tips for Talking with a Person with Alzheimer's

Yesterday afternoon, I walked into Mary's spacious room. Mary is a woman who has few visitors and whom I've volunteered to spend a little time with every week. I greeted her, complimented her on her beautiful turquoise sweater and shook her hand.

Then I sat down at her little table that was overflowing with books, photographs, the newspaper and other items she wants to keep close at hand. I started off by picking up a small framed photo of Mary with her husband and three children -- two sons and a daughter.

"Tell me about your daughter," I said, using an open-ended question because they have no right or wrong answers. That's a tip I picked up from The Best Friends Approach to Alzheimer's Care by Virginia Bell and David Troxell.

"Oh, her name is Connie," she told me. "She has four children -- two boys and two girls."
She continued by giving me several details about Connie and her family.


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