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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How to Get a Better Night's Sleep

There’s nothing as restorative as a full night’s sleep, so when you’re not getting that, it can be the most aggravating problem to solve. To help figure it out, get a journal and keep a sleep diary.

It might sound like overkill, but journaling can be a surprisingly affective tool for problem solving. If you’re trying different methods for get a better night’s sleep, productivity blog Mintfull suggests keeping a sleep diary to track those methods and find which ones work best. Here’s how to start:

Before you change anything, figure out what your starting point is. Write it down.
Next to it, write down what you are going to change.
Example: average bedroom temperature during the night: 70° F >> changing it to 65° F

Once you’ve made that change, record the outcome. To do this, they suggest answering three questions in your journal:

• How are you feeling? Excited, pumped up, groggy, “I hate Mondays”, etc. Rate your mood on a scale from 1 to 10
• How much energy do you have? Rate it from 1 to 10.
• How was your sleep? Deep, light, interrupted, restless, etc.

You can add more information as you see fit, and you want to record your answers as close to waking up as possible.

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11 Tips to De-stress Your Life

Being stressed isn’t a fun experience. On top of the physical symptoms, stress can lead to insomnia, depression and a decrease in work production, with serious implications for your personal and professional life. To avoid letting stress consume your life, here are 11 tips that I use to kick stress to the curb.

1. Identify triggers.

Melissa Eisler states on the Chopra Center website that “Recognizing the triggers to your stressful reactions is an important first step in managing your stress.” She suggests you can discover these triggers by asking obvious questions like “What stresses you out? And how do you react to it?”
After figuring out what exactly is working you up, you can create a list of your top triggers and then work on eliminating them if possible, or at least changing your reactions.
Related: 5 Ways to Stop Stress Before It Starts

2. Be healthy.

It’s been proven time and time again that one of the best ways to relieve stress is by being healthy. Whether it’s going for a walk, taking a yoga class, staying away from treats like doughnuts and getting a good night’s rest, taking care of your body is one of the most common and effective ways to reduce stress in your life.

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How to Safeguard Your Emotional Wellbeing

Emotional wellness is just one of the seven dimensions of wellness. Emotional wellbeing is the ability to know your feelings, accept limitations in yourself, gain emotional stability, and be comfortable with your emotions. It implies that you are able to express appropriate emotions, cope with stress, adjust to change, and enjoy life despite difficulty.


Achieving emotional wellness can be a difficult thing to balance. However, here are some tips to help you work towards being emotionally healthy.

Be self aware. It is very important to be aware of yourself. This includes knowing your strengths and weaknesses, understanding your emotions, and knowing your abilities. When you learn all these things about yourself, you are able to accept yourself and put limits on what you do. Then you are able to appreciate those limits, and you no longer have to compete with others strengths. You can also be better prepared for the roller coaster that the many changes of life bring.

Physical health. Taking care of your physical health is very important. Plenty of rest and a good diet can help to increase emotional stability. A good night's sleep requires 7 to 8 hours of sleep. Not getting enough sleep is the cause of many major health issues like heart disease and depression. 

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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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7 Fabulous Fall Date Nights

The air is getting crisper, the leaves are changing, and nature has become the perfect backdrop for a romantic get-together. Enjoy the season with your sweetie by trying out any of these great date ideas. Added bonus? They’re all super budget-friendly.

1. Go Apple Picking

'Tis the season for apple picking! Check out a local orchard or farm and make a day of it. Take a tour, make your own apple butter or cider, and (hopefully) eat some great cider donuts. Plus, going home to make an apple pie together? Adorable and delicious!

2. Visit a Pumpkin Patch

Get in touch with your inner child and set out for a day of picking pumpkins. Make sure to choose a few good ones and take some great, aw-worthy pictures. Most pumpkin patches also have fun activities, such as petting zoos, pumpkin tosses, and even corn mazes, a great excuse to extend your date even longer! (Visit PumpkinPatchesAndMore.org to find a patch near you!)

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Too Busy to Clean Your House? Read More for some great easy tips.

Mothers these days have a lot on our plates. Between work, school, family matters and keeping the house clean, it’s a wonder more women don’t go stark raving mad. It seems that there is an endless request list of things to do, and not enough hours in the day to do them.
  However, we are here to help. Don’t get overwhelmed and frustrated. Instead, carve out a few minutes from your very busy day to read this guide. We’ve got everything you need to know in this busy mom’s guide to house cleaning.

1. Clean as You Go.
Don’t let the mess build up, clean up a little at a time. While you’re cooking dinner, load the dishes you use into the dish washer right after you use them. If you notice toys, school books or articles of clothing laying on the ground, pick them up right away.

2. Teach the Kids.
It takes a lot of work to keep a house clean – don’t feel as though you must do it all yourself.

Read more: http://www.redbeacon.com/hg/busy-moms-guide-house-cleaning/#ixzz3E0qC8uhY

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The Effects of Nursing Fatigue on Patient Safety

Nurses and nurse aides are responsible for providing their patients the highest quality of care. And to ensure that we offer this level of patient care, we should also take care of ourselves by getting enough rest. But with long work hours, mandatory overtime, and rotating or night shifts, fatigue in nursing is a given. We end up overwhelmed and patient safety is compromised. After all, this tiredness is directly related to an increase in medical errors.

How Does Nursing Fatigue Affect You?
Consider the fact that when we are tired, our ability to solve problems and reach out are hindered. In the arena of clinical practice, we are more likely to commit the error of omission when we forget to do important tasks. Our attention spans may become shorter or we may fail to catch important details.
- See more at: http://www.nursetogether.com/the-effects-of-nursing-fatigue-on-patient-c#sthash.wPAWqODP.dpuf

How Does Nursing Fatigue Affect You?

Consider the fact that when we are tired, our ability to solve problems and reach out are hindered. In the arena of clinical practice, we are more likely to commit the error of omission when we forget to do important tasks. Our attention spans may become shorter or we may fail to catch important details.

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CNA's: Staying Healthy at Work

The work we CNA’s do is HARD; some say brutal. The stress we put upon ourselves while performing our duties takes a high toll on our bodies. We have to take care of ourselves. And I mean that- especially at work.

Some of the things I do to make sure I’m ready and physically able to do my job are pretty mainstream, or so I thought. Lately I’ve noticed newer aides not bothering to do simple things that can make such a difference.

1) The usual items we hear about are par for the course: Eat right, exercise and get plenty of sleep! Easier said then done in today’s busy world. Family, friends, commitments, kids’ games and activities all keep us, at times, TOO busy to care for ourselves.

2) We use our legs, arms and backs for the vast majority of the tasks we perform. It makes sense to stretch these muscles before we use them.

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Working Out in the Summer Heat

Warmer, sunny days are finally here, but after exercising in cooler Spring temps, hot and humid 80-degree days can feel overwhelming. Running, biking, hiking, even walking feels harder in the heat, so here are some tips to help you get through your Summer workouts.

Be flexible about when you work out: Become obsessed with checking the weather, and find out when temps are going to be the lowest that day. Sometimes it's early in the morning, and sometimes late in the evening, so you'lll need to rearrange your schedule to fit in exercise during the coolest time of day. A plus about morning workouts is many of your neighbors might be watering their lawns, so you can run through their sprinklers to stay even cooler.

• Invest in some wicking clothes: Lightweight, breathable, wicking clothes are a must. They'll pull moisture away from your skin, so you really do feel cooler. Wearing a hat to keep the hot sun off your head and face also helps.
• Take a cold shower: I know it seems a little odd to shower before a workout, but the cold water will cool you down. 

For More Tips and the Original Article. 

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How to Help Seasonal Depression

Seasonal affective disorder (also called SAD) is a type of depression that occurs at the same time every year.

If you're like most people with seasonal affective disorder, your symptoms start in the fall and may continue into the winter months, sapping your energy and making you feel moody. Less often, seasonal affective disorder causes depression in the spring or early summer.

Treatment for seasonal affective disorder includes light therapy (phototherapy), psychotherapy and medications.

Don't brush off that yearly feeling as simply a case of the "winter blues" or a seasonal funk that you have to tough out on your own. Take steps to keep your mood and motivation steady throughout the year.

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Assisted Living vs. Hospice Dilemma

When hospice services are brought into assisted living facilities for older residents with terminal illnesses, problems can arise. Good communication between families, hospice staff, assisted living staff and paid caregivers (if they’re part of the picture) can make all the difference and minimize the potential for conflict. How can you make sure this happens?

Educate yourself. Ask the people who run your assisted living center if they have worked with hospice providers before, said Dr. David Koets, chief medical officer of The Denver Hospice. Are there one or more hospice organizations that they prefer? If so, why? How many residents have used the providers, and how have things worked out?

You may want to ask how often residents die at your assisted living center, suggested Judi Lund Person, vice president of compliance for the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. Are staff members comfortable with helping out when a resident is nearing the end of life? Does the center offer any special services for residents in this situation? What about other residents; is the center comfortable letting a hospice organization provide them with bereavement services?

Be clear about expectations. Exactly how much care and what kind of care is the assisted living facility able to provide you or your relative? Do residents have the ability to purchase extra services? If so, what is the cost? What tasks will the assisted living center not do, and in what circumstances will leadership at the center require other caregivers to help out?

Ask similar questions of the hospice organization you are considering signing up with.

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Low on Fuel? Three Ways to Fill Up Your Tank

Feeling tired, nurses, even after you’ve had your coffee? Wish the weekends were three or four days long so you could catch up? Resenting time spent at work?

Fill up your nurse health tank!

If your low fuel indicator is illuminated, then try a RenewalSHIFT™.

Here are three steps to boost your energy at home and work. Start today and see results immediately! That’s the great thing about a SHIFT- you increase your energy and get better results right away!

1.   Breathe deeply

• Each deep breath sends oxygen to your brain and forces you to slow down. 
• Try breathing in through your nose and out through pursed lips right now. Close your eyes to really focus on how good this feels.
  
• As you breath in, think of something good (i.e., a loving child) and as you breath out, let go of something annoying (i.e., the difficult patient).
• Enjoy the calm feeling that has taken over.
   

2.   Do something nice for someone else

• When you see someone who needs a hand, offer to help.
• Do it with a smile and say “you’re welcome” when they thank you.

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Is there a Connection? Sleep Patterns & Nursing Home Placement

Older women with disturbed and fragmented sleep were three times more likely to be placed in a long-term care facility than elderly women with healthier sleep patterns.

Publishing results in The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, investigators studied data of older women who wore devices that monitored sleeping patterns for three days. Five years later, they observed that participants who spent the smallest proportion of their time in bed actually sleeping had about three times the odds of being placed in a nursing home.

I'm getting the association here. If you get up during the night and are disoriented, you may have a higher likelihood to fall. And falling in the elderly can lead to broken hips, etc. And that can lead to nursing home stays.

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The Importance of a Good Night's Rest

Without enough sleep, we all become tall two-year-olds. ~JoJo Jensen, Dirt Farmer Wisdom, 2002

Practically no one would dispute the need for seven to eight hours of sleep a night; the reality however, is that the majority of us getting far less sleep than our bodies require.  What is happening is our biological needs are at odds with our schedules and all the added diversions such as watching television into the late hours of the night, surfing the internet and maintaining our social media contacts.   

The restorative and regenerative processes that occur during the time we sleep are numerous and range from the relaxation of muscles, increased blood flow to muscles and tissues, the release of growth hormones and  increased efficiency of the immune system.  Sleep in America polls conducted over the last several years by the National Sleep Foundation  reveal that 20% of Americans report that they get less than 6 hours of sleep on average, and the number of Americans that report that they get 8 hours of more has decreased.  The Center for Disease control has taken notice of this national trend and has declared that 30% of U.S. workers are not getting nearly enough sleep and in fact sleep 6 or fewer hours a day.  In addition, lack of sleep impacts the ability to learn and retain information. The Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School has a website with information specific to sleep, learning and memory  http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/matters/benefits-of-sleep/learning-memory  The problem is clearly not of one of not understanding the need for adequate rest, but to prioritize it in our lives.

For more ideas on how to get to sleep, and to sleep well visit: http://tjhealth.com/how-to-sleep-well//

For more information on topics related to sleep, including its relation to aging, Alzheimer’s and Dementia visit the National Sleep Foundation http://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/sleep-topics