In honor of February being American Heart Month, I have put together some tips on how you can keep your ticker in order:
- Go to bed, and stay there!
Evidence is piling up which correlates sleep loss with inflammatory disorders such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and arthritis. A recent study found increased levels of inflammatory markers present in individuals whose sleep cycle was disturbed compared to their snug-as-a-bug-in-a-rug counterparts. Read here to determine how much sleep is right for you.
Tips for better sleep?- Get your fair share of sun time (safe sun time that is) to allow your body to soak up the Vitamin D which plays a role in adjusting your circadian rhythm.
- Keep stress at bay by meditating.
- Avoid drinking water or other liquids 2 hours before bedtime to prevent those drudging midnight bladder calls.
- Get your fair share of sun time (safe sun time that is) to allow your body to soak up the Vitamin D which plays a role in adjusting your circadian rhythm.
- Up your dental hygiene.
Periodontitis or inflammation of the gums has been show in studies to be a contributory factor in heart disease.
Ward off gum disease by up-ing your dental game. Brush twice daily (morning and evening), floss daily and scrub away unwanted bacteria with a tongue scraper. Speaking of bacteria, have you seen this little gem? A Toothbrush holder that kills bacteria? Brilliant! - Remember when we went nuts in '08?
Well in spite of the claims of health in walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds, I decided to live dangerously and stay true to my pistachio buddy and alas, a study I can get along with (note: I did not fund this research, nor am I published as an author, which is a bummer really... for them anyway).
So, GO NUTS IN '09! Doesn't quite have the same ring to it as, "Spring Break '09! Whoo-wee!" does it? {erasing flashy images in head}
Replacing your other fat calories with pistachios can have a positive effect on your HDL levels (the good cholesterol) according to a study In the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.
Go ahead and get your fill. Mmmm...pistachios.
Gösta Rutger Persson, Rigmor Elisabeth Persson.Cardiovascular disease and periodontitis: an update on the associations and risk. Journal of Clinical Periodontology 2008(35):362-379.
Irwin MR. Wang Minge. Ribeiro Denise. Cho Hyong. Olmstead Richard. Breen EC. Martinez-Maza O. Cole S. Sleep Loss Activates Cellular Inflammatory Signaling. Biological Pschiatry. 2008;(64)6:538-540.
Kocyigit A. Koylu AA. Keles H. Effects of pistachio nuts consumption on plasma lipid profile and oxidative status in healthy volunteers. Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases. 2006:(16)3:202-209.
Are you proudly sporting your red duds today in support of American Heart Month? Whatcha got goin' on this weekend?? Spill your beans below!
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14 comments:
yepyepyep FULL ON RED HERE (and red is most certainly not my color) :)
Dang, I need to get more sleep, AND one of the VIOlight things! I remember seeing something in the past like that and wanting it, but eventually I forgot where I saw it. So, sweet!
To be honest, I don't own any red clothing :D At all. So if I were in America, I'd be totally letting down the team.
Hello! How are you? I hope you have some great weekend plans :) Wonderful post and tips! I need to work on that sleep one as I think I've only gotten 5 or 6 hours per night this whole week-yikes!
I used to be night owl person and push myself to stay up to well past midnight and then start my day at 5:00am. You can tell that things weren't all that grand duirng this time. After a crummy check-up, I now am under the covers by 10:00pm. Thanks for the reminder Rupal
I heart your site :-)
Great post to spread the heart healthy message!
Great post, Rupal!
I shall wear red today, even though, like Miz, it isn't really my best colour.
Have a great weekend!
Miz-- oh c'mon...I'm sure red looks fab on ya!
FLG-- I totally love that violight thing. Its been on my *wish* list for a while...I mean, its not a necessity...i guess.
Erica--HELLO! I'm great! So glad to see ya 'round these parts!
Tom-- so glad you getting the sleep back into your life, I'm sure you feel the differences!
Dr J-- oh, shucks :)
Bag Lady-- I had to rummage and rummage to find something in red as I feel like it only looks good on few and far between...and I'm NOT one of those either!!
hope you guys have a great weekend!!
great tip!!! I have to admit, I forget about the teeth/gums issue and need to step up my game a little.
I posted my red duds today ;) on my blog
Hubby and I have a lunch/shopping date tomorrow. We are going to shop for our daughter's (who will be 4 in a couple weeks) birthday. We haven't decided where we will eat yet. Hubby wants chinese but I am afraid the crab rangoon will call my name too loudly if we go for that :)
Reminder that I need to find a dentist in my new town. :)
...I need more sleep...
Not only did I wear red, almost everyone in my office did! What a great day!
Love the reminder about the nuts (not a pistachio lover, myself). I discovered the virtue of the almond only last year and now I wonder how I ever got through life without them.
have a great weekend!
Annette-- Hope you enjoy your lunch/shopping date! Sounds fun!!
Antgirl-- I need to find one too! Thanks for the reminder!!
Lance-- I order you 7 hours. stat.
Cammy-- Almonds are awesome!! Oh I especially love everything almond flavored. Even though most things almond flavored aren't so good for me :)
~rupal
...and I came very close to 7 hours last night - I feel so awake today!!
Was wearing lots of red!
I didn't know that vitamin D was useful for getting a good sleep; that's interesting.
- Sagan
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