Cider-Roasted Turkey with Bacon-Apple Cider Gravy
(Main Course)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For a change of pace, substitute a 9-pound capon for the turkey.
Serves 8
Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking: 2 hours, 20 minutes
Marinating: Overnight
1 (11-pound) fresh or frozen turkey, thawed
21/2 cups apple cider, divided
11/4 teaspoons black pepper, divided
1 teaspoon salt, divided
2 thyme sprigs
1 small Granny Smith apple, quartered
2 3/4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided
2 cups frozen pearl onions, thawed
2 thick bacon slices, cut crosswise into strips
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Remove and discard giblets and neck from turkey. Rinse turkey with cold water; pat dry. Trim excess fat. Place turkey in a heavy-duty, jumbo zip-top plastic bag and add 2 cups cider; seal and marinate in refrigerator overnight, turning bag occasionally.
Preheat oven to 450°.
Remove turkey from bag, reserving marinade. Place turkey, breast side up, in a shallow roasting pan. Pour reserved marinade over turkey. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt on skin and in body cavity. Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under turkey. Place thyme sprigs and apple in body cavity. Insert meat thermometer into meaty part of thigh, making sure not to touch bone. Cover loosely with foil. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325° (do not remove turkey from oven); bake an additional 45 minutes. Add 1 3/4 cups broth and onions to pan; return to oven immediately. Bake, uncovered, an additional hour or until thermometer registers 180°. Place turkey on a serving platter; cover with aluminum foil. Let stand at least 25 minutes. Discard skin, sprigs, and apple.
Remove onions from pan with a slotted spoon, set aside, and keep warm. Place a zip-top plastic bag inside a 2-cup glass measuring cup. Pour turkey drippings into bag. Add remaining 1/2 cup cider to roasting pan; cook over medium-high heat 2 minutes, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add to turkey drippings in bag; let stand 10 minutes (fat will rise to the top). Seal bag; carefully snip off bottom corner of bag. Drain drippings into a bowl, stopping before fat layer reaches opening; discard fat.
Cook bacon in a large saucepan over medium heat until crisp. Add flour to bacon drippings in pan; cook 1 minute. Gradually add remaining 1 cup broth and cider mixture, blending with a whisk. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook over medium heat until thick (about 10 minutes), stirring frequently. Stir in onions and chopped thyme.
Serving size: 6 ounces turkey and 1/4 cup gravy.
Per serving: 319 Calories (24% from fat); Fat 8.3g (sat 2.8g, mono 2.5g, poly 1.8g); Protein 39.5g; Carbohydrate 18.6g; Fiber 0.6g; Cholesterol 114mg; Iron 3.2mg; Sodium 620mg; Calcium 45mg
Cornmeal Angel Biscuits
(Breads)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
These biscuits are even better served with honey.
Serves 32
Preparation: 25 minutes
Cooking: 25 minutes
Rising: 2 hours or overnight
1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1/2 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
11/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces
2 cups low-fat buttermilk
Cooking spray
2 teaspoons yellow cornmeal
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dissolve yeast in warm water in a small bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, 3/4 cup cornmeal, and next 4 ingredients (sugar through baking powder) in a large bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add yeast mixture and buttermilk; stir just until moist. Cover; chill dough at least 2 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 450°.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead 5 or 6 times. Roll dough to 1/2-inch thickness; cut with a 21/2-inch biscuit cutter into 32 biscuits. Place on 2 ungreased baking sheets. Coat tops of dough with cooking spray; sprinkle tops evenly with 2 teaspoons cornmeal. Let stand 20 minutes. Bake at 450° for 12 minutes.
Serving size: 1 biscuit.
Per serving: Calories 102 (28% from fat); Fat 3.1g (sat 1.8g, mono 0.9g, poly 0.2g); Protein 2g; Carbohydrate 16.3g; Fiber 0.7g; Cholesterol 8mg; Iron 0.8mg; Sodium 194mg; Calcium 12mg
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
(Side Dishes)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Serves 12
Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking: 15 minutes
3 pounds (3/4-inch) cubed peeled Yukon gold or red potatoes
8 cloves garlic, peeled
1 1/4 cups low-fat buttermilk
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Place potatoes and garlic in a large saucepan; cover with water, and bring to a boil. Cook 15 minutes or until very tender; drain. Return potato mixture to pan; add remaining ingredients; mash with a potato masher.
Serving size: 1/2 cup.
Per serving: Calories 103 (3% from fat); Fat 0.4g (sat 0.2g, mono 0.1g, poly 0.1g); Protein 3.3g; Carbohydrate 22g; Fiber 1.9g; Cholesterol 1mg; Iron 0.9mg; Sodium 229mg; Calcium 42mg
Dilled Baby Carrots (Side Dishes)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Serves 12
Preparation: 5 minutes
Cooking: 8 minutes
6 cups baby carrots (about 11/2 pounds)
2 tablespoons fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
2 teaspoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Place carrots in a saucepan; cover with water, and bring to a boil. Cook 8 minutes or until tender; drain. Return carrots to pan; toss with remaining ingredients until butter is melted.
Serving size: 1/2 cup.
Wishing you and yours a Happy, Healthy and Yummy THANKSGIVING Holiday. Bon Appetit!
I THANK YOU ALL for your Friendship and Support!
Cordially,
Jacques
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
I Can't sleep
WebMD Feature from "Women's Health" Magazine
By Carol Cruzan Morton, Women’s Health
Three women, three sleep problems… resolved!
The Worrier
The Woman
Kristen Nelson, 30, nursing student at the University of California at San Francisco
The Problem: A racing mind.
Nelson frequently lay awake for hours. "My mind would just race," she says. "I'd be like, 'Tomorrow: Do I need to bring my lunch, should I buy it at school, should I bring my laptop with me?'" Exhausted, she felt fuzzy and irritable during the day.
The Solution
Nelson started going to bed 2 hours later, while forcing herself to rise at her regular time. You'd think this practice — known as sleep restriction — would only make her more tired. And in the short run, it did. But it also meant that she fell asleep faster and slept more deeply. "It squashes all the sleep into one block of time," says Edward Stepanski, Ph.D., director of the sleep disorders center at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. "Once we've improved the quality, we work on the quantity." Nelson gradually shifted her bedtime earlier until she was getting 7 hours straight.
Nelson never naps or sleeps past 8 A.M. In bed she relaxes by sequentially tensing and releasing muscles in her arms, legs, shoulders, and face. "Now when a thought comes into my head I say, 'Oh, I had a thought.' I taught myself to just take them as they come," she says. "Since I started this, I have never felt better. I don't get as frustrated or upset about things as I used to."
The Overdoer
The Woman
Pamela Bolanis, 30, senior vice president in sales at Wachovia Securities in Richmond, Virginia
The Problem: Spending too little time in bed.
A six-time marathoner and mother of a 1-year-old, Bolanis is at the office by 7:30 A.M. and often out with clients until 10 P.M. Although she needs 81/2 hours of sleep, she gets more like 6, rising early to spend time with her son. She drinks half a pot of coffee every morning but finds that her concentration and memory are impaired. "Sleep is so important," she says, "but with my current state of affairs, something has got to give."
The Solution
There is no medical treatment for people who are too busy to sleep. Experts say they simply need to make different choices. Eric Olson, M.D., codirector of the Mayo Sleep Disorders Center in Rochester, Minnesota, recommends sleeping in on weekends and taking strategic naps (note: these are verboten for insomniacs because they can make it harder to fall asleep at night). Joyce Walsleben, Ph.D., a psychologist at New York University's Sleep Disorders Center, suggests that overextended people start going to bed consistently 15 minutes earlier. After a week or two, they should move bedtime up another quarter hour. "Nobody can argue they can't give 15 minutes a night," she says.
The Night Owl
The Woman
Jennifer Weihs, 21, occupational therapy student at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska
The Problem: Biological clock needs resetting.
The biological clock is the part of the brain that ensures that we feel tired at night and alert during the day. Darkness directs the clock to start producing the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin. Weihs's body releases melatonin later than normal, making her a born night owl. She had trouble falling asleep, especially before midnight, and mornings were torture. Her roommates literally had to shake her or she'd miss class. "I never woke up and felt rested," she says. Weihs's disorder, called delayed sleep phase syndrome, is related to jet lag and the problems experienced by people who work the night shift.
The Solution
Weihs started taking melatonin every night at 8 P.M., and immediately found she could fall asleep earlier. She also started forcing herself awake at 9 A.M. to sit for half an hour in front of a light box — a device that uses a fluorescent bulb to mimic the sun's intensity. Soon she was waking up at 9 A.M. — without her alarm. "That, for me, was extraordinary," says Weihs, who now consistently turns in by 10:30 P.M. and gets up at 7:30 A.M. "The difference is life-changing."
-------
Jacques' remarks:
Just as I like sharing meaningful articles from various well known sources with you on food, dieting, and other Health-oriented issues...
...I also like to add truthful comments which may, at times, contradict or improve the contents of parts of the said articles.
For instance, the latter perpetuate the traditional food restrictions, or other dieting dos and don'ts.
During my long career as a clinical psychologist and Hypnotherapist, I researched, found, developed, tested and taught thousands of overweight and obese individuals, a far simpler lifestyle. It became known as my "S.L.I.M. For Life" Weight Management Trainings...
...Which allows the participants to start with an amzingly daring "Eat anything you like, as often as you like, as much as you like...so long as you listen to my tapes or CDs at least twice a day and do your "Modulations".
I also repeatedly mention that, eversince my teenage years, I have refused to follow any/all "diet plans".
Instead, I learned to listen to my instinctual Inner voice,or Higher Self's "messages" and directions...which have never failed to let me know when I am truly hungry or just craving a favorite snack...
Learning the difference empowered me to naturally, in a relaxed, stress-free way, tame all snack attacks and keep my weight blalance on track. It Works...at any age!
This is one part of what I teach during my Trainings.
Another is how to fall asleep deply, peacefully and reconstructively within five minutes or less, druglessly, even when your mind is racing. (I compare this state of turmoil to a drunken monkey stung by a scorpion...).
Best of all, our Trainings transcend "medical remedies", "biological clocks", "melatonin" and all other standard means, prescriptions and ineffective methods used for this tiresome (pun INTENDED) problem.
The techniques I have developed and used for decades, and share, Work...Every Time...100%! So, cheer up! Best always,
Jacques
By Carol Cruzan Morton, Women’s Health
Three women, three sleep problems… resolved!
The Worrier
The Woman
Kristen Nelson, 30, nursing student at the University of California at San Francisco
The Problem: A racing mind.
Nelson frequently lay awake for hours. "My mind would just race," she says. "I'd be like, 'Tomorrow: Do I need to bring my lunch, should I buy it at school, should I bring my laptop with me?'" Exhausted, she felt fuzzy and irritable during the day.
The Solution
Nelson started going to bed 2 hours later, while forcing herself to rise at her regular time. You'd think this practice — known as sleep restriction — would only make her more tired. And in the short run, it did. But it also meant that she fell asleep faster and slept more deeply. "It squashes all the sleep into one block of time," says Edward Stepanski, Ph.D., director of the sleep disorders center at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. "Once we've improved the quality, we work on the quantity." Nelson gradually shifted her bedtime earlier until she was getting 7 hours straight.
Nelson never naps or sleeps past 8 A.M. In bed she relaxes by sequentially tensing and releasing muscles in her arms, legs, shoulders, and face. "Now when a thought comes into my head I say, 'Oh, I had a thought.' I taught myself to just take them as they come," she says. "Since I started this, I have never felt better. I don't get as frustrated or upset about things as I used to."
The Overdoer
The Woman
Pamela Bolanis, 30, senior vice president in sales at Wachovia Securities in Richmond, Virginia
The Problem: Spending too little time in bed.
A six-time marathoner and mother of a 1-year-old, Bolanis is at the office by 7:30 A.M. and often out with clients until 10 P.M. Although she needs 81/2 hours of sleep, she gets more like 6, rising early to spend time with her son. She drinks half a pot of coffee every morning but finds that her concentration and memory are impaired. "Sleep is so important," she says, "but with my current state of affairs, something has got to give."
The Solution
There is no medical treatment for people who are too busy to sleep. Experts say they simply need to make different choices. Eric Olson, M.D., codirector of the Mayo Sleep Disorders Center in Rochester, Minnesota, recommends sleeping in on weekends and taking strategic naps (note: these are verboten for insomniacs because they can make it harder to fall asleep at night). Joyce Walsleben, Ph.D., a psychologist at New York University's Sleep Disorders Center, suggests that overextended people start going to bed consistently 15 minutes earlier. After a week or two, they should move bedtime up another quarter hour. "Nobody can argue they can't give 15 minutes a night," she says.
The Night Owl
The Woman
Jennifer Weihs, 21, occupational therapy student at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska
The Problem: Biological clock needs resetting.
The biological clock is the part of the brain that ensures that we feel tired at night and alert during the day. Darkness directs the clock to start producing the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin. Weihs's body releases melatonin later than normal, making her a born night owl. She had trouble falling asleep, especially before midnight, and mornings were torture. Her roommates literally had to shake her or she'd miss class. "I never woke up and felt rested," she says. Weihs's disorder, called delayed sleep phase syndrome, is related to jet lag and the problems experienced by people who work the night shift.
The Solution
Weihs started taking melatonin every night at 8 P.M., and immediately found she could fall asleep earlier. She also started forcing herself awake at 9 A.M. to sit for half an hour in front of a light box — a device that uses a fluorescent bulb to mimic the sun's intensity. Soon she was waking up at 9 A.M. — without her alarm. "That, for me, was extraordinary," says Weihs, who now consistently turns in by 10:30 P.M. and gets up at 7:30 A.M. "The difference is life-changing."
-------
Jacques' remarks:
Just as I like sharing meaningful articles from various well known sources with you on food, dieting, and other Health-oriented issues...
...I also like to add truthful comments which may, at times, contradict or improve the contents of parts of the said articles.
For instance, the latter perpetuate the traditional food restrictions, or other dieting dos and don'ts.
During my long career as a clinical psychologist and Hypnotherapist, I researched, found, developed, tested and taught thousands of overweight and obese individuals, a far simpler lifestyle. It became known as my "S.L.I.M. For Life" Weight Management Trainings...
...Which allows the participants to start with an amzingly daring "Eat anything you like, as often as you like, as much as you like...so long as you listen to my tapes or CDs at least twice a day and do your "Modulations".
I also repeatedly mention that, eversince my teenage years, I have refused to follow any/all "diet plans".
Instead, I learned to listen to my instinctual Inner voice,or Higher Self's "messages" and directions...which have never failed to let me know when I am truly hungry or just craving a favorite snack...
Learning the difference empowered me to naturally, in a relaxed, stress-free way, tame all snack attacks and keep my weight blalance on track. It Works...at any age!
This is one part of what I teach during my Trainings.
Another is how to fall asleep deply, peacefully and reconstructively within five minutes or less, druglessly, even when your mind is racing. (I compare this state of turmoil to a drunken monkey stung by a scorpion...).
Best of all, our Trainings transcend "medical remedies", "biological clocks", "melatonin" and all other standard means, prescriptions and ineffective methods used for this tiresome (pun INTENDED) problem.
The techniques I have developed and used for decades, and share, Work...Every Time...100%! So, cheer up! Best always,
Jacques
Monday, November 19, 2007
Sleep: More Important Than You Think
Copyright © Jacques Girard, Ph.D.
Reviewed By Stuart Meyers, MD
By Michael Breus
WebMD Feature
Not sleeping enough and not sleeping well is not OK. As a matter of fact, there is quite a price to pay. It may surprise you to learn that chronic sleep deprivation, for whatever reason, significantly affects your health, performance, safety, and pocketbook.
There are many causes of sleep deprivation. The stresses of daily life may intrude upon our ability to sleep well, or perhaps we trade sleep for more work or play. We may have medical or mental-health conditions that disrupt our sleep, and be well aware that we are sleep-deprived.
However, it is critically important to realize that sleep deprivation is very often due to unrecognized sleep disorders. After a typical night's sleep, you may not feel restored and refreshed and be sleepy during the day, but be totally unaware that you are sleep-deprived or have a sleep disorder. You might think, "It's just the stress of work or the kids," or you might have "always felt this way" and had no idea that you should feel differently. This lack of awareness compounds the consequences, because so many people remain undiagnosed for years.
That said, let's look at the consequences of sleep deprivation.
In the short term:
• Decreased Performance and Alertness: Sleep deprivation induces significant reductions in performance and alertness. Reducing your nighttime sleep by as little as one and a half hours for just one night could result in a reduction of daytime alertness by as much as 32%.
• Memory and Cognitive Impairment: Decreased alertness and excessive daytime sleepiness impair your memory and your cognitive ability -- your ability to think and process information.
• Stress Relationships: Disruption of a bed partner's sleep due to a sleep disorder may cause significant problems for the relationship (for example, separate bedrooms, conflicts, moodiness, etc.).
• Poor Quality of Life: You might, for example, be unable to participate in certain activities that require sustained attention, like going to the movies, seeing your child in a school play, or watching a favorite TV show.
• Occupational Injury: Excessive sleepiness also contributes to a greater than twofold higher risk of sustaining an occupational injury.
• Automobile Injury: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates conservatively that each year drowsy driving is responsible for at least 100,000 automobile crashes, 71,000 injuries, and 1,550 fatalities.
The good news for many of the disorders that cause sleep deprivation is that after risk assessment, education, and treatment, memory and cognitive deficits improve and the number of injuries decreases.
In the long term, the clinical consequences of untreated sleep disorders are large indeed. They are associated with numerous, serious medical illnesses, including:
• High blood pressure
• Heart attack
• Heart failure
• Stroke
• Obesity
• Psychiatric problems, including depression and other mood disorders
• Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
• Mental impairment
• Fetal and childhood growth retardation
• Injury from accidents
• Disruption of bed partner's sleep quality
• Poor quality of life
Studies show an increased mortality risk for those reporting less than either six or seven hours per night. One study found that reduced sleep time is a greater mortality risk than smoking, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Sleep disturbance is also one of the leading predictors of institutionalization in the elderly, and severe insomnia triples the mortality risk in elderly men.
Remarkably, sleep loss may also be a contributing factor to obesity.
John Winkelman, MD, PhD, medical director of the Sleep Health Center at Brigham and Women's Hospital and assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School sums up this finding up nicely: "What most people do not realize is that better sleep habits may be instrumental to the success of any weight management plan."
And Michael Thorpy, MD, director of the Sleep-Wake Disorders Center at Montefiore Medical Center in New York adds, "Any American making a resolution to lose weight ... should probably consider a parallel commitment for getting more sleep."
It is also important to realize the huge scope and prevalence of these disorders; more than 85 sleep disorders are recognized by the American Sleep Disorders Association, affecting more than 70 million Americans. Up to one-third of Americans have symptoms of insomnia; however, less than 10% of those are identified by primary-care doctors.
Sleep-related breathing disorders represent a spectrum of abnormalities that range from simple snoring to sleep apnea (repeated episodes of cessation of breathing during sleep). As highly prevalent as they are, most cases remain undiagnosed and untreated.
• Chronic snoring, for example, is associated with an increased incidence of heart and brain-related diseases. It is present in about 45% of the U.S. population; up to half of those have sleep apnea.
• The prevalence of sleep apnea is on par with diabetes and asthma. More than 20 million Americans -- 24% of adult men and 9% of adult women -- are estimated to have some degree of obstructive sleep apnea. Only a fraction have been diagnosed and treated.
• Sleep apnea is a primary risk factor for high blood pressure; as many as 40% of those people are undiagnosed and untreated for high blood pressure. Effective treatment of sleep apnea in patients with high blood pressure leads to a substantial reduction in stroke risk.
• Patients with moderate to severe sleep apnea perform as poorly as drunk drivers and have up to a 15-fold increased risk of motor vehicle accidents.
With the wealth of information and treatment options available for sleep deprivation, much of the suffering, illness from the many related diseases, increase in accident rates, and effects on productivity, performance, concentration, and memory can be avoided.
Increased awareness is the first step, for us individually and the health care community. Some researchers suggest that sleep deprivation should be recognized with the same seriousness that has been associated with the societal impact of alcohol.
Originally published May 2003.
Medically updated March 15, 2006.
________________________________________
SOURCES: Sleep: "We Are Chronically Sleep Deprived," Vol. 18 No. 10. Sleep Medicine, Kryger, Meir, et al., Third Edition. 2000. Sleep: "Excessive Daytime Sleepiness and Risk of Occupational Injuries in Non-shift Daytime Workers," Vol. No. 3. Heart Disease, Vol. 4 No. 5. Sleep "The Cost of Sleep-Related Accidents," Vol. 17, No. 1. National Center on Sleep Disorders Research. Sleep: "Health Care Utilization in the 10 Years Prior to Diagnosis in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome Patients," Vol. No. 22. Journal of Clinical Hypertentions, Vol. 4 No. 6. Journal of the American Board of Family Practice, Vol. 15 No. 2. Sleep: "Sleepiness-Related Accidents In Sleep Apnea Patients," Vol. 23 No. 3. AM Rev Respir Dis: "Automobile Accidents Involving Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea," Vol. 138. Am J Respir Crit Care Me: "Simulated Driving Performance in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea," Vol. 154. Circulation: "Effect of Nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Treatment on Blood Pressure in Patients with Obstructive Sleep apnea," Vol. 107. News release, "Planning to Lose Weight in the New Year? Experts Say, Think Sleep. Studies Show Sleep Loss May Sabotage Success of No.1 Resolution," Sanofi-Synthelabo Inc. Columbia University, Dept.of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery.
Copyright 2006 Sound Sleep, LLC.
Reviewed By Stuart Meyers, MD
By Michael Breus
WebMD Feature
Not sleeping enough and not sleeping well is not OK. As a matter of fact, there is quite a price to pay. It may surprise you to learn that chronic sleep deprivation, for whatever reason, significantly affects your health, performance, safety, and pocketbook.
There are many causes of sleep deprivation. The stresses of daily life may intrude upon our ability to sleep well, or perhaps we trade sleep for more work or play. We may have medical or mental-health conditions that disrupt our sleep, and be well aware that we are sleep-deprived.
However, it is critically important to realize that sleep deprivation is very often due to unrecognized sleep disorders. After a typical night's sleep, you may not feel restored and refreshed and be sleepy during the day, but be totally unaware that you are sleep-deprived or have a sleep disorder. You might think, "It's just the stress of work or the kids," or you might have "always felt this way" and had no idea that you should feel differently. This lack of awareness compounds the consequences, because so many people remain undiagnosed for years.
That said, let's look at the consequences of sleep deprivation.
In the short term:
• Decreased Performance and Alertness: Sleep deprivation induces significant reductions in performance and alertness. Reducing your nighttime sleep by as little as one and a half hours for just one night could result in a reduction of daytime alertness by as much as 32%.
• Memory and Cognitive Impairment: Decreased alertness and excessive daytime sleepiness impair your memory and your cognitive ability -- your ability to think and process information.
• Stress Relationships: Disruption of a bed partner's sleep due to a sleep disorder may cause significant problems for the relationship (for example, separate bedrooms, conflicts, moodiness, etc.).
• Poor Quality of Life: You might, for example, be unable to participate in certain activities that require sustained attention, like going to the movies, seeing your child in a school play, or watching a favorite TV show.
• Occupational Injury: Excessive sleepiness also contributes to a greater than twofold higher risk of sustaining an occupational injury.
• Automobile Injury: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates conservatively that each year drowsy driving is responsible for at least 100,000 automobile crashes, 71,000 injuries, and 1,550 fatalities.
The good news for many of the disorders that cause sleep deprivation is that after risk assessment, education, and treatment, memory and cognitive deficits improve and the number of injuries decreases.
In the long term, the clinical consequences of untreated sleep disorders are large indeed. They are associated with numerous, serious medical illnesses, including:
• High blood pressure
• Heart attack
• Heart failure
• Stroke
• Obesity
• Psychiatric problems, including depression and other mood disorders
• Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
• Mental impairment
• Fetal and childhood growth retardation
• Injury from accidents
• Disruption of bed partner's sleep quality
• Poor quality of life
Studies show an increased mortality risk for those reporting less than either six or seven hours per night. One study found that reduced sleep time is a greater mortality risk than smoking, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Sleep disturbance is also one of the leading predictors of institutionalization in the elderly, and severe insomnia triples the mortality risk in elderly men.
Remarkably, sleep loss may also be a contributing factor to obesity.
John Winkelman, MD, PhD, medical director of the Sleep Health Center at Brigham and Women's Hospital and assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School sums up this finding up nicely: "What most people do not realize is that better sleep habits may be instrumental to the success of any weight management plan."
And Michael Thorpy, MD, director of the Sleep-Wake Disorders Center at Montefiore Medical Center in New York adds, "Any American making a resolution to lose weight ... should probably consider a parallel commitment for getting more sleep."
It is also important to realize the huge scope and prevalence of these disorders; more than 85 sleep disorders are recognized by the American Sleep Disorders Association, affecting more than 70 million Americans. Up to one-third of Americans have symptoms of insomnia; however, less than 10% of those are identified by primary-care doctors.
Sleep-related breathing disorders represent a spectrum of abnormalities that range from simple snoring to sleep apnea (repeated episodes of cessation of breathing during sleep). As highly prevalent as they are, most cases remain undiagnosed and untreated.
• Chronic snoring, for example, is associated with an increased incidence of heart and brain-related diseases. It is present in about 45% of the U.S. population; up to half of those have sleep apnea.
• The prevalence of sleep apnea is on par with diabetes and asthma. More than 20 million Americans -- 24% of adult men and 9% of adult women -- are estimated to have some degree of obstructive sleep apnea. Only a fraction have been diagnosed and treated.
• Sleep apnea is a primary risk factor for high blood pressure; as many as 40% of those people are undiagnosed and untreated for high blood pressure. Effective treatment of sleep apnea in patients with high blood pressure leads to a substantial reduction in stroke risk.
• Patients with moderate to severe sleep apnea perform as poorly as drunk drivers and have up to a 15-fold increased risk of motor vehicle accidents.
With the wealth of information and treatment options available for sleep deprivation, much of the suffering, illness from the many related diseases, increase in accident rates, and effects on productivity, performance, concentration, and memory can be avoided.
Increased awareness is the first step, for us individually and the health care community. Some researchers suggest that sleep deprivation should be recognized with the same seriousness that has been associated with the societal impact of alcohol.
Originally published May 2003.
Medically updated March 15, 2006.
________________________________________
SOURCES: Sleep: "We Are Chronically Sleep Deprived," Vol. 18 No. 10. Sleep Medicine, Kryger, Meir, et al., Third Edition. 2000. Sleep: "Excessive Daytime Sleepiness and Risk of Occupational Injuries in Non-shift Daytime Workers," Vol. No. 3. Heart Disease, Vol. 4 No. 5. Sleep "The Cost of Sleep-Related Accidents," Vol. 17, No. 1. National Center on Sleep Disorders Research. Sleep: "Health Care Utilization in the 10 Years Prior to Diagnosis in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome Patients," Vol. No. 22. Journal of Clinical Hypertentions, Vol. 4 No. 6. Journal of the American Board of Family Practice, Vol. 15 No. 2. Sleep: "Sleepiness-Related Accidents In Sleep Apnea Patients," Vol. 23 No. 3. AM Rev Respir Dis: "Automobile Accidents Involving Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea," Vol. 138. Am J Respir Crit Care Me: "Simulated Driving Performance in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea," Vol. 154. Circulation: "Effect of Nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Treatment on Blood Pressure in Patients with Obstructive Sleep apnea," Vol. 107. News release, "Planning to Lose Weight in the New Year? Experts Say, Think Sleep. Studies Show Sleep Loss May Sabotage Success of No.1 Resolution," Sanofi-Synthelabo Inc. Columbia University, Dept.of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery.
Copyright 2006 Sound Sleep, LLC.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
How Much Sleep Do You Really Need?
Copyright © Jacques Girard, Ph.D.
Reviewed By Stuart Meyers, MD
By Michael Breus
WebMD Feature
Although many factors influence how much sleep you really need, most young adults report sleeping about seven and a half hours on weekday nights and eight and a half hours on weekend nights. And the common recommendation is eight hours a night. But individual needs vary greatly. There are so-called short-sleepers and long-sleepers -- those who need as little as five and a half hours to as much as about nine and a half hours.
How much sleep you require depends on several factors including:
• Your inherited genetic need
• Your sleep hygiene (those daily activities you control, from drinking coffee or alcohol to smoking and exercise)
• The quality of your sleep
• Your 24-hour daily cycle known as the circadian rhythm
For example, smoking, drinking, and exercise can affect your sleep dramatically. What you actually do in bed (like reading or watching TV) and how much exposure to light you have (looking at that bright computer screen 'til midnight) will also significantly alter both the quality and quantity of your sleep. They all interact to determine how long you need to sleep to wake up feeling refreshed and remain alert throughout the day.
How did we get the age-old recommendation that we need a solid eight hours of sleep? In a classic study, researchers placed a volunteer in windowless, light-controlled room for 30 days. The light was on for 16 hours and off for eight hours, but the study participant could also turn the lights on and off at will.
Before the experiment began, the subject routinely got about six and a half hours of sleep. During the first night of the experiment he slept eight hours, the second night 10 hours, the third night 12 hours, and the fourth night 14 hours. Over the next several days, he began to reduce the number of hours slept, eventually falling to a steady eight hours and 13 minutes. This experiment was performed repeatedly with all types of people, with similar results, and this is where the recommendation of eight hours comes from.
Your Sleep Debt
OK, so how do you determine how much sleep you really need?
First, let's look at your bank account -- your sleep bank account, that is -- and see if you have a debt to pay. Throughout the day, you take out about eight hours from this account, generating a sleep debt. Over the course of the night, as you snooze, you replenish your account. If you sleep only, say, six and a half hours, you still owe one and a half hours. If you do this for five nights in a row, you have lost an entire night's sleep! You will then need extra sleep over the next few days to replenish your sleep debt.
How much sleep do you get -- do you have a sleep debt? Do this simple test: Starting on a Sunday, do not drink alcohol or caffeine; do not smoke; go to sleep about the same time every night; and get an uninterrupted seven to eight hours of sleep for the next six nights. Then, on Saturday morning, sleep in. See how long your body will let you sleep. If you sleep longer than you did during the week -- then you have a sleep debt. So you should consider getting more sleep each night to replenish that sleep debt. Hey, not so easy, you say. Well, give it a try and do the best you can. Why?
Not getting the proper amount of and the best quality sleep may have serious consequences. Many studies have shown that sleep deprivation adversely affects performance and alertness. Reducing sleep by as little as one and a half hours for just one night reduces daytime alertness by about one-third. Excessive daytime sleepiness impairs memory and the ability to think and process information, and contributes to a substantially increased risk of sustaining an occupational injury.
The bottom line is that you should wake up feeling relatively refreshed, and you should generally not feel sleepy during the day. If this is not the case, you may have an unrecognized sleep disorder and should see your doctor or a sleep specialist.
Originally published April 1, 2003.
Medically updated Sept. 10, 2004.
________________________________________
SOURCES: Sleep Medicine, Kryger, Meir, et al., Third Edition, 2000. Sleep: "Excessive Daytime Sleepiness and risk of Occupational Injuries in Non-shift Daytime Workers," Vol. no. 3. Sleep: "Dose-response Relationship Between Sleep Duration and Human Psychomotor Vigilance and Subjective Awareness," Vol. 22, No. 2. Sleep: "We Are Chronically Sleep Deprived," Vol. 18 No. 10. The Promise of Sleep, by William Dement.
Copyright 2004 Sound Sleep, LLC.
The above was posted on our S.L.I.M. For Life Blog on July 14, 2007, so I ended it with: Happy Bastille Day! (On St. Patrick's Day, "Everyone is Irish"---Today: French!) :o)
Jacques
About the Author:SEE PROFILE
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Reviewed By Stuart Meyers, MD
By Michael Breus
WebMD Feature
Although many factors influence how much sleep you really need, most young adults report sleeping about seven and a half hours on weekday nights and eight and a half hours on weekend nights. And the common recommendation is eight hours a night. But individual needs vary greatly. There are so-called short-sleepers and long-sleepers -- those who need as little as five and a half hours to as much as about nine and a half hours.
How much sleep you require depends on several factors including:
• Your inherited genetic need
• Your sleep hygiene (those daily activities you control, from drinking coffee or alcohol to smoking and exercise)
• The quality of your sleep
• Your 24-hour daily cycle known as the circadian rhythm
For example, smoking, drinking, and exercise can affect your sleep dramatically. What you actually do in bed (like reading or watching TV) and how much exposure to light you have (looking at that bright computer screen 'til midnight) will also significantly alter both the quality and quantity of your sleep. They all interact to determine how long you need to sleep to wake up feeling refreshed and remain alert throughout the day.
How did we get the age-old recommendation that we need a solid eight hours of sleep? In a classic study, researchers placed a volunteer in windowless, light-controlled room for 30 days. The light was on for 16 hours and off for eight hours, but the study participant could also turn the lights on and off at will.
Before the experiment began, the subject routinely got about six and a half hours of sleep. During the first night of the experiment he slept eight hours, the second night 10 hours, the third night 12 hours, and the fourth night 14 hours. Over the next several days, he began to reduce the number of hours slept, eventually falling to a steady eight hours and 13 minutes. This experiment was performed repeatedly with all types of people, with similar results, and this is where the recommendation of eight hours comes from.
Your Sleep Debt
OK, so how do you determine how much sleep you really need?
First, let's look at your bank account -- your sleep bank account, that is -- and see if you have a debt to pay. Throughout the day, you take out about eight hours from this account, generating a sleep debt. Over the course of the night, as you snooze, you replenish your account. If you sleep only, say, six and a half hours, you still owe one and a half hours. If you do this for five nights in a row, you have lost an entire night's sleep! You will then need extra sleep over the next few days to replenish your sleep debt.
How much sleep do you get -- do you have a sleep debt? Do this simple test: Starting on a Sunday, do not drink alcohol or caffeine; do not smoke; go to sleep about the same time every night; and get an uninterrupted seven to eight hours of sleep for the next six nights. Then, on Saturday morning, sleep in. See how long your body will let you sleep. If you sleep longer than you did during the week -- then you have a sleep debt. So you should consider getting more sleep each night to replenish that sleep debt. Hey, not so easy, you say. Well, give it a try and do the best you can. Why?
Not getting the proper amount of and the best quality sleep may have serious consequences. Many studies have shown that sleep deprivation adversely affects performance and alertness. Reducing sleep by as little as one and a half hours for just one night reduces daytime alertness by about one-third. Excessive daytime sleepiness impairs memory and the ability to think and process information, and contributes to a substantially increased risk of sustaining an occupational injury.
The bottom line is that you should wake up feeling relatively refreshed, and you should generally not feel sleepy during the day. If this is not the case, you may have an unrecognized sleep disorder and should see your doctor or a sleep specialist.
Originally published April 1, 2003.
Medically updated Sept. 10, 2004.
________________________________________
SOURCES: Sleep Medicine, Kryger, Meir, et al., Third Edition, 2000. Sleep: "Excessive Daytime Sleepiness and risk of Occupational Injuries in Non-shift Daytime Workers," Vol. no. 3. Sleep: "Dose-response Relationship Between Sleep Duration and Human Psychomotor Vigilance and Subjective Awareness," Vol. 22, No. 2. Sleep: "We Are Chronically Sleep Deprived," Vol. 18 No. 10. The Promise of Sleep, by William Dement.
Copyright 2004 Sound Sleep, LLC.
The above was posted on our S.L.I.M. For Life Blog on July 14, 2007, so I ended it with: Happy Bastille Day! (On St. Patrick's Day, "Everyone is Irish"---Today: French!) :o)
Jacques
About the Author:SEE PROFILE
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday, November 17, 2007
On SLEEP…Its importance...
Copyright © Jacques Girard, Ph.D.
'Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.' (Ovid)
...Positive effects and benefits on Health and Weight Management…Sleeping pills and potions VS. Drugless, Natural SLEEP.
NBC-TV’s ‘Nighline’ Reports: Special series on SLEEP
(‘ Sleepless in America’ - Week 5/15-19/2006)… a few highlights of interest:
• It has been conclusively determined that the adult human body requires and average of 7-1/2 to 8 full hours of restful, peaceful, reconstructive SLEEP daily (nightly)..
• At another Sleep Clinic in PA. Dr. Sigrid Nissi states that the number of hours required to function ‘sharply’ varies with individual characteristics, including: age, weight, height, color and intellect…The more intelligent amongst the latter are said to rank amongst the more successful members of our society…
Ben Franklin said ‘Early to bed and early to rise’, and slept 3-4 hours on the average...Jay Leno and many others survive very well on just a few hours’ sleep…oftentimes broken up in several naps of 20 or more minutes each... while others claim that 8-9 hours is a minimum for them…
Apparently, more time-tested results are forthcoming on this important topic…
* Poor sleeping habits and sustained sleeplessness within the U.S. work force is costing business and industry an everage of 15 Billion Dollar$+ yearly in lost productivity due to absenteeism...Related medical costs exceed $16 Billion Dollar$...
• The Big Winners are the members of the Pharmaceutical Indsutry, whose components pocketed $43.1 Billion Dollar$ in profits from sales last year (an increase of 30% over the previous year for heavily advertised ‘LUNESTA’ and ‘AMBIEN’...in spite of strong negative reports of dangerous effects upon many ‘AMBIEN’ users: loss of memory...balance...car accidents, arrests for ‘Driving UnderT he Influence’ etc.!)…
More than ever, I feel privileged to have developed very Effective, Safe, Totally Drug-Free Modulations and techniques that ensure Fast, Deep, Sound, Rejunevating SLEEP…taught during The I.D.S and S.L.I.M. For Life © Trainings!
In weight management, it is important to note that a good night’s sleep helps your body process carbohydrates…
A recent study revealed that people with a sleep debt had lower glucose tolerance compared to when they were well rested… glucose tolerance may increase the risk of carbohydrate metabolism disorders, such as hypoglycemia…since, when you’re sleep deprived, sugars tend to linger in the blood and trigger insulin production...thus elevating body fat storage, which can contribute to type 2 diabetes problems...
Persistent insomnia: prolonged lack of sleep, of reposing, refreshing, restorative rest can cause Sleep Deprivation with potential consequential health problems of varied kinds, oftentimes severe…
Nights of sound, restful sleep are of the utmost importance in all weight management programs for better control of metabolic control and other pivotal excess fat burning processes... while lack of restful sleep interferes with the secretion of cortisol , a hormone that regulates appetite…If their levels are off balance, you may still feel ‘false hunger pangs’ although you may actually be ‘full’!...
Conversely, 7-8 hours of deep, restful, reconstructive sleep helps the body’s immune system as well as moods, outlook on life, concentration, clear thinking, blood pressure, heart health and many more wellness factors which we cover in another one of our Seminars dealing exclusively with this issue...
If this is getting a bit too serious for you... remember the old saying, whenever you go to bed : ‘one good turn…takes most of the covers!’….:o)
As has been mentioned throughout this Introductory work (of which this post is but a small fraction: the Simplest...Best... Safest...Healthiest option is to Relax and let your S.L.I.M. For Life Modulations © empower you to harness the widest variety of Life Problems…
…in this case, that of restful, revitalizing, reconstructive, rejuvenating SLEEP.
On March 8, 2006...another in a long series of alarming news items was aired…
A ‘marvelous little sleeping pill’ extensively advertised, especially on TV, as being ‘safe...effective...and non-narcotic’ : LUNESTA was named as being the culprit involved in the arrest and incarceration for DUI (driving under the influence) of individuals displaying dangerously eratic patterns while operating a vehicle on our roadways.
Multiple traffic tickets were issued...and arrests made where accidents were involved. Amongst the tell-tale danger signals detected by the arresting officers were: weaving...apparent absence of proper coordination...lethargy... confusion...too-slow reaction time…
The ensuing blood tests revealed no illegal alcohol content but chemicals found in LUNESTA...which the apprehended individuals stated having taken the night before…Those who had also imbibed alcohol came out looking the worst…
This latest event on the alcohol and drugs scene resulted in adding a notch on he gun of the Law…labeling prosecutions involving users of LUNESTA (and other sleeping pills and potions) as ‘Sleep-Driving’... and they just coined ‘DUI-A’…
For what it’s worth, and in all fairness to these pill-pushers’ alluring statements, such as: ‘Turn Off Your Restless Mind…’ and several more convincing ones…
they did also issue a few warnings and disclaimers which will ultimately serve to get them off the hook legally and criminally...and save them a small fortune, should the above LUNESTA-caused problems catapult into big buck law suits, class-action or others resulting in large awards…
We are indeed living in history-making times…sad to say, in cases such as this…
So, do not have any nightmares, but drug-free Happy, Peaceful Dreams and SLEEP on this Daturday the 17th. night!
Your Friend,
Jacques
About the Author:SEE PROFILE
'Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.' (Ovid)
...Positive effects and benefits on Health and Weight Management…Sleeping pills and potions VS. Drugless, Natural SLEEP.
NBC-TV’s ‘Nighline’ Reports: Special series on SLEEP
(‘ Sleepless in America’ - Week 5/15-19/2006)… a few highlights of interest:
• It has been conclusively determined that the adult human body requires and average of 7-1/2 to 8 full hours of restful, peaceful, reconstructive SLEEP daily (nightly)..
• At another Sleep Clinic in PA. Dr. Sigrid Nissi states that the number of hours required to function ‘sharply’ varies with individual characteristics, including: age, weight, height, color and intellect…The more intelligent amongst the latter are said to rank amongst the more successful members of our society…
Ben Franklin said ‘Early to bed and early to rise’, and slept 3-4 hours on the average...Jay Leno and many others survive very well on just a few hours’ sleep…oftentimes broken up in several naps of 20 or more minutes each... while others claim that 8-9 hours is a minimum for them…
Apparently, more time-tested results are forthcoming on this important topic…
* Poor sleeping habits and sustained sleeplessness within the U.S. work force is costing business and industry an everage of 15 Billion Dollar$+ yearly in lost productivity due to absenteeism...Related medical costs exceed $16 Billion Dollar$...
• The Big Winners are the members of the Pharmaceutical Indsutry, whose components pocketed $43.1 Billion Dollar$ in profits from sales last year (an increase of 30% over the previous year for heavily advertised ‘LUNESTA’ and ‘AMBIEN’...in spite of strong negative reports of dangerous effects upon many ‘AMBIEN’ users: loss of memory...balance...car accidents, arrests for ‘Driving UnderT he Influence’ etc.!)…
More than ever, I feel privileged to have developed very Effective, Safe, Totally Drug-Free Modulations and techniques that ensure Fast, Deep, Sound, Rejunevating SLEEP…taught during The I.D.S and S.L.I.M. For Life © Trainings!
In weight management, it is important to note that a good night’s sleep helps your body process carbohydrates…
A recent study revealed that people with a sleep debt had lower glucose tolerance compared to when they were well rested… glucose tolerance may increase the risk of carbohydrate metabolism disorders, such as hypoglycemia…since, when you’re sleep deprived, sugars tend to linger in the blood and trigger insulin production...thus elevating body fat storage, which can contribute to type 2 diabetes problems...
Persistent insomnia: prolonged lack of sleep, of reposing, refreshing, restorative rest can cause Sleep Deprivation with potential consequential health problems of varied kinds, oftentimes severe…
Nights of sound, restful sleep are of the utmost importance in all weight management programs for better control of metabolic control and other pivotal excess fat burning processes... while lack of restful sleep interferes with the secretion of cortisol , a hormone that regulates appetite…If their levels are off balance, you may still feel ‘false hunger pangs’ although you may actually be ‘full’!...
Conversely, 7-8 hours of deep, restful, reconstructive sleep helps the body’s immune system as well as moods, outlook on life, concentration, clear thinking, blood pressure, heart health and many more wellness factors which we cover in another one of our Seminars dealing exclusively with this issue...
If this is getting a bit too serious for you... remember the old saying, whenever you go to bed : ‘one good turn…takes most of the covers!’….:o)
As has been mentioned throughout this Introductory work (of which this post is but a small fraction: the Simplest...Best... Safest...Healthiest option is to Relax and let your S.L.I.M. For Life Modulations © empower you to harness the widest variety of Life Problems…
…in this case, that of restful, revitalizing, reconstructive, rejuvenating SLEEP.
On March 8, 2006...another in a long series of alarming news items was aired…
A ‘marvelous little sleeping pill’ extensively advertised, especially on TV, as being ‘safe...effective...and non-narcotic’ : LUNESTA was named as being the culprit involved in the arrest and incarceration for DUI (driving under the influence) of individuals displaying dangerously eratic patterns while operating a vehicle on our roadways.
Multiple traffic tickets were issued...and arrests made where accidents were involved. Amongst the tell-tale danger signals detected by the arresting officers were: weaving...apparent absence of proper coordination...lethargy... confusion...too-slow reaction time…
The ensuing blood tests revealed no illegal alcohol content but chemicals found in LUNESTA...which the apprehended individuals stated having taken the night before…Those who had also imbibed alcohol came out looking the worst…
This latest event on the alcohol and drugs scene resulted in adding a notch on he gun of the Law…labeling prosecutions involving users of LUNESTA (and other sleeping pills and potions) as ‘Sleep-Driving’... and they just coined ‘DUI-A’…
For what it’s worth, and in all fairness to these pill-pushers’ alluring statements, such as: ‘Turn Off Your Restless Mind…’ and several more convincing ones…
they did also issue a few warnings and disclaimers which will ultimately serve to get them off the hook legally and criminally...and save them a small fortune, should the above LUNESTA-caused problems catapult into big buck law suits, class-action or others resulting in large awards…
We are indeed living in history-making times…sad to say, in cases such as this…
So, do not have any nightmares, but drug-free Happy, Peaceful Dreams and SLEEP on this Daturday the 17th. night!
Your Friend,
Jacques
About the Author:SEE PROFILE
Friday, November 16, 2007
Drug- and Alcohol-Related Sleep Problems
Copyright (c) Jacques Girard, Ph.D.
Sleep problems have been associated with drug use, drug abuse and withdrawal from drug abuse. Sleep disturbances also have been linked to the use of alcohol and to chronic alcoholism.
Drugs and Sleep
Many prescription and nonprescription medications can cause sleep problems. The severity of sleep problems caused by a medication will vary from person to person.
Prescription drugs that may cause sleep problems include:
High blood pressure medications
Hormones such as oral contraceptives
Steroids including prednisone
Respiratory inhaled medications
Diet pills
Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder medications
Some antidepressants
Nonprescription medicines that can cause sleep problems include:
Pseudoephedrine, including the brand Sudafed
Medications with caffeine. These include the brands Anacin, Excedrin, and No-Doz as well as some cough and cold medications.
Illegal drugs such as cocaine, amphetamines, and methamphetamines.
Nicotine, which can disrupt sleep and reduce total sleep time. (Smokers report more daytime sleepiness than do nonsmokers, especially in younger age groups.)
Alcohol and Sleep
Alcohol often is thought of as a sedative or calming drug. While alcohol may induce sleep, the quality of sleep is often fragmented during the second half of the sleep period when the alcohol's relaxing effect wears off. As a result, alcohol induced sleep prevents you from getting the deep sleep you need since alcohol keeps you in the lighter stages of sleep.
(Reviewed by The Sleep Medicine Center at The Cleveland Clinic.)
-----
Have a restful weekend!
Jacques
Sleep problems have been associated with drug use, drug abuse and withdrawal from drug abuse. Sleep disturbances also have been linked to the use of alcohol and to chronic alcoholism.
Drugs and Sleep
Many prescription and nonprescription medications can cause sleep problems. The severity of sleep problems caused by a medication will vary from person to person.
Prescription drugs that may cause sleep problems include:
High blood pressure medications
Hormones such as oral contraceptives
Steroids including prednisone
Respiratory inhaled medications
Diet pills
Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder medications
Some antidepressants
Nonprescription medicines that can cause sleep problems include:
Pseudoephedrine, including the brand Sudafed
Medications with caffeine. These include the brands Anacin, Excedrin, and No-Doz as well as some cough and cold medications.
Illegal drugs such as cocaine, amphetamines, and methamphetamines.
Nicotine, which can disrupt sleep and reduce total sleep time. (Smokers report more daytime sleepiness than do nonsmokers, especially in younger age groups.)
Alcohol and Sleep
Alcohol often is thought of as a sedative or calming drug. While alcohol may induce sleep, the quality of sleep is often fragmented during the second half of the sleep period when the alcohol's relaxing effect wears off. As a result, alcohol induced sleep prevents you from getting the deep sleep you need since alcohol keeps you in the lighter stages of sleep.
(Reviewed by The Sleep Medicine Center at The Cleveland Clinic.)
-----
Have a restful weekend!
Jacques
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Overcoming Overeating - Conclusion
What Makes a Food Satisfying?
Research during the past decade suggests there are three factors that help make a meal more satisfying: the weight of the food, the amount of protein, and the amount of fiber.
A revolutionary study done by researchers at the University of Sydney in 1995 noted that of the 38 foods tested, certain foods scored higher in satiety. Top-scoring foods included whole-meal bread, grainy bread, cheese, eggs, brown pasta, popcorn, all-bran cereal, grapes, porridge, baked beans, apples, beefsteak, ling fish (a type of cod), and oranges. All of these foods are high in fiber, water, or protein.
And which foods tend to have low satiety scores (making them much easier to overeat)? These would be foods with large amounts of fat, sugar, and/or refined carbohydrates, like potato chips, candy bars, and white bread.
'Satisfaction Score' for 20 Common Dishes
So is there a way you can determine how satisfying your favorite foods are likely to be? A mathematical formula calculates a satisfaction score for a food. First we give a serving of a particular food points for its weight divided by calories (multiplied by 4 to give it significant point value). Secondly we add the number of grams of protein it contains. Finally we add the number of grams of fiber. Using this point system, this is how 20 popular American dishes would rate:
Food Weight divided by calories and multiplied by 4 Protein grams, Fiber grams...
Satisfaction Score: Very satisfying
Turkey sandwich on wheat bread
Oatmeal made with 3/4 cup oats + 1 1/2 cups 1% milk
Bean burrito
Grilled cheese on whole-wheat with 1.5 oz reduced-fat cheese
Veggie omelet with 1 egg, 1/4 cup egg substitute, 1/2 cup broccoli+ 1 oz cheese
Minestrone soup, 2 cups
2 whole-wheat pancakes with 2 strips turkey bacon + 1 tablespoon lite syrup
1 cup whole-wheat blend pasta with 2/3 cup marinara + 2 tbsp Parmesan
Moderately satisfying
Lite nonfat yogurt, 1 cup
Raisin Bran, 1 cup with 1/2 cup 1% milk
Sour cream & chive potato
Fresh fruit salad, 1 1/2 cups
Caesar side salad with reduced-fat ranch dressing
Cheese pizza, 1/12 of large pie
Chocolate shake,
Not so satisfying
Snickers, 2-ounce bar
Potato chips, 2 oz
French fries, small order from fast-food chain
Cheese puffs, 2 oz
Twinkie
--------
Courtesy WebMD
--------
Jacques' remarks:
...and, if the above list does not quite match your own favorite foods (which is the case with me)...at least it is hoped that this article increased your awareness on the subject...As you already know from my previous Posts, I get my guidance from "within"... :o)
Be well! Love,
Jacques
Research during the past decade suggests there are three factors that help make a meal more satisfying: the weight of the food, the amount of protein, and the amount of fiber.
A revolutionary study done by researchers at the University of Sydney in 1995 noted that of the 38 foods tested, certain foods scored higher in satiety. Top-scoring foods included whole-meal bread, grainy bread, cheese, eggs, brown pasta, popcorn, all-bran cereal, grapes, porridge, baked beans, apples, beefsteak, ling fish (a type of cod), and oranges. All of these foods are high in fiber, water, or protein.
And which foods tend to have low satiety scores (making them much easier to overeat)? These would be foods with large amounts of fat, sugar, and/or refined carbohydrates, like potato chips, candy bars, and white bread.
'Satisfaction Score' for 20 Common Dishes
So is there a way you can determine how satisfying your favorite foods are likely to be? A mathematical formula calculates a satisfaction score for a food. First we give a serving of a particular food points for its weight divided by calories (multiplied by 4 to give it significant point value). Secondly we add the number of grams of protein it contains. Finally we add the number of grams of fiber. Using this point system, this is how 20 popular American dishes would rate:
Food Weight divided by calories and multiplied by 4 Protein grams, Fiber grams...
Satisfaction Score: Very satisfying
Turkey sandwich on wheat bread
Oatmeal made with 3/4 cup oats + 1 1/2 cups 1% milk
Bean burrito
Grilled cheese on whole-wheat with 1.5 oz reduced-fat cheese
Veggie omelet with 1 egg, 1/4 cup egg substitute, 1/2 cup broccoli+ 1 oz cheese
Minestrone soup, 2 cups
2 whole-wheat pancakes with 2 strips turkey bacon + 1 tablespoon lite syrup
1 cup whole-wheat blend pasta with 2/3 cup marinara + 2 tbsp Parmesan
Moderately satisfying
Lite nonfat yogurt, 1 cup
Raisin Bran, 1 cup with 1/2 cup 1% milk
Sour cream & chive potato
Fresh fruit salad, 1 1/2 cups
Caesar side salad with reduced-fat ranch dressing
Cheese pizza, 1/12 of large pie
Chocolate shake,
Not so satisfying
Snickers, 2-ounce bar
Potato chips, 2 oz
French fries, small order from fast-food chain
Cheese puffs, 2 oz
Twinkie
--------
Courtesy WebMD
--------
Jacques' remarks:
...and, if the above list does not quite match your own favorite foods (which is the case with me)...at least it is hoped that this article increased your awareness on the subject...As you already know from my previous Posts, I get my guidance from "within"... :o)
Be well! Love,
Jacques
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
