Inspirational Thought

Treasure Beach Forum: Inspirational Thoughts: Inspirational Thought
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Glasceta Honeyghan on Sunday, January 28, 2007 - 02:12 am: Edit Post

Snooze Yourself Slim: The Sleep-Diet Connection
By Lisa Mosing, MS, RD, FADA, LifeScript Director of Nutrition

Have your dreams of a good night's rest been reduced to wishful thinking? According to the National Sleep Foundation, 40% of Americans get less than seven hours of shut-eye a night on weekdays. More than 60% suffer from insomnia several nights a week. When you stumble through your days groggy and sleep-deprived, you thwart more than your productivity. Studies show there’s a strong connection between your snooze time and your waistline...

Dream On
Anxieties and fears of the day ahead make it difficult for many adults to get a full night’s sleep. Some struggle to drift off; others wake up in the middle of the rapid-eye movement (REM) cycle.

The REM cycle is the deepest sleep cycle and the time when you dream. Awakening during it leaves nagging issues that might have otherwise been resolved through dreaming. Studies show dreams become more positive as the night wears on, but waking up repeatedly during REM sleep interrupts the process.

It’s no wonder sleep-derived people are so irritable: They miss out on the most therapeutic part of the sleep cycle!


Sleep Less, Weigh More?
Researchers have found a link between the nation’s growing sleep-deprivation problem and its bulging waistlines. Inadequate sleep promotes overeating and weight gain, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Lack of quality sleep could also affect hormone balance, behavior and mental function in both adults and children, making us more prone to pack on the pounds.

You're Not Alone
Sleep habits have changed dramatically from those of the previous generation, a recent ACNielsen poll shows. According to the poll, about one-third of adults go to bed after midnight during the work week. Often these same people are out of bed by six in the morning.

And Americans aren’t the only ones losing zzzs: Sleep deprivation is much more common among all industrialized societies today than it was two decades ago.


Tastes Great, Even Late!
Changing sleep patterns have created new opportunities for food manufacturers to tempt you with tasty late-night treats. Anyone who's stayed up past midnight flipping TV channels can attest to the abundance of commercials for chains like Taco Bell and Jack in the Box. Many fast-food franchises have extended their drive-thru hours in recent years to cater to the insomniac crowd. A double cheeseburger or combo burrito might hit the spot at 12:30 a.m., but odds are you’ll regret it when you see the bathroom scale in the morning.

Midnight snacks aren’t the only diet saboteur. Sleep-deprived people desperate for a morning energy boost often grab quick-fix breakfast foods like sugar-loaded cereals and grease-laden fast-food items.

Mealtimes Blur with Altered Sleep Patterns
Traditional meal schedules have morphed into a round-the-clock snacking carnival for many of us. Some of this stems from the misconception that when you’re exhausted any food will perk you up. In truth, a 15-minute nap can recharge your batteries more efficiently than a cookie or latté break. If you risk being fired if you snooze at your desk, consider reclining in your car for 15 minutes and then heading back into work.

Is it any wonder your pants feel snug after you’ve spent the day dropping by the office candy bowl to stay awake? Using food to combat sleep deprivation makes you more sluggish – not less – especially if you binge on sugary or fattening fare.


Melatonin: Hype or Help?
Out of desperation, many people turn to pills for a restful sleep. Among the most popular: melatonin supplements, which manufacturers claim ease jet lag and provide a natural alternative to powerful prescription drugs like Ambien and Provigil. Melatonin is a hormone produced from the amino acid tryptophan, abundant in foods like turkey. Levels of melatonin in the blood are highest just before bedtime, a fact that leads scientists to suspect it plays a role in the body’s natural circadian rhythms, which influence feelings of sleepiness and wakefulness.

But try a new fluffy pillow before you buy a supplement. The bottom line about melatonin: A recent review of 15 clinical studies published in the British Medical Journal showed no evidence that melatonin is effective in treating insomnia or jet lag.

Tried-and-True Sleep Hygiene
A good night’s sleep is essential for optimum brain function. Medical experts advise avoiding caffeine in the late afternoon, going to bed at the same time every night and developing sleep rituals, like taking a hot bath or reading a book before bed, to help curb insomnia. It turns out your parents were right when they taught you the three basics of good health: eat right, get a good night’s sleep and exercise regularly.


Tried-and-True Sleep Hygiene, cont'd

Researchers are planning studies to determine how sleep loss affects people on low-calorie diets, how shift workers' sleep habits affect their weight and how sleep affects the hunger levels of the morbidly obese. Until then, find a way to relax before bed and pay attention to your eating habits when you’re sleep deprive


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Glasceta Honeyghan on Sunday, January 28, 2007 - 11:11 pm: Edit Post

To Be Happy


to be happy
help help someone
help someone who needs it
help someone who needs it badly
help someone who needs it badly and you know there will be no return
help someone who is not related to you
help someone who is not your close friend
help someone who does not expect you to
help when it is not your duty
help in whatever way you can
help and you will be happy
~author unknown~


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By glasceta honeyghan on Monday, January 29, 2007 - 10:07 pm: Edit Post

"Of all fires love is the only inexhaustible one."
--Pablo Neruda


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Glasceta Honeyghan on Tuesday, January 30, 2007 - 10:55 pm: Edit Post

"You are today where your thoughts have brought you, you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you."
~James Allen~


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Glasceta Honeyghan on Wednesday, January 31, 2007 - 11:03 pm: Edit Post

"The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you first find yourself."
~Mark Caine~


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Glasceta Honeyghan on Thursday, February 01, 2007 - 08:03 am: Edit Post

"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time."

~Golda Meir~


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Glasceta Honeyghan on Friday, February 02, 2007 - 09:31 am: Edit Post

"Reflect on your blessings, of which every man has plenty, not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some."

~Charles Dickens~


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Glasceta Honeyghan on Saturday, February 03, 2007 - 05:24 am: Edit Post

"Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength."
— Corrie Ten Boom


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Glasceta Honeyghan on Friday, February 02, 2007 - 08:16 pm: Edit Post

"The gift that life offers every being that exists is a unique perception of All That Is. No one will, nor can, know life in the same way we know it. No one will ever have the same way of seeing things, the same way of knowing things, the same way of hearing things ... EVER...

~author unknown~