The last post in this series discussed how light influences your circadian rhythm, and the health effects of blue-light exposure during the day and its negative effects at night (which was discussed in Sleep Series Part 2). This post will look at the effect of the hormone cortisol and how it gives us energy and focus through the day, and then drops off and allows us to relax and sleep properly at night. Let’s take a look at cortisol! Continue reading Sleep Series – Part 4: Cortisol and Sleep→
Previously in this series, the benefits of sunlight in the form of vitamin D production were discussed along with the ramifications of vitamin D deficiency.
Along with vitamin D deficiency, another crucial benefit of sunlight (control of circadian rhythms) has been introduced. To top it all off, here’s another: sunlight on human skin increases nitric oxide in the bloodstream, which is important in regulating blood pressure and reducing risk of heart attack and stroke. Sunlight is essential to health.
My previous post explained what sleep scientists have measured during sleep using EEG, and scientists’
current state of interpretations. Included in that post was my definition of objective sleep quality: going through the proper sequence of sleep cycles during the night with sufficient amounts of both stage 3 sleep (slow-wave sleep) and REM sleep. This post will focus on what drives you to be awake during the day, and makes you sleep at night: your circadian rhythm. The term circadian rhythm comes from the latin words “circa” which means “around”, and “dia”, which means day. So, a circadian rhythm is any biological process that cycles around the Earth day, which is 24 hours.
You’ve heard it before- “you are what you eat”- but generally in the context of avoiding the McGrets, putting the double cheeseburger down, and choosing to munch on fruits and veggies to be a better, healthier you. Bet your last french fry you’ve never considered what you’re eating today has the ability to change the community of trillions of microorganisms Continue reading Microbes Over Medicine?→
In terms of cell count, we are more bacteria than we are human. The modern diet and lifestyle has had a huge effect on this, and the results have been detrimental. This great five minute video released by National Public Radio (NPR) gives a introduction to the human microbiome and its critical role in human health. Continue reading The Human Microbiome: A Well-Animated Introduction→
This post will present my strategies for sourcing high-quality food, focusing on produce, to support a healthy diet based on (mostly) unprocessed plants and animals. I will introduce the range of quality that is present in the modern food system, and how to keep the quality of plants in your diet high while keeping a lookout for tasty deals. Continue reading Sourcing High-Quality Food – Produce→
