16Dec

Are You Sleeping?

December 16, 2020 Jessica Bottesch 19

A picture containing person, indoor, person, watch

Description automatically generated

Hormones, Exercise and Sleep

Few things are as beautiful as the rays of the morning sun. The first light of morning is energizing and motivating. Unless you’ve been awake half the night -like me. Here, the morning light just means that you didn’t get enough sleep. Again.

As soon as those first rays hit your eyes, your stress mounts. You’re exhausted. How are you going to make it all day long on so little sleep? You feel emotional just expecting the struggle to concentrate and stay alert—especially during the afternoon hours when the drowsiness really kicks in.

Does This Describe You?

If so, you are not alone. The National Sleep Foundation reports that 60% of Americans have sleep problems. That means more than half of us struggle to sleep. The reasons for sleep difficulties are many—from stress to caffeine to individual differences in body rhythms.

But whatever the cause, the bottom line is that if you suffer from insomnia, you may need help. It is best to talk to your doctor about your sleep patterns and come up with a plan together, but in the meantime, you may benefit from a natural and safe hormone—melatonin.

Help from a Hormone

You have probably heard of melatonin. It is a hormone produced by your brain in your pineal gland. Some of your melatonin is also produced in your gut. Mainly, melatonin helps to control your sleep and wake cycles. Normally, melatonin levels will increase in the mid to late evening, stay high during the night and then decrease early in the morning. This helps you to sleep during the night and be ready to wake up in the morning.

When there are higher amounts of melatonin in your body, you will feel sleepy. When the levels are lower, you feel more alert and awake. Your regular sleep and wake cycle is your own personal ‘internal clock,’ and this ‘clock’ is directly tied to how much or how little melatonin your body makes.

There are other things that affect the melatonin in our bodies also. For example, as we age, our bodies produce less and less melatonin. Daylight plays a key role too. When the days are shorter during the winter, the time of day that our bodies produce melatonin changes. Rather than producing melatonin during the mid to late evening hours, we may get a surge of it earlier in the day—as the daylight fades earlier.

When the amount of melatonin or the production schedule of melatonin changes in your body, you may struggle with sleep patterns.

Without enough melatonin, you will have trouble sleeping. But even if you make enough melatonin, your internal clock may be off if the melatonin is being released at the wrong time of day. Nobody wants to get sleepy at 5:00 PM from a melatonin release! Not only is this inconvenient, but when the natural decrease happens several hours later (to help you wake up), you’ll be alert and ready for the day by 3:00 AM- this has been happening to me lately and my doctor recommended melatonin to help get my circadian rhythm back on track!

Fortunately, if your melatonin levels are low or simply off schedule, you can help yourself by taking a melatonin supplement. These are available without a prescription at drugstores and at health food stores. Just be sure to buy a reputable brand to ensure you get a quality product.

Doses range from 0.1 to 20 mg, depending on the reason you are taking it. Your doctor can help you choose the right dose, and help you determine the best time in the evening to take it. Timing is important, since the melatonin, once ingested, will run its course in your body—taking you from drowsiness to wakefulness on schedule. It’s a handy way to reset your internal clock and get the sleep you need.

Another Great Sleep Aid is Exercise

“Based on studies, ‘We have solid evidence that exercise does, in fact, help you fall asleep more quickly and improves sleep quality,’ says Charlene Gamaldo, M.D., medical director of Johns Hopkins Center for Sleep at Howard County General Hospital.

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/exercising-for-better-sleep

And the best part is that the effects are immediate. You only need a solid 30 minutes of moderate exercise to improve your sleep quality that very same night.

If you need help or motivation to get your 30 minutes in each day—simply talk to one of our Empower personal trainers. They would love to help!

01Sep

Time Management in the Time of COVID

September 1, 2020 Jessica Bottesch 7

In any situation, good or bad, an opportunity-focused mindset will allow you to look for the lessons, the opportunities or the upside that lies within. While the Covid pandemic has been challenging for some and even devastating for others—we encourage you all to think about the positive ways in which this experience has affected your life or the opportunities it has presented.

One thing that comes to mind for us is TIME MANAGEMENT. Life before Covid was not just busy, but too busy, to where most of the time we were running at this frenetic pace that left us exhausted and stressed. We were over-scheduled and trying to keep up, measure up, and do it all well. And now we realize that came at the expense of good quality time with our families and a more healthy flow to our days.

We know some of you can relate – that feeling of lack that creeps into your thoughts when you just don’t have the time “to get it all done.”

Enter Covid-19…

. . . and the Stay-at-Home orders, a quarantine, school closures, work transitions and suddenly it seemed like the choke hold our busy schedules had on our time loosened its grip and presented us with a new opportunity to examine— “What will I do with my precious time?”

But wait, what is Time Management?

First, we can’t manage time. There are only 24 hours in a day (only 16 to work with if we are getting enough sleep each night)—that will not change. We only have control over what we do with the time we have.

The key is to choose wisely—and to do this you must be clear about your priorities. Here are some things to ask yourself:

What are my goals – health goals, career goals, family goals, life goals?
What is most important for me and my family right now?
Am I spending my days working toward my goals or on the things that are most important?
Would being better organized help me do things more efficiently and effectively?
Can I put a system in place to review my goals, plan my objectives, and schedule my days so the most important things are getting the attention they deserve?
Can I cut some things out (trade late night TV for sleep), delegate some things to others, and limit time spent on some things (scrolling social media maybe)?

As always, mindset is important

Your mindset around how you spend your time matters too. Consider this:

When you look at time, do you look at it as time spent or time invested?

That may seem like semantics, but it’s not.

When you spend (time/money/resources) ON something your mindset is more focused on lack, limitation or waste. When you invest (time/money/resources) IN something, your mindset is more focused on abundance, growth, or getting/making things better.

That’s an interesting way to look at it, isn’t it?

So, today while we may not be driving around like crazy working mom’s trying to fit it all in, our days are still busy … especially now that we are juggling homeschooling our daughters Emery and Kendall, working, and taking care of our homes and other beloved family and friends. But we can honestly say we feel more connected to those who matter most. We feel grateful for the comfort of our homes. We feel like our time invested in our family, our Empower community and our friends is meaningful, important and impactful—and for us this is enough.

Just some food for thought.

How will you invest your time this week?

29Jun

The Importance of Sleep

June 29, 2018 Chris Lathrop 7

By now we should all be aware of the importance of sleep and the negative effects of not getting enough of it. Research is now finding that sleep is vital for warding off disease. Lack of sleep can make us more venerable to numerous health risk including obesity, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and depression to name a few. If you think about things from a biological perspective how could this not be true. Why would nature force use to do something that makes us venerable to predators and provides use with no food or water. It would seem that this activity is completely useless but for millennia our species has spent an exceptional amount of time doing it. If you aren’t convinced yet research shows that without adequate sleep athletic performance and memory can be impacted by as much as 30 percent and cardiovascular function can be inhibited by more than 20 percent.

Sleeping seems like a stupid waste of time that’s for the weak minded but without enough of it you’ll probably wind up weak, stupid, and without much time before you croak. Below is a list of tips for a better night’s sleep.

Tips for a better night’s sleep:

Start turning lights out a few hours before bedtime to help signal your body that it’s time to sleep.

Shoot for 7-9 hours- Research shows that almost no one can get by on less that 7 hours without signs of impairment.

Make your bedroom cool and dark- Both light pollution and being too warm have a detrimental effect on quality of sleep.

Avoid electronics-The lighting from electronic devices delays melatonin build up which is essential for restful sleep. Put them away a few hours before bed.

Avoid stimulants or alcohol- These substances negatively impact phases of sleep. Cut them off at least a few hours before sleep.

When traveling melatonin may be helpful to combat jet lag.

22May

Want to Improve Your Fitness? Sleep!

May 22, 2014 fitnesssfa 6

Want to Improve Your Fitness? Sleep!

When we are training hard, most of us focus on more reps, heavier weight, longer runs, or twice-a-days to see progress. But what if I told you that sleeping more might be the better option for making gains in strength, decreasing your times, and looking better overall?

Most people underestimate the importance of sleep. With constant demands on us, sleep is often the first thing people cut back on in order to keep up. What researchers have found, though, is that people in general – and athletes especially – benefit from extra sleep. Sleep is when your body repairs itself, and when you don’t get enough sleep, it impacts more than just your energy level.

According to WebMD, “a 2011 study tracked the Stanford University basketball team for several months. Players added an average of almost two hours of sleep a night. The results? Players increased their speed by 5%. Their free throws were 9% more accurate. They had faster reflexes and felt happier. Other studies have shown similar benefits for football players and other athletes.”

“Sleep hygiene” is a term I often discuss with clients who tell me they don’t get enough sleep or have difficulty with sleep, whether it is not falling asleep easily, frequent awakening, or trouble getting up in the morning. Incorporating the suggestions below will not only help your sleep, but may also enhance the results you’ve been striving for physically. Sweet dreams!

1) Keep a consistent sleep/wake schedule. This helps to train your brain and body to know when it is time to sleep and when it is time to wake up.

2) Avoid napping during the day.

3) If you are not asleep within 20 minutes of going to bed, get up and do something quiet, in dim lighting, until you feel sleepy.

4) Only use your bed for sleep and sex.

5) Remove the television from your bedroom and put away other electronic devices an hour before bedtime. The flickering from TV or other devices can stimulate your brain and make falling asleep challenging.

6) Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol if you have trouble with sleep. While alcohol is initially sedating, once it is metabolized, you are likely to wake up.

7) Do not eat a big meal or spicy foods immediately prior to going to bed. Also, remember that chocolate has caffeine!

8) Minimize the amount of light and sound coming into your bedroom at night. Use heavy curtains, an eye mask, earplugs, or a sound machine, if needed.

9) Avoid sleep medications (unless they have been prescribed by a physician). Over the counter sleep aids are likely to disrupt your sleep and impair your performance the next day.

10)Exercise should be completed at least 2-3 hours before bedtime. Yoga or stretching closer to bedtime can be a good way to unwind.

If more than usual stress is keeping you awake at night, Kate Thieda, MS, LPCA, NCC can help! Give her a call at 919-408-7706 or visit her website at durhamnctherapist.com. Clients of EMPOWER receive a free, 20-minute consultation

Are You Sleeping?

Hormones, Exercise and Sleep

Does This Describe You?

Help from a Hormone

Another Great Sleep Aid is Exercise

Time Management in the Time of COVID

Enter Covid-19…

As always, mindset is important

The Importance of Sleep

Want to Improve Your Fitness? Sleep!

Want to Improve Your Fitness? Sleep!

Welcome, Empower Community. WE ARE OPEN, and now is the perfect time to get your fitness on track! We are following all state and local guidelines, and are now serving our clients in these ways:

Welcome, Empower Community.
WE ARE OPEN, and now is the perfect time to get your fitness on track! We are following all state and local guidelines, and are now serving our clients in these ways: