It’s been said “sleep is the golden chain that ties health and our bodies together.” If that isn’t enough to convince you to get the Zs, how about the National Sleep Foundation’s Sleep Awareness Week every March or the Better Sleep Council’s Better Sleep Month in May? No matter where you draw your inspiration, you may need to investigate your sleep habits to see how they might be affecting you.

“Sleeping helps rejuvenate the mind and body, but many who think   they’re getting enough rest, find they can’t make it through the day without a caffeine break (or a nap!),” says Dr. Alicia Stanton, BodyLogicMD Chief Medical Officer and hormone therapy expert. “Add perimenopause, menopause or andropause (male menopause) to the mix and getting a good night’s sleep can be quite challenging.”

Besides making you feel tired and listless, lack of sleep  or poor, restless sleep can cause:

•    Weight gain
•    Hormone imbalances
•    Higher risk of Type 2 diabetes
•    Risk of fatigue-induced car accidents
•    Inability to handle stress
•    Mental impairment
•    Poor immune system

In addition, sleep deprivation can be a cause of hormone changes, as well as a result of it.

“As we age, hormone levels  naturally decline and become unbalanced, which only adds to the issue if you’re having trouble with your sleep,” adds Dr. Stanton. “Mental and physical stamina lessen, a loss of energy is felt, and physical changes such as hot flashes or thinning hair and memory loss can occur. It is essential to find the right balance for your health. In many cases, nutrition, a fitness program and bioidentical hormone replacement therapy can make all the difference. Patients are often shocked to find out that imbalance hormones can cause insomnia.”

Sleep deprivation can take over your life. With the help of a BodyLogicMD anti-aging physician, you can follow a healthier lifestyle tailored specifically for your particular needs, including nutrition, fitness and natural hormones. Put this all together and not only will you be feeling better during your waking hours, but also enjoying a happy, healthy dreamland.

Source:  www.euroinvestor.co.uk/

Microwaving food generates the cancer-causing chemical acrylamide, Swedish scientists have discovered.
Swedish research published in April revealed the food contaminant was formed by frying and baking starch-based foods. But now chemists at Stockholm University have found heating any food containing potato in a microwave produces significant levels of acrylamide. Acrylamide, a chemical used in industry to make a plastic component, is known to have caused nerve damage in people who have been exposed to it. It appears to form when food reaches temperatures much higher than 100C during cooking.

The latest research, to be published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, is the work of a team led by Dr Margareta Törnqvist who first discovered acrylamide in food. She believes health is threatened by acrylamide in concentrations greater than 100 parts per billion. Her recent experiments showed the following amounts of acrylamide in foods:

• Potato chips – nearly 4,000 parts per billion
• French fries – 736 parts per billion
• Microwaved grated potato – 650 parts per billion
• Fried spinach – 112 parts per billion

“I would say that boiling at 100 C is the only safe cooking method,” Dr Törnqvist told 4×4 Reports. “We found that when we heated protein-rich foods, such as beef and chicken, only moderate levels of acrylamide were produced.” But carbohydrate-rich foods had high levels, with crisps and chips producing the most. “And the higher the cooking temperature, the higher the level of acrylamide.”

While Dr Törnqvist was hesitant to promote mild cooking because of the dangers of food-borne diseases like Salmonella, she said the study proved overcooking should be avoided, especially with potatoes.

“We have so far only studied the carbohydrate-rich staple foods of Western society.  “But these form some of our most popular meals So food companies may have to make big changes in the way they produce food.”

Source:  BBC news