Why a little siesta can charge you up . . .

If you’re like the average American, you are probably sleep deprived.  Inadequate sleep reduces your concentration, alertness, creativity and performance at work.^1,2  It also makes you more prone to make mistakes, feel tired, grouchy, and increases your cravings for sweet and fatty foods.^3,4  

As a nation, we value doing more and place little emphasis on taking breaks, having fun and resting.  In other countries, however, working less, playing more, taking breaks and sleep are cultural norms.  Fortunately, there is a cultural shift taking place that emphasizes working smarter, taking more breaks and even napping on the job! So whether or not you believe that you get adequate sleep, you probably can benefit from adding a little afternoon siesta.  

An afternoon nap, or siesta, can help you to improve your mood, alertness, vigor and be your mini vacation to relax and feel rejuvenated.^5,6 It will help you be less prone to mistakes and increase your creativity as well as your job performance.^7,8 In order to reap all of these health promoting benefits, just keep these simple guidelines in mind.  

Take brief naps (i.e. 10 – 30 mins) early in the afternoon (i.e., no later than 3:00 pm) to feel recharged and avoid sleep inertia (i.e., feeling groggy and possibly experiencing insomnia). And please remember to take your nap in a dark room, laying down and free of any distractions or potential interruptions.   

   

To your health,

Dr. Sandoval

To learn more about how working with a psychologist and holistic health coach can help you to enhance your health and wellbeing, call or email Dr. Sandoval to schedule a free consultation.

1. Thomas, M, Sing, H, Belenky, G, Holcomb, H, Mayberg, H, Dannals, R, et al. “Neural basis of alertness and cognitive performance impairments during sleepiness. I. Effects of 24 h of sleep deprivation on waking human regional brain activity.” Journal of Sleep Research. (2000). 9 (4) 335-352. 
2. Van Dongen, HPA, Maislin, G, Mullington, JM, and Dinges, DF. “The Cumulative Cost of Additional Wakefulness: Dose-Response Effects on Neurobehavioral Functions and Sleep Physiology from Chronic Sleep Restriction and Total Sleep Deprivation.” Sleep. (2003). 26 (2) 117-126.
3. Rosen, I, Gimotty, PA, Shea, JA, Bellini, LM "Evolution of Sleep Quantity, Sleep Deprivation, Mood Disturbances, Empathy, and Burnout among Interns." Academic Medicine. (2006). 81 (1) 82-85.
4. Wiley, TS & Formby, B (2001). Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar, and Survival.
5. Milner, CE and Cote, KA.  “Benefits of napping in healthy adults: impact of nap length, time of day, age, and experience with napping.” Journal of Sleep Research.  (2009). 18 (2) 272-281.   
6. Rosekind, MR, Smith, RM, Miller, DA, CO, EL, Gregory, KB, Webbon, LL, et al. "Alertness Management: strategic naps in operational settings."  Journal of Sleep Research. (1995). 4 (2) 62-66.
7. Mednick, SC, Drummond, SPA Boynton, GM. “Perceptual deterioration is reflected in the neural response: fMRI study between nappers and non-nappers.” Perception. (2008). 37 (7) 1086-1097.
8. Tietzel, AJ and Lack, LC. "The recuperative value of brief and ultra-brief naps on alertness and cognitive performance." Journal of Sleep Research. (2002). 11 (3) 213-218.

The information, published and/or made available through the www.fullofradiance.com website, is not intended to replace the services of a physician, nor does it constitute a physician-patient relationship. This blog is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should not use the information in this post for diagnosing or treating a medical or health condition. You should consult a physician in all matters relating to your health, particularly in respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention.  Any action on the reader’s part in response to the information provided in this blog is at the reader’s discretion.

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How physical exercise helps you to build a better brain.

If you’re like most people these days, you probably know that regular exercise does your body good.  You know that exercise can help you gain physical strength, lose weight, improve your cardiovascular endurance and obtain that “beach body” that you’ve been dreaming about in your sleep.  You may also know about the various benefits of exercise for your health such as how it will help you to lower your cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels.   It certainly is all over the news these days on T.V., online and media advertisements.    However, you rarely hear about how the benefits of exercise extend far beyond your gaining strength and your heart health.  Beyond building a better “beach body” and being great for your heart, exercise is important for preserving and building your most important muscle – your brain!

Several human and animal studies strongly suggest that exercise induces neurogenesis (i.e., the production of new brain neurons and synaptic connections), protects your brain against strokes, and helps you to preserve your memories to avoid having those senior moments.^1,2,3  Exercise promotes the production of brain derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) and other nerve growth factors, helps to raise the circulating levels of proteins like FNDC5 and helps to stimulate angio­gen­e­sis (i.e., the formation of new blood vessels that help  to improve cerebral blood flow) so it will help to repair damaged brain cells.⁴   Many of these effects have been demonstrated in people with Parkinson’s disease and Multiple Sclerosis.^{5, 6}

So if you’re concerned about preserving your brain health and want to avoid having those  regrettable senior moments, it is important that you exercise regularly.  Although the research suggests that more vigorous exercise like sprinting seems to lead to greater benefits, simply walking briskly 3-4 times a week for 30 minutes will help you to build a better brain. 

  

To your health,

Dr. Sandoval

To learn more about how working with a psychologist  and holistic health coach can help you to enhance your health and wellbeing, call or email Dr. Sandoval to schedule a free consultation.

1.  Cotman, CW &  Berchtold, NC. “Exercise: a behavioral intervention to enhance brain health and plasticity.” TRENDS in Neurosciences.  (2002). 25 (6), 295-301. 
2. Hayes, K, Sprague, S, Guo, M, Davis, W, Friedman, A, Kumar, A, et al. “Forced, not voluntary, exercise effectively induces neuroprotection in stroke.”  Acta Neuropathologica. (2008)115, 289–296. 
3. Praag,H, Kempermann, G & Gage, FH. “Running increases cell proliferation and neurogenesis in the adult mouse dentate gyrus” Nature Neuroscience. (1999). 2, 266 – 270. 
4. Huh, JY, Panagiotou, G, Mougios, V, Brinkoetter, M, Vamvini, MT, Schneider, BE, et al.   “FNDC5 and irisin in humans: I. Predictors of circulating concentrations in serum and plasma and II. mRNA expression and circulating concentrations in response to weight loss and exercise.”  Metabolism. (2012) 61 (12), 1725-38. 
5.  Ahlskog, JE.   “Does vigorous exercise have a neuroprotective effect in Parkinson disease?” Neurology.  (2011). 77 (3), 288 – 294. 
6.  Gold, SM, Schulz, KH, Hartmann, S, Mladek, M, Lang, UE, Hellweg, R, et al. Basal serum levels and reactivity of nerve growth factor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor to standardized acute exercise in multiple sclerosis and controls  Journal of Neuroimmunology. . (2003). 138, (1–2), 99-105.

The information, published and/or made available through the www.fullofradiance.com website, is not intended to replace the services of a physician, nor does it constitute a physician-patient relationship. This blog is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should not use the information in this post for diagnosing or treating a medical or health condition. You should consult a physician in all matters relating to your health, particularly in respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention.  Any action on the reader’s part in response to the information provided in this blog is at the reader’s discretion.

How to stop self-sabotage

You may be working to lose weight because you’ve faced a life threatening illness, quit drinking alcohol after years of struggling to be sober or find the romantic partner who you’ve dreamed about your whole life.  You have made great strides in losing weight having lost 50 lbs., been sober for nearly a year or finally gathered up the courage to get out to a social venue to meet your dream partner.  Just when you think you're on your way to reaching your goals, you reach for the those 2  extra fudge brownies, martini cocktail or ignore the call from the person who you had a great time with and who expressed interest in you after your night out on the town.   If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

Self-sabotage behavior frequently occurs when you ARE making significant progress and are aligned with your life’s deepest desires.  What may seem like regression or being “stuck” in a pattern of behavior that does not serve you, actually is a mechanism of self-protection.  As you work on your goals and face the unfamiliar (e.g., getting attention from interested romantic suitors, refusing the cocktail from a friend you  are used to spending time with, saying to no to the host who baked the brownies and is a good colleague at work ), you may experience discomfort, feel “unworthy” and experience guilt.  So rather than accept these experiences, you engage in behaviors that are familiar and comfortable.  

In order to move past your self-sabotage behavior patterns, you need to recognize that it is occurring because you’ve faced and overcome similar situations in your past.   Once you understand that you are not “stuck” and that your behavior is your mind’s way of keeping you safe, it is important that you embrace your uncomfortable feelings or thoughts without self-judgment.  By learning to mindfully accept your discomfort and adopting an attitude of curiosity and compassion, you will be able to more effectively respond to the unfamiliar situations that will invariable show up because you are now a different person.  

Once you have embraced being curious, reflect on what you need to feel safe and be true in your life in order reach your goals.  Very often, your life structure or fear of change keeps you from making bigger changes in your life (e.g., addressing your work colleagues who know that you are trying to lose weight, finding new friends to socialize with who do not drink alcohol, learning to first love yourself) that you need to lose those last 10 lbs., celebrate your sobriety or be with your dream partner.  

To your health,

Dr. Sandoval

To learn more about how working with a psychologist  and holistic health coach can help you to enhance your health and wellbeing, call or email Dr. Sandoval to schedule a free consultation.

The information, published and/or made available through the www.fullofradiance.com website, is not intended to replace the services of a physician, nor does it constitute a physician-patient relationship. This blog is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should not use the information in this post for diagnosing or treating a medical or health condition. You should consult a physician in all matters relating to your health, particularly in respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention.  Any action on the reader’s part in response to the information provided in this blog is at the reader’s discretion.