Cardiologists secrets for a healthy heart, con`t

Relaxationandsociallife

The quality and quantity of our social relationships are intimately linked to our overall health and a lower risk of death. Forget about work occasionally and focus on your loved ones instead, whichwillhelpimproveyourcardiovascularhealth.

Unpleasant conversations raise heart rate and blood pressure, and stress increases the secretion of hormones (cortisol, norepinephrine, catecholamine, and adrenaline) that damage the cardiovascular system. Small things such as a good laugh can reduce stress, dilate the arteries, and reduce blood pressure. So, reducing stress in our lives is vital.Itisuptoyoutofindwhatisworkingforyou.

"I take time with my friends and family." "I keep toxic person at bay"

"I practice yoga" "I meditate"

"I read to relax"

The World Health Organization has even shown that small green spaces incitiesaregoodforcardiovascularhealth,loweringmortalityrates.

Studies have shown that expressing gratitude impacts our heart health by increasing heart rate variability and lowering levels of inflammatory biomarkers.Itisagoodexerciseforthesoulandthebody.

Sleep

"I spend time in the park" "I go hiking."

"I keep a diary of gratitude"

People today sleep up to two hours less per night than 100 years ago. This decreased sleep is associatedwithhigherbloodpressureandincreasedriskofheartdisease.

Agoodsleephygieneis:

·Noscreensinourroom.

·Nocaffeineintheevening.

·Limitingalcoholconsumption.

Relaxation activities before sleeping like herbal tea, gazing at the stars,andreading

In case of insomnia, we can take a small dose of melatonin and 5HTPsupplementstohelpusfallasleepandsleepthroughthenight.

Sleep apnea, one of the most common sleep disorders, causes you to take long breathing pauses while sleeping. Long breathing pauses can deprive your organs of oxygen and wreak havoc on your heart health, such as heart attacks, arrhythmias, heart failure, strokes and highbloodpressure.

"I sleep 8 hours a night, every night"

"I have good sleep hygiene."

"I take an herbal sleeping pill."

"I did tests to detect sleep disorders."

Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth: Combat Your Cravings:

Are you ready for this shocking fact?

by Sue Lemoine, RHNP

The average North American, according to recent research, consumesroughly150poundsofsugarayear.

What!!?? That sounds like A LOT and to me that is shocking. Hopefullyitistoyouaswell.

When you consider that as a fact, it’s not difficult to guess why we, as a nation, struggle with obesity and diabetes. Mildly overweight people usually store about 5% of the sugar they eat for energy. They metabolize about 60% and they store the rest, about 35%, as fat for future energy needs. The problem is that we rarely need to tap into those fat stores so they just keep accumulating.

Our“SweetTooth”iskillingus.

What we whimsically call a “sweet tooth” is really just a cute name for a sugar craving, or a passion for sweet foods. If you’re the person most likely to hit the dessert bar twice, you probablyidentifyassomeonewitha“sweettooth.”Andthatmightnotbeentirelyyourfault.

Recent evidence suggests a genetic root to the lust for sugar. PLUS research proves that “Sugar Addiction” is as real as drug addiction and probably harder to beat. Hardcore metabolic roots for those sugary cravings mean that sugar junkies who really want to combat their desires need tofindhealthyalternativestosatisfytheirsweetteeth.

Whatarethegeneticcausesforasweettooth?

Studies in recent years show that people who crave sugar tend to have a “weak sweet taste.” That means that they need more sugar than a normal person to taste the same level of sweetness. Genetics appear to account for about 30% of the differences in peoples’ ability to taste sweetness according to a study of identical and non-identical twins at the Monell ChemicalSensesCenter.

The same research demonstrated that contrary to popular thought, eating a lot of sugar as a kid didn’t anesthetize participants to sweetness. It’s a genetic thing. Some people are just born with asweettooth.

So what happens when DNA supplies you with weak sweet receptors? Sweets are more appealing to you than to most people. You eat more sugar to satisfy your desire for sweetness. And that means you take in more empty calories that your body will helpfully store as fat in caseyouneedthatenergylater.Thanks.

Whatissugaraddiction?

Sugar over stimulates the reward centers in your brain and according to some experts, causes addiction. Other experts dispute whether sugar addiction exists, but what I know is when I eat sugar I want more and more and more. So regardless of what the experts say, I feel like it's an uncontrollablemonsterwithinme.

Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth con`t

Here's what we all agree on ... foods with a lot of sugar cause our brains to release massive amounts of dopamine, the same brain chemical that illicit drugs, like cocaine and meth, amp up to create euphoria. That’s what we mean by a“sugarhigh.”

When we eat a lot of high-sugar foods frequently, we train the brain to be less conscious of the increased dopamine levels. And once the brain is less receptive it takes more and more sugar to create the same feeling, just like building a tolerance to an addictive drug. Because sugar manipulates our brains’ reward centers, and functions a lot like nicotine or cocaine, folks with a predisposition toward addiction are more likely to get addicted to sugar and to lose control of their ability to regulate consumption.

Well that sucks. But I have good news! You CAN satisfy your sweet tooth and put the kibosh on those crazy cravings by choosing healthier snacks and limiting the amount sugar you swallow. You know that you need to set down the candy bars, step away from the ice cream, and lay off the sodas and desserts but did you also know that dairy, fruit products, and white flour pack a hugesugarpunch?

ThetopthreesourcesforaddedsugarintheNorthAmericandietare: Softdrinks,energydrinks,andsportsdrinks; Bakeddessertswithagrainbaselikecookiesandcake; Sugarpackedfruitdrinkslikejuicesandsmoothies.

But before you start to despair, let’s get back to all of the incredibly tasty options you have to satisfythatsweettoothandcurbyourcravings.