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NUTRITION, SUPPLEMENTS, TRAINING | Affiliate Supplements | 01/19/2023
If you ask 20 individuals to define a "healthy lifestyle," you'll probably have 20 distinct responses. The reason for that is there is no set standard for what a healthy lifestyle is. It simply consists of living in a way that makes you happy and enjoy life while lowering the risk of diseases. According to the WHO, being healthy is much more than just having no disease or illness. Health is about mental, physical, and social well-being too!
It is thought that to live healthy, you need to pay attention to two things: a good diet and an exercise regimen. Although that’s true, it is often failed to mention all the other factors that are part of “living healthy.”
There are numerous activities involved in daily living that we take for granted and give little attention to. In this article, we will discuss the truth behind the well-ignored factors that shape our lives: sunlight, sleep, and breath.
Most days, we wake up to a bright life-giving light brought on by the sun. Sunlight heats the earth, grows our food, and helps us differentiate day from night, yet most of us take it for granted. We hide between walls when it appears in fear of it touching our skin.
Though sunlight has many dangers, it also has a lot of benefits and is an important factor in our life and health. It plays a role in everything from regulating our circadian rhythm to producing some vitamins! Keep in mind there is no equivalent substitution for the sun.
The sun's light and dark cycle significantly impacts the circadian rhythm, sleep, and alertness. The circadian rhythm is a 24-hour biological clock regulating many bodily functions, including sleep, hormone activity, body temperature rhythm, and eating and digestion. This rhythm is regulated by the circadian pacemaker, a small portion of the brain strongly affected by light exposure. The body's circadian clock reacts to light as a "wake up" signal and darkness as a "go to sleep" signal. Sunlight also influences the production of melatonin, a sleep-promoting hormone.
When our eyes are exposed to light, they are detected by a specific collection of cells on the retina that send the information to the brain, which is interpreted as the time of day. The brain then transmits signals throughout the body in line with the time of day to regulate organs and other systems. However, the abundance of electricity-generated light sources in modern society affects the brain's circadian pacemaker.
The circadian rhythm is also influenced by when and how long we are subject to the light. For example, strong light in the morning will make you feel drowsy and fall asleep sooner in the evening. While bright light in the evening, specifically 2 hours before bedtime, makes you drowsy and fall asleep later in the evening.
Sunlight, at levels consistent with daily activities, influences immune function. One of the best-known benefits of sunlight is that it increases the body's vitamin D production. Vitamin D, a well studied fat-soluble vitamin, is known to absorb and maintain calcium and phosphorus, both essential for bone development. Additionally, research in the lab demonstrates that vitamin D can lessen inflammation, regulate infections, and slow the growth of cancer cells.
How the sun helps make this necessary vitamin all starts with the skin being exposed to its light. The sunlight converts a chemical in the skin to vitamin D3, which is then carried to the liver and then to the kidneys to become active vitamin D. One of the main reasons for vitamin D deficiency is inadequate skin exposure to sunshine.
Vitamin D is not readily available in food products. However, some sources swordfish, tuna fish, and fortified orange juice contain vitamin D. Vitamin D supplements are also common and are taken for those with deficiencies.
According to recent research, kids who spend more time outside in the daytime may have a lower chance of becoming nearsighted. Bright outdoor light may aid growing children's eyes by maintaining the proper space between the lens and retina. Conversely, children who spend too much time indoors may experience poor eye development and an increase in the distance between the lens and retina, which results in the blurriness of distant objects.
The most intriguing proof of our reliance on sunshine came from a condition known as Seasonal Affective Disorder, more commonly known as so-called winter blues. Sunlight is believed to boost the release of a hormone called serotonin. Serotonin is known to improve mood and help people feel more relaxed and focused. Sunlight exposure may help people with anxiety and depression, particularly when combined with other therapies.
Sleep is essential to our daily routine; we spend roughly one-third of our time sleeping. Sleep is essential for many brain processes, including nerve cells' communication with one another. While you slumber, your brain and body remain incredibly active. According to new research, sleep serves a housekeeping function in your brain, removing toxins that accumulate during the day.
One major factor in sleep is one we already mentioned, the circadian rhythm. When correctly aligned, the circadian rhythm helps you to achieve consistent and restorative slumber. However, when it is disrupted, it can cause major sleeping issues, including insomnia. A well-aligned circadian rhythm usually consists of alertness during the day, followed by progressively growing drowsiness in the evening. However, sometimes there might be a little "hump" of midafternoon fatigue coded into the circadian timetable. A midday nap is one method to get over the hump. According to research, circadian rhythms also play a significant role in many areas of mental and physical health.
Sleeping enough hours a night promotes focus and attention, which are necessary for most learning tasks. Memory, problem-solving, imagination, emotional processing, and reasoning are just a few of the many cognitive processes supported by sleep. Without it, our brain struggles to function properly. In addition, lack of sleep adversely affects mental health as it may worsen symptoms of mental conditions.
Maintaining good blood sugar levels requires adequate sleep. As the amount of sleep per night has declined over the past few decades, a rise in diabetes and obesity has been observed. Blood sugar levels may rise when the amount of sleep is reduced. Even one night of insufficient sleep has been found to increase insulin resistance, raising blood sugar levels.
A growing body of research suggests that sufficient nutrients are fundamental for restful sleep. Eating late at night can throw off sleep. Some people eat only between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. as part of a “circadian rhythm fast"; however, more research is needed to determine if it is ideal. One study found a link between sleep issues and a deficiency in important nutrients like calcium, magnesium, and vitamins A, C, D, E, and K. In addition, sleep can affect our eating behaviors. Periods of insufficient sleep have been shown to throw off the normal production of the appetite and hunger regulation hormones leptin and ghrelin.
One thing we don’t stop doing is breathing. Yet, it isn't until our breathing is compromised by a cold or condition that we start to think about it. With how often we breathe, it's no surprise it greatly impacts our health. In addition, our lifestyle can significantly affect our breathing.
Before diving into how our lifestyle can affect breathing, let's go back to the basics. We breathe so that our bodies can receive oxygen and expel carbon dioxide. When we put our bodies under stress, like ehrn running, they fight to get enough oxygen in and remove the waste product. When we reach this point, lactic acid will increase in the muscles, leading to fatigue and cramps.
Aerobic capacity, as assessed by a VO2 max test, refers to the maximum quantity of oxygen that your body can take during high-intensity exercise. The product of your maximum cardiac output and the arterial-venous oxygen difference determines it. This number immediately reflects your degree of cardiovascular fitness.
Certain supplements commonly used among athletes affect our body's delivery of oxygen. For example, several pre-workout supplements contain beta-alanine, arginine, or niacin. These three are vasodilators, meaning they widen blood vessels in the body, leading to increased blood flow and oxygen delivery to the parts of the body that require it most.
When we breathe slowly, our parasympathetic nervous system receives the word that everything is fine, it is safe to relax, and our heart rate slows. On the other hand, fast, shallow respiration conveys the message to the sympathetic nervous system that we're in immediate danger, and our fight, flight, or freeze reaction comes in at full force. Once the sympathetic nervous system is activated, adrenaline is released, accelerating our heart rate, raising blood pressure, and enhancing energy supplies. The main stress hormone, cortisol, is also released, raising blood sugar.
We can learn to breathe more slowly and intentionally with time and practice. This can help reestablish our body's natural equilibrium and boost health. Studies indicate that lung capacity, built through slow, deep breathing, is the most important predictor of lifespan, surpassing nutrition, exercise, and other lifestyle variables.
A lot of us breathe wrong. About 30 to 50 percent of adults are thought to breathe through their mouths. However, the healthier and more effective way is breathing through our noses. By removing toxins, hydrating the nasal passageways, and improving circulation, breathing through your nose functions as a type of natural medical instrument. Mouth breathing is only required during vigorous activity or when nasal passageways are blocked.
Different muscular groups are used when breathing through the mouth versus the nose. People who breathe through their mouths tend to slouch and hunch their heads forward. Mouth breathers develop crooked smiles, poor lungs, poor posture, sleep issues, and bruxism.
**These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult a physician before starting a new diet regimen or new supplement product.
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