Tag: fatigue

Smart Hydration: Why Does Your Brain Need Water?

Published on by Nikken

Your brain is like the conductor of an orchestra. The conductor instructs which instruments to play just as the brain directs you in all your daily functions. That’s why keeping the brain healthy is an important part of overall well-being. When you think about hydration, you probably don’t single out the brain to focus on, but as one of the most active organs in your body, keeping it hydrated is essential to function optimally—even mild dehydration may be associated with changes in mental performance, focus, and how you feel throughout the day.

The human brain is composed of about 75% water, and it relies on consistent hydration to support normal physiological processes. Dehydration can impair your brain’s ability to function optimally, leading to possible issues such as decreased concentration and focus, slower cognitive performance, increased feelings of irritability, fatigue, headaches, mood swings, and even short-term memory deficiencies. How often have you felt any of these annoyances and attributed it to thirst? Being aware helps you win half the battle!

Prolonged dehydration can sometimes have even more severe consequences, including decreased blood flow to the brain and an increased risk of stroke.The general recommendation is to drink about eight glasses of water a day, but individual needs vary depending on factors such as age, activity level, and environment. A good rule of thumb is to drink enough water so that your urine is pale yellow.1

Here are some tips for smart hydration2:

  1. Start Your Day with Water: Drink a glass of water as soon as you wake up to replenish fluids lost overnight.
  2. Carry a Reusable Water Bottle: Keeping water within reach encourages you to sip throughout the day.
  3. Infuse Your Water: Add a splash of flavor with slices of lemon, cucumber, or berries to make water more enjoyable. Adding Kenzen Jade GreenZymes® or Super Ciaga™ can also motivate you to drink more water.
  4. Eat Hydrating Foods: Fruits and vegetables like watermelon, cucumbers, and oranges are packed with water.
  5. Avoid Sugar: Sugary sports drinks or high-sugar sodas can lead to blood sugar spikes that can impair cognitive function.
  6. Set Reminders: Use an app or set alarms to remind yourself to hydrate regularly.

Staying hydrated helps keep your mind sharp and is an effective way to support your brain health and overall well-being.

1, 2 https://communityneuroservices.com/hydration-and-brain-health-why-drinking-water-matters-for-your-mind/

Still Tired After Eight Hours of Sleep?

Published on by Nikken

During sleep, the body’s major organs are doing self-repair—the heart and the brain, the lungs, the digestive and circulatory systems all depend on rest to recover energy levels, maintain weight, bolster immunity and keep you at optimum health. The rule of thumb is to get eight hours of sleep, more or less, depending on your individual needs, but what does it mean when you sleep but still feel tired?

There’s a difference between restful sleep and sleeping. Restful sleep can help improve heart and brain health, support steady mood, boost energy, reduce stress and even lower your risk of chronic diseases.1 On the other hand, if you’re sleeping but fitfully with multiple wakeups, or have a hard time falling asleep to begin with, you’re not getting the quality sleep your body needs to function at full capacity.

Here are some tips for obtaining restful sleep, that is, falling asleep and staying asleep until it’s the right time to rise:

•          Give yourself time to wind down at day’s end. Don’t do anything strenuous close to bedtime, and try for calming activities, such as reading, meditating, drinking chamomile tea, and simply relaxing.

•          Create a good sleep environment. What this may include is a room temperature that is on the cool side, since sleep studies find that cool temperatures (about 65º F or 18 Cº) are more conducive to deep sleep.

•          Try for complete darkness. The body reacts to light, equating it with action, not rest. Black out curtains work to help your body reach a state of rest.

 •         Listen to quiet or soothing sounds. Many parents turn on a sound machine to drown out “active sounds” so their babies can sleep, and this trick actually works on adults as well.

•          Practice slow, deep breathing to help you fall asleep. If you awaken during your sleep hours, repeat the same slow breathing.

•          Cold water tends to be something that wakes you up, so opt for a hot bath or shower before sleep. The warm water initially raises your body temperature, and then as it cools down, this helps you fall asleep.

Still feeling fatigued even after setting yourself up for restful sleep? Fatigue is more than just feeling sleepy. It’s a deep-rooted exhaustion that leaves you with a lack of energy and motivation, making daily tasks much more challenging.2 There could be a medical issue causing your fatigue, including low iron levels, thyroid disorders, infections and autoimmune disorders. Or, you may not be getting enough whole foods and therefore lacking nutrients. Dehydration also causes fatigue, as does high stress levels or not enough exercise.3

The quality of sleep is as important as the quantity of sleep you get. Sleep disorders specialist Marri Horvat, MD, explains that if you’re feeling foggy and tired during the day, it could be a sign of an underlying sleep disorder. These include sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, insomnia, narcolepsy and hypersomnia.4 If you experience fever, unexplained weight loss or gain, repeated headaches, shortness of breath or chest pain together with fatigue, be sure to check in with your physician.5

Since sleep affects your health in so many profound ways, empower yourself by eating right, exercising regularly, spending time in nature and breathing clean air during your waking hours! During autumn, warm weather transitions into cooler climes, making it some of the best conditions for getting restful sleep.

1 https://apple.news/AI5JBnwq3ROWnQQ9MiCsxGQ

2,3 https://newhealthjournal.org/tiredness/tired-quiz/

4, 5 https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-you-wake-up-tired-after-8-hours-of-sleep