Showing posts with label Trouble Sleeping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Trouble Sleeping. Show all posts

Monday, October 27, 2008

Acai Berry: Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Care

It may be tempting to ignore the acai berry as just marketing hype and the latest fad. However, even though it isn’t a “miracle berry” or the cure to all that ails you, the acai berry is an extremely powerful source of antioxidants and one of the most nutritious fruits in the world.
Why should you care about all this talk about antioxidants and nutrition? I’m glad you asked. Here are 10 excellent reasons why you should care about the acai berry:
10. Helps Maintain Good Cholesterol & Fight Heart Disease
Essential fatty acids and antioxidants in the acai berry help fight bad cholesterol (LDL) while at the same time maintaining good cholesterol (HDL) and fighting heart disease. The essential fatty acids also aid in the absorbency of necessary vitamins like Vitamin A, D, E, and K.
9. Improved Vision
The acai berry contains a specific type of antioxidant called “anthocyanins” which are known to improve vision. During World War II, British pilots ate large amounts of bilberry (which also contains anthocyanins) as they said it improved their night vision.

8. Saves the Rainforest
The recent popularity of the acai berry actually helps save the Rainforest. You see, before the large demand for acai berries, local farmers harvested the entire acai tree for palm hearts. Palm hearts are used in expensive salads.
Fortunately, now that the acai berry is becoming more and more sought after, the natives are paid more to harvest acai berries. This means that they actually want to protect the trees instead of cutting them down.
7. Better Sleep
The acai berry contains amino acids that relax your muscles and allow for a more restful sleep. It also contains Vitamin B which helps to regulate the dopamine and serotonin (both neurotransmitters that impact sleep) production in the brain.
6. Fights Diseases and Boosts Immune SystemThe Amazon rain forest contains some of the richest soil in the world. As a result, the acai berry is packed with natural minerals and nutrients that fight disease and increase energy by boosting the immune system. In Brazil the acai berry is also commonly known as an effective anti-bacterial and anti-viral agent.
5. Increase in Energy & Stamina
Natives of Brazil are some of the most active people in the entire world. It’s understandable considering that they have access to one of the most perfect foods available. Aside from being a perfect source of nutrition and carbohydrates, the high levels of antioxidants in the acai berry lead to a huge boost in energy levels and stamina. Locals will often mix acai pulp and Guarana (another amazing fruit with natural stimulants) for a healthy burst of natural energy.
4. Helps Fight Weight Gain
The acai berry’s natural combination of antioxidants, essential fatty acids, amino acids, phytosterols, and amino acids work together to help your body function better, process food easier, and burn fat more efficiently.
3. Better Sex
When NBC’s Matt Laurer took a recent trip to the Amazon, he was amused to find that the acai drink he had just finished is commonly referred to as “Amazon Rainforest Viagra”. Locals swear it has libido enhancing qualities. Combine those qualities with the increase in energy, stamina, and better overall body function and you can see why the acai berry is compared to that famous little blue pill.
2. May Help Fight Cancer
The University of Florida published a study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry that found that acai berries triggered a self destruct response in up to 86% of human cancer cells. Yes, you read that right, it caused cancer cells to self destruct! This study was only on the cellular level and wasn’t in the human body, but it perfectly illustrates the antioxidant capability and healing qualities of the acai berry. The University is currently studying the effect of acai in the human body.
1. Fights the Aging Process
The most exciting benefit of regularly consuming the acai berry may just be its effect on the aging process. Free radicals are molecules that attack the cells in the body and damage our DNA. In simple terms, free radicals are the cause of aging ailments such as cancer, arthritis, inflammation, atherosclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease. The acai berry is recognized as one of the best foods for aging because it’s absolutely jam-packed with free radical fighting antioxidants.


Christopher of AcaiBerryStudies.com
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Friday, October 17, 2008

Night Terrors - Basics

Night terrors are a disturbance of the REM sleep pattern in a young child and can be very distressing for parents. While the child seems distressed at the time - sitting bolt upright and screaming - he cannot remember the episodes the next morning.



This is because the child is really not awake and experts tell us that it is best not to wake him during a time of night terrors.
If a child is woken during his night terror attack he will be confused, disturbed and scared, usually due to the parents shaking him awake. While children who are suffering from night terrors will often seem wide awake, be sweating, have a rapid heartbeat and look fearful, they really don't know anything about it. This is why they cannot be consoled.
If your child has night terrors, the only thing to do is sit with him quietly and then help him get comfortable again and settle down for sleep when it's over. No treatment is necessary for night terrors and the child will grow out of them. It helps if the child can be put to bed before he gets overtired. Night terror attacks usually last between five and thirty minutes.
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Saturday, October 4, 2008

Trouble Sleeping At Night

Many people have trouble sleeping during the night and the cause could be one of a wide variety of different reasons. The lack of restful sleep can have a number of negative effects on the body and can reduce the brain’s function by a significant amount. Having trouble sleeping is a condition that affects people of all ages, from infants to senior citizens, regardless of race or sex.
One of the biggest reasons that people have trouble sleeping is because of stress. When the mind or the body is stressed to a certain degree, the mind has trouble shutting down enough to get a good night’s sleep. The person may also awaken in the middle of the night and have difficulty falling back asleep because they are worrying about what may occur the next day or in the near future.


Another common cause for people having trouble sleeping is an inability to fully relax when it is time to go to sleep. These people are often quite highly strung or constantly go a mile a minute during their day, making great accomplishments but training their body to respond to the pace that they are moving at throughout day can make it more difficult to fully relax and get restful sleep during the night. Many of these people turn to sleeping aids or relaxation rituals to help them get to sleep each night.
Certain medications have the ability to affect a person’s quality of sleep, especially stimulants, amphetamines, and anti-depressant medications. These medications affect the chemical balance in the brain and one of the side effects of this chemical manipulation can be changed sleeping habits or an inability to get to sleep when tired. Often, stopping the medication or changing the dosage is enough for the person to return to their regular sleeping pattern.
Having trouble sleeping for a long period of time can cause harmful effects to many different areas of the body. Sleepless nights affect the brain the most, slowing down the brain’s ability to react to external and internal stimuli and resulting in actions that resemble drunkenness or chemical intoxication. Studies have shown that people that are sleep impaired are more dangerous when driving than people that are legally drunk.

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