You know, we are SOOO busy when we sleep. Contrary to popular belief, good quality sleep is an active experience where our bodies are engaged in really important metabolic work.
For instance, during sleep hours we are detoxifying up a storm. In fact during sleep, the brain dumps loads of neurotoxins including beta-amyloid, the protein responsible for Alzheimer’s disease. Insomnia is thought to be a risk factor for dementia!
We’re also repairing damage, rebuilding muscle and restoring neurons.
Good sleep is critical for regulation of blood sugar, blood pressure, hormones, and “feeding behavior”….
Are YOU getting enough shuteye?
I liked this article on sleep hygiene from the University of Maryland. But they missed a few things (and arguably one of the most IMPORTANT pre-sleep hygiene habit that many of us fail to do)….Any ideas on what that could be? I’ll check in later and respond.
And here’s another nice overview on sleep from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
I’d love to hear from you. Do you have issues getting good sleep? Share your comments below!
Kara Fitzgerald, ND, received her doctor of naturopathic medicine degree from the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon. She completed the first Counsel on Naturopathic Medicine-accredited post-doctorate position in nutritional biochemistry and laboratory science at Metametrix Clinical Laboratory under the direction of Richard Lord, PhD. Her residency was completed at Progressive Medical Center, a large, integrative medical practice in Atlanta, Georgia.
Dr. Fitzgerald is the lead author and editor of Case Studies in Integrative and Functional Medicine and is a contributing author to Laboratory Evaluations for Integrative and Functional Medicine and the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM)’s Textbook for Functional Medicine. With the Helfgott Research Institute, Dr. Fitzgerald is actively engaged in clinical research on the DNA methylome using a diet and lifestyle intervention developed in her practice. The first publication from the study focuses on reversal of biological aging and was published 04-12-2021 in the journal Aging. She has published a consumer book titled Younger You as well as a companion cookbook, Better Broths and Healing Tonics and has an application-based Younger You Program, based on the study.
Dr. Fitzgerald is on the faculty at IFM, is an IFM Certified Practitioner and lectures globally on functional medicine. She runs a Functional Nutrition Residency program, and maintains a podcast series, New Frontiers in Functional Medicine and an active blog on her website, www.drkarafitzgerald.com. Her clinical practice is in Sandy Hook, Connecticut.
Additional publications
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