Sleep Tips

Sleep is sleep is sleep.

There isn't anything else like it, and nothing can do what it does. Handfuls of vegetables can't replace the hours being missed every night, and an extra 20 minutes on the treadmill doesn't make up for being chronically sleep deprived.

"Yeah, but I do fine with five hours of sleep."

Try two weeks of at least 7 hours and see how you feel. "Doing fine" is usually just "becoming used to feeling terrible", and after a extended period of good sleep habits, people report improvement in most areas of life - from mental outlook to erased aches and pains to better productivity at work.

Some tips:

1. Go to bed by 10 PM
2. Sleep at least 7 hours per night
3. Take melatonin or Magnesium before bed if you have sleeping problems
4. Wear a sleep mask or use a sound machine
5. Do anything you can to reduce light an hour before sleep and in the bedroom - less screen time, blue light glasses and the "nighttime" function on your phone, blackout curtains, etc.

Pumpkin Pancake Recipe

'Tis the season for pumpkin everything! Pumpkin is great to eat this time of year, as it contains a lot of potassium which can help lower blood pressure and help reduce the risk of a stroke.

This recipe is a family favorite of ours and it is gluten-free. It makes 8 small pancakes. Serve with local maple syrup!

The Benefits of Supplementing

Question: Should I take supplements?

Answer: Part of the answer is in the word "supplements" itself. These products are designed to additional nutrition to a diet that is already focused on improving health.

You can't supplement your way out of terrible eating habits - that would be like throwing a band-aid on a giant cut. It will make you feel like you're doing something, but what you're doing isn't doing any good.

The other part of the answer is... it can help supplement your diet. The majority of patients I work with do not get sufficient nutrients from their food or enough sunshine on a daily basis, so supplements are an easy way to supplement your diet. Talking with a doctor is the best way to determine whether or not you should use supplements in addition to the food you eat.