Category: Living Your Best Life

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What Keeps People Awake at Night

What Keeps People Awake

There are many reasons why people might struggle to sleep at night. Here are some of the most common culprits:

  • Stress and anxiety: Worrying about work, finances, relationships, or other issues can make it difficult to quiet your mind and fall asleep.
  • Stimulants: Caffeine and other stimulants found in coffee, soda, energy drinks, and some medications can interfere with sleep.
  • Unhealthy habits: Irregular sleep schedules, napping during the day, watching TV or using electronic devices in bed can disrupt your sleep cycle.
  • Medical conditions: Certain medical conditions, such as sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, and chronic pain, can make it difficult to get a good night’s sleep.
  • Environmental factors: An uncomfortable sleep environment that’s too hot, too cold, noisy, or brightly lit can disrupt sleep.

If you’re having trouble sleeping regularly, it’s important to talk to your doctor to rule out any underlying medical conditions. They can also help you develop a plan to improve your sleep hygiene and create a relaxing bedtime routine.

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How to Give Your Brain a Rest So You can Fall Asleep at Night

Give Your Brain a Rest

Your brain needs a winding-down period just like your body does! Here are some tips to help give your brain a rest and prepare for sleep:

  • Dim the lights: Start by dimming the lights in your house an hour or so before bedtime. This helps suppress the production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep, and signals to your body that it’s time to wind down.
  • Digital Detox: Power down electronic devices like phones, laptops, and tablets at least 30 minutes before bed. The blue light emitted from these screens can interfere with sleep.
  • Quiet activities: Instead of screens, opt for calming activities like reading a book of calming fiction, listening to audiobooks with soothing narration, or doing light puzzles.
  • Relaxation techniques: Spend 10-15 minutes practicing mindfulness meditation or deep breathing exercises. Focus on your breath and let go of any worries or anxieties. There are many guided meditations available online or in apps to help you get started.
  • Gratitude journaling: Write down a few things you’re grateful for that day. Focusing on positive thoughts can help quiet your mind and promote relaxation.
  • Progressive muscle relaxation: Tense and relax different muscle groups in your body, starting with your toes and working your way up. This can help release tension and promote relaxation.
  • Warm bath or shower: A warm bath or shower can relax your muscles and prepare your body for sleep. You can add lavender essential oil or Epsom salts for an extra dose of relaxation.
  • Light stretches or yoga: Some gentle stretches or yoga poses can help release tension and prepare your body for sleep.

By incorporating these techniques into your bedtime routine, you can signal to your brain that it’s time to wind down and prepare for sleep. Consistency is key, so try to stick with your routine as much as possible for the best results.

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Relaxing Bedtime Routine

What Keeps You Awake at Night

Here’s a relaxing bedtime routine you can try, allowing around 60 minutes to wind down:

Wind-down (60-45 minutes before bed):

  • Dim the lights: Start by dimming the lights in your house an hour or so before bedtime. This helps suppress the production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep, and signals to your body that it’s time to start winding down.
  • Digital Detox: Power down electronic devices like phones, laptops, and tablets at least 30 minutes before bed. The blue light emitted from these screens can interfere with sleep.
  • Light reading or listening: Curl up with a book of calming fiction or listen to audiobooks or podcasts with soothing narration.
  • Warm bath or shower: Take a warm bath or shower to relax your muscles and prepare your body for sleep. You can add lavender essential oil or Epsom salts for an extra dose of relaxation.
  • Light stretches or yoga: Some gentle stretches or yoga poses can help release tension and prepare your body for sleep.

Calming your mind (30-15 minutes before bed):

  • Mindfulness or meditation: Spend 10-15 minutes practicing mindfulness meditation or deep breathing exercises. Focus on your breath and let go of any worries or anxieties. There are many guided meditations available online or in apps to help you get started.
  • Gratitude journaling: Write down a few things you’re grateful for that day. Focusing on positive thoughts can help quiet your mind and promote relaxation.
  • Aromatherapy: Use a diffuser with calming essential oils like lavender, chamomile, or bergamot to create a relaxing atmosphere.

Preparing for sleep (15 minutes before bed):

  • Get into sleepwear: Put on comfortable, loose-fitting pajamas that signal to your body it’s time for sleep.
  • Set the temperature: Aim for a cool bedroom temperature, ideally between 65 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Brush your teeth: Brushing your teeth can be a signal to your body that it’s time to wind down for the night.
  • Read a few pages: If you still feel wired, read a few pages of a calming book in bed with dimmed bedside lighting.

Once in bed:

  • Avoid screens: If you find yourself unable to fall asleep after 20 minutes, avoid looking at screens or getting out of bed. This can further disrupt your sleep cycle.
  • Relaxation techniques: Focus on relaxation techniques like deep breathing or progressive muscle relaxation until you drift off to sleep.

Remember, this is just a sample routine, and you can adjust it to fit your preferences. The key is to find activities that help you unwind and signal to your body that it’s time for sleep. Be consistent with your routine as much as possible, and you should find yourself falling asleep faster and sleeping more soundly.

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Nutritional Cleansing with Cleanse for Life

Nutritional Cleansing

You may cringe when you hear the word, “cleanse,” if you’ve ever experienced other cleanses that often involve questionable ingredients and harsh methods. Rest assured; Cleanse Days are different.

Concerns with many typical cleanses include extreme dietary restrictions, days spent drinking nothing but sugary juices, or the use of potentially dangerous ingredients that act as laxatives or diuretics. These approaches can leave you feeling depleted and dehydrated.

An Isagenix Cleanse Day is a method of nutritionally supported intermittent fasting. Cleanse Days are centered around natural ingredients and gentle methods that support your body’s internal systems of renewal and detoxification. There are no laxatives or diuretics involved. This method of nutritional cleansing is designed to help you feel nourished and energized while tapping into the benefits of intermittent fasting that support weight management and metabolic health.

Isagenix products and systems offer an approach to nutritional cleansing that is supported by published clinical studies (1-7). This system combines intermittent fasting on Cleanse Days and calorie control on Shake Days while providing thoughtfully balanced nutrition for weight loss, improved health, and overall well-being.

Benefits of Intermittent Fasting on Cleanse Days

Intermittent fasting describes an eating pattern that involves periodic abstinence from normal meals with the goal of enhancing health and wellbeing. Many different styles of intermittent fasting  gained popularity in recent years, but Cleanse Days were a key component of the Isagenix system from the beginning.

Weight loss (or weight maintenance) is often seen as the main benefit of intermittent fasting, but there are plenty of reasons beyond weight loss to fast. For example, intermittent fasting is an effective strategy for reducing visceral fat (or deep belly fat), and as a result, improving insulin sensitivity and overall cardiovascular health (8, 9).

Additionally, research shows that fasting initiates the recycling of old and dysfunctional components of cells. This process happens through enzymatic pathways known as “autophagy” (10). Autophagy is a cellular self-cleaning mechanism that affords important benefits for overall health.

Cleanse for Life: Your Cleanse Day Companion

Cleanse for Life is a key feature of intermittent fasting with Isagenix. It defines Cleanse Days and separates them from ordinary fasting that restricts you to just water. It contains a blend of natural ingredients including botanical extracts and nutrients to support the body’s natural detoxification systems, carefully selected for use in conjunction with intermittent fasting.

Cleanse for Life has been shown to influence antioxidant and detoxification pathways in cells (11). As part of the Isagenix Weight Loss System, Cleanse for Life contributed an increase in toxin elimination and a decrease in oxidative stress compared to a heart-healthy diet in a 12-week clinical study (12). Including Cleanse for Life as your Cleanse Day companion provides a better, more complete cleansing experience.

How to Use Cleanse for Life

Cleanse for Life is available in both liquid and powder forms. It can be consumed as a concentrated shot or diluted with water. Additionally, it can be served chilled, poured over ice, or mixed with hot (but not boiling) water to make a warm herbal tea.

Cleanse for Life can be enjoyed daily for general wellbeing and on Cleanse Days for intermittent fasting support.

Daily Cleansing – As a daily supplement, consume two fluid ounces or one level scoop of Cleanse for Life each day. While there’s no wrong time to take Cleanse for Life, many people prefer to have a daily serving in the evening since the body naturally experiences a “mini-fast” during sleep overnight.

Deep Cleansing – For nutritional support on Cleanse Days, drink 4 ounces (or 2 level scoops), four times spread evenly throughout the day: one serving morning, noon, late afternoon, and evening.

Nutritional Support for Intermittent Fasting

Unlike so many other cleanses, Cleanse Days are focused on natural ingredients and gentle methods that support the body’s process of detoxification and renewal. Cleanse for Life offers a blend of nutrients and botanical ingredients designed to provide nutritional support for intermittent fasting and is an integral part of a nutritional cleansing system backed by years of scientific research.

Source: isagenixhealth.net ~ Image: Isagenixhealth.net

References

  1. Kroeger CM, Klempel MC, Bhutani S, Trepanowski JF, Tangney CC, Varady KA. Improvement in coronary heart disease risk factors during an intermittent fasting/calorie restriction regimen: Relationship to adipokine modulations. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2012 Oct 31;9(1):98.
  2. Klempel MC, Kroeger CM, Bhutani S, Trepanowski JF, Varady KA. Intermittent fasting combined with calorie restriction is effective for weight loss and cardio-protection in obese women. Nutr J. 2012 Nov 21;11:98. doi: 10.1186/1475-2891-11-98.
  3. He F, Zuo L, Ward E, Arciero PJ. Serum Polychlorinated Biphenyls Increase and Oxidative Stress Decreases with a Protein-Pacing Caloric Restriction Diet in Obese Men and Women. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2017 Jan 10;14(1):59.
  4. Zuo L, He F, Tinsley GM, Pannell BK, Ward E, Arciero PJ. Comparison of High-Protein, Intermittent Fasting Low-Calorie Diet and Heart Healthy Diet for Vascular Health of the Obese. Front Physiol. 2016;7:350.
  5. Arciero PJ, Arciero KM, Poe M, Mohr AE, Ives SJ, Arciero A, Boyce M, Zhang J, Haas M, Valdez E, Corbet D, Judd K, Smith A, Furlong O, Wahler M, Gumpricht E. Intermittent fasting two days versus one day per week, matched for total energy intake and expenditure, increases weight loss in overweight/obese men and women. Nutr J. 2022 Jun 4;21(1):36. doi: 10.1186/s12937-022-00790-0.
  6. Arciero PJ, Edmonds R, He F, Ward E, Gumpricht E, Mohr A, Ormsbee MJ, Astrup A. Protein-Pacing Caloric-Restriction Enhances Body Composition Similarly in Obese Men and Women during Weight Loss and Sustains Efficacy during Long-Term Weight Maintenance. Nutrients. 2016;8(8):476.
  7. Mohr AE, Jasbi P, Bowes DA, Dirks B, Whisner CM, Arciero KM, Poe M, Gu H, Gumpricht E, Sweazea KL, Arciero PJ. Exploratory analysis of one versus two-day intermittent fasting protocols on the gut microbiome and plasma metabolome in adults with overweight/obesity. Front Nutr. 2022 Oct 26;9:1036080. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.1036080.
  8. Harvie MN, Pegington M, Mattson MP et al. The effects of intermittent or continuous energy restriction on weight loss and metabolic disease risk markers: a randomized trial in young overweight women. Int J Obes (Lond) 2011;35:714-27.
  9. Heilbronn LK, Smith SR, Martin CK, Anton SD, Ravussin E. Alternate-day fasting in nonobese subjects: effects on body weight, body composition, and energy metabolism. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005 Jan;81(1):69-73.
  10. Harvie MN, Pegington M, Mattson MP et al. The effects of intermittent or continuous energy restriction on weight loss and metabolic disease risk markers: a randomized trial in young overweight women. Int J Obes (Lond) 2011;35:714-27.
  11. Gumpricht E, Kumar R, Hussain A, Sabarwal A, Ramteke A, Cho S, Deep G.  A Natural Herbal Beverage Exhibits Significant Cytoprotection and Promotes Nrf-2 Activation in Cells April 2015 FASEB J 2015;29 (Supplement) Abstract # 607.1.
  12. He F, Zuo L, Ward E, Arciero PJ. Serum Polychlorinated Biphenyls Increase and Oxidative Stress Decreases with a Protein-Pacing Caloric Restriction Diet in Obese Men and Women. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2017, 14(1), 59; doi:10.3390/ijerph14010059
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What Happens to Your Body on a Cleanse Day

Healthy Lifestyle

Have you wondered what happens to your body on a Cleanse Day? While researchers commonly use the term intermittent fasting to describe the basic concept, an Isagenix Cleanse Day is a nutritionally supported fast that will help you feel nourished and energized, instead of deprived or run-down. No, there are no laxatives or diuretics involved.

Cleanse Days are an important part of the Isagenix System and are a powerful tool in helping you to reach or maintain a healthy weight. While there is significant scientific evidence supporting the benefits of Cleanse Days for aiding weight loss, there are more potential health benefits from Cleanse Days beyond a healthy weight (1). Here are four positive things that go on inside your body during a Cleanse Day.

1. You improve insulin sensitivity.

Regularly practicing Cleanse Days can help to tune up your metabolism. During a Cleanse Day, the body becomes more sensitive to the action of insulin, which is essential for maintaining normal blood sugar levels (1, 2).

2. You not only burn more fat but burn the worst kind of fat.

When you are fasting, the body mobilizes stored energy in the form of body fat. If burning fat wasn’t enough of a reason to do regular Cleanse Days, then consider that as part of an Isagenix System, Cleanse Days are shown to go further by helping reduce visceral fat (3). Visceral fat is the type of fat that surrounds internal organs and has been strongly associated with poor health.

3. You rev up your body’s cellular cleansing system.

By eating frequently, you provide your body with a steady flow of nutrients and energy. This environment of abundance keeps your cells in continuous “growth mode.” On a Cleanse Day, you allow your body to rest and permit your own natural cleansing and rejuvenation processes to occur. Nutritional cleansing activates several systems in your cells that break down old cellular components into their basic building blocks to recycle them into new components—a process known as autophagy (4). Autophagy goes to work on a Cleanse Day by cleaning up worn-out parts within your cells.

4. You nourish your body with cleansing, health-supporting nutrients.

Cleansing with Isagenix is a unique way to practice nutritionally-supported intermittent fasting. Depending on which method you chose, an Isagenix Cleanse Day involves abstaining from virtually all food for one or two days. In place of food, you drink Cleanse for Life®, a phytonutrient-rich botanical beverage designed to nourish and support your body’s natural detoxification systems, along with Cleanse Day tools such as Snack Bites or BĒA™ to satisfy cravings and boost energy.

Many beneficial things happen to your body during a Cleanse Day. By regularly practicing Cleanse Days, you can tune up your metabolism, burn more fat, and allow your body’s own cellular cleansing and rejuvenation systems to work at their peak. Whether your goal is to lose weight or you are just interested in doing something good for yourself,  Cleanse Days can have benefits for you.

Source: isagenixhealth.net ~ Image: Canva Pro

References

    1. Varady KA, Hellerstein MK. Alternate-day fasting and chronic disease prevention: a review of human and animal trials. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Jul;86(1):7-13.
    2. Halberg N, Henriksen M, Söderhamn N, Stallknecht B, Ploug T, Schjerling P, Dela F. Effect of intermittent fasting and refeeding on insulin action in healthy men. J Appl Physiol. 2005 Dec;99(6):2128-36.
    3. Klempel MC, Kroeger CM, Bhutani S, Trepanowski JF, Varady KA. Intermittent fasting combined with calorie restriction is effective for weight loss and cardio-protection in obese women. Nutr J. 2012 Nov 21;11:98.
    4. Bergamini E, Cavallini G, Donati A, Gori Z. The role of autophagy in aging: its essential part in the anti-aging mechanism of caloric restriction. Ann NY Acad Sci. 2007 Oct;1114:69-78.
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