health and wellness Archives - Strange Daze Indeed

Always Eat After 7PM – Update

June 1, 2020 By Debra Pearlstein 9 Comments

This post is brought to you by our sponsor, “Always Eat After 7 PM”. The opinions expressed below are my own.

Hi all! Updating you on my progress with the Always Eat After 7 PM: The Revolutionary Rule-Breaking Diet That Lets You Enjoy Huge Dinners, Desserts, and Indulgent Snacks—While Burning Fat Overnight program.

Here is my initial post.

Bestselling author, Joel Marion, is a fitness expert and nutritionist debunking the myths underlying traditional dieting and offers a simple, highly effective weight loss program.

I’ve been really enjoying following the guidelines in Always Eat After 7PM. As I’ve mentioned, it is not difficult for me as I’ve never been a breakfast eater, preferring to eat in the evening. I’ve had success with it and love that the book has helped me refine my diet, letting me know which foods are better at what times and in what combinations. So far, I am sleeping better, my blood sugar and moods are balanced and overall I have better energy.

I am a big fan of the research Joel provides. We’ve been traditionally taught to avoid carbs, have an early dinner, and never eat before bed. But the fact is, the latest scientific research shows us this is not ideal.

From the book: A research paper published in Sports Medicine in 2014 showed that people who eat the majority of their carbs at dinner actually sleep better. Carb-induced, quality sleep decreases cortisol (a fat-storing hormone) and ramps up the production of your sleep hormones, serotonin and melatonin. Restorative sleep increases fat-burning hormones—the main one being growth hormone—overnight.

I always knew that if I had oatmeal in the evening or a popcorn snack, I was less stressed and slept better. Now, after reading this book, understanding why I am sleeping deeper and waking up feeling rested helps me to maintain this wellness goal of mine.

Here are some excerpts from an interview with author, Joel Marion:

What was the most surprising discovery when you were researching scientific data for the diet?

That almost everything my college education and certifications taught me was NOT grounded in published scientific research.

You’re a six-time best selling author, what is different about this book compared to your others?

Although many of the concepts are similar, the biggest difference is that you don’t have to deprive yourself of your favorite foods. You don’t have to deal with the burden of eating every few hours. And you don’t have to skip the carbs at dinnertime or avoid eating before bed.

How difficult is the Always Eat After 7 plan to follow?

It’s not. And that’s exactly why I wrote the book. While any diet is never truly easy, it can be more enjoyable and much easier to adhere to when you understand how Always Eat After 7pm works because it caters to our bodies natural instincts.

Always Eat After 7 PM: The Revolutionary Rule-Breaking Diet That Lets You Enjoy Huge Dinners, Desserts, and Indulgent Snacks—While Burning Fat Overnight by Joel Marion is now available to purchase.

Learn more about the book and how to purchase here.

This post is brought to you by our sponsor, “Always Eat After 7 PM”. The opinions expressed below are my own.

Why Is Sleep So Important for Healthy Skin?

April 10, 2018 By Debra Pearlstein Leave a Comment

Quality sleep and skin health go hand in hand while lack of sleep puts a strain on our body. Not getting enough sleep accelerates aging, impairs water balance, changes facial expressions, enhances weight gain, and ruins our skin’s natural beauty. Moreover, stress caused by sleep deprivation triggers elevated levels of cortisol, the so-called stress hormone, which furthers inflammation in the body. The inflammatory response is not good for skin health. Here is how sleep deprivation can damage our skin:

Poor Sleep Worsens Skin Conditions

Not enough sleep activates an increased inflammatory response in the body, which irritates existing skin conditions and sets off added skin sensitivity, intensified reactions for allergic contact dermatitis, increased acne breakouts, and aggravated irritant dermatitis. Immune-related skin conditions, such as eczema or psoriasis, also worsen just because the body, invaded by inflammation, loses its ability to regulate the immune system. Skin begins to itch increasingly exacerbating the symptoms of immune-related skin conditions. Increased itching affects the quality of sleep, and thus we enter a never-ending circle.

Less Sleep Means Poor Water Balance

Our body needs enough sleep to rebalance hydration, a process that allows the skin to recover its moisture while the excess water gets processed for removal. Poor water balance translates into puffy eyes, under-eye dark circles, dry skin, and more visible wrinkles. The puffiness under our eyes says we are not getting enough shut-eye. Water tends to accumulate under eyes, and with the skin so thin there it becomes quite visible. There are ways to reduce swelling during sleep, and you can find some ideas here.

Poor Sleep Undermines Skin’s Natural Beauty

An increased level of stress hormones boosts the number of inflammatory cells in the body. Collagen, a protein essential to our skin’s health and beauty, breakdowns faster in these conditions. Our skin willlose its bounciness, radiance, and translucency and will start looking dull, pale, and even lifeless. On theother hand, collagen replenishes during sleep, and that means less visible wrinkles and a plumperlooking skin. Blood flow to the skin improves when we sleep, which offers our skin that healthy-looking glow and gives us those rosy cheeks.

Enough Deep Sleep Slows Down the Aging Process

A good night’s sleep is like a fountain of youth for our skin. If we want to look younger for many years, we need to understand the importance of deeper phases of sleep in controlling the aging process. When we get enough deep during the night, our bodies experience a rise in growth hormones production. Growth hormones are essential for repairing cell damage. Cell breakdown, which occurs during the day, is no longer accumulated inside the cell but is reversed overnight in the presence of growth hormones. This way, damaged cells get repaired, and signs of aging become less noticeable. This process can happen when we get enough deep sleep.

Our body longs for quality snooze time because it helps to repair itself and recover from daily stress. Within this context, getting enough quality sleep is essential to our looks. Enough shut-eye means 7 to 9 quality hours each night and less than 6 hours of sleep will likely affect our appearance and, therefore, our skin health.

Natural Pain Relief with Far Infrared Therapy

March 29, 2018 By Debra Pearlstein 12 Comments

So many of us have chronic pain or know someone who does. I have fibromyalgia and other muscle and joint issues which affect me daily including severe sciatic pain. Pain relief can make the difference in a good day and a bad one, how we interact with our family and friends, even our general outlook on life.

As a holistic health therapist, I am always looking for ways for myself and others to improve their quality of life and increase wellness. I feel that a healthy lifestyle including alternative therapies can improve your life for the better and help you live with joy, peace and purpose.

For years I have watched my family members and friends suffering from arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, back pain and so much more. I’m a strong believer in a healthy whole food diet, staying well-hydrated, electrolytes, probiotics and omegas as well as cranio-sacral work, acupuncture, massage, t’ai chi, chi gung, yoga, mindfulness and meditation.

Recently I’ve found a new alternative therapy that I’m really excited about! Have you heard about infrared technology helping with pain relief? Far Infrared Therapy is natural and non-invasive. Experienced by us as heat, it’s the invisible part of the sunlight spectrum. It’s the wonderful warmth you feel with the sun on your skin.

HealthyLine makes Far Infrared heating mats created in collaboration with inventors and healthcare professionals.that are definitely worth checking out!

I love the mats they have that provide completely natural gemstone heat therapy. The gemstone surface has jade, amethyst, tourmaline and sometimes obsidian as well. As you heat the gemstones, they emit far-infrared rays (FIR) in large amounts. FIR are most commonly received from sunlight and these rays can penetrate 4-6″ into body tissues, help stimulate circulation, decrease pain, inflammation, stiffness and stress, and promote relaxation. Each mat also comes with a foil space blanket to amplify the effectiveness. You get the same benefits as an infrared sauna but with the inclusion of negative ions and a fully functional pulsed electromagnetic field system.

These treatments are very helpful for arthritis, fibromyalgia, lower back and sciatic pain, even daily aches. While infrared saunas may be helpful, they can be very expensive and you have to leave the comfort of your home which is no fun when you just want to relax. You can use these mats anywhere. Think of how much money you can save on holistic health treatments as well. It truly is a wonderful investment towards wellness.

Benefits:

Far Infrared Therapy is channeled thru heated gemstones:

Amethyst – emits a steady flow of far infrared and negative ions and can promote better healing, sleep and overall wellbeing.

Jade – emits a low heat that is wonderful for relaxation and meditation and helps restore energy and efficient body function

Tourmaline – produces the highest amount of negative ions out of the gemstones used, revitalizes you and helps detoxify

Negative Ion Therapy – Did you know that technology can disturb negative ion exposure? This is particularly relevant as so many of us use it so often. Negative Ions are nature’s purifiers. They are plentiful near waterfalls and bodies of water such as rivers and oceans. They can help you feel more at ease and promote good health. That sense of well-being so many feel after a rainstorm may be caused by the high concentration of negatively charged ions n the air.

HealthyLine heated gemstones provide a boost of negative ions which can ease respiration, decrease stress, detoxify and clear your mind, improve sleep and overall health

The hot stone therapy lets you turn your home into a spa, relaxes and soothes muscles and is scientifically linked to stress reduction and lowering anxiety. It increases blood flow to help pains and heal and can be used with massage and other holistic therapies with synergistically improved results (chiropractic treatments, acupuncture, acupressure). Heating gemstones releases far infrared ray and negative ions and the stone surface also works with your body’s pressure points to de-stress.

Pulsed Electromagnetic fields (PEMF) stimulate cell health and counteract harmful exposure from electronics. PEMF is FDA approved to manage joint pain, bone repair, and signs of depression. It is even used by NASA to maintain the health of astronauts in orbit. Compatible with our own natural biorhythms, it is based on the Earth’s magnetic pulse.

Photon Light Therapy penetrates just below the surface of your skin, helps with motor function and nerve regeneration, and can help manage symptoms of depression including Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

Treatment with Healthy Line far-infrared mats is simple and painless. The energy penetrates the skin and is absorbed by deep tissues. This stimulates blood flow, , improves muscle recovery and decreases pain and inflammation. It can also be used after exercise. Just remember to stay hydrated!

Fibromyalgia and Sleep

I love that these mats can help with sleep as well. Did you know that in the U.S., 30% of adults suffer from short term insomnia, while for 10% or more it is chronic. After a long day, so many just want a good night’s sleep! Sadly, there are more than 3 million new cases of fibromyalgia a year in the U.S. alone. I am all too well aware of the widespread muscle pain, tenderness, fatigue, altered sleep patterns and occasional brain fog.

I’m a firm believer in focusing on improving the body’s organic healing systems through whole foods, yoga and meditation, t’ai chi and acupuncture. HealthyLine Infra-red mats can also help the body manage and deal with pain, relieve muscle tension and sleep better. The mats are completely safe to sleep on.

Each mat comes with a 45-day trial period so you can test it for yourself. Check out HealthyLine’s website for a plethora of cool products including pillows and bedding.

Special Offer

HealthyLine is offering Strange Daze Indeed readers a 10% discount!

Disclosure: This is a partnered post with HealthyLine and Chronic Illness Bloggers, however, all opinions are strictly my own.

Amwell: Doctors 24/7 at your Fingertips!

February 21, 2018 By Debra Pearlstein 17 Comments

Remember the days when doctors used to make house calls? Neither do I. Now it seems you have to schedule appointments way in advance, hope that something else doesn’t come up and take a lot of time out of an already busy day.

How about those days when you are really feeling too sick to go to the doctor? I know that when I’m not feeling up to par, driving and sitting in a waiting room is the last thing I want to do. But, relax, friends, because Amwell has you covered. They make it amazingly easy to find a board-certified, licensed doctor for live, online visits, any time of day or night on either your phone or your laptop. It’s genius really!

Amwell docs can write prescriptions for your local pharmacy or do refills when needed and they are so convenient. Two weeks ago, I got a bad burn cooking and was unsure whether it needed urgent care and dressing or whether I could ride it out. That is a perfect time for Amwell. What if your child has a bad cough, your husband was stung by a bee or if you are having flu symptoms? I can assure you that a germy doctor’s office or ER is probably the last place I’d want to go if I was already feeling under the weather; not to mention that here in New England we’ve had a very bad winter with unexpected snowstorms and ice.

Want to try Amwell yourself? Here is a code for 25% off your visit:

Use the code MOM15 when you have your online visit to save 25%! This code is good through 12/31/18.

This week I got the opportunity to try Amwell. I woke up with a headache that was mind-crushing. I couldn’t drive and I couldn’t get anything done. Frankly, I was worried and had a lot of questions. How convenient that I could contact a doctor from the comfort of my home.

It’s so easy because it takes minutes to install the app or go to the Amwell website. Just create an account, put in as much or as little info as you want regarding medical history and choose a practitioner. You are also able to attach a photo so the doctor can look at your rash or bruise or burn up close and personal.

The wait is truly minimal. You can choose the next available physician or look through the profiles of the docs online. I looked through them and found someone that I felt was just right for me. It’s a really nice feeling to see the person helping you and know you are being seen as well.

The doctor I chose was extremely knowledgeable in helping me differentiate different types of headaches and what I could do to alleviate mine, as well as the possible causes. We discussed the pros and cons of different over the counter medications as well. The doctor took her time with me; there was no rush. She was a great listener and assisted me with another issue which had been bothering me as well. While the price of Amwell is very reasonable (oftentimes covered by insurance), the peace of mind I had afterward was truly priceless.

I know that I will be using Amwell in the future for myself and my family, and I also want to make life easier for you with a 25% code.

Use the code MOM15 when you have your online visit to save 25%! This code is good through 12/31/18.

Unsure of how to get started? Here are three ways:

Visit the Amwell Site
Get the Amwell app at the Apple App Store
Get the Amwell app at the Google Play Store

A votre santé dear readers!

Disclaimer: Compensation was provided by Amwell via Momtrends. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions of Amwell or Momtrends.

Breast Cancer Awareness Survey – Please Help!

January 30, 2018 By Debra Pearlstein Leave a Comment

This is a partnered post with The Motherhood. All opinions are my own.

You likely know someone who has been affected by breast cancer: about 1 in 8 U.S. women will develop invasive breast cancer in their lifetime. That’s why we’re reaching out with a request to help us gather insights on how helpful/valuable information on the topic of breast cancer is when shared in blogs.

The Motherhood is working with researchers at George Mason University and the University of Florida on gathering feedback for a brief survey. If you’re interested in helping support this important project, here is what we’re asking:

Spend 5 minutes taking this brief survey and please enter ‘Strange Daze Indeed’ in the first box along with any other blogs you read. That’s it. You are now entered to win one of five $100 Visa gift cards! The odds are pretty good in my opinion and you are also helping and we appreciate you.

Here’s a link to the survey which is open to anyone in the U.S. ages 18+ who is a blog reader.

https://gmuchss.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6hZnP5WiekkYNXD

Here’s to your health and wellness!

Tried-And-True Tips to Help Your Children Sleep at Night

February 22, 2017 By Debra Pearlstein Leave a Comment

If you are a parent, chances are that you are well aware of the struggle of getting your little ones into bed on time. Unlike us grownups who would actually kill for some more sleep, kids hate going to bed. To them, it’s the end of all things fun, like ruining the newly wallpapered bedroom with pen scribbles, playing catch with your grandmother’s antique flower vase or dipping your Smartphone in the flush because “daddy, it gets thirsty too”. Be it 2 year olds or 10 year olds, getting them to sleep on time is an uphill battle.

Newborns and toddlers need around 16 to 20 hours of sleep per day. Children require an average of 9-12 hours of sleep per day. Children who do not get the required amount of sleep tend to be more problematic than those who do. Their emotions get out of control; they get easily irritable, irrational and hyper. They may also suffer from behavioral problems, focus issues or weight problems. As a parent, it is very important that you make sure your child gets the amount of sleep his/her body requires. The more important sleep is for the development of infants, toddlers and school going kids, the more unappreciated it is by them.

Learning what your child is feeling at bedtime and how you can resolve it is the key to getting them in bed and snoozing. Every parent has to struggle with opposition from their kids at bedtime. Let’s start by breaking down every parent’s struggle into phases.

Phase 1: Pooper and Tooters (0-1 Years)

This is the most difficult phase for a parent as the baby keeps waking up every few hours. Infants need to sleep 4 to 5 hours since they have small stomachs and cannot hold food in for very long. Once they get it out, they get hungry again! This can be quite disturbing for the parents too during the night since that is the time we fill up on our sleep. Here are a few tips you can use to get your crying poop machine back to sleep.

⦁ Get your spouse to take turns with you to feed the baby during the night. The baby will get up after every few hours, so one of should be ready to feed him/her. Once fed, chances are that the baby will go back to sleep.
⦁ Babies cannot differentiate between day and night. And after being fed, they are ready for some playtime. If the baby wakes up during the night and does not go back to sleep after being fed, try not to engage playfully with him/her. Keep the lights turned off and be as quiet and subdued as you can.
⦁ If your baby refuses to sleep, check the obvious details like are the baby’s clothes comfortable? Does he/she need a diaper change? Is the environment around the baby sleep inducing? Just like adults, babies also need a sleep inducing environment to sleep.
⦁ Make sure the baby is not over stimulated before bedtime. Playing peek-a-boo and piggyback rides are not a good idea before the baby’s bedtime.

Phase 2: Monsters and Bedtime Stories (1-6 Years)

This is the stage where you have to focus on setting a consistent bedtime routine for your growing child. At this age, a child needs to sleep around 11 – 12 hours per day.

⦁ Start by incorporating bedtime activities before putting your child to sleep. Set a routine of having the child brush their teeth and change into their jammies. Grab a book and cuddle up with them in bed and read them a story.
⦁ Keep the lights low and have them follow the bedtime routine at least an hour or thirty minutes before they get in bed.
⦁ Don’t let your child watch TV or go anywhere near digital screens or anything that gets them excited before bedtime.
⦁ The most important thing is to stay consistent with the bedtime routine even if your child does not sleep on time. This will enable their body to automatically detect bed time and start inducing sleep when the brain associates the bedtime routine with sleep.
⦁ If your child is wetting the bed or suffering from fear, be supportive and take action. For example, if the child complains of a monster in their room, you can help calm them down by spraying the room with ‘monster killer spray’.

Phase 3: Homework and Video Games! (7-12 years)

At this stage, your child has already gotten used to sleep. Kids this age require an average of 9 hours of sleep. The difficult part now is staying consistent with the bedtime routine. A proper sleep routine is very important for the child because the child needs to focus in school and that is not possible if he/she is sleep deprived.

⦁ Stick to the child’s bedtime routine and focus on bedtime hygiene as well. Kids this age have a tendency to nag when it’s sleep time (“Ten more minutes please mommyyy?”). Don’t fall for it and make them go to bed on time.
⦁ Do not allow activities that can cause the kids to be hyper before bedtime. These include video games, TV, iPads, phones etc. The bedroom environment has to be calm, dark and sleep inducing.
⦁ Do not allow the kids to stay up past their bedtime even on the weekends since it disturbs the body’s biological clock.

Despite the years of sleepless nights annoyed parents spend being woken up in the dead of the night by their children, they are always sad to see them go away to college or move out when they grow older. Hopefully these tips will help you and your children get some sleep and some amazing memories to look back upon down the lane.

About the Author
Eugene Gabriel is a passionate blogger. He has always been fascinated by sleep and how it relates to health and wellness. Read his post on How Sleep Changes with Age. You can follow him on twitter @eugenegabrielj.

Having Trouble Falling Asleep?

June 15, 2014 By Debra Pearlstein 16 Comments

This is a Type-A Parent paid post to discuss sleep issues, and to share a new insomnia resource from the National Sleep Foundation.

Sleep that knits up the ravelled sleeve of care The death of each day’s life, sore labour’s bath Balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course, Chief nourisher in life’s feast. – William Shakespeare

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a night owl. My Dad was a night owl. My Mom was an early bird. She caught the worms and we, well, we just were not morning people.

You know those people who can fall asleep at the drop of a hat, in the car, on a plane, as soon as their head hits the pillow, I’ve never been one of them.

I’ve had jobs over the years that fit my sleep patterns well, late-night catering, freelance writing, and now, blogging. In college, I wrote my best papers at 3 am. I brought up my wacky sleep patterns last week when I went to see my doctor and she said, “Yes, you are a writer.” Sure, indeed. In my case, the muse is fickle. She loves quiet and loves to dance when everyone else is sleeping.

This is all well and good, but, you see, I am not a vampire, and the world operates on a different schedule. Meetings, interviews, job assignments, meals, family, friends – they all require me to follow their lead.

So, I have struggled with my bouts of insomnia. The earlier I have to get up, the harder it is to fall asleep.

I have tried many different options. Some work better than others. I’ve tried no caffeine or spicy foods in the evening, meditation, yoga, essential oils, listening to the sound of the ocean on tape. While the real ocean works well, the tape never really did it for me.

I recently came across the National Sleep Foundation. This is a great resource that helps with understanding sleep issues and discovering healthy solutions. It contains a wealth of information on the subject of sleep.

Some ideas that I’ve been implementing which I found on this site are designing my ideal bedroom for sleep. This includes dimming the lights about an hour before bed to help shift both body and mind into sleep mode, creating a peaceful environment with calming colors and an uncluttered space, keeping the temperature cool, getting the right mattress, pillows and sheets, and incorporating soothing scents like lavender.

Something I’m working on is not having the tv or the computer on too close to bedtime. That’s a challenge for me, but, it truly helps as the bright light from the computer is not sleep-inducing, but rather the opposite. Daily exercise is helpful as is a warm bath before bed, especially when I add relaxing salts and essential oils like lavender, orange, lemon balm, bergamot or jasmine.

I’ve found that a good night’s sleep keeps me healthier, from having less fibromyalgia pain to being more effective at work. Waking up refreshed helps me face the day with a bright outlook, whatever it may hold.

Be sure to check out a new resource from the National Sleep Foundation at sleepfoundation.org/insomnia – a good place to start if you think you have insomnia or aren’t sleeping. The National Sleep Foundation is your trusted resource for everything sleep – understanding how sleep works & why it’s important, learning healthy habits, creating a relaxing bedroom & bedtime routine, & finding solutions to your sleep issues.