The John Tesh Blog

Tired- again. But what's doing it might surprise you.

Okay- yesterday was Monday. That's why your feet were dragging most of the day, right? Except today's Tuesday. Still feel like you could just totally zonk out on the spot (well, if you could possibly get out of today's staff meeting without everyone noticing...)- so what gives?

If you feel like you're suffering a personal energy shortage (how's that for a fancy way to say- YOU'RE JUST PLAIN TIRED!)- then join the club: Fatigue is one of the most common complaint being reported to doctors. New York City internist Erika Schwartz, M.D., who specializes in treating fatigue says, "Being tired isn't just annoying—it's your body's cry for help. If you don't pay attention and correct what's making you tired, you will get sick."

I don't think anyone really expects that our energy levels are constant- day in and day out. It ebbs and flows according to daily, monthly and seasonal rhythms that are highly individual, explains Ken Goodrick, Ph.D., a psychologist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. When you constantly feel drained, however, lifestyle habits are usually to blame. You're probably all too aware of the big-deal drains like taxes, toddlers and finding a parking spot, but Redbook points the finger at some sneaky factors that could be robbing you of energy and filling you with fatigue. Click on the energy busters below to find out how they sap your drive—and learn how to re-energize your life. 

Energy Buster: All Work, No Play

Acting like a serious, responsible adult is darned exhausting. All those routines, dripping with sameness, can get tedious. And your body registers boredom as tiredness. "The 24/7 push to be efficient and productive can wear you out physically and emotionally. Your brain needs downtime," explains Alice Domar, Ph.D., director of The Mind-Body Center for Women's Health at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

Energy Booster: Be Serious About Fun

Build in pleasure throughout your day—open all e-mail jokes and pass them on, flip through a magazine, call a friend, daydream, waste time, play Twister with your kids, buy a CD and play it while you're car pooling. Instead of bogging you down, mini-breaks will buoy you and make your routine a little less routine.

Energy Buster: Shunning the Sun

"If there's not enough natural light, the body goes into sleep mode," Goodrick says. In a recent study involving more than 600 adults, researchers at the University of Massachusetts found that feelings of depression, hostility, anger, irritability and anxiety were highest in the winter and lowest in the summer. "Light exposure, diet and exercise, which all tend to vary with the seasons, may partially explain such mood differences," says coauthor of the study Morton Harmatz, Ph.D., a professor of psychology.

Energy Booster: Lighten Up

Sneak out for a 10-minute walk outside at least once during the day or when you're most tired—bright light has a caffeine-like power to make you more alert, says Goodrick. Get out even if it's cloudy; you'll get a lot more light exposure than you do in your office. If you just can't get out the door, spending a few minutes in a room that's drenched with natural light may also help.

Energy Buster: Barely Breathing

When you breathe shallowly (as you do most of the time), you aren't taking in enough oxygen; as a result, you're likely to have lower levels of oxygen and higher levels of carbon monoxide in your blood, which can make you tired, says Domar. Plus, when you don't get as much oxygen in your blood, your heart rate and blood pressure go up. That's taxing to your body.

Energy Booster: Belly-Breathing

Practice breathing from your diaphragm several times each day—when you're feeling tired or you're about to go into an energy-draining situation like a laborious meeting: Put your hand over your belly button. As you inhale, focus on making your stomach and chest move. This will automatically expand your lower lungs so you take in more air with each breath.

Energy Buster: Being a Desk Potato or a Sofa Spud

Sitting in one position for long periods of time can sap your energy, Schwartz says. Your body equates that stillness with going to sleep. Also, if you're staring at a screen (computer or TV), you tend to blink less frequently, leading to dry eyes and eyestrain. This can put you in the mood for shut-eye.

Energy Booster: Moving More

We just talked about getting out for some natural, energy building light- here are the small things- when you're not able to get outside. Stretch. Walk. Yawn (with your whole body). Stride to the bathroom. Frequent breaks will keep your body alert. Relieve eyestrain by focusing on something distant every 30 minutes or during commercial breaks, advises Margit L. Bleecker, M.D., director of the Center for Occupational and Environmental Neurology in Baltimore.

Energy Buster: Sleep Inconsistency

Your body's internal clock craves consistency, so if you spend your weekends staying up late and then sleeping in the next morning, you're giving yourself jet lag without even leaving town, says Margaret Moline, Ph.D., director of the Sleep-Wake Disorders Center at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. An erratic schedule can have a hangover effect, causing you to feel foggy long after you awaken. A study conducted at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston found that even if you sleep for enough hours, you're more likely to be irritable or downbeat if you wake up at a time other than what you're used to.

Energy Booster: Regular Sleep

Establish a regular bedtime and wake-up time, and try not to stray from it, even on the weekends. If you want to get more sleep on a particular night, go to bed 20 to 30 minutes earlier—it will be less jarring to you, says Lauren Broch, Ph.D., director of education and training at the Sleep-Wake Disorders Center.

Energy Buster: Mild Dehydration

A lot of people are walking around in a mild state of dehydration," says Susan Kleiner, a registered dietician in Mercer Island, Wash. "When you feel thirsty, you've already lost 2 to 3 percent of your body fluid." Even this mild dehydration can make you feel tired or lethargic: Your blood volume lowers, which means you don't get as much blood to your brain and your heart has to pump harder.

Energy Booster: Drinking More Water

Think about when you're going to drink just like you'd plan your meals. Try toting a water bottle around with you. Aim for at least nine cups of H2O per day if you're mainly sedentary and closer to 12 if you're active. To make plain water more appealing, add lemon or orange wedges or make a Thermos of herbal (noncaffeinated) tea. Increase your water intake by eating more soup, fresh fruits and vegetables.

Energy Buster: Bright Lights at Night

Normal levels of indoor lighting can be enough to disrupt your brain's notion of night and day. Bright lights can reset your body's internal clock, making it hard for you to nod off when you want to and wake up on time, Moline says. According to research from Brigham and Women's Hospital, brightly lit settings seem to reduce and delay the secretion of sleep-inducing melatonin.

Energy Booster: Dim Lights

Dim the overhead lights in your living room or bedroom a few hours before bedtime; turn on a reading lamp instead.

Energy Buster: The Vitamins-Plus-Coffee Breakfast

This common meal substitute is actually a vitality drainer. "Vitamins are not a source of energy," says Nancy Clark, R.D., author of Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook. Skipping breakfast altogether is another dead end: If you start the day without taking in calories, your metabolic rate and other functions slow in order to preserve energy. As a result, you wind up feeling droopy. "Putting breakfast in your body will give you more sustained energy through the morning," says Clark. Not hungry in the morning? You probably ate too much the night before.

Energy Booster: A Good Breakfast

To get a steady release of energy all morning long, eat a meal that combines protein and carbohydrates: peanut butter on a bagel, leftover cheese pizza, an energy bar, cereal or an egg with whole-wheat toast. You'll burn the carbs quickly—you'll feel a surge of energy in a short period of time. And protein, which stays in your stomach longer, gives you staying power, explains Chris Rosenbloom, R.D., associate professor of nutrition at Georgia State University in Atlanta.

Energy Buster: Overdoing Exercise

Working out every day may not be a good energy strategy, especially if you're a beginner or trying to get back in shape. "The body needs time to recover after exercise, to replenish energy stores and repair muscles," says Richard Cotton, chief exercise physiologist for the American Council on Exercise in San Diego.

Energy Booster: Take a Day Off

To figure out if you deserve a break today, start taking your pulse first thing in the morning before you get out of bed: If it's more than five beats above normal the morning after you've exercised vigorously, either exercise lightly that day or take the day off, Cotton advises. Or you could get in the habit of working out every other day. (Just don't take off more than two days in a row, because you may fall out of the exercise habit.)

Energy Buster: Toting Around Extra Pounds

Gaining as little as 5 pounds can cause fatigue. "If your body's carrying extra weight, it's exhausting," says Schwartz. "It also puts extra strain on your heart, which can make you tired."
Energy Booster: Dropping Them

You know the drill: Stop filling up on junk food, high-fat treats or large quantities of sweets and get back to the basics of healthy eating. Start exercising portion control—you may be surprised at how much you've actually been eating. With each pound of weight you lose, you'll feel a rise in energy.

Energy Buster: Slouching

Poor posture doesn't just make you look tired, it creates the feeling as well. "When the joints aren't aligned properly, the whole body has to work so much harder," says Sherry Brourman, a physical therapist in West Los Angeles and author of Walk Yourself Well. Poor posture places excess strain on your back and hips, which can make you feel tired and achy.

Energy Booster: Good Posture

How to tell if your posture is correct? While gazing down—without craning your neck—you should be able to see the tops of your shoes, Brourman says. Another quick alignment check: Whether you're moving, sitting or standing still, your head should be lined up over—not sticking out in front of—your body, so your ears are directly over your shoulders.

Energy Buster: Too Much Noise

Noise is stress. "It compromises your quality of life and has damaging physiological effects," says Arline Bronzaft, Ph.D., former professor of psychology at Lehman College at the City University of New York. "Your pulse rate and blood pressure increase, your adrenaline surges; anything that puts added stress on the nervous system eventually depletes your energy." Noise is also a stressor because you are not always in control of it. During the day, you may be able to tune out a certain amount of noise, "but you have to work harder to complete tasks because you're actively working to try to ignore the sound," explains Bronzaft. Ultimately, that's physically exhausting.

Energy Booster: Lowering the Decibel Level

Tell your coworkers (or kids) to tone it down. If noise is preventing you from getting a good night's sleep, consider buying some earplugs or cancelling out unwanted sounds with a white-noise machine. (Even the constant whir of an electric fan muffles noise.) Decrease noise from the street by sealing or weather-stripping windows and doors. Heavy drapes, upholstery and plush carpeting can also absorb sound.

Nighty-night...well, maybe not just yet- get through your day first, okay?

John

Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

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Your ultimate health checklist

Everything you need to know in 10 steps?  We're big fans of Dr. Oz on the radio show, and his ultimate health checklist is bound to get you thinking!  Dr. Oz says that the first key is to find the right doctor for you, which you can get some help with by checking out The American Medical Association's Doctor Finder.

During your first visit, there are key questions to consider. "When you go to their office, do the other patients … look like you? Are they board certified? Do they get along with the staff?" Dr. Oz says. "If you get along with them, that person becomes your health coach. Because, remember, the word 'doctor' means 'teacher,' so it's a two-way street. If you come up with the right person, you're on the right path."

Even if you're one of 50 million Americans without health insurance, Dr. Oz says it's important to take this step. "There are free clinics. There are community health plans. If you really don't have enough money to afford a doctor, usually you'll qualify for Medicaid," he says. "But … I don't want to let people off the hook either. Half the people in America who don't have health insurance have some money. They just make the economic decision to not buy it because it's so expensive."

To make your diet more healthy, Dr. Oz says to remember his "rule of fives." Look at the labels of the foods you eat. If you see one of these five ingredients listed as one of the first five things used to make it, don't eat it.

High fructose corn syrup
"We most commonly get this in soft drinks," Dr. Oz says. "It's an inexpensive sugar, which means we're getting a lot of it in our diet."

Sugar
Dr. Oz says when you eat sweets, your brain receives schizophrenic messages. "It says: 'I got calories, but I didn't get any nutrients,'" he says. Your body will keep craving food until it gets those nutrients.

"Enriched"
Also watch out for products made with "enriched" flour, like white bread. "Why would they take bread and have to enrich it? Because they take all the important vitamins out of it, and they sprinkle just a little bit back in there," Dr. Oz says.

Trans fat
Also known as hydrogenated fat, these are fats that were once in liquid form but have hydrogen added to make them solid at room temperature. "It extends the shelf life of the product," Dr. Oz says. "But it shortens the human life."

Saturated fats
These fats come from four-legged animals like pigs and cows.

Instead?

Dr. Oz suggests starting with foods that don't need a label, like fresh fruits and vegetables. "If they're coming out of the ground looking the way they look when you eat them, they're good for you in general," he says.

Antioxidants
You should also fill your grocery cart with items that are high in antioxidants, such as tomatoes, broccoli, kidney beans, blueberries, artichokes and prunes. "Whatever has that deep color like a blueberry, you know it's rich in antioxidants," he says. Try to eat five to seven servings of these foods every day.

Omega-3 Fats
Increase your intake of omega-3 fats to 3 grams a day. "Remember, 80 percent of our brain is fat," Dr. Oz says. "We need to have the right kinds of fats in our body to make sure our brain is the most resilient to stress and can learn the fastest." Some good sources include ground flaxseeds, walnuts, salmon, scallops, soybeans and squash.

Fiber
Dr. Oz says the average American gets about 12 grams of fiber a day, but he recommends double that amount. Oatmeal, 100 percent whole grain bread, lentils, pine nuts, peas and raspberries are all great sources of this nutrient.

Olive Oil
The last item to add to your shopping list is virgin or extra-virgin olive oil. Ideally, Dr. Oz says you should consume about a tablespoon every day. One nutritious—and delicious—way to eat olive oil is with tomatoes, made into a pasta sauce. "If you get that into your diet a couple times a week, you're getting these nutrients naturally."

If you need more nutrients beyond your daily diet? Let's look to vitamins.

With so many variations to choose from, how do you what vitamin is right for you?

If you're a young, premenopausal woman, Dr. Oz says to look for a multivitamin that contains iron. "If you're menstruating, you'll need the iron to make new red blood cells," he says. "And you don't want more than 5,000 units of vitamin A."

If you're a postmenopausal woman or a man, Dr. Oz suggests a multivitamin without iron and no more than 2,500 units of vitamin A. "You don't need the iron, because you're not bleeding every month," he says.

Before you add this step to your daily routine, consult with your doctor. Dr. Oz says people who are taking medication to lower their cholesterol may need a different dosage.

And the rest:

Waist Size
Suck in and measure your waist at your belly button. It should ideally be less than half your height—about 40 inches for men, 37 inches for women.

Blood Pressure
The ideal blood pressure is approximately 115 over 75. "If the systolic or first number is 140 or above or if your diastolic or second number is 90 or more, alert your doctor," he says.

Cholesterol
This ratio is the third number you need to know. "You want your LDL, or lousy cholesterol, to be less than 100," Dr. Oz says. "You want your HDL, or healthy cholesterol, to be greater than 40."

Resting Heart Rate
Take your pulse when you get out of bed in the morning and strive to get it as close to 60 as possible.

Blood Sugar
A simple finger stick can help you discover your blood sugar levels. "When your blood sugar is high, it's like if I take [a] glass and crack it on the ground and take the glass shards and scrape the insides of your arteries," he says. "That's what those sugar molecules do inside of you."

Vitamin D
You should also know your vitamin D levels—more Americans are deficient in vitamin D than any other vitamin. Vitamin D can help a person prevent cancer, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, autoimmune ailments and thyroid problems. You can get enough through 15 minutes a day of sun exposure during the summer or a daily vitamin D supplement with 1,000 units.

C-Reactive Protein
This is a way to tell if your body is full of inflammation and irritation. "If you've got gingivitis, prostatitis, vaginitis—if you've got any of these inflammations in your gut—they can elevate the C-reactive protein," he says. "C-reactive protein tells us how much of a battleground there is inside of you."

Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, or TSH
As Oprah learned the hard way in 2007. "If you have unexplained weight gain. If your hair has changed. If you don't have the get up and go. If your libido's off, the number one thing that we check is thyroid stimulating hormone," Dr. Oz says. "It tells us whether your thyroid gland is functioning normally."

Dr. Oz says a health advocate can be anyone—your spouse, child, relative or friend. "Bring someone who's actually going to pay attention and understands the process and takes notes," he says.

When you are under stress from doctors' diagnoses or are too sick to speak up for yourself, it's crucial to have someone helping you. "Get someone who you trust and make them your partner in this process."

Make sure you get an updated copy of your medical file before you leave the doctor's office. In case you need to see another physician, he or she will be able to make a diagnosis more quickly and accurately.

While this can be intimidating, Dr. Oz says you need to get over that intimidation. "Here is the reality. You want to know your family history. You want to know immunizations. You want to understand what your doctor's been thinking and doing with you," he says. "Because when you go to the next doctor, you don't want them being Columbo, trying to figure out what's going on with you. Why make it hard for them?"

First things first, Dr. Oz says everyone should get an annual checkup, see their dentist every six months and get an eye exam every two years.

The rest of your health test schedule depends on your age and gender. Check with your doctor to find out which tests you may need.

There are four main exercise goals you should be aiming to achieve this year.

Start Walking
Your goal is to get up to 10,000 steps a day, but Dr. Oz says it's okay to start by walking for 30 minutes a day. This will make for 3,000 steps. Get your steps in with a pedometer and simple changes like taking the stairs instead of the elevator. "Societies that have 10,000 steps under their belt every day don't have much under their belt," Dr. Oz says. "It's one of the best ways to stay thin."

Get Your Heart Rate Up
Besides walking, you need some more strenuous exercise as well. You should work out hard enough to be sweating for at least 60 minutes a week.

Flexibility
Stretch for at least five minutes a day. "If you're not flexible, you'll get hurt and you'll stop exercising," Dr. Oz says.

Strength Training
You need to do some kind of weight lifting or resistance training for at least 30 minutes a week. "If you don't rebuild those muscles, you get frail," Dr. Oz says. "And that's what aging is all about."

While steps 1 to 9 are important, you could lose all of the benefits if you skip sleep. "If you don't get sleep, you'll crave other things like carbohydrates," Dr. Oz says.

7-8 hours a day is what most healthy people need. And while it's true that you can make up some of your sleep loss over the weekend, you're really talking about a short term solution...not so healthy if you're trying to make up for 10 lost hours of work week sleep every single weekend! If you are one of the 70 million Americans who don't get enough sleep, talk to your doctor first.  

John

Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

Check out the new John Tesh Social Network. You can connect with new friends, post your own blog, visit various forums, upload your favorite John Tesh music and share your photos.  To learn more about how to join, click here.

You slept 8 hours last night and STILL feel tired? There might be something robbing you of precious zzzzzzzzz's.

Does this happen to you?  Everything's all done for the day, you've fallen into bed, then fallen to sleep easily- you're so tired, after all!  Wake up next morning- slept a reasonable number of hours...so why do you feel so lousy, and so, so wanting to go back to sleep?  Can't do that- you've got to get to work, at which you then drag around all day, feeling fuzzy-headed, grumpy, and longing for a nap...or at least Saturday morning.

If this sounds like you or someone close to you, you'll want to hear about a little-known breathing problem called Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome (UARS). This information comes from MSN's Health & Fitness section, and tells us that, unlike sleep apnea, which has been well known for a long time, UARS has only recently been getting attention. The term "resistance" refers to the fact that something is slowing or blocking air in the nasal passages. The most common causes are mild nasal congestion or tongue position during sleep that blocks breathing. Because resistance in the upper airways makes it harder work simply to breathe, your sleep is disrupted throughout the night. According to otolaryngologist Steven Park, M.D., UARS is extremely common in older women—one French study found that nearly half of all women with chronic insomnia and daytime fatigue turned out to have this type of sleep-disordered breathing.

Park says he sees many patients with UARS who think they're sleeping poorly due to stress or insomnia, but it’s more complicated than that. He wrote a book about the phenomenon called Sleep Interrupted: A Physician Reveals the #1 Reason Why So Many of Us Are Sick and Tired. What’s really happening, Park says, is that your body is half-waking up over and over again during the night. Since you’re unable to fall into a deep restorative sleep, you don’t feel refreshed in the morning.

How to find out if you have UARS

While sleep apnea is much more common in men (only 5 percent of those with apnea are women) UARS affects men and women about equally. Other characteristics common to many people with UARS: having a narrow face, having a small or narrow jaw, and having a thin neck. In fact, if you had to have orthodontia as a child for overcrowded teeth, Park says it’s very likely you could develop UARS. Some people with UARS also have low blood pressure and cold hands and feet. And, says Park, if you have found over the years that you simply cannot sleep on your back (you invariably wake up) it's possible the reason is UARS.

UARS is so new, not all doctors are familiar with it, and many sleep clinics don’t use techniques capable of identifying these subtle changes in breathing patterns. (UARS may not show up in traditional tests for disordered breathing, which measure oxygen levels.) So if you suspect you have UARS, choose a sleep study lab that's familiar with the disorder and has the equipment to test for pressure changes in your nose or alternations in breathing or pulse-wave signals.

Treating UARS yourself

Over-the-counter products can be effective at treating UARS, says Park, so this is a great first step. Many people benefit from breathing strips, such as Breathe Right.

To see if breathing strips might work for you, try this simple test: Looking in a mirror, press the side of one nostril firmly to close it off. Then close your mouth and try to breathe. If you feel resistance as you inhale through the open nostril, try holding it open a bit more widely with your pinky finger or the flat side of a toothpick. Try this on both sides. If you notice that you breathe more easily with your nostril open, you're a good candidate for breathing strips.

Some people also find great benefit from the nasal dilator Nozovent, available online. Other steps to try include irrigating the nasal passages with a saline nasal spray and taking a non-sedating allergy medication such as Claritin if you suspect congestion from allergies. You can also ask your doctor for a prescription nasal spray containing itraconazole (Sporanox), xylitol, mupirocin (Bactroban) and dexamethasone.

When to call the doctor

If these don’t work, the next step is to ask your doctor for a referral to an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist. With the help of an ENT, you’ll have access to a number of treatments, including dental devices and Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), a specially designed nasal mask that prevents your nasal passages from collapsing and delivers air directly into your airway.

If the otolaryngologist determines that tongue position during sleep is causing your UARS, she might recommend a dental device that pushes the jaw forward, which also pushes the tongue forward and prevents it from blocking the opening to the throat. If the obstruction is in the nasal passages, then CPAP is likely to work best. There are also minimally invasive surgical techniques available in cases where the obstruction is located in the area of the soft palate.

Getting a good night's sleep is absolutely essential in order to be at your best during the day- we talk about the ramifications of being sleep deprived frequently on the radio show: obesity, depression and anxiety, a higher risk of stroke, heart attack and early death- so if any of this sounds like it might apply to you, take action. Once you experience what if feels like to sleep deeply again, it might just seem as if life's given you a perpetual Saturday morning.

John

Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

Check out the new John Tesh Social Network. You can connect with new friends, post your own blog, visit various forums, upload your favorite John Tesh music and share your photos.  To learn more about how to join, click here.

Food to help you fall asleep faster.

Most of us have had at least one of these- I know I have:  nights where you couldn't fall asleep.  Then you become frustrated because you can't sleep.  Before too long, you realize that you're going to be tired the next day at work.  Great- what a day to be dragging- the biggest meeting of the quarter is first thing in the morning- and you're leading it!  At this point, who could fall asleep with this kind of stress and anxiety at work?  Time to stop this chain of events right in its tracks!  If it takes you more than 15 minutes to fall asleep at night, quicken your trip to dreamland by changing what you eat in the evening. MSN's Health & Fitness says it can make the difference between staring at the ceiling and sleeping like a baby.

For years, the top food on the snooze list was turkey, because it contains sleep-inducing tryptophan (credited with all those Thanksgiving naps). But researchers have done an about-face and nixed this connection. Why? Turkey, like most foods, just doesn't contain enough tryptophan to put you to sleep, explains Elizabeth Somer, R.D., author of The Food & Mood Cookbook: Recipes for Eating Well and Feeling Your Best.

Instead, think light, but high-carbohydrate snacks. Carbs boost levels of the brain's sleep chemical serotonin without overloading your digestive system. If you like, wash them down with something warm and soothing, such as a cup of herbal tea (chamomile, lemon balm, or valerian) or warm milk.

10 top sleep boosters

Nibble on one of these 10 high-carb calmers an hour before bedtime. You just might find yourself yawning in no time.

1. Half of a whole-wheat English muffin or raisin bagel drizzled with honey
2. Two cups of air-popped popcorn
3. A small slice of angel food cake topped with berries
4. A frozen whole-wheat waffle, toasted, with maple syrup
5. Half a cup of pretzels
6. Fresh strawberries dunked in a little fat-free chocolate syrup
7. Half a cup of pasta topped with marinara sauce
8. A 4-ounce baked potato topped with salsa
9. A handful of oyster crackers and a piece of fruit
10. Canned mandarin oranges sprinkled with crystallized ginger

The benefits of sleep?  We talk about sleep a lot here, and on the radio show.  You can only fake it for so long on not enough of it.  Getting the sleep you need goes well beyond good moods and lots of energy. Getting six to eight hours of sleep a night can make you live longer, and prevent premature death...not to mention leading a great business meeting.  Enjoy your waffle.

John

Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

Check out the new John Tesh Social Network. You can connect with new friends, post your own blog, visit various forums, upload your favorite John Tesh music and share your photos.  To learn more about how to join, click here.

Don't hear the birds singing in the morning? You're not alone!

Okay, so you're not that perky, naturally happy early riser, ready to enjoy all that the morning has to offer. Not everyone is born that way, and those who are, to those who aren't...well, that can be a downright ugly morning combo, can't it?  But the right perspective and a few small adjustments, mostly to your sleeping habits, can help turn your morning into a much more rewarding time, and maybe even one of the most relaxing and energizing parts of your day.  Read on, from Whole Living, and Body and Soul Magazine:

First things first, which may mean resetting your natural alarm: You'll never enjoy the morning if you don't get a good night's sleep. For some people, that means a solid nine hours of uninterrupted slumber; for others, seven hours of shut-eye will do. Sleep expert James B. Maas, Ph.D., author of Power Sleep, notes that eight hours of sleep is the average- but only an average, not a rigid goal. What works best for you, my tired friend, is how much you need. When you're not getting enough sleep, you're the first to know. Shifting your sleep schedule is possible, says Maas, but it requires commitment. "If you're a night person, and you want or need to become a day person, you can do it, but you have to be serious about it. You can't flip-flop," he advises. Here's how to alter your habits in favor of an earlier (and happier) morning.

Make a gradual shift. If you find it hard to fall asleep at night, take things slowly when it comes to establishing a new time for bed. Try hitting the hay five minutes earlier each night, and in less than two weeks you will have shifted your bedtime by one hour.

Resist the urge to snooze. We've talked about this before on the show: hitting the snooze bar is an exercise in futility- and torture. You'll get at best 5 or 10 minutes of fragmented sleep, notes Maas, and may arise feeling groggier than when your alarm first went off. Instead of sneaking in 10 more minutes of sleep, try going to bed 10 minutes earlier instead.

Expose yourself to bright daylight. This is one of the best and most effective things you can do to wake yourself up, says Maas. By opening the curtains and the windows or getting outside, you cue your brain to repress the production of melatonin, the hormone that regulates sleep. Natural daylight works best, but if you get up before sunrise or simply can't get enough natural light, consider using a sun-mimicking device as an alternative.

Don't lose sleep over exercise. While you may choose to exercise in the morning, Maas recommends against sacrificing sleep for it. "Never truncate your sleep in order to work out. This puts you at a greater risk of injury," he advises. Only when you have had enough uninterrupted hours of sleep should you think about getting up to exercise.

Be consistent. "You don't get two biological clocks -- one for weekdays and one for weekends," says Maas. "That means you have to stick by one." Sleeping late on the weekends to compensate for lack of sleep during the week will throw you off, making Monday mornings even worse than they need to be. While keeping a consistent sleep schedule is ideal, it's not always reasonable or practical. Your best bet is to try to keep your schedule fairly regular (that is, getting up and going to bed within an hour or so of your weekday schedule).

Plan your evenings. How you wind down the day may affect the quality of your sleep -- and therefore the quality of the following morning. For some, eating a chocolate bar, watching a dramatic movie, or arguing right before bed will be enough to derail sleep. Be aware of your particular sensitivities; avoid those things you know will keep you up.

Ready for experiment time?  Then try this for a few weeks at least.  Let me know if you find success!  (And/or more, and better, sleep!)

John

Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

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It's Monday. If you feel like it's FRIDAY already, maybe you need more sleep.

Ever hear of scheduling a good night's sleep?  Sounds kind of silly, I know, but it might be one of the smartest things you could do for your health.  Why?  Many of us are cheating ourselves out of much needed rest, and it's wreaking havoc on our health.  Between one  job- and these days perhaps two or more!, kids, aging parents, and a host of activities demanding our time, we end up skimping where we should never skimp:  our nightly rest.  From U.S. News and World Report, it's not just daytime drowsiness you risk when shortchanging yourself on your seven to eight hours. Possible health consequences of getting too little or poor sleep can involve so many components of our bodies and health. Here's how the research stacks up:

1) Less may mean more. For people who sleep under seven hours a night, the fewer zzzz's they get, the more obese they tend to be, according to a 2006 Institute of Medicine report. This is where the hunger hormones get out of whack. Leptin, which suppresses appetite, is lowered; ghrelin, which stimulates appetite, gets a boost.

2) You're more apt to make bad food choices, and because you're tired and your body is trying to get energy, you want to eat more to begin with! A study published recently in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that people with obstructive sleep apnea or other severely disordered breathing while asleep ate a diet higher in cholesterol, protein, total fat, and total saturated fat. Women were especially affected.

3) Diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance, its precursor, may become more likely. A 2005 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that people getting five or fewer hours of sleep each night were 2.5 times more likely to be diabetic, while those with six hours or fewer were 1.7 times more likely.

4) How about your heart? A 2003 study found that heart attacks were 45 percent more likely in women who slept for five or fewer hours per night than in those who got more.

5) Blood pressure may increase. Obstructive sleep apnea, for example, has been associated with chronically elevated daytime blood pressure, and the more severe the disorder, the more significant the hypertension.

6) We talked about this one last week- your slow reaction time increases your risk of being in an auto accident rises greatly. A 2007 report in the New England Journal of Medicine cites that nearly 20 percent of serious car crash injuries involve a sleepy driver—and that's independent of alcohol use.

7) Your balance can get out of whack, too, and if you're older, you could be 2-4.5 times more likely to sustain a fall if you have trouble getting to sleep, wake up at night, or are drowsy during the day.

8) You may be more prone to depression. Adults who chronically operate on fumes report more mental distress, depression, and alcohol use. Adolescents suffer, too: One survey of high school students found similarly high rates of these issues. Middle schoolers, too, report more symptoms of depression and lower self-esteem.

9) Kids may suffer more behavior problems. Children who are plagued by insomnia, not enough sleep at night, or breathing problems (perhaps associated with obesity, for one), are more likely to have behavioral issues like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or behavior that simply resembles ADHD.

10) The last one is perhaps the most sobering of what your lack of sleep can do- long term, people who sleep 5 hours or less per night could be looking at a 15% greater risk of dying earlier, regardless of the cause.

This goes way beyond taking a weekend morning to enjoy sleeping in.  Turn the TV, the cell phone, or the computer OFF, and give yourself what you'll appreciate much more in the morning:  a great night's sleep.  Try it tonight.

John

Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

Check out the new John Tesh Social Network. You can connect with new friends, post your own blog, visit various forums, upload your favorite John Tesh music and share your photos.  To learn more about how to join, click here.