July 2023

Strategies for Insomnia
By: Kyo Mitchell / A Healthier You
Insomnia is a problem for many people as
they grow older. While insomnia is a complex
medical problem and no “one size fits all” strategy
will work for everyone, there are
certain principles that can be applied
to help people sleep better.
Making the transition to sleep
is not simply a passive process of
turning off the brain. There are steps
in different areas of the brain to go
through in order for a person to sleep.
A simple example is the pineal
gland making serotonin, a step
necessary for sleep. This is why many
people use melatonin.
Melatonin is the chemical precursor to serotonin but where serotonin
cannot cross the blood brain barrier, melatonin crosses it easily. This
gives the pineal gland the resource it needs to help make the transition
to sleep.
Insomnia is not only a problem of proper processes happening
correctly but can also be a problem of parts of the brain functioning
incorrectly. The brain has a complex series of structures called the
Hypothalamic-Pituitary- Adrenal axis (HPA axis).
The hypothalamus is the part of your brain that sends input to the
pituitary, the master control area for hormonal functions in the body.
The pituitary will then send input to hormonal centers of the body,
including the adrenal glands.
The reason this is important is
that if a person is stressed (or was
to a high degree in the past) the
adrenal glands will release cortisol
usually between 2-4 am. Cortisol is
your “get up and go” and is supposed
to be released when you wake in the
morning.
If it is released in the early hours of
the night, your body thinks it is done
sleeping and is supposed to start its
day. Translation: If cortisol is released
at the wrong time, you wake between 2 and 4 am and cannot go back
to sleep. The only way to correct this is to reset the HPA axis.
Dr. Kyo Mitchell served as faculty at Bastyr University in Seattle
and Wongu University in Las Vegas for over a decade. Dr. Mitchell
practices in Summerlin and can be reached at 702-481-6216 or
rkyomitchell@gmail.com.
By: Mary Richard / Health Fitness
For those of us on a fixed income, there still
are ways to help keep
our budget and costs down
despite the higher prices. I’ve been a “frugal”
shopper all my life - having learned throughout
the years how to do this.
It still takes me awhile to prepare dinners,
but with frozen items, it makes my precious
time more valuable. I still work on keeping my
health up and with nutritious meals carefully
itemized, I can maintain my wellness.
Yes, coupons (both paper and digital) are a
must to help you. I look through the ads that
we receive each Tuesday via mail from various
grocery stores and peruse the booklets that we
receive as well.
I look for the “clearance” items in the grocery
stores, checking expiration dates to be sure they
are within the safety zone. I always have “on hand” in my pantry the
staples - pasta, cans of tomato sauces, rice, various canned vegetables,
beans, and broths (for soups).
Every Sunday I try to make up a pot of soup with fresh vegetables
32
Are You a “Frugal” Shopper?
July 2023
that I have in the fridge. By the way - you can also get onions on sale,
dice them up, place them into packages and freeze them.
That way I don’t have to worry about them
going bad on me. Avocadoes (when on sale) can
be mashed, scooped onto a plate and frozen.
Then you put them into baggies and defrost to
use for avocado toast, etc.
Over the years, I’ve become a “freezer queen.”
When I purchase that rotisserie chicken (Costco,
of course!) I separate them into bags, freeze
them and have ready-made snacks, entrees or
soup ingredients.
I even boil the bones to make a delicious
broth. I then add onions, celery, carrots, some
rice or small macaroni with a little chicken to
make soup.
Yes, it takes time to prepare items for the
freezer, but if done right and sale purchased, you
can save mucho money!
POSITIVE ATTITUDE AND HAPPY HEALTH TO ALL!
Mary Richard is a long term supporter of senior fitness. She
teaches Zumba, toning and dance classes throughout the Las
Vegas Valley. She can be reached at zumbaqueen@cox.net.