After having a baby I learned the concept of “overtired” and it has completely changed the way I treat insomnia in adults.
A Crash Course On Improving Sleep (From A Holistic Psychiatrist)
Originally published in mindbodygreen
As a holistic psychiatrist practicing in NYC, one of the most common complaints I hear from patients is that they can’t sleep. Some people can’t fall asleep, some can’t stay asleep, others sleep eight-plus hours and still feel tired all day.
I tend to believe in the body’s ability to figure it out and heal…as long as we get out of the way. Our sleep wake cycle is cued by things like light changes, temperature changes, and routine. As you know, modern living comes with artificial light after sunset, consistent indoor temperatures whether the sun is at high noon or long gone behind the horizon, unpredictable schedules, and chronic low-grade stress. You can begin to see how modern living has messed with everybody’s clycles, leaving us all tired but wired at night and dragging ourselves through the day.
Are You So Hydrated You’re Dehydrated?
We’re taught that we should drink eight 8 oz glasses of water a day and our pee should be clear and copious. What if we’re going about hydration wrong?
Lower Your Standards For Exercise
Struggle to exercise? Time to lower your standards.
A Doctor’s Top 5 Foods for Better Sleep
Originally published in mindbodygreen
Does what we eat really affect our sleep? Short answer: yes. Just as a triple-shot Frappuccino at 9 p.m. would be destructive for your sleep, there are also foods that can help support a good night’s rest.
Here are five great ones I recommend to patients:
How To Travel Better
Preparing to hit the road for 6 months, I’m learning the do’s and don’ts of travel. Here are some take-aways.
Sugar Is As Addictive As Cocaine–And The Withdrawal Is Just As Real. A Doctor Explains Exactly How To Deal With It
Originally published in mindbodygreen
As you know, for tens of thousands of years of human evolution, the hard part was getting enough to survive. These days, in many parts of the world, the hard part is resisting the tray of cookies in the break room, or the second half of the pint of ice cream after you just mindlessly ate the first half. The availability of calories and the challenges to our survival have been flipped upside down. That’s the context you need to realize why your brain loooooves sugar. If you’re on the savannah and barely scraping together enough calories to survive, sugar is like: jackpot.
3 Holistic Techniques You Can Do Now To Feel Less Anxious
Originally published in mindbodygreen
1. Stabilize your blood sugar.
Problem: Anxiety occurs when the body is tripped into the “fight-or-flight mode” or “stress response.” Sometimes the stress response is out of your control, like during a big presentation at work or traffic on your commute, but other times it’s completely preventable. One very common and preventable cause of stress response is low blood sugar. Many of you are already familiar with the experience of feeling “hangry” (hungry/angry). For some people, blood sugar dips cause anxiety. And most of the time these folks aren’t even aware of this connection. If this is you, you can make yourself significantly less anxious by maintaining stable blood sugar.
Found: The Best Anti-Inflammatory Make-Ahead Work Lunches
By Liz Moody – Originally published in mindbodygreen
Sauerkraut with greens and beef
I throw sautéed greens, ground beef, sweet potatoes, and sauerkraut into a bowl and throw it in my bag. The combination of the beneficial bacteria in sauerkraut and the starch in the sweet potatoes (which serves as food for the bacteria) is a great way to repopulate your gut flora with the right bacteria. The greens are packed with antioxidants, and the fatty beef stabilizes your blood sugar, which prevents inflammatory spikes in insulin.
—Ellen Vora, M.D., mbg Collective member and founder of EllenVora.com
Weight Loss (part 3)
Four high-yield tips for weight loss.