It needs to be complemented by healthy dietary choices along with many other healthy lifestyle practices. We believe one of the great challenges for health and wellness providers is getting the desired results for their clients when certain self-defeating behaviours interfere with the health plans. These can be activities such as smoking, unhealthy diet, lack of movement, or a combination of other lifestyle factors. 

This is where the team of BrainFit Resorts can support you.

Our team has designed the Behaviour-Change Support Program to aid the implementation of your health plans with the science of behaviour change.

In our experience, some clients can prove challenging due to their seemingly uncooperative attitude, frequent cancellations, and coming up with excuses on a regular basis for not achieving their desired goals. Yet, in reality the issue is that these clients need a more targeted support approach where they are helped in developing specific skills they require to succeed in implementing the desired changes. 

The Behaviour-Change Support Program can help these clients by first identifying the behavioural patterns that are causing such problems, and introducing robust support systems that will help them make sustainable changes to their daily living. 

Promoting a healthier living is a task easier said than done, but the Behaviour-Change Support Program has a team of doctors and specialists who have a proven track record with helping your clients shift challenging and potentially unhealthy habits. 

The personalised solutions we employ are science-based and results-oriented, and our custom approach to each client creates a unique experience. 

Custom behavioural change strategies that are adapted for each client helps them achieve their prescribed goals and develop lifestyle habits that are health-enhancing and sustainable.

The Behaviour-Change Support Program is currently offering a 21 days free trial program so you and your clients can experience our expertise and capabilities, to uncover if we could be the client solution you’ve been looking for. If you want your clients to achieve improved health and make lifestyle changes such as quitting smoking, eating healthy, losing weight or just enhancing their physical activities, then the Behaviour-Change Support Program at BrainFit Resorts is the perfect program.

How does the program work?

• We work with your client as a support team to apply your prescribed wellness plan.
• We apply the latest research into habit formation and behaviour change.
• We use a combination of strategies: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment therapy, clinical hypnosis and mindfulness, delivered remotely via mobile apps, so clients can be supported in their native environments.
• We apply these strategies to achieve your short- and long-term health goals and support your customers with an individualised plan that fits their readiness stage and needs.
• We provide your clients with weekly and daily support with face to face sessions and text messages.
• We will send you a progress report during and at the completion of the program.

What are the benefits to you?

The benefits to healthcare providers include:

• You will increase client satisfaction and the effectiveness of your health care plans.
• You will have the benefits of a support service for your more challenging cases completely for free.
• You will have the opportunity to add your webpage link to our Behavioural Support webpage when you refer just three clients. 

Interested? Contact our Chief Clinical Psychologist, Dr Susanna Zito, at susanna@brainfitresorts.com for more information and to request a client referral form.

1. Individual risk factors assessment
2. Nutrition, supplements and brain-healthy diet
3. Physical activity and exercise
4. Stress reduction and management
5. Sleep health
6. Memory and information load management
7. Cognitive stimulation and training
8. Social engagement
9. Innovative cognitive enhancers/stimulants

Read also:

The Science Behind Dementia Prevention

5 Steps To Preventing Alzheimer’s Disease

However, I think there is still a misconception that Psychologists are seen only when there is a serious mental health problem, overwhelming feelings, and disruption to life.

It is true that many Psychologists are trained in the assessment and treatment of Mental Disorders, in treating trauma, substance use issues, in supporting individuals and families dealing with grief and loss; issues that are serious, disrupt life and cause immense pain and suffering.

However, the specific set of skills Psychologists have can be used effectively to support change in people who want to simply shift their life and take better care of themselves.

It does not necessarily mean there is trauma or chaos.

It means someone has identified a gap in their life and wants to make a change that matters.

This can sometimes be difficult because of many reasons: poor insight, old habits, self-limiting beliefs, past history, or a limited set of coping strategies, can all get in the way.

A psychologist can help you change that, identify why this change matters to motivate you further, explore what behaviors you may be engaging in that keep you stuck, what skills do you need to develop, and what behaviors need to shift or be replaced with more self-serving ones.

This can be applied to many areas of one’s life, like lifestyle choices, health matters, nutrition, physical activity, relationships, parenting, employment, life goals, and also retirement.

I usually look for what life “gap” is the person experiencing.

What important aspect of who they want to be is not being fulfilled, and from there, we look at what thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are getting in the way of value-driven action.

All of this can take time and practice for the person developing his new ways.

The Psychologist helps by bringing all the evidence-based knowledge into practice with tips on new habit formation, on how to effectively deal with the inevitable hurdles of change, whilst supporting the refinement of new effective behavioral skills.

So if you have tried to make changes but “it was too hard”, have old “unchangeable habits”, find “change too stressful”  and yet you are keen to shift your life for the better, I encourage you to consider reaching out to a Psychologist who may just be the right support for you.

We hope these tips provide you with some insights and assistance to living your most brain healthy life.

If you enjoyed reading this blog, and want to see more of our articles relating to psychology, check out the links to some of our other articles and videos below:

• VIDEO: Is your MIND getting in the way of YOUR life? (4 Minutes)
• Can STRESS be good for us?
• How to move past thoughts of negativity
• Why use Mindfulness Self Compassion?

Have you tried out Brain Health Survey?

This quick survey of 20 questions will give you a comprehensive PDF report that you can download straight to your desktop PC or mobile device and provide some guidance on what might be putting YOUR brain health at risk!

The survey is FREE and takes just 4-6 minutes on average to complete, so why not try it today? The results may just surprise you…

Click on the button below to start NOW!

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If you would like us to feature a particular topic or interest in one of our upcoming articles or videos, leave a comment below with the details or alternatively, send us an email to info@brainfitresorts.com.

We’d love to hear what’s on your mind.

Lastly, if you know someone who may benefit from this article or any of our other features, please SHARE this article with them using the icons below and help us to better enrich the lives of those who need it.

Until next time… Live Strong. Live Well. Live BrainFit.

Whether it’s looking better, feeling better, having more energy, being more physically able, or more importantly, preventing a whole lot of medical issues.

But, the word diet comes with many negative connotations.

Eat this. Don’t eat that. This has high cholesterol. That has too much sodium.

It seems like today, there’s a million and one diet styles, choices, plans, issues, benefits, concerns, etc.

And, with each passing week, one form of research disproves a diet that was supposedly beneficial only the week before.

We know we have to eat healthily.

We know that as we age, more care and consideration should be given to our food choices.

But, with so many “diets” to choose from, how can you know for sure what you should and should not be consuming?

Well, today we aim to remove the myths around “fad diets” and give you EXACTLY what you need to know, so you can make the RIGHT changes in your food choices and live out your lifestyle in the way YOU want to.

What do we mean by “Diet”?

First, we start by taking some consideration of what a “Diet” actually is.

The formal definition of diet has two meanings:

1. The kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually
2. A special course of food to which one restricts oneself, either to lose weight or for medical reasons.

In many ways, these two definitions are opposing and even mutually exclusive because the latter is a regime, a restricted plan, that is difficult to maintain and sustain.

Follow-up studies conclusively show that 95% of people who “went on a diet” could not maintain it after just one year.

This has been known as “yoyo dieting” when people on a weight-loss diet not only regained their pre-diet weight but even gained weight beyond their starting point.

Everyone knows that it is easy to lose weight, but the real challenge is to maintain it after losing it.

So, my answer to the question in the topic is: Yes to diet, but not to diet, or in other words: don’t eat food that you cannot habitually eat as part of your every-day life.

This means that restricting yourself is counterproductive and we need to find ways to make our diet a good habit that is sustainable.

Macro-nutrients and micro-nutrients

The composition of our diet is essential to meeting the needs of our body, in order to grow, develop, function and repair.

The food we eat contains the body’s building blocks and energy sources.

Macro-nutrients are those that we need in large amounts (carbohydrates, proteins, and fats) and micro-nutrients (vitamins and minerals) are those we need in small amounts.

Let’s look at each of these in more detail, because over the last decade specifically, carbohydrates and fats continue to come under the microscope as the culprits for gaining weight.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy and they are broken down to sugar (glucose), which all cells can use.

Typically they can be found in plant food (fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, seeds, etc.).

However, carbohydrates have a limited capacity to be stored in the body as such, and when consumed in excess (beyond our energy requirements) they will be stored as fat, and unfortunately, this storage form is unlimited.

Fats

Fats or oils that we eat are broken down to fatty acids which are used as structural building blocks of all body tissues (cell membranes) and some organs which have a high-fat content (like the brain and nerves).

Fats also serve metabolic functions, by providing building blocks for steroids and some hormones or serve as solvents for hormones and fat-soluble enzymes.

They are further divided into saturated fats (meat, egg yolk and dairy products), unsaturated fats (fish, certain oils, nuts, and seeds), and trans-fats which are mostly artificial (i.e. resulting from an industrial process to increase the shelf-life of goods).

Over the last decade, there has been a tremendous change in our understanding of the role of fat in our diet and how bad it is for our health.

In general, unsaturated fats provide substantial health benefits, saturated fats are good, but in moderation, and trans-fats (or hydrogenated oils) are the “bad guys”.

Proteins

Proteins in our diet are broken down to amino acids, which serve as the structural elements of every cell, tissue, and organ in our body.

They also facilitate many vital processes of body maintenance and repair (enzymes, antibodies, DNA, and neurotransmitters).

Proteins are therefore essential for repairing and regenerating body tissues and cells, a healthy functioning immune system and manufacturing hormones.

They can be found in poultry, fish, meat, dairy products, as well as plant sources (beans, greens, seeds, and nuts).

Micro-nutrients

Micro-nutrients include vitamins and minerals.

Vitamins are organic compounds made by plants and animals and minerals are inorganic, exist in soil or water.

Vitamins and minerals are vital for growth, immune function, brain development, and many other important functions, and must be consumed from food, as the body is unable to produce them.

All diets contain a combination of these macro- and micro-nutrients in different proportions.

Healthy diets

Now that we have a good understanding of what’s IN the foods we eat, how does all of this translate into a healthy diet?

A healthy diet is one that helps to maintain or improve overall health.

A healthy diet provides the body with its essential nutrition: fluid, macro-nutrients, micro-nutrients, and adequate energy (calories)

FROM: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthy_diet.

Diets have been intensively investigated for their effects on human health, by following large groups of subjects who kept daily records of what they ate for several years.

These subjects also weighed themselves regularly, took routine lab tests and were monitored for the development of a large myriad of diseases (cardiovascular, metabolic, dementia, cancer, etc.,) and the occurrence of disease-related deaths.

Low-carbohydrate versus low-fat diets

For many years we used to advocate low-fat diets as the healthiest diets, believing that the fats we consume are the major contributors to body fat and obesity-related morbidity and mortality.

While there is some truth in that “bad fats” can contribute to atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases, it is not the fat we eat that makes us gain body fat, for the most part, this is the excess of sugars and carbohydrates in our food.

A landmark study followed 218,000 participants from 1000 communities, across 21 countries and 6 continents, with multiple ethnic groups and cultural diversity, examined the diet constituents that promote heart health and longevity globally.

This study, named PURE (Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiological) and published in 2017, noted that higher carbohydrate intake is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, whereas total dietary fat and types of fat (except trans-fats) are not associated with cardiovascular disease or mortality.

It also noted that dietary saturated fat (the “old-time enemy”) had an inverse relationship with stroke and all-cause mortality; meaning that higher intake may be protective.

Many other studies have since similarly suggested that the long-running war on fat turns out to be a case of “friendly fire” (i.e., we have been shooting our aid and not the enemy).

Keto Diet and Intermittent Fasting

Ketogenic or Keto diets are characterized by very low consumption of carbohydrates (less than 20-30 gram of carbs/day) and relatively high consumption of fat (70% of daily calorie requirements) and protein (25% of daily calorie requirements).

These diets change your metabolism or the way in which the body processes energy.

In a keto diet, the body is deprived of glucose derived from carbs, so it starts using fat as an alternative source of energy.

Fat breakdown (mainly in the liver) results in the production of ketones, which are excellent alternative energy sources.

The keto diets have been shown to have health and anti-aging benefits, and have been associated with brain protection and lower cognitive decline. This is partly explained by the fact that ketones (resulting from fat breakdown) are the more efficient energy source for the brain than glucose.

Fasting has been shown for years to be an effective nonpharmacologic strategy for fighting a large range of disorders (metabolic and cardiovascular diseases, cancer and epilepsy), as well as promoting “detoxification” (cleansing) and longevity (anti-aging).

Intermittent fasting (IF) is not a diet, but rather a dieting pattern.

In simpler terms: it’s making a conscious decision to skip certain meals on purpose.

Intermittent fasting generally means that you consume your calories during a specific window of the day, and choose not to eat food for the larger part of the day.

They come in various shapes and forms:

• Alternate Day Fasting (ADF) is the strictest form of IF besides religious fasting, which involves 24-hours complete fasting followed by a 24-hours non-fasting period. There is an alternate day modified fasting (ADMF) which allows the consumption of approximately 25% of daily calorie needs on fasting days instead of full fasting.
• Whole-day fasting (WDF) involves regular one or two fasting days per week. As an example, 5:2 diets requires five non-fasting days and 2 fasting days in a week. During the fasting days, it allows approximately 500 to 600 calories or about 25% of regular daily caloric intake.
• Time-restricted feeding (TRF) involves eating only during a certain number of hours each day. An example can be 16:8 diets which advocate 16 fasting hours cycled by 8 non-fasting hours.

FROM: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermittent_fasting

Clinical studies suggest that intermittent fasting is effective for weight loss, reversal or improvement of type 2 diabetes, hypertension and abnormal lipids (elevated cholesterol or triglycerides).

There are also anecdotal accounts of improved cognitive skills in people with dementia or pre-dementia.

However, there are no good, long-term human studies that have examined the effects of IF on human cognition and its ability to prevent cognitive decline or dementia.

Brain-healthy diets

Many diets were initially investigated for their protective effects on cardiovascular health.

Considering the role of cardiovascular disease in cognitive decline and dementia, it makes sense to advocate a heart-healthy diet for brain health.

However, over the last several years a lot of research has come out which informed us about those diets which also protect our brain.

The Mediterranean diet

The Mediterranean diet is a diet inspired by the eating habits of people who lived in the olive-growing regions of Italy and Greece, who in the 1960s had a very high life expectancy and low rates of coronary heart disease and certain cancers.

It has repeatedly shown positive effects for general and cardiovascular health by numerous studies, and it also tops the list of best diets for brain health.

It is typically low in saturated fats and is characterised by a high intake of whole grains (cereals), fruits, vegetables, legumes (peas, beans, lentils), nuts, healthy unsaturated fats (mostly olive oil) and fish; regular and moderate intake of alcohol (usually wine during meals); and low intake of red meat, poultry and full-fat dairy.

A large body of evidence supports that the Mediterranean diet has a protective role against cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and its early stages (MCI).

Of particular importance, the recently completed PREDIMED (PREvención con DIeta Mediterránea) study is the first clinical trial that compared the effects of a long-term Mediterranean diet (MeDi) intervention to a control diet (advice to reduce dietary fat).

The trial, conducted in Spain, showed that greater adherence to the MeDi resulted in a 30% reduction of major cardiovascular events and superior cognitive performance over a period of 6.5 years.

Interestingly, a subgroup supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) had the strongest positive effect on cognitive function and was the only dietary component that slowed the onset of mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

The DASH Diet

The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet was developed from an initiative to examine dietary factors that affect blood pressure. The DASH diet is high in fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains (cereals), low-fat dairy products, fish, chicken, and lean meats, and therefore is designed to be low in saturated fat; moderately high in protein; and low in sodium (salt), sweetened beverages, and red and processed meats.

While some studies suggested that the DASH diet protects the brain against cognitive decline and dementia, other studies could not support this.

The MIND diet

The MIND (Mediterranean-DASH diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) diet was based on the dietary components of the MeDi and DASH diets with modifications that highlight the foods and nutrients shown to be associated with dementia prevention.

Among the MIND diet components, there are 10 brain-healthy food groups (green leafy vegetables, other vegetables, nuts, berries, beans, whole grains, seafood, poultry, olive oil, and wine) and five unhealthy food groups (red meats, butter and stick margarine, cheese, pastries and sweets, and fried/fast food).

Hence, MIND diet uniquely specifies consumption of berries and green leafy vegetables and does not specify high fruit consumption (both DASH and MeDi), high dairy consumption (DASH), or high fish consumption (MeDi).

There is limited support for the protective effects of this diet on cognitive functioning.

So which diet should I choose?

As you can see from the components of all these diets there is a significant overlap in the characteristics of all diets that are associated with better cognitive function.

There is a general consensus that your diet should have a high consumption of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, whole grains, and fish as well as reducing consumption of red meat, sugars (sweets and sugary drinks), trans and saturated fats, salt, and highly processed or pre-packaged foods.

See the below recommendations:

Foods to include

• Consume predominantly a plant-based diet that is rich in vegetables and fruits. Choose local and seasonal fruits and vegetables when available, however, be certain to frequently include:
  • Raw leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables (eg, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, and radishes)
  • Fresh or frozen berries
• Include unsalted nuts, or all-natural nut butter, daily as a snack, cooking ingredient, or adding to salads
• Ensure that your diet is rich in whole grains, beans, and pulses
  • Routinely add beans, peas, and lentils to soups, salads, casseroles, and other main dishes
  • Select high-fiber cereals, brown rice, and whole-grain bread and cereals
• Consume fish frequently, with an emphasis on fatty fish such as salmon, sardines, and mackerel
• Use extra virgin olive oil as your main culinary oil.
• Select low-fat milk (skim or 1%), yogurt (0%-2%), and cheese (~22%)

Foods to limit

• Limit your intake of meat and poultry
  • More severely restrict your intake of red and processed meats such that they are only consumed occasionally
• Restrict your use of butter, hard margarine, cream, or high-fat dairy spreads
• Limit your intake of sweets and processed foods including:
  • Pre-packaged sides and meals (eg, canned soup, instant noodles, frozen appetizers, and TV dinners)
  • Salty snacks (eg, potato chips and fries) or fried food
  • Store-bought dairy desserts (including ice cream, frozen yogurt, puddings, and custard)
  • Baked goods, especially store-bought (eg, cookies, muffins, scones, croissants, doughnuts, cakes, and pie)
  • Candy, chocolate, bonbons
  • Pop, sweetened fruit juice, or any other sugary drinks

We hope these tips provide you with some insights and assistance to living your most brain healthy life.

If you enjoyed reading this blog, and want to see more of our articles relating to nutrition and brain-healthy foods, check out the links to some of our other articles below:

• Understanding Belly Fat and What To Do About It
• How Iron and B Vitamins Improve Brain Activity
• Apricots: A Daily Nutrition Booster
• Can Vitamin C and E Help Prevent Dementia?

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If you would like us to feature a particular topic or interest in one of our upcoming articles or videos, leave a comment below with the details or alternatively, send us an email to info@brainfitresorts.com.

We’d love to hear what’s on your mind.

Lastly, if you know someone who may benefit from this article or any of our other features, please SHARE this article with them using the icons below and help us to better enrich the lives of those who need it.

Until next time… Live Strong. Live Well. Live BrainFit.

References:

• Dehghan M, Mente A, Zhang X, et al. Associations of fats and carbohydrate intake with cardiovascular disease and mortality in 18 countries from five continents (PURE): a prospective cohort study. Lancet 2017;390:2050-2062.
• Zhu Y, Bo Y, Liu Y. Dietary total fat, fatty acids intake, and risk of cardiovascular disease: a dose-response meta-analysis of cohort studies, Lipids Health Dis. 2019 Apr 6;18(1):91.
• Wu L, Sun D. Adherence to Mediterranean diet and risk of developing cognitive disorders: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Sci Rep. 2017;7:41317.
• Loughrey DG, Lavecchia S, Brennan S, Lawlor BA, Kelly ME. The Impact of the Mediterranean Diet on the Cognitive Functioning of Healthy Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Adv Nutr. 2017;8(4):571–586.
• Greenwood CE, Parrott MD. Nutrition as a component of dementia risk reduction strategies. Healthc Manage Forum. 2017 Jan;30(1):40-45. doi:10.1177/0840470416662885.

– Daniel Gartenberg

Sleeping seems like the most unproductive thing that we do.

We spend almost of a third of our lives motionless when we could be getting stuff done.

But, if you could see what your brain is doing while you sleep, you will soon realize that sleep is possibly the most productive thing you did all day.

It turns out that sleep is not only vital for many functions of the brain, but also for the effective and efficient functioning of most of our body systems.

All our body systems require long periods of sleep to restore and rejuvenate, to grow muscle, repair tissue, and synthesise hormones.

One of the vital roles of sleep is to help us solidify and consolidate memories, a process which involves the transfer of pieces of information from more tentative, short-term memory to stronger, long-term memory.

Research shows that after sleep, people tend to retain information and perform better on memory, attention and problem-solving tasks.

New research suggests that sleep at any age, especially from midlife onwards, is important for brain health.

During sleep and especially during deep sleep, the brain’s cleaning system (AKA the Glymphatic system) is operating to remove waste products, which if accumulated, can lead to cognitive decline and dementia in the aging brain.

Sleep problems, especially those associated with snoring and irregular breathing, are a major risk factor for developing dementia.

Lack of sleep can lead to impaired cognitive performance, mood changes (i.e., distress, anxiety and depression), accidents, elevated blood pressure, obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, stroke, dementia, cancer and decreased immunity (susceptibility to infections).

So if you’re fond of saying, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead”, well, that may be happening a lot faster than you anticipated.

How Much Sleep Do We Need?

Adults usually need 7-9 hours of sleep per night, but young adults and children may require more (8-11 hours).

Research shows that a person can’t just accumulate sleep deprivation and then log many hours of sleep to make up for it.

The best sleep habits are consistent, healthy routines that allow us, regardless of our age, to meet our sleep needs every night and keep on top of life’s challenges every day.

But sleep duration is not all, as sleep quality is just as important, and relates to the stages of sleep.

“Sleep is not a bank; you can’t store it up.”

Sleep quality or the stages of sleep

Based on the electrical activity in the brain (using an electroencephalogram, or EEG, which records electrical brain waves or currents), we can identify four distinct sleep stages.

The first two stages involve drowsiness, when someone just begins to fall asleep, and light sleep.

Stage 3 sleep is also known as slow-wave sleep or deep sleep, and it is the most restorative stage of sleep, considered to be especially important to overall restfulness.

The fourth stage is REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, which involves the eyeballs moving rapidly, and the body muscles are completely relaxed and limp. This is the time of sleep when our most vivid dreams are likely to occur.

These stages progress cyclically from 1 through REM then begin again with stage 1.

A complete sleep cycle takes an average of 90 to 110 minutes, with each stage lasting between 5 to 15 minutes.

The first sleep cycles each night have relatively short REM sleeps and long periods of a deep sleep, but later in the night, REM periods lengthen and deep sleep time decreases.

Sleeping less with age

Changes to our sleep patterns are a part of the normal aging process.

As people age, they tend to have a harder time falling asleep and more trouble staying asleep than when they were younger.

Older people wake up an average of 2 or 3 times each night and earlier in the morning.

Total sleep time stays the same or is slightly decreased (6.5 to 7 hours per night), but less time is spent in deep, regenerating stage 3 sleep.

This may explain why many older adults also report being less satisfied with sleep and more tired during the day.

Sleep problems: Insomnia, SDB, and OSA?

Insomnia is defined as insufficient sleep duration or quality, resulting from disturbance of sleep onset or sleep maintenance.

Insomnia varies in how long it lasts and how often it occurs. It can be short-term (acute insomnia) or can last for several months (chronic insomnia). It can also come and go, with periods when a person has no sleep problems.

Acute insomnia can last from one night to a few weeks and is only considered chronic when a person has insomnia at least three nights a week for three months or longer.

People with insomnia have one or more of the following symptoms:

• Difficulty falling asleep (takes longer than 30 min to fall asleep)
• Waking up often during the night and having trouble going back to sleep (staying awake for at least 30 min after falling asleep)
• Waking up too early in the morning
• A high degree of suffering
• Feeling tired upon waking
• Impairment in daily activities (difficulty concentrating, mood disturbances, decreased performance in work or at school)

In 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that more than a third of adults fail to get the recommended seven hours of sleep every day.

After 65 years of age, the incidence of insomnia may rise to 50%!

Snoring

Snoring is the primary cause of sleep disruption for many older adults, it is commonly associated with overweight and obesity, and it often becomes worse with age.

Snoring may be associated with an irregular breathing pattern, commonly known as “Sleep Disordered Breathing” (SDB).

In its more severe form, SDB is characterized by periods of not breathing at all, for as long as 10-60 seconds and it is called Obstructive Sleep Apnea, or OSA.

During periods of breathing stoppage (apneas) the amount of oxygen in the blood drops, causing brief arousal (awakening) and breathing resumes (sometimes with a loud gasping).

OSA causes multiple sleep disruptions throughout the night and results in excessive daytime sleepiness and impaired daytime function.

If untreated, it significantly increases your risk for chronic headaches, memory loss, cognitive decline, dementia, depression, and cardiovascular diseases.

Causes of sleep problems

Acute insomnia is brief and often happens because of life circumstances (for example, when you can’t fall asleep the night before an exam, or after receiving stressful or bad news).

It may also arise due to an acute illness or physical discomfort (i.e., pain).

Many people may have experienced this passing sleep disruption, and it tends to resolve without any treatment.

Chronic insomnia (i.e., disrupted sleep that occurs at least three nights per week and lasts at least three months) can have many causes, including unhealthy sleep habits, shift work, family and job stresses, anxiety disorders, depression, and environmental factors like noise, light, or extreme temperatures.

People with chronic insomnia may benefit from some form of treatment to help them get back to healthy sleep patterns.

Chronic insomnia can be a manifestation of another medical or psychiatric issue, which needs to be ruled out or addressed.

Diagnosis and treatment of sleep problems

Sleep problems are usually diagnosed by obtaining a good history of sleeping habits and lifestyle.

It is important to determine if it is acute or chronic and if chronic, to explore whether there are coexisting medical or psychiatric issues.

In some cases and especially for SDB’s and OSA’s, a study in a sleep laboratory (where EEG, eye movements, breathing rate, and oxygen saturation are measured) is advisable.

Nowadays, there are some new ways (wearable devices which monitor your heart rate, body movements and even your oxygen saturation) to get insights on your sleep habits, stages and wakefulness periods throughout the night.

However, caution should be applied when interpreting results from these devices, as they are prone to large inaccuracies.

It is worthwhile to speak to your doctor about insomnia symptoms and about any effects these symptoms may have.

Your doctor can help assess how serious a problem it is and what to do about it.

Treatment for chronic insomnia includes first treating any underlying conditions or health problems that are causing insomnia.

Both behavioral therapies and prescription medications singly or in combination are considered effective means to treat insomnia, but the former are recommended as the first-line treatment.

Behavioral approaches (i.e., meditation and relaxation exercises) help you to change behaviors that may worsen insomnia and to learn new behaviors to promote sleep.

If insomnia continues, your health care provider may suggest short term treatment of sleeping pills, however chronic use of some sleeping pills has been associated with sleepiness during daytime, memory problems and decline in other cognitive functions.

Good Sleep hygiene

Here are some tips for good sleep habits and beating insomnia (adapted from WebMD):

• Try to go to sleep at the same time each night and get up at the same time each morning. Try not to take naps during the day, because naps may make you less sleepy at night.
• Before bedtime or falling asleep, avoid exposure to screens of television sets, smart-phones or reading devices (“e-books”) that give off (blue) light. This can make it harder to fall asleep.
• Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol late in the day. Caffeine and nicotine are stimulants and can keep you from falling asleep. Alcohol can cause waking in the night and interferes with sleep quality.
• Get regular exercise. Try not to exercise close to bedtime, because it may stimulate you and make it hard to fall asleep. Experts suggest not exercising for at least three to four hours before the time you go to sleep.
• Don’t eat a heavy meal late in the day. A light snack before bedtime, however, may help you sleep.
• Make your bedroom comfortable. Be sure that it is dark, quiet, and not too warm or too cold. If light is a problem, try a sleeping mask. If noise is a problem, try earplugs, a fan, or a “white noise” machine to cover up the sounds.
• Follow a routine to help you relax before sleep. Read a book, listen to music, or take a bath.
• If you can’t fall asleep and don’t feel drowsy, get up and read or do something that is not overly stimulating until you feel sleepy.
• If you find yourself lying awake worrying about things, try making a to-do list before you go to bed. This may help you to not focus on those worries overnight.

We hope these tips provide you with some insights and assistance to living your most brain healthy life.

If you enjoyed reading this blog, and want to see more of our articles relating to nutrition and brain-healthy foods, check out the links to some of our other articles and videos below:

• Change The Story Of Your Inner Critic
• How To Move Past Thoughts Of Negativity
• How Your Mindset Can Impact Your Everyday Life
• How To Better Handle Stress and Anxiety

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