Even after 8 hours of sleep, you are still exhausted in the morning? Nutritionist's advice: Do "one thing" before going to bed instead of scrolling on your phone or watching TV shows
healthorn Expert Q&A
Q: Muscles drop straight after menopause? More susceptible to muscle loss and weakened immunity?
A: As age increases and estrogen secretion changes, the risk of muscle loss will gradually increase. About one in five women after menopause is at risk of muscle loss. When muscle loss is excessive, it may increase the chances of falls, disability, and long-term bed rest.
In addition to appropriate exercise training (including aerobic exercise to improve cardiopulmonary function and resistance training to increase muscle mass), balanced nutrition is also required to prevent muscles from being broken down into daily energy needs and reduce muscle loss. Choosing protein sources with high-quality protein (PDCAAS=1) can more efficiently increase the raw materials needed for muscle production. In addition, 28 kinds of daily vitamins and minerals should be supplemented to make up for nutritional gaps.
According to statistics from the National Health Insurance Administration, more than 780,000 patients were diagnosed with insomnia in 2019, and the use of sleeping pills has increased by 19% in the past five years. As of 2021, as many as 4.41 million people in Taiwan have the habit of using sleeping pills, and women are twice as likely to suffer from insomnia as men. The problem of stress-related insomnia has become a common problem for all people, so how to reduce stress and get a good night’s sleep has become a common concern.
Are you still tired in the morning after sleeping for 8 hours? Nutritionist: Do “3 things” to improve sleep quality
Dietitian Li Liangyi of Lianxin Clinic pointed out that there are indeed many patients in the clinic who often suffer from symptoms such as fatigue, chest tightness, and difficulty falling asleep at night due to excessive work or family pressure. Even if they fall asleep early, they often wake up from dreams, which makes them always busy at work during the day. She was in poor spirits. She visited various hospitals for examination but could not find the cause. This condition relies on functional medicine examinations and nutritional prescriptions to further alleviate various problems caused by sleep.
Dietitian Li Liangyi said that if people feel that they have not been able to sleep well recently, are too stressed or emotionally tense, they can first try the following three measures to relieve themselves:
Mindfulness meditation reduces stress. Sitting still, meditating or doing yoga and mindful eating can all help to calm the body and mind and make you aware of how your body is feeling. Breathing training for mindfulness-based stress reduction allows you to notice the air in the nasal cavity, and try to use your mind to feel the tension and discomfort in your body through the in and out of your breath. Therefore, it is recommended to use mindfulness or breathing training as a pre-sleep ritual instead of scrolling through mobile phones and watching TV shows.
Eat dinner as early as possible. Many office workers often delay their dinner time because of working overtime, which forces the intestines to “work overtime”, preventing the body from having a good rest and thus affecting the quality of sleep. It is recommended not to eat dinner too late. Even if you do eat late, you should reduce your food intake and try to keep your stomach in a “slightly fasting” state before going to bed.
Supplement nutrition appropriately. Use food or nutritional supplements to soothe your body and mind. In particular, the following “synergistic nutrients” should be supplemented regularly:
Magnesium ion: It is an important mineral that participates in more than 300 biochemical reactions in the human body. It can reduce anxiety, relax muscles, and relieve migraines caused by emotional stress. Natural foods such as dark green vegetables, dried kelp, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds. Everyone can get a certain amount of magnesium. However, because magnesium in the soil has been decreasing year by year, it is recommended to take magnesium supplements in conjunction with dietary intake.
Glycine: An amino acid that makes up muscles and skin. Research shows that glycine can dilate blood vessels and increase the duration of deep sleep. In addition to the body’s own production, you can also eat more chicken, tofu, soy milk, fresh milk, seaweed and other ingredients.
GABA: The full name is G-aminobutyric acid. It is an inhibitory neurotransmitter. Studies have found that it can regulate the autonomic nervous system imbalance in patients with acute stress and help improve anxiety. Foods rich in GABA include soybeans, kale, brown rice, quinoa, mushrooms, etc.
Casein hydrolyzate: Studies have shown that there is special trypsin in the digestive system of babies, which can promote the breakdown of cow casein into casein hydrolyzate, thereby reducing anxiety-related symptoms and allowing individuals to effectively manage their emotions. However, casein hydrolyzate gradually decreases with age. It is recommended to take nutritional supplements under the advice of a doctor or nutritionist.
Can’t find the reason for insomnia and poor sleep quality? Functional medicine testing helps clarify sources of stress
In addition, nutritionist Li Liangyi also suggested that the public can use functional medicine testing to evaluate stress sources, and then decide how to help the body and mind reduce stress through daily routine or dietary adjustments. The following functional medicine tests can be used to evaluate stressors in the human body. People may wish to refer to:
Stress hormone rhythm analysis: You can know the body’s stress status at different times of the day.
Nutritional and Toxic Elemental Analysis: Find out what nutrients your body is deficient in or exposed to heavy metals.
Neurotransmission Metabolism Assessment: Confirms whether there are any imbalances in mood hormones.
Analysis of hormones and adrenal stress cortex in women before and after menopause: confirming the balance between female hormones and stress.
Male hormone and adrenal stress cortex analysis: Confirm the balance between male hormones and stress.
Nutritionist Li Liangyi emphasized that moderate pressure can help improve self-motivation, realize ideals and gain a sense of accomplishment in work and life. But this does not mean that long-term chronic stress should be ignored. It can cause the body to gradually lose its ability to heal itself, leading to diseases such as autoimmunity or cancer. Only by finding appropriate methods can you relieve stress and relax your body and mind, and get high-quality sleep.
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