A Good Night's Sleep, Revisited

Based on the 2013 poll by the National Sleep Foundation, 25 percent of Americans report having to cut down on sleep due to long workdays. On average, Americans get only 6.5 hours of sleep on weeknights, although 7.25 hours is needed in order to function optimally. Canadians fare slightly better in this regard. On average, Canadians get just over 7 hours of sleep per night. Sleep is imperative for physical and mental health. Remember, cutting back on even just a few hours of sleep every night can have serious, far-reaching effects on your health. As a general rule, children, especially infants, need significantly more sleep than adults. Sleep experts recommend the following for different age groups: • Toddlers (1 to 3 years old ) – 2 to 14 hours a night • Preschoolers (3 to 5 years old) – 11 to 13 hours a night • School-aged children (up to 12 years old) – 10 to 11 hours a night • Teenagers – About 9 hours a night Use your child’s mood as an indicator to determine if he or she is getting enough sleep. Excessive fussiness, irritability, crying, or tantrums are often linked to lack of sleep. Frequent yawning throughout the day is another dead giveaway that your child may need more snooze time. How Much Do Newborns Sleep? Babies do not have regular sleep cycles until they’re about 6 months old. While newborns sleep about 16 to 17 hours per day, they may only sleep for 1 or 2 hours at a time. As babies get older, they need less sleep. However, different babies have different sleep needs. It is normal for a 6-month-old to wake up during the night, and to go back to sleep after a few minutes. To ensure your baby will always get a good night’s sleep, I advise you to follow these safe sleeping habits: • Let your baby sleep on his/her back at night or even during nap time to avoid chances of accidentally rolling onto his/her stomach. • Remove toys or pacifiers with strings or cords from your baby’s crib or sleeping area to prevent risks of choking or strangulation. • Make sure the room’s temperature is not too hot or too cold for your baby, preferably somewhere around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. • Keep your baby’s sleeping area smoke-free at all times. • Reduce your babies exposure to toxins by using only organic beddings and mattresses free from harmful chemicals and chemical flame retardants. These dangerous compounds can also be found in nursing pillows, car seats, changing table pads, high chairs, strollers, portable cribs, sleeping wedges, walkers, and other baby care products. How Much Sleep Is Too Much? Too much of something can be bad for you. While there are a lot of Americans who lack sleep, there are also some who may be sleeping more than they should – a habit that can also have negative effects on your health. In one study, researchers revealed that people in their 60s and 70s who sleep nine hours or more each night have a more rapid decline in their cognitive function than those who sleep between six and eight hours. Surprisingly, the long sleepers (9 hours or more) comprised a large portion (40 percent) of the 2,700 study participants. Another 49 percent were considered normal sleepers (6 to 8 hours), while 11 percent slept just five hours or less. To find out if you’re getting enough sleep, observe how long it takes you to fall asleep. If you fall asleep within a few minutes of your head hitting the pillow, chances are you’re most likely sleep deprived. A well-rested person, on the other hand, will take about 10-15 minutes to fall asleep at night. 5 Simple Secrets to a Sound and Restful Sleep If you’ve been tossing and turning in bed and have been experiencing some difficulty sleeping at night, I recommend giving these simple lifestyle changes a try: • Stop watching television or using any of your electronic gadgets at least an hour before going to bed. The blue light from these devices tricks your brain into thinking it's still daytime and messes up your circadian rhythm. • Do not eat a heavy meal or spicy foods close to bedtime. Try not to eat 2 - 3 hours before going to bed. • Take note of key factors that disrupt your body’s healthy melatonin production. These include electromagnetic field (EMF) sources and too much light in your bedroom. Switch off Wi-Fi devices and reduce the electronics from your room. You can also wear an eye mask or turn off all the lights so you can sleep in total darkness. • Keep the temperature in your bedroom at 70 degrees Fahrenheit or cooler. According to studies, the optimal room temperature for sleep is quite cool, between 60 to 68 degrees F. However, keeping your room cooler or hotter than that range can lead to restless sleep. • Make sure your pillows and mattresses are made from wholesome organic materials that do not contain harsh substances like chemical flame retardants. Studies have shown that flame retardants have numerous side effects, especially in children. In fact, approximately 90 percent of Americans have some level of flame retardant chemicals in their bodies. Source: National Sleep Foundation, 9/28/15.

12 Ways to Make Your Food Last Longer

Each year, American households throw away $640 worth of food apiece, typically because they buy too much or fail to eat the leftovers. The survey, conducted by the American Chemistry Council (ACC), revealed that three-quarters of Americans throw away food once a month while half do so once a week. Most of those polled (79 percent) were concerned with the amount of money wasted by throwing away food, while half said they felt bad tossing food when others worldwide are hungry. A much less pressing concern were the environmental impacts, which concerned just 15 percent of respondents. However, food waste is the biggest collective “item” in US landfills. To keep up with so much waste, some cities have even started composting programs to help keep it out of the garbage stream. ACC’s survey poses just one estimate of food waste. A study by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) found Americans throw away $165 billion worth of food a year, which amounts to up to $2,200 per household. Many Americans succumb to grocery store marketing tactics that encourage impulse buys and larger purchases, yet when they bring such perishables home find they end up spoiling before being eaten. The tips below, from TIME, can help you to make your food last longer so, ultimately, you waste less. 12 Food-Saving Tips 1. Onions - Store these in a paper bag in a cool, dark place (like a garage or basement) as long as the temperature is above freezing. This will keep onions fresh for more than two weeks. Storing onions in old pantyhose is another option and may help keep them fresh for up to eight months (tie a knot in between each one to keep them separate). 2. Cheese - Hard cheeses like Parmesan can last for months if stored properly. Remove the wrapper from the store, wrap the cheese in parchment paper, and follow with a layer of foil. This will help keep in moistness. And if you notice a spot of mold on hard cheeses, don’t throw it away! Simply cut off at least 1 inch around and below the mold spot (keep the knife out of the mold itself so it will not cross-contaminate other parts of the cheese). After trimming off the mold, re-cover the cheese in fresh wrap. 3. Berries - Berries are highly perishable, so eat them quickly for best results. If you need to extend their shelf life by a day or two, rinse them in a mix of one part vinegar to three parts water. 4. Herbs - Herbs stay fresh by trimming the stems then placing them in a glass of water, similar to a bunch of cut flowers. A paper towel or baggie placed loosely over the top, and then stored in the fridge, will help keep them even fresher. 5. Apples - Store apples in your refrigerator in the bottom drawer, which has high humidity. 6. Tomatoes - Tomatoes should be left on the counter and eaten within a couple of days. Storing them in your fridge is not an option, as they’ll lose valuable flavor. But if you’ve accidentally stored tomatoes in the fridge, don’t toss them. Letting them sit at room temp for 24 hours before eating can help to bring back at least some of their flavor. Another option? Use up refrigerated tomatoes in a sauce recipe, where the added flavors from onions, garlic, and basil are likely to cover up the tasteless tomato. 7. Potatoes - Store potatoes in a cool dark place, and if they grow little sprouts, they’re not spoiled – simply brush them off (the potatoes may even taste sweeter as a result). When storing potatoes, keep them away from onions (this will make them spoil faster). Storing them with apples will help keep the potatoes from sprouting. 8. Greens - Heat triggers spoilage in greens, so douse them in cold water when you get home. Then, dry them in a spinner (moisture will also spur rot) and store the dried greens in an airtight bag. Punch about 10 pin-sized holes in each side and store in the fridge. This may help your greens last four times longer than usual. Store salad greens in a bowl covered with plastic wrap, and add a paper towel to help absorb moisture. 9. Eggs - Eggs can keep for up to five weeks in your fridge. Store them in the back of your fridge where it’s cooler (not on the refrigerator door), and leave them right in the container they came in. 10. Grapes - Choose grapes that have bright green flexible stems. Those with brown or dry stems will spoil quickly and not taste as good. 11. Dairy - Heat exposure can cause dairy products to spoil faster, even if the exposure is brief. Consider bringing a cooler or insulated bag with you to the grocery store or farmer’s market so you can keep dairy items cold. 12. Meat - Store meat in the bottom drawer of your refrigerator, double-wrapped if it’s near produce (to prevent leakage). Source: TIME, 9/15/15.