Chiropractic Care Provides More Energy

Two components of the spine affect everything that we do. The first is contributing to our structure. The spine is connected to every part of the body - from head and shoulders to hips. When it works well - we do, too. And when it doesn’t, there is a lot that we can’t do. The spine is also the body’s nerve carrier. Everything our brains do to regulate our body travels out to the appendages and back via the vertebral tunnel. No skeletal form is so entrenched in so much of what we do, which is why the spine can be surprisingly involved in how much energy we feel.

When the hips, sacrum and vertebrae are in alignment, you’re the most protected from energy waste. Because when they’re not, you’re now carrying your own weight inefficiently. Everyone knows how hard it is to carry a watermelon, and one reason is because your back is forced to muscle the weight and still support your body. So if any part of your body isn’t properly aligned, that’s a little like carrying around a watermelon. Of course a little misalignment is nowhere near as heavy, but the effect of carrying that imbalanced weight on your back and related structures, day after day, can drain your energy without you knowing why.

Chiropractic adjustments can restore the balance that you enjoyed earlier in life. This places chiropractic at the leading edge of non-invasive, natural healing. When you go to a chiropractor for fatigue, you open the door to a renaissance in your personal care and well being. While fatigue could be caused by an issue in your adrenal gland, approaching a chiropractor is a wonderful therapeutic complement to your treatment.

Benefits of Chiropractic Over Medical

Chiropractic care isn’t just about your spine. It involves the nervous system and every part of your body. The overall goal of chiropractic care is to improve musculoskeletal health, which impacts your daily function and quality of life. When a chiropractor improves your body’s biomechanical dysfunctions, you start to experience a host of unexpected benefits, and we’ve outlined a few of them for you. 

It also helps Immune function. A healthy immune system keeps viral and bacterial infections at bay. Your nervous system regulates cell functions, but even the slightest misalignment can interrupt the process, and this has a ripple effect on your immune system’s ability to fight off viruses. Chiropractic care restores function to your nerves to ensure your cells are operating the way they ought to. It helps boost energy.When your body is sore, joints and muscles tense up, resulting in inflammation. This tension and pain gets in the way of your well-being. But with chiropractic care, joint and muscles discomfort is reduced, and you experience a vitality boost. Do you find yourself reaching for your rescue inhaler more often than you’d like? People with asthma have reported a reduction in their symptoms after visiting the chiropractor. Spinal misalignments are known to disrupt the nerve impulses that are important for lung function, and realigning your vertebrae allows the nerves to function correctly. 

It helps lower blood pressure. Studies show that a chiropractic adjustment targets the nerves in your upper neck, which may be just as effective as taking blood pressure medication. 

Sex and Stress Hormones

Sex is a great way to relieve stress. The benefits include release of endorphins and other hormones that elevate mood. It's also great exercise, which itself is an effective stress reliever. But stress can also keep us from "getting in the mood" and, worse, not being able to perform sexually. For millions of men, erectile dysfunction is nothing more than a stress response that triggers a classic mind-body phenomenon. Sexual activity is under the control of the autonomic or involuntary nervous system; i.e. ,we have no conscious control over it.

Whenever a man becomes aroused, nerve impulses cause blood vessels in the penis to dilate, allowing a steady flow of blood into the spongy tissue. At the same time, a circular muscle called a sphincter constricts to prevent blood from flowing back. During stress, blood vessels don’t dilate fully and the sphincter fails to constrict, both contributing to erectile dysfunction. Negative events create a spontaneous stress response that intensifies the more ingrained it becomes. And because physiological actions such as erection are controlled by the autonomic nervous system, the conditioning process is more easily developed and that much harder to break.

As with any stress response, a variety of hormones are disrupted as well. Endorphins, which block pain during stress, also block the release of LHRH (luteinizing hormone releasing hormone). In turn, a decrease in LHRH causes a drop in LH (luteinizing hormone), a hormone important in testosterone production. FSH, which stimulates sperm formation, also declines.

Sex Hormones

Many of us think of hormones as the gender-specific molecules we learned about in middle school health class—the chemical messengers that arrive during puberty to govern our reproductive development. But sex steroids like testosterone and estrogen also play a critical role in brain development even before adolescence: shaping, activating, and fueling sexually dimorphic brain circuits. These circuits are not limited to those involved with romantic and sexual entanglements. Many have been implicated in complex behaviors including the stress response, learning, and memory—as well as linked to the development of several psychiatric disorders.

Hormones also help guide brain development. That guidance begins in the womb, starting with genes present on the X and Y chromosomes. As you may know, an individual’s sex is determined by these chromosomes. Females are given two X chromosomes, while males have one X and one Y. A variety of genes on these chromosomes help to provide a blueprint for the brain’s architecture. 

For example, the Y chromosome contains a gene called SRY, which triggers a flood of androgens, the group of hormones that includes testosterone, in the womb during the first trimester. This flood not only directs the development of the penis and testes, but also drives changes to the brain’s architecture, setting the stage for “male” brain circuitry.

Types of Stress Hormones

Adrenaline, commonly known as the fight or flight hormone, is produced by the adrenal glands after receiving a message from the brain that a stressful situation has presented itself. Adrenaline, along with norepinephrine (more on that below), is largely responsible for the immediate reactions we feel when stressed. Imagine you're trying to change lanes in your car, says Amit Sood, M.D., director of research at the Complementary and Integrative Medicine and chair of Mayo Mind Body Initiative at Mayo Clinic. Suddenly, from your blind spot, comes a car racing at 100 miles per hour. You return to your original lane and your heart is pounding. Your muscles are tense, you're breathing faster, you may start sweating. That's adrenaline.

Norepinephrine is a hormone similar to adrenaline, released from the adrenal glands and also from the brain, says Sood. The primary role of norepinephrine, like adrenaline, is arousal, says Sood. "When you are stressed, you become more aware, awake, focused," he says. "You are just generally more responsive." It also helps to shift blood flow away from areas where it might not be so crucial, like the skin, and toward more essential areas at the time, like the muscles, so you can flee the stressful scene.

Cortisol is a steroid hormone, commonly known as the stress hormone, produced by the adrenal glands. It takes a little more time -- minutes, rather than seconds -- for you to feel the effects of cortisol in the face of stress, says Sood, because the release of this hormone takes a multi-step process involving two additional minor hormones.

Spinal Manipulation Alters Pain and Stress Hormones

Your body contains roughly 60 different chemicals and each one is responsible for very different functions and regulatory actions. For instance, calcium helps your muscles contract and potassium regulates your heartbeat. Sodium controls the balance of water in your system and fluorine protects your teeth against decay. There are also four chemicals associated with management of pain, and a study published in Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy has found that chiropractic promotes almost all of them.

For purposes of this study, researchers chose thirty participants who weren’t actively in any sort of pain to see what effect chiropractic treatments had on their levels of neurotensin, oxytocin, orexin A, and cortisol—the four chemicals that impact how much pain a person feels. The subjects were separated into three different groups: ten engaged in cervical spinal manipulation (chiropractic involving the neck area), ten received thoracic spinal manipulation (manipulation to the discs and vertebrae in the middle and upper back), and the final ten subjects were the control group, so they received no spinal manipulation therapy whatsoever. Researchers drew each individual’s blood prior to, immediately after, and two hours post-treatment to determine the starting levels of neurotensin, oxytocin, orexin A, and cortisol, as well as to note any changes that may occur.

These findings suggest that engaging in regular chiropractic care can help your pain on a cellular level by changing the chemical makeup of your body. Not to mention, regular spinal manipulations also work to correct the spinal issue that is causing the pain in the first place. This makes chiropractic an effective two-prong approach to pain management.

Proper Placement for Baby Delivery

The position of the baby in your uterus is called the presentation of the fetus. Throughout your pregnancy, your baby will move around in the uterus. It’s normal for your baby to be in a variety of positions during most of the pregnancy. Early on, the baby is small enough to move freely. You may have even felt this movement over the last few months. The larger the baby becomes, however, the more limited the movement becomes. As the end of the pregnancy approaches, the baby will start to move into position for birth. This typically involves flipping over so that the baby is head down in your womb. The baby will start to move down in your uterus, preparing to go through your birth canal during childbirth.

The birth canal is made up of your cervix (immediately outside of your uterus), vagina and vulva. Think of the birth canal as an expandable tunnel. During labor, your contractions work to stretch this space so that the baby can pass through it during childbirth. Ideally for labor, the baby is positioned head-down, facing the mother’s back with the chin tucked to its chest and the back of the head ready to enter the pelvis. This position is called cephalic presentation. Most babies settle into this position within the 32nd to 36th weeks of pregnancy.

During childbirth, your healthcare provider’s goal is to safely deliver your baby and ensure your well-being. If the baby is in a different position (not a cephalic presentation), this job becomes more challenging. Different fetal positions have a range of difficulties and the risks can vary depending on the position of your child. Typically, your baby will drop down in the uterus and move into position for birth in the third trimester. This happens in the last few weeks of your pregnancy. Your healthcare provider will check the position of the baby by touching your abdomen during your regular appointments. This will happen during most of your appointments in the third trimester.

Hormone Changes

The hormonal and physiological changes that come with pregnancy are unique. Pregnant women experience sudden and dramatic increases in estrogen and progesterone. They also experience changes in the amount and function of a number of other hormones. These changes don’t just affect mood. They can also: create the “glow” of pregnancy, significantly aid in the development of the fetus and alter the physical impact of exercise and physical activity on the body.

Estrogen and progesterone are the chief pregnancy hormones. A woman will produce more estrogen during one pregnancy than throughout her entire life when not pregnant. The increase in estrogen during pregnancy enables the uterus and placenta to: improve vascularization (the formation of blood vessels), transfer nutrients and support the developing baby. Estrogen levels increase steadily during pregnancy and reach their peak in the third trimester. The rapid increase in estrogen levels during the first trimester may cause some of the nausea associated with pregnancy. During the second trimester, it plays a major role in the milk duct development that enlarges the breasts.

While these hormones are absolutely critical for a successful pregnancy, they also can make exercise more difficult. Because the ligaments are looser, pregnant women may be at greater risk for sprains and strains of the ankle or knee. However, no studies have documented an increased rate in injury during pregnancy. A pregnant woman’s entire posture changes. Her breasts are larger. Her abdomen transforms from flat or concave to very convex, increasing the curvature of her back. The combined effect shifts the center of gravity forward and may lead to changes in her sense of balance.

Development of a Baby

A chiropractor is a licensed practitioner, trained to perform gentle manipulations and adjustments on the body to restore normal body and nervous system. The adjustment and manipulation are meant to aid the body to perform its function efficiently. The main concern is not just short-term relief but also long-term healing.

When it comes to infant care and treatment, chiropractors have been known to successfully treat issues like trouble in latching or breastfeeding, treating an underdeveloped digestive system, acid reflux, misaligned spine, and ear pain/infection.

When the entire nervous system is working properly, your baby is able to eat and sleep and grow without colic, constipation, and sleep issues during their peak development days. During the session, the chiropractor makes gentle adjustments, which can sometimes look like a gentle massage and other times a touch of hand. The pressure used by the practitioner is akin to the pressure one uses to test the ripeness of fruit and the care performed by trained practitioner is perfectly safe.

Some infants are born with a slight misalignment in their vertebra, and chiropractic care comes in handy for a quick fix for proper growth. Many infants get adjusted right after birth, while others get adjusted a few weeks later. If the infant needs help, the chiropractor gently adjusts the misaligned spine/joint of the baby back into place while easing tension. It’s important to mention here that any adjustment performed is extremely gentle and often times are as small as a touch of a finger, but knowing where and what to adjust is the key here.

Changing Weight

What is the effect of weight? There is some evidence that overweight and obesity reduce sexual function, and that regaining a healthy weight improves it. The reason may be that a healthy weight lowers blood pressure and staves off diabetes, and both high blood pressure and diabetes can interfere with sex. Improved sleep. It’s natural for anyone trying to lose weight to want to lose it very quickly. But people who lose weight gradually and steadily (about 1 to 2 pounds per week) are more successful at keeping weight off.

Healthy weight loss isn’t just about a “diet” or “program”. It’s about an ongoing lifestyle that includes long-term changes in daily eating and exercise habits. Once you’ve achieved a healthy weight, rely on healthy eating and physical activity to help you keep the weight off over the long term. Losing weight is not easy, and it takes commitment. But if you’re ready to get started, we’ve got a step-by-step guide to help get you on the road to weight loss and better health. Increased strength and energy also go along with gaining weight. Also temperature control is a big factor in gaining weight. Even a modest weight loss of 5 to 10 percent of your total body weight is likely to produce health benefits, such as improvements in blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and blood sugars.

For example, if you weigh 200 pounds, a 5 percent weight loss equals 10 pounds, bringing your weight down to 190 pounds. While this weight may still be in the “overweight” or “obese” range, this modest weight loss can decrease your risk factors for chronic diseases related to obesity.So even if the overall goal seems large, see it as a journey rather than just a final destination. You’ll learn new eating and physical activity habits that will help you live a healthier lifestyle. These habits may help you maintain your weight loss over time.

Traction

If you have pain that is in your neck, lower back, or pain that is caused by disc problems, then you may be able to benefit from chiropractic traction therapy. This therapy is used when the chiropractor believes it will be beneficial to gently pull apart the vertebrae slightly.

The discs that are between the vertebrae of your spine are there to provide a cushion so that the bones do not touch each other. The spacing also allows nerves to exit the spine and go to their various organs of your body. When the discs are in good shape, and when the vertebrae in your spine are aligned correctly, you will feel good.

An injury to your back can cause a disc to become damaged, which is what happens when you have a bulging or herniated disc. This often causes direct pressure from the vertebrae to be put on the nerves, which will usually result in pain, but not always.

Chiropractic traction therapy will be used to gently pull apart the vertebrae where the disc is damaged. It is painless. Separating them a little bit enables some healing to take place and pain relief is often felt immediately. This will help the disc to get more nourishment and to begin the healing process.

Traction therapy may be applied three ways. The chiropractor may use his or her hands with manual traction, or may use hands with a pulley combination. Another form is called mechanical traction, which uses a set of motorized pulleys. A third form is computerized traction, which uses a split-traction table and it is computer controlled. A harness is used to secure the patient to the table, and then the table is maneuvered to get the desirable effect.

Stretching

Stretching keeps the muscles flexible, strong, and healthy, and we need that flexibility to maintain a range of motion in the joints. Without it, the muscles shorten and become tight. Then, when you call on the muscles for activity, they are weak and unable to extend all the way. That puts you at risk for joint pain, strains, and muscle damage.

With a body full of muscles, the idea of daily stretching may seem overwhelming. But Nolan says you don't have to stretch every muscle you have. "The areas critical for mobility are in your lower extremities: your calves, your hamstrings, your hip flexors in the pelvis and quadriceps in the front of the thigh." Stretching your shoulders, neck, and lower back is also beneficial. Aim for a program of daily stretches or at least three or four times per week.

Stretching once today won't magically give you perfect flexibility. You'll need to do it over time and remain committed to the process. "It may have taken you many months to get tight muscles, so you're not going to be perfectly flexible after one or two sessions," says physical therapist David Nolan of Massachusetts General Hospital. "It takes weeks to months to get flexible, and you'll have to continue working on it to maintain it."

We used to believe that stretching was necessary to warm up the muscles and prepare them for activity. However, mounting research has shown that stretching the muscles before they're warmed up can actually hurt them. All it takes to warm up the muscles before stretching is five to 10 minutes of light activity, such as a quick walk. You can also stretch after an aerobic or weight-training workout. Hold a stretch for 30 seconds. Don't bounce, which can cause injury. You'll feel tension during a stretch, but you should not feel pain. If you do, there may be an injury or damage in the tissue. Stop stretching that muscle and talk to your doctor.

Sleeping Postures

Different sleep positions have different benefits. If you’re struggling with pain or other health issues, you might need to switch your sleep position in order to help manage it. And, while it might not be something you can do in one night, it can definitely be worth trying out. Taking the time to gradually train yourself to sleep in a new position could be the secret to improving your sleep quality. However, if that’s something you aren’t comfortable with, don’t stress about it. You can also try modifying your favorite sleep position to make sure you’re getting the most out of it.

The fetal position has loads of benefits. Not only is it great for lower back pain or pregnancy, sleeping in the fetal position can help reduce snoring. If you want to make the fetal position more comfortable, make sure your posture is loose and relaxed when you curl up. Keep your legs relatively extended, and you can even try sleeping with a pillow between your knees. As it turns out, sleeping on your side is actually pretty good for you, especially if you’re sleeping on your left side. Not only can it help reduce snoring, it’s great for your digestion and might even reduce heartburn. If you prefer sleeping on your side, make sure to choose a good pillow to avoid neck and back pain. Sleep on whichever side feels most comfortable, but don’t be afraid to switch to a different position if it’s not working for you.

We spend roughly one-third of our lives sleeping — or attempting to sleep. Your sleep position matters more than you might think. If you’re having trouble sleeping, your health can suffer. Plus, sleep deprivation is about more than getting enough sleep — sleep quality matters, too. If you don’t feel rested when you wake up, try practicing good sleep habits. Incorporating sleep hygiene into your regular routine can help boost your sleep quality in a big way.

Posture

Sustaining a good posture is a big part of your health. It ensures that your bones are well aligned with the rest of the body, while the tension in your muscles and ligaments is properly distributed. More so, it keeps the body parts in their rightful positions with minimal stress. A rightful posture thence;

·       Enables muscles to coordinate in a more-efficient manner, ensuring the body utilizes less energy, thus eliminating muscle fatigue. This allows one to undertake tasks for longer periods with minimal exhaustion.

·       Holds the spinal joints in place, which is essential in maintaining a good posture. With less stress on the ligaments, coupled with aligned spinal joints, the possibility of injury is greatly minimized.

·       Aids in preventing back and muscular pain, all which are signs of a poorly relaxed body. Thus eliminating a myriad of other ailments that may accompany such issues.

·       Decreases the abnormal wearing of joints by keeping them and the bones properly aligned. By ensuring our muscles are used correctly and that no wear or tear occurs, chronic risks like arthritis are duly eliminated.

Maintaining a good posture is vital to your overall health. Unknown to many, a good posture is just as essential as a healthy diet, sleeping comfortably and exercising. It ensures that your body is well poised to undertake daily tasks with more vigor and energy, all the while keeping away fatigue. It’s a core pillar to your overall physical health.

Poor Mental Health

In the course of a lifetime, not all people will experience a mental illness, but everyone will struggle or have a challenge with their mental well-being just like we all have challenges with our physical well-being from time to time. When we talk about mental health, we’re talking about our mental well-being: our emotions, our thoughts and feelings, our ability to solve problems and overcome difficulties, our social connections, and our understanding of the world around us.

A mental illness is an illness the effects the way people think, feel, behave, or interact with others. There are many different mental illnesses, and they have different symptoms that impact peoples’ lives in different ways. Health isn’t like an on/off switch. There are different degrees of health. People move on a continuum ranging from great or good health to so-so health to poor health to illness or disability. Some people experience serious health problems, and their poor health has a very negative impact on their life. Mental health is the same way. Just as someone who feels unwell may not have a serious illness, people may have poor mental health without a mental illness. We all have days where we feel a bit down, or stressed out, or overwhelmed by something that’s happening in our lives.

 An important part of good mental health is the ability to look at problems or concerns realistically. Good mental health isn’t about feeling happy and confident 100% of time and ignoring any problems. It’s about living and coping well despite problems. Just as it’s possible to have poor mental health but no mental illness, it’s entirely possible to have good mental health even with a diagnosis of a mental illness. That’s because mental illnesses are often episodic, meaning there are times of ill health and times of better or good health.

Lack of Movement

However far apart, our mornings are probably just the same. There’s that sting in the eyes you feel as soon as you open them and that blatant pain that keeps on spreading from your lower back all the way up to your shoulders and head. And, finally, the realization that nothing will change, not even today – in the exact same order as the years before, you’ll have some pastry and coffee for breakfast, a tense stomach until noon, and a fuzzy head throughout the day.

Once again, you’ll hear all about the glorious possibilities that the digital age has endowed us with, and once again, you’ll go to bed wondering what makes your muscles so sore and your bones so weak. Another day, you’ll come across an article about all those troubling consequences of a sedentary lifestyle and you’ll try to convince yourself that your fatigue and stress are caused by too much work.

Having gone through all of that myself, I must warn you that extrinsic factors are not always to blame. Your aching lack of movement is a modern disease, indeed, but it still begins in your mind-set. Your choices might be your worst enemy, but the good news is that you can change them for the better.

It will be hard, I won’t delude you. But, once you start waking up with the sun on your eyelids and a smile on your face, you’ll see that it was all worth it. Here’s how to flip your future beforehand, and replace pain, frustration and dispiritedness for vigor, achievements and contentment.

Nervous System Interference

Did you know that your nerve system is the remarkable link for communication between your mind and body? In fact, nerve fibers flow into every cell, tissue, and organ of your body, and have direct links to your immune system! That’s why keeping your spinal cord and nervous system healthy is essential if you want to be healthy and live life to its fullest!

As early as 1993, scientists uncovered evidence of an anatomical connection between the nerve and immune system. Subsequently, they discovered that if these nerves were removed from the spleen or lymph nodes, “you virtually stopped the immune responses in their tracks.” These same nerves are not only linked to your immune system but are the suppliers of communication to all of your body’s muscles and vital organs. When vertebrae (spinal bones) are misaligned, they can cause compression, stretching, or pinching on these nerves resulting in altered organ function, nerve damage, “dis-ease” and sickness.

Research is proving that spinal nerves are much more susceptible to pressure than previously thought. A University of Colorado study concluded that only 5-10mm of mercury pressure (about the weight of a dime) can reduce nerve transmission while the stretching of a nerve by as little as 6% can decrease its strength by up to 70%. The vital connection between your health and vitality and the health of your spine can no longer be ignored! Subluxations are silent killers the can compromise your immune system, organ function, central nervous system and your overall health. Millions of people are seeking out and utilizing chiropractors to help them improve their health and quality of life. Experience the difference chiropractic can make for you and your family.

What Causes Illness and Disease

Infectious diseases are disorders caused by organisms — such as bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites. Many organisms live in and on our bodies. They're normally harmless or even helpful. But under certain conditions, some organisms may cause disease. Some infectious diseases can be passed from person to person. Some are transmitted by insects or other animals. And you may get others by consuming contaminated food or water or being exposed to organisms in the environment.

Signs and symptoms vary depending on the organism causing the infection, but often include fever and fatigue. Mild infections may respond to rest and home remedies, while some life-threatening infections may need hospitalization. Frequent and thorough hand-washing also helps protect you from most infectious diseases.

In the development of a disease (pathogenesis) more is involved than merely exposure to a causative agent. A room full of people may be exposed to a sufferer from a common cold, but only one or two may later develop a cold. Many host factors determine whether the agent will induce disease or not. Thus, in the pathogenesis of disease, the resistance, immunity, age, and nutritional state of the person exposed, as well as virulence or toxicity of the agent and the level of exposure, all play a role in determining whether disease develops.

Certain human diseases result from mutations in the genetic complement (genome) contained in the DNA of chromosomes. A gene is a discrete linear sequence of nucleotide bases of the DNA that codes for, or directs, the synthesis of a protein; there are an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 genes in the human genome. Proteins, many of which are enzymes, carry out all cellular functions.

Caring For Our Body As We Age

Let’s face it, as we get older, our bodies just don’t work like they once did when we were at a younger age. It’s easier to get injured; it takes longer to heal from an injury; and if we don’t work at it, we start to lose muscle mass and the energy we had when we were young. The good news is that chiropractic can help with all of these issues, and it works without risky surgeries or drugs that only mask the symptoms of aging. Over the last few years, medical researchers have really started to investigate the benefits of chiropractic adjustments, here’s a quick review of the latest findings that show how chiropractic can help us stay healthy and active as we get older:

A 2014 study looked at the Medicare database and examined the role of chiropractic in keeping older patients active. They found that people who saw a chiropractor had better functioning and self-assessed health than non-chiropractic patients. The authors concluded that chiropractic had a “protective effect,” safeguarding them against physical deterioration.

A study published in 2014 in the prestigious medical journal Spine reported that for patients seeking help for musculoskeletal pain, risk of injury caused by treatment was, “76% lower among subjects with a chiropractic office visit as compared to those who saw a primary care physician.” Chiropractic is based on non-invasive adjustments that promote your own body’s innate ability to heal, so it’s not surprising that it’s safer than medical treatment.

The spine plays a critical role in maintaining our balance, and dysfunction in the joints of your neck can lead to dizziness or vertigo. This can be especially hazardous for older folks, as falls are a serious health issue for the elderly. A 2015 study examined older patients with dizziness and found that chiropractic care was more successful than medical care at helping patients recover.

Live A Healthier Life As You Age

This week we will be discussing having the right attitude to living a healthier life as you age. Signs of aging appear deeper than just your skin and hair. Did you know you can see it in your DNA? That's right, your own genetic makeup indicates your age through the ends of your chromosomes, known as telomeres. These telomeres shorten as you age, which is associated with easier sickness and worse chances of survival. You can keep them longer by the way you live. Better diet and some activities can protect your DNA from the influence of aging, leading to a longer life.

Your personality can influence the way your body ages. Research has shown that people with a high conscientious score stand out as living longer, happier, healthier lives. In this context, "conscientious" means hard-working, orderly, rule-following, and self-controlled. Although some people have a tendency to be more conscientious than others, personality can also change through experiences, relationships, and your environment.

Sleeping soundly feels great. It helps preserve your physical health and emotional wellbeing. And it may extend your life, too. Researchers have found that those who regularly sleep from 6-8 hours a night have better cardiovascular health and are more likely to be free of certain cognitive problems. A study comparing adults’ ages 85 to 105 to younger people found that these older adults slept more regularly and consistently than those younger others. So if you want a better chance of living to 100, give yourself a regular bedtime. That said, a huge study of nearly 37 million subjects found no connection between insomnia and a greater risk of mortality. While getting good sleep may help you live longer, a lack of sleep is unlikely to actively shorten your life.