Day: January 24, 2025

Rosacea is a chronic skin inflammation that can make you run for cover at a time when spending time outside with friends is all you want to do. Even indoors, it’s hard to ignore your red, bumpy face when you’re staring at your own reflection on every video call!

Are you tired of rosacea running your life? Let’s discuss what causes rosacea, who is most at risk, and how you can avoid the main triggers.

What Does Rosacea Look Like?

There are four main rosacea subtypes, and each affects a different part of the face with different tell-tale symptoms. You might find your symptoms switch from one subtype to another, or experience more than one at a time.

To further complicate matters, some subtypes look a lot like acne, although the best way to treat this skin condition is almost the opposite of conventional acne treatments.

The 4 Types of Rosacea:

Erythematotelangiectatic rosacea (ETR)

This type of rosacea shows up as redness in the centre of your face. You may see broken blood vessels, experience a stinging sensation, and your skin may be swollen and sensitive.

Papulopustular rosacea

With a look similar to a typical acne breakout, Papulopustular rosacea gives you pus-filled bumps and a bonus of red, oily skin with visible broken blood vessels. Women in their late 40’s and 50’s are the most often affected by this type.

Rhinophyma rosacea

Often wrongly associated with excessive alcohol consumption, Rhinophyma rosacea primarily affects the nose. It causes the skin on your nose to become thickened and bumpy, with visible pores and broken blood vessels. This subtype usually occurs alongside at least one other subtype and affects more men than women.

Ocular rosacea

Ocular rosacea affects the eyes of up to 60% of rosacea sufferers, often going undiagnosed as  it mimics seasonal allergy symptoms (although the symptoms are experienced year-round). It irritates the eyes, making them bloodshot and watery, often accompanied by burning or stinging. If you suspect you may be suffering from ocular rosacea, it is important to visit your health practitioner to check it out, as this type can cause corneal damage if left to run rampant.

What Causes Rosacea?

Although there is no single cause of rosacea, genetics and environmental factors play a strong role among other factors.

The Role of Genetics in Rosacea

Women are more likely to get rosacea in general, while men might be less likely to have it, but the risk of rosacea symptoms being severe is higher.

Studies show that you may be four times more likely to have rosacea if it runs in your family, with genetics being a factor most often in middle-aged women of Celtic or Scandinavian ancestry, in particular if they have a personal history with acne.

Recent genetic research has identified a number of genes that affect the immune system, inflammation, protein metabolism and how stress affects the cells. However it is important to remember that your genes only indicate what you are predisposed to, and do not indicate how that predisposition will play out. Environmental factors such as pollution, stress and lifestyle all play a role in gene expression.

Immune System

Research has identified that those with rosacea are more likely to have an overactive immune system. The body’s immune system is designed to protect you from threats, but if it becomes overactive, your body will respond to its own tissues as if it were a foreign invader.

Inflammation is the body’s way of ‘smoking out’ the invaders with heat. But when inflammation gets out of hand internally, it may show up externally on your face.

The Microbiome & Rosacea

Good & Bad Bacteria

The number of microbes in our bodies outnumber our own cells 10 to 1. Most of the time the various “good” and “bad“ strains play well together, the good bacteria balancing out the bad, and forming symbiotic microbial ecosystems. But when things get out of balance, the bad bacteria can take over.

You may have heard about the microbiome in reference to the communities of bacteria in our intestinal tract, but we have a whole other microbial community on our skin as well. It is the largest organ after all, and there’s room for a thriving skin microbiome.

H. Pylori

Studies also show that the parasitic bacteria H pylori, known to cause stomach ulcers, is seen much more frequently in those with rosacea.

Demodex Skin Mites

A microscopic skin mite called demodex has also been implicated in rosacea. We all host these mites, which like to hang out on our facial skin and in our eyelashes and eyebrows. If you’ve ever wondered why your eye makeup naturally fades, these mites are the reason!

Studies show that those with rosacea have large numbers of these mites on their skin, but they are not actually to blame. The real culprits are the bacteria they carry (bacillus oleronius).

Top 5 Rosacea Triggers and How To Avoid Them

You may find that you remain free of rosacea symptoms for long periods of time, only to have them flare up suddenly. Something is triggering the reaction – but what?

Each person’s rosacea triggers are different, but let’s take a closer look at the most common ones.

1 – Foods and Beverages

Fried and spicy foods, drinks that contain alcohol or caffeine, hot soups and drinks, and foods that contain cinnamaldehyde (like cinnamon, citrus fruit, chocolate and tomatoes) are all high on the list of foods to avoid if you have rosacea.

Pass on the hot sauce, and instead sprinkle some fresh herbs or lemon juice on your meal to punch up the flavour. Try iced decaf versions of your favourite teas and coffees – lavender and mint make calming and delicious iced teas for example!

2 – Sun and Weather Conditions

Do you get rosacea flare-ups in the summer? Basking in the sun may be relaxing, but the sun is a known rosacea trigger.

Sun

Avoid direct sunlight on your face during the hottest parts of the afternoon, and when you do venture out into the sunshine, wear a broad-brimmed hat for extra protection.

Sunscreen

Sunscreen with a 30 SPF or higher is a great way to protect your face from strong summer rays. But did you know that the wrong sunscreen can make your rosacea worse? Opt for water-based, fragrance-free sunscreens that won’t irritate your sensitive skin.

The Environmental Working Group’s 2020 Guide to Sunscreens is a great resource to find a safe, effective sunscreen, and other facial products that contain SPF.

Heat & Extreme Weather

Heat is an important trigger, but it’s really about avoiding all extreme weather conditions. Very cold or windy weather can also aggravate rosacea. Reduce the impact by wearing light-coloured, breathable clothing in hot summer months. Don’t forget a cardigan for those sudden temperature drops when you enter arctic a/c conditions!

3 – Exercise

If you’ve ever had a rosacea flare-up after an intense cardio workout, you’re not alone. If you’re a runner, it’s important to keep your runs to the early mornings or evenings when the weather is cooler. Or change up your routine and try slower, more gentle exercise such as walking or yoga. Skip the Hot Yoga if you have rosacea as heat is an aggravating factor.

4 – Stress

How was your day going the last time you had a flare-up? How about the last five times? Stress is the most common rosacea trigger and you may find that flare-ups are closely linked to those tough days.

Stress-Busting Supplements

Taking supplements such as Vitamin B Complex and Magnesium can soothe your nervous system and help your body to handle stress a little better.

 Self-Care

If you know a stressful period is coming up (like a looming project deadline), take extra self-care measures to side-step them and avoid flare-ups. Practice good sleep hygiene by going to bed at the same time every night, and avoiding screens an hour before bed. Stay hydrated and make time daily for activities that bring you joy.

5 – Environmental Toxins & Chemicals

Rosacea is all about inflammation, both inside and out. Exposure to toxins and environmental chemicals increases inflammatory markers in the body, potentially leading to chronic inflammation concerns, such as rosacea.

Major sources of environmental toxins include pesticides in produce, preservatives and other chemicals in personal care products (like makeup, nail polish and perfume) as well as those in household cleaning products.

Read the Ingredients

Look at the ingredient lists – how many of your products contain chemical names so long that even a spelling bee champ would be stumped? Check out the Environmental Working Group’s extensive list of Consumer Guides to find chemical-free home and body care products that are good for you, and the environment.

Keeping Track of Your Rosacea Triggers Can Help Manage Symptoms

Confirm your personal rosacea triggers by tracking what’s going on when you experience flare-ups. Do flare-ups occur when you eat certain foods? Experience certain stressors? A combination? A Rosacea Diary can reveal your trigger patterns, and help you take action to avoid them.

Rosacea and Self-Esteem

As unpleasant as a red face may be, the psychological impact of rosacea is harder still. It’s a condition that you literally carry on your face. Many rosacea sufferers fear that people may suspect an alcohol problem or poor hygiene, even though these are not the cause.

The results of a National Rosacea Society survey demonstrates how profoundly rosacea impacts quality of life. 90 percent of rosacea patients reported low self-esteem, while 52 percent avoided face-to-face contact out of embarrassment. Another survey showed that an astonishing 51 percent of patients with severe rosacea symptoms had missed days at work because of their condition.

What Can You Do To Reduce Rosacea Symptoms?

2 Supplements Can Help Reduce Rosacea Symptoms

What nutrients can you take to reduce your rosacea flare-ups?

1 – Zinc

Research shows that taking a zinc supplement regularly can reduce rosacea symptoms by up to 75%, likely by providing immune system support.

2 – Probiotics

Probiotic supplementation also shows great promise, by rebalancing our microbiome so that potentially damaging bacterial strains are kept in check by the good microbes.

Facial Skincare For Rosacea

Proper facial care is vital. Studies indicate that washing your face morning and evening with an alcohol-free cleanser and using an oil-free moisturizer will improve your facial appearance.  However you need to monitor your skin’s needs and respond accordingly. If your skin is dry and irritated, washing it less often can help. If your skin is oily, less moisturizing may be useful.

Are you ready to get to the root of your rosacea? We can help identify your triggers with Food Sensitivity Testing, check the status of your immune system, test your toxin levels and see what’s going on with your microbiome.

Get in touch and let’s get to work on creating a personalized treatment plan with key nutrients that will have you putting your best face forward.

What does someone with heart disease look like? A stressed out CEO? A smoker over 50? Whatever image came to your mind, chances are it was of a male. We think of heart disease as a male problem, but did you know that more women die of heart disease than men? It’s now the leading cause of female deaths worldwide. Yet up until recently, two-thirds of all heart health research has focussed exclusively on men. What’s wrong with this picture?

If you’re a woman at risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) there is good news – researchers are now stepping up to close the gender gap and prioritize female-based cardiac research. Let’s see what the latest research is saying about female-specific heart disease factors and how you can reduce your risk.

What the Gender Gap Means for Women’s Heart Health

Women’s Bodies Are Different

We may think of women’s ‘hearts’ as different than men when it comes to relationships, but what about literally? It turns out that women’s hearts and arteries tend to be physically smaller than men’s. Plaque build-up in our arteries is a key factor in all heart disease, and smaller arteries mean they can get clogged faster in women.

Different Plaque Deposits

It’s not just anatomical differences – the way that arterial plaques and injuries show up in women can be very different from men, delaying a heart disease diagnosis, or even misdiagnosing it. This may be why more women die from heart attacks than men, and why women are more likely to have second heart attacks.

Dismissive Diagnosis

Heart attack symptoms often look different in women. For example, the sharp chest pains of angina precede a heart attack in everyone, but women may have additional symptoms such as extreme fatigue, trouble breathing, and pain across the stomach and upper back. Not recognizing these red flags can also lead to a dangerously delayed or incorrect diagnosis

The research tells a troubling story. When female patients report stress alongside recognized heart disease symptoms, they are significantly more likely than men to be given an anxiety diagnosis. Even when the same heart-related symptoms were reported.

Less Risk Factor Screening

But it doesn’t end there. After receiving a heart disease diagnosis, women are not screened as often as men for depression. Research shows that depression is a key heart disease risk factor, and strikes almost twice as many female heart disease sufferers than men. This crucial gap can increase womens’ risk for subsequent fatal heart attacks, and slow down recovery.

Different Hearts, Different Diseases

The term ‘heart disease’ or ‘cardiovascular disease’ goes way beyond heart attacks, and includes a host of different issues affecting the heart, blood vessels and arteries. Not surprisingly, some heart conditions affect more women than men. For example, 90% of all

Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD) patients are women, and it accounts for 25% of all heart attacks in women under the age of 60.

What happens when your health care practitioner is only looking for the heart diseases that mainly affect men? You guessed it – potential late or incorrect diagnosis for female patients.

What Special Risks Factor Do Women Have?

Many heart disease risk factors are the same for men and women – it’s the strength of the risk that matters.

Obesity & Smoking

Of the many shared factors, obesity and smoking are the ones that most often impact women more than men. In one study, obesity increased the risk of heart disease by 64% in women, compared to 46% in men. In another study, female smokers had a 25% higher risk of heart disease when compared with men.

Breast Cancer Treatment

Women receiving radiation for breast cancer are particularly vulnerable, with studies showing higher rates of fatal heart disease.

Inflammation

Chronic inflammation is a factor too. Recent research shows that women who have inflammation-related health conditions are a higher risk of heart disease.

Hormones, in Particular Estrogen

Hormones also come into play. We think of estrogen as the quintessential ‘female’ hormone that affects our periods, pregnancy, and menopause. But did you know that there is a key link between estrogen and female heart disease risk?

Menopause

Research shows that heart disease risk for women increases significantly after menopause. It is thought that higher estrogen levels pre-menopause provide a protective heart effect. Studies show that cholesterol levels tend to increase after menopause. Remember those small female arteries that can clog faster than men? More cholesterol means more heart disease risk.

How You can Reduce Your Heart Disease Risk

In addition to quitting smoking and reducing stress, weight management is the most effective way for women to reduce heart disease risk. Excess weight is hard on the heart, and is a stronger heart disease risk factor for women than men. Let’s look at a few easy ways to get on the path to heart health:

Get Moving

Current medical guidelines suggest that women should engage in a minimum of 2.5 to 3 hours per week of vigorous physical exercise. If that sounds like a lot, try breaking it up into exercise bites of 10 – 15 minutes each.  Take a walk during work breaks, take the stairs instead of the elevator, or have a personal dance party!

Eat More Plants

You don’t have to become a vegetarian or vegan to welcome more plant foods into your life. The key is to make it enjoyable by choosing fruits and veggies that you like, and get lots of variety. Think of veggies as the main course instead of the side dish – aim to have at least 60% of your lunch and dinner plates covered with veggies.  Summer is a great time to get gorgeous local produce. See what’s in season and don’t be afraid to try something new!

Eat Good Fats

When your body craves fat, it’s not asking for more chips. It really wants ‘good fats’ like those found in salmon, eggs and walnuts. But if you don’t have these foods often, they’re not on your body’s radar. Try adding these foods to your diet, and see if you notice a change in your fat cravings. Once your body gets to know these nutrient-dense foods it will request them more often!

Nutrients to Support Good Heart Health

Essential Fatty Acids

These ‘good fats’ are called Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs), and have been shown to significantly reduce the risk of developing heart disease. This supplement is especially important for women, as EFAs also balance hormones.

Ever wonder what’s so ‘essential’ about them? Our bodies can’t make them on our own, so we need to eat EFA-rich foods, or supplement with high-quality oils.

Selenium

Studies show that low selenium levels are strongly linked to heart disease risk. Selenium is one of the most effective antioxidant supplements, protecting your heart, blood vessels and arteries from damaging free radicals. Brazil nuts are by far the best food source of selenium, with a handful providing a thousand percent of the recommended daily minimum!

It’s time to prioritize your heart health.

As Naturopathic doctors we treat the patient, not the disease. Get in touch and let’s discuss your health history and risk factors, run some targeted labs for a clear picture of what’s happening inside your body and design a personalized treatment plan. Women lead with the heart, make sure yours stays healthy.

Are your sugar cravings impossible to ignore? Is bloating, gas, and foggy thinking part of your every day? If so, your “bad” bacteria may be calling the shots!

The field of microbiome research has exploded recently. Every day new studies are revealing how the various colonies of gut bacteria and yeasts influence every major system and process in the body, and a sweet tooth may be part of that picture.

Research tells us that a diet high in sugar changes the makeup of the microbiome, helping bad bacteria thrive, suppressing good bacteria, and creating an imbalance that wreaks havoc on your digestive system.

Why is Sugar Bad for Your Microbiome?

With trillions of bacteria and yeasts representing hundreds of species in our gut, this microbial community is more influential than we think. Like any diverse community, there are great differences between members. Different species like different foods, have different jobs and perhaps view life differently.

A Balanced Microbiome

In a healthy, balanced microbiome the various strains of yeasts and bacteria can co-exist happily. But unhealthy microbes, which often feed on sugar, can quickly overwhelm the friendly strains in your gut. Just as a pregnant woman is ‘eating for two’, every day we are ‘eating for trillions’. When sugar supplies in your gut are running low these bad strains send signals for you to ‘crave’ something sweet.

Candida & Cravings

Ask anyone who has experienced an overgrowth of Candida yeast in their gut, and they will tell you that the sugar cravings are powerful and sneaky. They can influence your thoughts and decision-making strategies, manipulating you into eating sugar.

The Worst Dietary Sugars For Your Gut

Many healthy whole foods, especially fruit, are high in natural sugars and can exacerbate an imbalance, but the most damaging sugar is sucrose – plain old table sugar. Sucrose is a combination of fructose and glucose, and research shows that this combination changes the microbiome the most.

4 Ways an Unbalanced Microbiome can Affect Your Health

1 – Leaky Gut Syndrome

If left untreated, an overgrowth of unfriendly microbes can irritate the intestinal wall until it starts to break down, with yeasts such as candida taking the opportunity to bore holes in the soft mucosal lining – this is known as Leaky Gut Syndrome. Entire protein molecules, bacteria and food particles may escape from the intestinal tract directly into the bloodstream, undigested.

Once in the blood, these undigested molecules are sometimes seen as foreign invaders, causing what should be a normal, healthy inflammatory response to go out of control, potentially leading to a host of issues from sensitivities to allergies and even autoimmune conditions.

2 – Autoimmune Conditions

When your immune system is working overtime and inflammation becomes chronic throughout your body, the stage is set for autoimmunity. Many studies have shown that increased sugar consumption increases the risk of developing autoimmune diseases, as well as increasing flare-ups of existing issues such as IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), Crohn’s disease and fibromyalgia.

3 – Food Sensitivities

Food sensitivities are often considered early evidence of potential autoimmune issues. Remember that overactive immune system? If it identifies food as a foreign invader, it won’t just try to fight it off. It will ‘remember’ the food and create antibodies against it. Next time you have this food your body will put its defense system into action, and you may experience bloating, gas, abdominal pain, rashes, and other symptoms. Before you know it, you could develop sensitivities to foods you’ve been eating all your life.

4 – Depression & Low Mood

Recent studies show that depressed individuals have a less diverse microbiome with fewer species of bacteria. Some bacterial species found in healthy individuals can be missing entirely, while other bad bacteria is found in much higher numbers.

Did you know that gut bacteria make many of the neurotransmitters that affect mood? The majority of our natural supplies of GABA (gamma-amino butyrate), norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine are made in the gut – this is why the gut is often referred to as the “second brain”. When those good bacteria aren’t functioning well, or have been wiped out altogether it can have a significant effect on moods and feelings of depression.

How to Bring a Sugar-Influenced Microbiome Back into Balance

As socially acceptable as it may be, sugar is both a microbiome-damaging toxin and an addictive drug. Here’s what you can do to release yourself from sugar’s grip and bring back balance:

Fight Back Against Sugar Cravings

Say No to Your Little Friends

When a strong sugar craving hits, trying to ignore it will only get you so far. Take a few deep breaths, and ask yourself: is this my craving? Or are the bad microbes manipulating me to get their own sugar fix? When you reduce your sugar intake, these microbes go into starvation mode and up the ante. Your sugar cravings become more powerful, and you may find you’re ‘talking yourself into’ getting that

chocolate bar or pastry. Realizing that the microbes are only using you to be fed is a good first step is regaining control over your eating habits.

Identify Sugar Triggers

Perhaps you crave sugar under specific circumstances. Think about the last time you had a sugary treat. Were you feeling stressed? Fatigued? Depressed? Anxious? Knowing your own sugar triggers will help you ride out that craving when it arrives. Bringing conscious attention to your cravings is a powerful way to lessen their power over you.

Feed Your Healthy Gut Bacteria

The best rule of thumb is to eat more real food, and incorporate more plants into your diet. Prebiotics from plants are what our microbiome was built to eat!

Prebiotics

Unlike probiotics, which are themselves beneficial microbial community members, prebiotics are complex carbohydrates that these microbes love to eat. In fact, the reason that many foods are ‘good for us’ is actually because they’re good for beneficial microbes. A well-fed microbe is a happy, active microbe that will keep the bad bacteria at bay and your microbiome healthy and thriving.

The Best Prebiotic Foods

• Chicory
• Jerusalem artichokes
• Dandelion greens
• Asparagus
• Garlic
• Onions
• Bone broth

Add Probiotic Foods To Your Diet

When your microbiome is unbalanced, adding more healthy bacteria can help to temporarily crowd out the bad bacteria, giving your friendly strains a chance to thrive. The easiest way to do this is regularly eating fermented foods which are rich in a variety of strains of soothing, helpful bacteria.

It’s important to note that prebiotics cause bloating and irritation in some individuals, especially if you suffer from SIBO or IBS. If you increase your veggie intake and the bloating continues to make your life a misery, be sure to contact your health practitioner for testing and the right support.

The Best Probiotic Foods

• Kefir
• Yoghurt (read the label to ensure it contains good bacteria as not all do)
• Sauerkraut
• Kimchi
• Miso
• Kombucha
• Lacto-Fermented Pickles (Not those made with vinegar)

Starve the Bad Bacteria

While increasing the foods that help feed and nurture the good bacteria and yeasts in your microbiome is important, reducing the foods that feed bad bacteria is just as much a part of the big picture. Removing hidden and not-so-hidden sources of sugar can pave the road to success when it comes to easing your digestive troubles.

Foods to Avoid to Starve Bad Bacteria

• Processed and packaged foods
• Sugary treats (especially those containing sucrose)
• Alcohol
• High sugar fruits like mangoes, grapes, figs, watermelon and pears

Eat Mindfully

Eating isn’t the best time to multitask. If you’re watching TV or scrolling through your social media feed during meals, research shows that you’re likely to be eating faster, chewing less and eating more food that you would otherwise.

At your next meal, try putting the phone away and keeping the TV off. Consciously chew every bite thoroughly before swallowing, and really taste the flavours. Not only will this result in better digestion, you will naturally eat less and enjoy your meal more. And don’t miss out on one of the great joys of life – catching up with friends and family over a good meal.

Reduce Mealtime Stress

If stress has you in frequent “fight or flight” mode at mealtime, you won’t digest your food very well. In this mode your body’s resources are focussed on either fighting an attacker or running away from them.

Resources are actively removed from digestive function to focus on these tasks. So if you sit down to dinner feeling stressed about something you read in the news or a work assignment that’s due tomorrow, you won’t be able to extract or absorb many nutrients from your meal. The opposite of the fight or flight mode (‘rest and digest’ mode) is the goal. Before you sit down to any meal, try some deep breathing to calm you down.

Are you ready to take control back from those bossy bad bacteria, reduce bloating and feel energized by the food you eat?

Let’s work together to kick the sugar habit for good! If you want to delve deeper and find out what’s really going on in your microbial community, we can run a range of tests from stool analysis to food sensitivity, leaky gut and more and guide you through a healing plan that’s uniquely tailored to you.

Tossing and turning? Watching the hours crawl by? Even one night of poor sleep can make you an exhausted, irritable, sugar-craving beast the next day. We all have the odd sleepless night, but if sleep loss goes on long enough more serious problems like hormone imbalance, immune dysfunction and weight gain can result.

Let’s look at the latest research to see what’s going on when you’re asleep, the relationship between sleep loss and other health conditions, and how you can increase your dose of healing ZZZs.

Why Your Body Needs to Sleep

Imagine a city at night. Offices are being cleaned, roadways and transit lines are being repaired, garbage and recycling is being picked up…

If these activities took place during the day, they would get in the way. Office workers couldn’t work effectively, traffic would become gridlocked. When morning comes, the city has been cleaned and repaired, and is ready for another full day of operations.

Nighttime Functions

It’s the same with your body. It’s vital to your daytime functioning that your body has a chance to perform these functions every night:

• Repair damage to muscles, organs, and DNA
• Hormone production and release
• Process toxins for removal
• Process the day’s events emotionally
• Store long-term emotional and immune memories

The Physical Toll of Not Sleeping Well

What happens if these functions aren’t carried out properly and regularly? Cellular repairs fall behind, hormones fall out of balance, toxins build up, emotions aren’t processed, and long-term immune memories aren’t stored for the future.

A Vicious Cycle: Sleep Loss Worsens Existing Health Conditions

We’ve all experienced the 2-way relationship between poor sleep and stress. Up all night stressing about a work project? The next day you’ll feel even more stressed about it, leading you into a cycle of stress and poor sleep. And the negative effects go deeper if you already suffer from an imbalance in your health.

Sleep Loss Affects Immune Health

Sleep loss can impact your immune system’s lines of defence, the various stages of immune response that are designed to protect the body from infection and disease.

Research points to sleep loss having the strongest impact on targeted antibody resistance. The immune system’s learning and remembering only happen while you sleep. If you’re not getting good quality sleep on a regular basis, your immune system won’t be able to produce the antibodies. This means you could be more

susceptible if that pathogen visits you again in the future. Several studies show that sleep loss increases the risk of an infection taking hold.

Sleep Loss Affects Menopause

Studies show that almost 70% of women in perimenopause and menopause regularly experience sleep loss. Why is that?

Waking up restless and dripping with sweat in the middle of night doesn’t make for a good night’s sleep. And the less sleep you get, the worse the menopause-induced night sweats may get.

Research also shows that the increased anxiety and depression that often accompanies menopause contributes significantly to many aspects of poor sleep including waking up often during the night, less time spent asleep and waking due to troubling dreams.

Sleep Loss Affects Inflammation

Research shows that too little sleep, or a lack of quality sleep, results in increased levels of inflammatory markers and signs of cellular aging. Poor quality sleep can trigger low-grade, chronic inflammation that is characteristic of a wide range of diseases such as heart disease, metabolism disorders, chronic pain, some cancers and neurodegenerative diseases.

Sleep Loss Affects Excess Weight

Have you ever noticed looking slimmer after a period of regularly getting proper sleep? It seems too good to be true – lose weight by spending more time being sedentary? There are several reasons for this phenomenon.

Did you know that fat stores toxins? When your body is having trouble getting dangerous toxins out of your system, it does the next best thing it can to protect our cells: it imprisons them in fat so the toxins can’t damage the rest of your cells.

Also, many hormones are produced and distributed through the body during sleep.

Those strong sugar and carb cravings after a night of tossing and turning might come down to your sleep quality. When these hormones aren’t functioning properly, you’re more likely to eat more and make poor food choices and when you are tired, you are likely to exercise less due to a lack of energy.

9 Ways to Set Yourself Up for Sleep Success

Sleep hygiene isn’t just about a clean bedroom. It’s all the little things you can do to make your bedroom a restful place and set yourself up for sleep success every night.

1 – Create a Consistent Sleep Routine

Our bodies love routine. Get up at the same time every morning, and your body will find it easier to wake up.  With practice, you may find that you’re feeling sleepy even before you hit the sheets!

2 – Limit Screen Time Before Bed

Research shows that blue light from digital screens can negatively impact sleep. Try not to use your smartphone, TV, laptop or tablet for one hour before bed. Skip the social media in bed, and save that late-night show that you like for tomorrow.

3 – Keep Your Bedroom Quiet

Sound is one of the biggest obstacles to sleep. Unless a key part of your sleep routine involves listening to relaxing music, keep your bedroom as quiet as possible. If you can’t control the noise around you, invest in some ear plugs.

4 – Limit Bedroom Light

Darkness is one of the cues your brain is looking for to get into sleep mode. Bedside lamps, night lights and light coming in through your bedroom window can all interfere. A sleep mask can help if you are sharing a room with a night owl. If you work nights, consider installing blackout curtains for deep darkness.

5 – Stay Cool

Research indicates that it’s much easier to get good quality sleep in a cool room. Experiment with different temperatures to see what feels right for you by pre-programing your thermostat to dip at bedtime. If your bedmate has different sleep temperature needs, keep the room cool and go European with individual blankets.

6 – Wear Breathable Nightwear

Polyester and other synthetic fibres are not very breathable, making it more likely you’ll heat up overnight. Opt for natural fibres such as cotton and bamboo to encourage airflow and allow your body to comfortably regulate its temperature.

7 – Don’t Eat Too Late

Digesting food is a huge task, using over 80% of the body’s energy. Ask your body to do this while you’re sleeping, and it won’t have the energy left to carry out that long list of overnight cleansing and healing functions. Even worse, digestion slows down at night, so it is best all round to avoid eating meals after 8pm.

8 – Work Out in the Morning, Yoga at Night

Strenuous exercise does contribute to great sleep at night, but not when it’s done within an hour or two of bedtime. Doing gentler forms of exercise (like yoga) right before bed promotes longer, deeper sleep.

9 – Use a Weighted Blanket

Recent research shows that using a weighted blanket can soothe your nervous system and result in deeper, more restful sleep.

Not Sleeping Properly? We Can Help!

As you can see, the one-third of your life spent asleep directly sets you up for success in the other two-thirds of your life. If you are not feeling your best and suspect sleep is the issue, it’s important to address the root causes.

Let’s work together to design a personalized treatment plan with calming nutrients and effective lifestyle changes that will work for you. We can run tests to check your hormone and immune system function, and see if chronic inflammation is present.