Rest, cleanliness, and keto: a triptych for the good life - PART 1

A balanced pattern of nutrition, rest, and movement: it sounds so simple, yet at the same time it is a lifestyle that is very difficult to achieve and maintain consistently in our hectic society. And yet getting these factors in order is incredibly valuable if you want to stay as healthy as possible in a natural way. Which forms of therapy use this advice as a foundation, and what are some simple tips for getting as close as possible to the ideal?

This week we discuss pillar 1: Rest.

Sleep

Getting enough sleep is crucial for our functioning, mental well-being, and the body’s ability to recover. Many people, however, struggle with sleep—up to 45% of all adults regularly have trouble sleeping. The factors that can contribute to this are numerous. Blue light (especially in the evening), a suboptimal diet, stress, a lack of morning sunlight, and daytime movement—all of these have an impact on their own, let alone when they come together. And this combination of factors is a common cause of sleep deprivation in Western society.

The experience of sleep deprivation has several components: difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep, waking too early, and waking up unrefreshed. Trying to address all components at once is often not feasible. When you are tired, it is tempting to stay in bed longer or nap after a bad night, but this rarely helps improve sleep. It is therefore better to focus on sleep quality and sleep hygiene, and to maintain a regular rhythm of going to bed and getting up.

Consider the following points to optimize your sleep:

• Avoid blue light (such as from screens and blue artificial light) as much as possible, but at least for one hour before going to sleep. Blue light disrupts natural melatonin production and therefore your biological rhythm. If that is not possible, consider a special pair of glasses with tinted lenses that filter out blue light.
• Maintain good sleep hygiene. Use your bed for sleep and sex, not for working, worrying, or eating. A cool, dark bedroom with enough fresh air and a comfortable bed is important—although some people swear by sleeping on the floor!
• Use the same sleep ritual every evening. We do this with our children, but the adult body also prepares for sleep through associations, which automatically triggers the release of the necessary sleep hormones. A bit of meditation, breathing exercises, writing, or reading to clear your mind, or a soothing (magnesium) bath… your body is a creature of habit in that respect, so try what helps you relax and stick with it for a while.
• Eat in a sleep-friendly way. So no chocolate, alcohol, or caffeine up to 6 hours before bedtime! Heavy or spicy meals can also keep you awake. A somewhat lighter evening meal and no late-night snack ensure that your body is not digesting as its primary activity while you are getting into bed. Enough protein in your diet also ensures that the right building blocks are available to make sleep hormones.

 

If you do not sleep well, it is tempting to look for a short-term solution in the form of a melatonin supplement or even sleep medication, but there is already a lot to gain by taking a close look at the basics—and for the long term, this is much more worthwhile.

Effective breathing

You breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. We learn this early on, yet many people breathe only through the mouth. This can be conscious (for example when your nose is blocked), but it mostly happens unconsciously—in sleep many people breathe through the mouth, which can cause snoring and a dry mouth, among other things. Breathing through the nose humidifies the air you inhale more than breathing through the mouth, which is better for the sinuses and lungs.

A trick to promote nasal breathing during sleep can be taping the mouth shut with mild tape: “mouth taping.” Besides the more humidified air via the nose, there are also benefits for oral health: a moist mouth has a better microbiome balance than a dehydrated mouth. Be careful with mouth taping if you have a blocked nose or existing airway complaints such as allergies or sleep apnea.

Besides mouth breathing, humans also often breathe too shallowly. Especially when people are distracted by work or a screen, studies have observed shallow, irregular breathing and even pauses of up to 30 seconds—also called “email apnea.” This form of breathing is part of hyperventilation, which can cause the body to experience stress unconsciously even without a panic reaction. When the oxygen-carbon dioxide balance in the blood is off, the sympathetic nervous system is activated, allowing you to respond immediately to threat. By breathing calmly and deeply, the parasympathetic nervous system takes over and brings the body back into a state of rest and recovery.

A study that trained participants with an anxiety disorder to use abdominal breathing when they felt tense showed that after a few weeks their bodies demonstrably experienced fewer stress signals.

 

Such breathing exercises are not only suitable when you want to go to sleep, but also for general relaxation. By breathing in a slowed rhythm (for example 2–4 seconds in, 8 seconds out), blood pressure, heart rate, cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline decrease under the influence of the parasympathetic nervous system. In this way, you can, as it were, force the body to relax. Forcing relaxation sounds like a contradiction in terms—but try it when you feel tension. Conscious breathing is not without reason an essential part of yoga and meditation.

Learning to meditate

Meditation originated in the East, but today people worldwide are aware of the benefits that the practice brings. There is nothing better for coming back to yourself in our hectic existence with a constant stream of stimuli than seeking peace and reconnecting with your “self.” Half an hour a day is already enough! Meditation also activates the healing capacity of the body.

 

Some fun meditation facts at a glance:

• Research has shown that meditation increases the density of the cerebral cortex, the hippocampus, and the amygdala. These areas of the brain are associated with emotional integration, self-awareness, compassion, and introspection.
• A series of small studies with people who had mild brain trauma, such as a chronic concussion, found in a meta-analysis that they benefited from meditation and yoga. Their fatigue, psychological well-being, and cognitive ability showed promising improvements with regular practice.
• The immune system also benefits from meditation. The relationship between a good immune response and meditation has been studied extensively, and various values were shown to improve under the influence of meditation. Inflammation markers went down, while the number of CD4 cells increased (which help body cells fight infection).
• The microbiome, which we now know also plays an important role in natural defense, also responds to stress and can become imbalanced. Your gut flora therefore also benefits from keeping stress under control.

Superbrain yoga

Perhaps it is also difficult for you to schedule half an hour a day for relaxation exercises. Don’t worry—there is a form of yoga for that too: Superbrain yoga. With just 3 minutes per day of this yoga style, you can give your brain a boost through the specific posture of Superbrain yoga. It brings balance not only to your body, but also between your two brain hemispheres. And this could, in a short time, lead to improvement and more balance in your mental performance and inner peace. A fast charger for your energy, in other words!

How do you practice Superbrain yoga?

• Stand upright and press your tongue against the roof of your mouth as if you are going to say “la.”
• Cross your arms and hold your earlobes between your thumb and index finger with both hands, with your thumbs pointing forward.
• Breathe in deeply, and lower into a squat position. Rise as you exhale.
• Repeat the squat movement at least 15 times without moving your hands or tongue.

 

Life is often hectic—but relaxation can be learned. The Dutch “ice man” Wim Hof is famous for his concentration, meditation, and breathing techniques. With his self-developed method, he brings his body under such control that he can consciously influence his body temperature, heart rate, and even his immune system.

Do you also aspire to conquer Kilimanjaro in shorts? It is never too late to start learning how to relax!