Page 26 - Florida Sentinel 8-7-20

Health
Exercise
In general, hitting the gym helps you sleep better and get to sleep quicker. But when you work out, your body makes more cortisol. That’s a hormone that helps make you more alert. That’s good when you’re trying to wake up for work. But it’s not so good when you’re trying to get to sleep. If you must exercise in the evening, try to finish at least 3 hours before bed.
Ignoring Your Teeth
If you don’t brush and floss in the evening, you might notice a thicker coating (bacteria) on your teeth in the morning. Swishing with mouthwash also might help prevent this buildup of bacte- ria. In just a day or two, it starts to harden into a ce- ment-like “tarter” that can lead to cavities and gum dis- ease. Only your dentist can remove tartar.
Drinking Alcohol
At first, it might make you sleepy. But after a few hours, it has the opposite effect. And the quality of sleep you do get may not be as good. Plus, it makes you pee more, which means more up and down to the bathroom. All this might leave you dragging the next day. Consider keeping it to 1 to 2 drinks per day, and try not to drink in the 3 hours before bedtime.
Late-Night Eating
That cheesesteak in the wee hours isn’t a recipe for a restful night’s sleep. You’re more likely to wake rested and ready for the day with a lighter dinner -- less fat, salt, and calories -- several hours before bed. If you’re hungry later, snack lightly on easy-to-digest foods like toast or yogurt.
Packing Lunch -- At Night
Then you can just grab it from the fridge on your way out the door tomorrow. It saves time and stress in the morning, and it guarantees de- cent nutrition to get you through the day.
Staying Up Late
Not only does it sap your energy, but it can trigger your body to make more cortisol. It can also make you crave more high-fat, high-sugar foods the next day. That’s why you tend to have more body fat if you sleep less than 6 hours a night. That extra body fat makes you more likely to get things like diabetes and heart disease. So if you have to be up for work, it helps to go to bed early enough to get at least 8 hours of sleep.
A Late Jolt of Caffeine
It’s in tea, coffee, chocolate, and many energy drinks. Even in normal amounts, it can make it harder to fall asleep or make the sleep you get less ef- fective, especially as you get older. Even if you have caf- feine 6 to 8 hours before bed- time, it could give you that unrested feeling the next day.
Washing Your Face
You don’t want to over- wash your face or scrub it too hard, especially if you have dry skin. But you should wash off the dirt, grime, sweat, and makeup at the end of the day. By keeping germs off your face, you’ll keep pimples away and you might even prevent eye infections. Plus your mois- turizer, if you use one, will work better.
Being Digital After Dark
Too much artificial light after the sun goes down can mess up your internal clock. The “blue light” given off by your smartphone, laptop, and other electronics can cut down the amount of melatonin that your body makes, which can make winding down difficult. Specialized glasses or screens can filter out the light, and some devices have “nightshift” settings that help remove it. But the best solution is to put the electronics down early.
PAGE 14-B FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2020