More sleep means less chances of getting the flu

In 2015 researchers at Carnegie Mellon University conducted a study involving 153 participants who documented their sleep patterns and voluntarily subjected themselves to rhinovirus infused nasal drops. The results were overwhelming, showing that individuals who sleep an average of six hours or less each night are over four times more likely to catch the common cold than those who sleep seven hours or more. Participants who averaged five hours showed even greater susceptibility to infection. In other words, the more sleep you get in the weeks leading up to viral exposure, the less likely you are to catch a bug.

Quality is as important as quantity

But it wasn’t simply the duration of sleep that proved significant in flu prevention. Sleep efficiency, a measure that accounts for overall sleep quality by discounting disturbances and middle-of-the-night awakenings, was the primary predictor of infection. More so than age, BMI, race, sex, season of exposure, psychological factors such as stress, or health practices such as smoking and physical activity, the quality of your sleep is the most predictive measure of your viral susceptibility. So, the deeper you sleep, the less likely you are to come down with a cold or a flu.

Sleep also helps to heal an infection sooner

Sleep not only promotes your ability to avoid infection, but it’s a major factor in the ability to recover once you’ve contracted a virus. Extended periods of deep sleep allow for the production of immune bodies such as T cells. T Cells exist in two varieties, Killer T Cells, which scan the body and destroy infected and cancerous cells and Helper T Cells, which coordinate immune responses through the release of messenger molecules called cytokines. Cytokines travel throughout the body regulating and activating appropriate pathways within your body’s adaptive response to pathogens. Sleep deprivation prevents proliferation of these essential immune bodies, depleting your arsenal and leaving you with weakened defense.

Interestingly, in the Carnegie Mellon study I cited earlier, the sensation of feeling “well rested” was not a sure indicator of good health in study participants. It was the objective measure of sleep quality and duration rather than perceived energy level that carried weight. There is no shortchanging the physiological processes that repair our bodies and brains and bolster our immune responses while we sleep. It’s not always easy to get the 7 – 9.5 hours of sleep necessary to optimise your physical and cognitive health, but if you prioritise your commitments and exercise good sleep hygiene, you’ll be well on your way to kicking the common cold and keeping the flu at bay.

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Sweet potato, carrot and ginger soup

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp light olive oil
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp chopped root ginger
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 large chilli, cut in half
• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into cubes
• 2 carrots, chopped into cubes
• 3 cups coconut milk
• 1 tsp garam masala powder
• Salt, to taste
• Spinach, to garnish [optional]
• Pappadums, to garnish [optional]

Preparation method

1. Gently heat the oil in a pan and add the cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Cook for 1 minute.
2. Stir in the onions and allow them to soften for 5 minutes.
3. Add the ginger, garlic and half  the chilli.
4. After 1 minute, stir in the carrots, sweet potatoes, coconut milk and garam masala powder.
5. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes, or until the sweet potato and carrots are soft. Add some water or vegetable stock if the soup thickens.
6. In the meantime roast the remaining half chilli over an open flame until the skin blisters.
7. Once the vegetables are soft remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Discard and pulse the soup using a hand blender or by mashing well until smooth.
8. Add more coconut milk, vegetable stock or water if you need to and bring back to the boil. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt.
9. Serve garnished with the roasted chilli, spinach leaves and pappadums [if using].

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Healing properties

You can use chamomile to treat a number of ailments:

• Depression: Use the essential oil to lift your mood and ease symptoms of depression. Research shows that chamomile significantly reduces feelings of sadness, depression, and sluggishness and induces a happy feeling.
• Lack of sleep: Chamomile contains chrysin [a flavonoid that relieves anxiety and promotes sleep] and glycine [a nerve relaxant]. These are the main ingredients responsible for its soothing properties.
• Stomach cramps: Chamomile contains anti-spasmodic and anti-inflammatory constituents. Hence it is effective in treating stomach and intestinal cramps. A cup of chamomile tea in the morning and evening provides great relief.
• Premenstrual syndrome [PMS] and menstrual cramps: Drinking chamomile tea twice a day has been found to be beneficial in treating PMS and menstrual cramps. It works by raising as it raises levels of glycine in the urine, which helps calm muscle spasms.
• Migraine: Research shows that chamomile is a wonderful cure for migraine. It works best if you have a cup of tea just when you notice the initial signs of a migraine starting [aura].
• Burns: Chamomile oil is useful in treating burns. Rub a small amount of oil gently across the burned area once, to ease discomfort. The essential oils present in chamomile act by soothing irritated skin or tissue.
• Skin: Chamomile is useful for lightening your skin tone due to its essential oils. To keep your skin healthy and lighten a tan, add few chamomile flowers to your bath water or a add a few drops of the essential oil.
• Cold: The immune-boosting and antibacterial properties of chamomile tea help in fighting cold.
• Irritable bowl syndrome: The anti-inflammatory and anti-spasmodic properties of chamomile relax smooth muscles lining of the stomach and intestine. It thus reduces cramping and pain in the bowels and helps relieve excessive gas and bloating in the intestines.

A word of caution

Chamomile is not recommended if you are currently taking blood thinners, since it contains a substance called coumarin that is also a blood thinner. Individuals who are allergic to other plants in the same family such as daisy, aster and chrysanthemum may have difficulty using chamomile. It is best to avoid consuming chamomile during pregnancy as it may lead to abortion.

The post The benefits of chamomile tea to soothe your frazzled nerves appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

Linus Pauling, PhD, the only two-time winner of the Nobel Prize, was the first to realise vitamin C’s importance in maintaining a healthy immune system. In 1970, he proposed that regular intake of vitamin C in amounts far higher than Recommended Daily Allowance [RDA] of 75-90 mg could help prevent and shorten the duration of common cold.

Though the medical community immediately voiced its strong disagreement with the idea, many people took to Dr Pauling’s observation and began taking large amounts of vitamin C. Most of them also immediately noticed a big drop in the frequency and severity of their colds.

Medical research has confirmed Dr Pauling’s original idea. Not only does a high vitamin C intake markedly reduce the severity of a cold, it also effectively prevents secondary viral or bacterial complications.

Vitamin C works by stimulating the immune system and protecting it from damage caused by free radicals. It is a known fact that constant exposure to toxins, like lead or benzene, drains your vitamin C reserve in the body. Research suggests that its deficiency harms the body’s natural process of detoxification just as well. Therapists often recommend a good intake of vitamin C through natural food sources. Alternatively, they may also prescribe a nutritive pill that takes care of your requirement.

How much Vitamin C is good enough

Experts believe that a regular intake of 1,000 mg/day or more of vitamin C is safe—this is in sharp contrast to RDA of 75-90 mg per day for adults. So what’s the right dose? How much do we need to take on a daily basis, and with safety?

To answer this, it is important to realise that RDA is not based on what is required for optimum health. It is more related to the amount needed to prevent scurvy—the most obvious deficiency picture caused due to lack of vitamin C. As a matter of fact, RDA is actually based on the vitamin C content of average diet.

Variety is what you need

In spite of all its health benefits, this miracle vitamin cannot be manufactured by the body. It needs to be ingested.

Eating a variety of foods that contain vitamin C is the best way to get an adequate amount of the nutrient each day.

The main dietary sources of vitamin C are fresh fruits and green leafy vegetables

• Amla [Indian gooseberry] is one of the richest sources of vitamin C both in the fresh as well as in dry form
• Guava is another cheap but rich source of this vitamin
• Germinating pulses contain good amounts [Traces occur in fresh meat and fish]
• Roots and tubers contain small amounts.

If you need to get your dose of vitamin C through natural sources, stock up fresh lime, oranges and gooseberry.

In order to get the most vitamin C from your foods, eat them promptly after preparation. Exposure to light and oxygen can rapidly decrease the amount of the vitamin in fresh fruits and vegetables. The nutrient is also lost during preparation, cooking or storage.

Health Benefits of Vitamin C

Studies suggest that this vitamin may be helpful in:

• Boosting immune system function
• Maintaining healthy gums
• Relieving eye pressure in conditions like glaucoma
• Improving visual clarity for those with uveitis [inflammation of the middle part of the eye]
• Slowing the progression of Parkinson’s disease
• Reducing the bad effects of pollution
• Lowering blood pressure
• Treating allergy-related conditions, such as asthma, eczema, and hay fever [allergic rhinitis]
• Relieving pain from pancreatitis
• Reducing the bad effects of sun exposure, such as sunburn, or redness, and skin cancer
• Easing the problem of dry mouth, a common side-effect of anti-depressant medications
• Healing burns and wounds
• Forming collagen, a protein that gives structure to bones, cartilage, muscle, and blood vessels
• Absorbing iron and maintaining capillary, bone, and tooth health.

So, the next time you catch a cold, just pile your plate with citrus fruits, papaya, strawberries, cantaloupe, and pineapple, and ensure you get your dose of this wonder nutrient.

Tips about Vitamic-C

It is best to use fresh vitamin C every time, and not allow it to stale.

Here are a few ideas:

• Serve fruits and vegetables raw whenever possible
• Steam, boil, or simmer foods in very small amounts of water, or microwave them for the shortest time possible
• Cook potatoes with their skins.
• Be sure to wash the dirt off the outside of the potato
• Refrigerate prepared juices and store them for no more than 2-3 days
• Store cut, raw fruits, and vegetables, in an air-tight container and refrigerate – do not soak or store in water. Vitamin C is a water-soluble, anti-oxidant vitamin. It dissolves easily in water.

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