How Much Caffeine Is Too Much?

July 20, 2010

The most difficult challenge when determining when you need to curb your coffee drinking habit is actually determining how much caffeine is too much. There are positive effects that caffeine has on the body, but when the amount of caffeine present in your body is beyond its normal dose, then you could be at risk too. You will learn some tips below.

When Must You Cut Back On Coffee?

Several people drink coffee due to the stimulating effects that keep one mentally and physically alert. On average, an individual consumes moderate doses of caffeine, such as 200-300 milligrams of caffeine each day or equal to 2-4 cups each day. However, there are some who exceed this amount such that it could lead to serious health risks.

You can learn more about when you need to re-evaluate your caffeine intake and what you can do about it.

Health Risks of Too Much Caffeine

Simply put, caffeine is not bad for you. But when you consume too much caffeine that is when it begins to affect your health. Those who drink 4 to 7 cups of coffee or 500-600 milligrams daily are at most risk. There are several effects that could be experienced by those with excess caffeine in their body:

* nervousness
* irritability
* irregular heartbeat
* headaches
* insomnia
* restlessness
* nausea
* gastrointestinal conditions
* muscle tremors
* anxiety

Lack of Sleep

Adults need up to 8 hours of sleep each night to stay healthy and to functional optimally. But when you are chronically losing sleep, it begins to affect your performance and overall health. Too much caffeine intake can lead to sleep deprivation due to its stimulating effects that keep you mentally and physically alert.

As a result of excessive caffeine intake, you shorten the amount of sleeping hours each night. Due to lack of quality sleep, you feel tired as you wake up next day and this could produce long term side effects to your health.

Jittery Feeling

Not all people are sensitive to caffeine. If you are, even the smallest amounts of caffeine can result to unwanted effects like irritability, anxiety, restlessness, and lack of sleep. The extent of your bodyís reaction to caffeine is dependent on the amount of caffeine you regularly consume. So, if you are noticing any of the above noted side effects, make sure to take immediate actions before it could develop into more serious complications in the long run.

Reactions to Medications and Supplements

One of the reasons why individuals are recommended to monitor their caffeine intake is due to the its possibility to cause a negative reaction with some medications or supplements that you are taking.

The most common type of medication that could negatively react with caffeine are antibiotics, notably Noroxin and Cipro. These antibacterial medications interfere in the process of breaking down antibiotics inside your body, which is further worsen with the buildup of caffeine in your body. Meanwhile, Theophylline is a type of medication intended to open up your bronchial airways but create caffeine-like effects. It is therefore advised against intake alongside caffeine intake due to the risk of developing the following side effects: heart palpitations, nausea, and vomiting.

Curbing Your Caffeine Habit

Reducing your coffee habit can both be good for your health and practical on the budget, especially knowing the current prices for coffee. However, those who are regular coffee drinkers can find quitting or curbing this habit a challenging one. Try to adapt the following tips to gradually eliminate caffeine off your diet:

1. Learn how to read labels to monitor the amount of caffeine you consume each day, noting not just coffee but also other sources of caffeine.
2. Do not shock your system by completely taking out caffeine from your diet. Instead, do it gradually starting by reducing the amount of coffee you drink per day, until your body is accustomed to it.
3. Look for natural or healthier alternatives such that you can get the same taste and stimulating effects that coffee has, without the risks to your health.

Your ability to pay attention to your body and willingness to assess just how much caffeine is too much for your body can take could save your health from its disastrous and fatal consequences.

The pzizz energizer module is a natural alternative to caffeine for staying alert during the day, with no side effects.

Want To Lose Weight? Why Will Power Isn’t Enough

June 18, 2010

If, like so many others, you’ve been fighting the battle of the bulge for any length of time, you have undoubtedly been told to just ‘suck it up’ and use a little bit of will power. But, if it were that easy, there wouldn’t be an obesity epidemic in so many parts of the world.  So, let’s explore why using “will power” is usually so ineffective.

According to a fascinating experiment published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, “Just one act of self-control depletes your ability to have self-control in another unrelated area.”  For example, when subjects were told not to eat chocolates sitting right in front of them, their persistence in puzzle-solving deteriorated.

This is not just related to food.  When subjects were told to suppress an emotional reaction to a movie, they had problems solving an easy anagram.  It turns out that you only have the conscious resources to exhibit willpower on one (or at the most two) fronts at one time.  The research is overwhelming in this area.

This is why it is SO HARD to stay disciplined with eating and exercise. This is true for any form of will power, which is why we often don’t do the things we tell ourselves we are going to do.

In short, any self-regulatory strategy has costs with respect to depleting a person’s general resources for self regulation.²

To make it worse, according to research on information processing, your conscious mind is only able to process approximately 50 bits of information per second, while your unconscious mind processes approximately 11 million bits per second.³ This means your unconscious mind processes information about 220 THOUSAND TIMES FASTER than your conscious mind.

Going back to the willpower research, it makes more sense now.  The part of your experience that you are aware of has very limited resources, while the part of you that you are NOT aware of, is extremely powerful.

Further evidence of this comes from the famous study done by Dr. George A. Miller of Princeton University. He proved that the conscious mind can only handle 7 (plus or minus 2) chunks of information at a time.⁴

So you can see what a drain it is trying to use willpower to follow a healthy diet, exercise regularly, etc. on a daily basis.  This is also why, when people try to quit smoking AND lose weight at the same, they are almost certain to fail!

Now you understand that the trick is to somehow get the part of you that you are not aware of (the unconscious mind) to make the changes for you.

So how do you get your unconscious mind to naturally desire healthy green foods, water, healthy portions, exercise, etc. without having to think about it consciously?

The trick is a combination of positive association, priming and ritual.

With positive association, think Pavlov and the dog (you remember how Dr. Pavlov was able to get dogs to salivate at the sound of a bell).  You need to set up an environment where every time you take an action that leads to your goal, you will reward yourself.  Your brain will quickly learn to create this behaviour without you having to think about it.

With priming, you need to put in place cues that lead to your desired behaviours.  The research is solid that environmental cues determine a great percentage of your behaviours.  For example, every time you see a fast food advertisement, you are receiving a prime (in this case for a behaviour you don’t want)!

So level the playing field by putting pictures of healthy foods in your home and office.  Eat off of smaller plates so you are primed to eat smaller portions.  Remove “bad” snacks from your sight as they call for you to eat them!  The point is to set up your environment for success.

Finally, use the power of ritual.  It takes 21 days to change a habit.  Pick one ritual that you can easily do every day that will lead to your weight loss goals.  One powerful, easy thing you can do is to change your morning ritual.

A SIMPLE WAY TO START :

Prepare a healthy meal every night before you go to bed, and pick any 20-minute form of exercise you can do in the mornings.  When you wake up, do 20 minutes of exercise (even if it is just walking), then eat your healthy meal.  This is easy to do and, because it is the first thing you do every day, the stresses of the day will not prevent it.

References

1. 1. Source: RE Baumeister et al. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 74, 1998.
2. 2. Moraven, M., et al. (1998). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74. 774-789.
3. 3. Zimmerman, M. (1989). In R. F. Schmidt & G. Thews (eds.), Human Physiology, pp. 166-173. Berlin, Germany: Springer-Verlag.
4. 4. Miller, G. A. (1956). Psychological Review, 63, 81-97.

Lose Weight by Sunbathing?!

March 13, 2010

Sunbathing is a very relaxing thing to do. You could sunbathe on the beach, in your garden, or at the roof top. However, don’t you know that sunbathing may also help you lose weight effectively? Well, what are the usual ways of losing weight? dieting is one of them. However, the sad truth is that according to weight loss experts, diets do not usually work, and most people gain their weight back despite not eating too much and following a specific diet plan. So would sunbathing help?

What Does A Healthy Eating Plan Include?

A recent study conducted by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Disorders noted that a weight loss diet which only limits a person’s portions to very small sizes, or which excludes certain foods may be quite hard to stick to, much less religiously follow.

This type of diet plan may not even work in the long term, because you’ll continue to crave for the stuff you want to eat, and whenever no one’s looking around, you’ll continue munching on the foods you like. The Institute stresses that a healthy eating plan must take into account a person’s likes and dislikes, as well as include a wide array of foods, which should be able to provide you with enough calories and essential nutrients for good health.

So What’s The Connection Between Sunbathing And A Good Health?

A new study published by the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology and Metabolism in March 2010 noted that  vitamin-D deficiency is at an alarming trend, and more and more people are having less of this essential vitamin. The vitamin D deficiency is fast reaching epidemic proportions., with the study noting that 59 percent of the population is vitamin D deficient.

The  study further adds that an abnormal level of vitamin D in the body is associated with a wide array of diseases, which include osteoporosis, diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases. There is also a clear link between vitamin D deficiency and stored body fat. The study adds that if a person gets enough sunshine, through sunbathing and other methods, the individual may be able to get adequate amounts of Vitamin D from it. This means that sunshine may actually help to promote effective body fat loss, as well as help in adding healthy doses of vitamin D to  the body.

The Other Perks of Sunbathing

Another study has also concluded that exposure to sunlight, especially during the early morning and mid-afternoon, helps add more levels of vitamin D to your body, which may in turn help to keep your brain healthy, as well as ward off dementia and depression. The findings also stress that retirement to warmer climates, and taking dietary supplements daily helps boost the brain’s ability to stay active and in good shape even through the retirement years.

Both studies agree that vitamin D deficiencies can be alleviated or corrected through regular sun exposure and taking of vitamin supplements. This should make for a perfect pitch for sunbathing, although health experts stress that your sunbathing activity should be regulated, and you only need to expose yourself to the sun only during the early morning or late afternoon, and steer clear of the hours where the sun is at its hottest, so that you’ll avoid getting sunburn, or worse suffer from heat stroke.

Teen Texting Leading To Insomnia

March 13, 2010

During these fast-paced and stressful times, more and more people are suffering from a number of sleep disorders, including insomnia. Insomnia is defined as the inability to sleep, or get adequate quality sleep. Insomnia affects everyone, regardless of age or ethnic background. Insomnia is surprisingly also affecting large numbers of teenagers these days. Why are the numbers of teenagers affected with insomnia rising?
Late Night Teen Texting May Wreak Havoc On their Sleep Patterns

A recent study conducted by Swedish researchers has found out that late night texting by teenagers may wreak havoc on their sleeping patterns. The study notes that constantly using the phone may actually increase a teenager’s risk of developing insomnia. The study further adds that teenagers who texted or called more than fifteen times a day faced greater risk of having insomnia. The study fears that addiction to mobile phones is fast  becoming a serious issue with teenagers today.

Late Night Texting And Checking E-Mails Is Just Like Gulping 2 Cups Of Coffee

The Swedish study compares late night texting or checking emails on the laptop, to gulping two cups of espresso at night. Teenagers who constantly miss out on sleep are also more likely to put on extra weight, because constant texting or talking on the phone also makes them prone to eating junk foods and other fatty snacks. Disrupted sleep during the teenage years also is linked with a shorter life expectancy, poor memory and heart disease in the long term.

Teeners Today Only Spend An Average of Seven And A Half Hours Sleeping

The distressing fact about teenagers these days is that they’re only spending around 7 to 7 and a half hours sleeping, as compared to 9 and a half hours a few years back. Most teenagers spend more time in front of the TV, or waddle on their laptop and check out their social networking pages, as well as incessantly talk and text on their mobile phones. With less sleep, teenagers are also having problems with focusing on their studies, and also suffer from poor attention. With increased hyperactivity, teenagers also suffer from serious mood swings, increased irritability, and daytime sleepiness.

How Can Teenagers Improve their Sleeping Habits?

Here are a few helpful tips for parents and teenagers. First, it would help if teenagers turn off their phones during the night. Incessant texting and chatting at night is leading to a phenomenon which doctors call as junk sleep.  It would be better if teens put away their phones and PC’s away during the night, and instead relax their minds and prepare to go to sleep.

Teenagers are also advised to eat low-fat dinners.  A study in Brazil has noted that teens who eat an evening meal that’s high in fat had less REM sleep, and were more likely to stay weak and out of focus the next day. Lastly, take a warm bath before going to bed. A warm bath helps cool the body down before sleeping.

Women guilty of feeling too guilty, study shows

March 12, 2010

Men and women are created equally. However, in truth, men and women have different traits and habits, and the funny thing is that a recent study done by Spanish researchers has indicated that women feel guilt over just about anything more than their male counterparts.

Are Men Less Likely To Feel Guilty Than Women?

The recent Spanish study interestingly notes that men are guilt-deficient, while many women surprisingly suffer from destructive guilt, which they see is most likely imposed by society. A study done by psychologists at the University of New Orleans also adds that men are supposed to feel less guilt intensely because they are less emphatic than women. Why is this so ? The University of New Orleans study simply notes that it’s the way evolution made us.

The Guilt Feelings In Women May Be Genetic In Nature

Habitual guilt by women may be as a result of genetics. The Spanish research team has noted that habitual guilt, which is described as a type of internalized feeling of guilt, is much more intense in women as compared to men. Interpersonal guilt, which is described as the type of guilt that’s related to how our action or inaction affects others, is significantly much higher in women than it is in men. The study although notes that older men achieve the same levels of habitual guilt as women.

Women Need Support, While Men Need Counseling

The recent Spanish study notes that women need constant emotional support, while men need fixing or counseling. The study also highlights that there should be more socializing agents and educational practices to help considerably reduce the levels of anxious aggressive guilt in women. There also needs to be extra promotion of interpersonal sensitivity in men, so that  men would become more sensitive to the feelings of women.

Men Are More Self-Centered, While Women Worry More About Their Actions

Whether men forget their wedding anniversary or cheat on their wives and feel less remorse, these studies note that more and more women continue to feel more guilty than men. Women are twice as likely to tie themselves in stomach-turning knots of regret and shame, even for their slightest failings. The study further adds that men are more self-centered, and their greatest feelings of guilt arise from either drinking to much or over-eating, rather than on their behaviors. Women on the other hand, worry far more about hurting other people, or worry more about their actions or inactions.

In both the Spanish and University of New Orleans studies, one thing stands out: Women are more complex emotionally. The study’s proponents admit that anytime you study men and women, and ask them about their emotions, women are more likely to admit to having far more complex array of emotions, while men are more less  likely to show how they feel, and are less likely to feel guilt.

Napping in the Afternoon May Make You Smarter

March 12, 2010

Great news for pzizzers – especially students!

Want to ace that next test? Try taking a mid-afternoon siesta. (i.e. “have a pzizz!”)

While the findings are preliminary, new research raises the prospect that sleep, specifically a lengthy afternoon nap, prepares the brain to remember things. Think of it as similar to rebooting a computer to get it to work more smoothly.

“Sleep is not just for the body. It’s very much for the brain,” said study author Matthew Walker, an assistant professor at the University of California at Berkeley.

For the full story from HealthScout.com, please click here.

How Much Sleep Does An Average Person Need?

February 4, 2010

If you’re trying to figure out exactly how much sleep you should get in order to be physically healthy and feel well rested, you should know that, to an extent, people’s needs vary. Different people require different amounts of sleep.

However, there is most definitely a range that is considered healthy. A wide ranging study conducted by the Scripps Clinic Sleep Center in La Jolla, California, has examined this question. A study of more than 1 million adults, who participated in a study on cancer prevention, and recorded their average nightly amount of sleep, shed light on how much sleep people really need.

The study revealed that people who sleep between 6.5 hours a night and 7.5 hours a night live the longs. And people who sleep much more or much less than that don’t live as long.

This varies by age, however. That number is for adults. Teenagers need about 8.5 to 9 hours per night, which is not surprising with their growing bodies.

And, ultimately, a lot of it comes down to how you feel when you wake up in the morning. Do you feel refreshed, alert, energetic? Then you’ve had the right amount of sleep for you. Do you feel tired and groggy? Does that feeling persist even after a shower, a cup of tea or coffee, even after you’ve left for work or school? Then, even if you got the “scientifically correct” amount of sleep, it’s not the right amount for you.

The goal is to live a life where you are clear-headed, energized, and alert, not dragging through your day struggling to keep your eyes open. So it will help you to really assess how you feel when you wake up each morning, and if you don’t feel awake and full of energy, it’s time to work on finding a solution; the difference in the quality of your life will be noticeable.

Happy pzizzing!

What Happens to Your Body When You Don’t Get Enough Sleep?

January 12, 2010

I’m delighted to announce that ‘pzizz sleep’ is now available on the iTunes Store :

http://itunes.com/app/pzizzsleep

As a “thank you” to our existing customers, we are pricing it at $2.99 / £1.79 until 14th December, at which time we are increasing our prices to $9.99 per app. It’s simply not worth trying to compete with all the ‘one track’ apps at $2.99.

pzizz is a quality product, and our prices need to reflect that. I know that this will upset some people, but for those who want a ‘one track’ app I suggest they download and listen to the free MP3 samples from http://www.pzizz.com and “pretend” they’re using what other companies have the cheek to call an “app”!

In our mind, an “app” should do more than display a graphic and play a single soundtrack, but this is exactly what everyone else is selling.

pzizz does so much more than this, and our new price will reflect this fact (but still be less than the cost of a CD which only play single soundtracks!)

So, if you’re interested in putting the best sleep app possible on your iPhone at a ridiculously low price, grab it now!

Best wishes, happy pzizzing – and sleep well, everyone…

edward

Swine Flu – What are You Doing About it?

May 20, 2009

I know a lot of people are stressing about the why’s and the wherefore’s of the origin of the swine flu, and I know a lot of people are worried about what they need to do to protect themselves from it in the event that the situation becomes even more worrying – because I hear about it in emails all the time.

However, it seems that although the virus is currently spreading, it’s not actually killing that many people. The guys on NaturalNews.com might well be on to something when they say that this is because we have naturally high levels of Vitamin D at the moment due to the sun, and our immune levels are high – and that we’re heading for problems when we hit influenza time in the Autum / Fall and Winter months later in the year.

“With potentially millions of Americans carrying non-fatal H1N1 influenza into the regular winter flu season in late 2009, there is a very real chance that H1N1 genetic code could mix with various seasonal flu strains, creating a highly lethal and contagious strain that devastates the human population across the world.

It’s impossible for anyone to accurately predict the risk of such a mutation occurring, but the elements are in place for precisely such a development. Importantly, should such a scenario unfold, vaccines will be totally useless because they only target whatever H1N1 strain was circulating eight months ago!

Remember this: A viral mutation instantly renders all vaccines completely useless.”

So, rather than worry about things, I’m making it my personal aim to ensure that my natural immune levels are as high as possible over the coming months, via a combination of exercise, healthy eating, cleansing and supplements. I don’t think Government can help us – and I certainly don’t trust the Pharmaceutical companies to deliver a “cure”, because viruses, by their very nature, can’t be cured. They simply mutate into something else!

First on the list of supplements I’m taking is a daily dropper of Ocean’s Alive Phytoplankton – which I get from David Wolfe’s excellent SunFood Nutrition website. (Click on the bottle below to read more if you’re interested!)

What do you think? Is Swine Flu something to worry about? Or simply a seasonal scare?

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UK Government Launches Swine Flu TV Advertisment

May 20, 2009

Well, this seems like pretty good advice – for anyone with any kind of flu!

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