How To Rest More Efficiently (Yes, Really)
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How To Rest More Efficiently (Yes, Really)
We’ve talked before about how to recover more quickly after a workout, especially if you overdid it. There are a lot of tips in that article, so by all means check it out if you didn’t catch it at the time!
That was very specific to recovering from exercise, though. Today we’re looking at something a little different, a little more holistic.
You’re busier than you think
Maybe your life is an obvious blur of busy-ness. Maybe it’s not. But either way, you’re almost certainly busier than you think. Especially on a cellular level.
Your resting metabolic rate (RMR), or how many calories you burn while at rest (i.e., calories used just to keep you alive) will depend on various factors including age, sex, weight, body composition, and other things.
That said, it’ll probably be between 1000 and 2000 calories per day. You can get a rough idea of what it might be for you, using this calculator:
How Many Calories Do You Burn a Day at Rest (Doing Nothing)?
So if ever you wonder why you feel so exhausted, despite having done nothing, it could be that your body was busy:
- Metabolizing, generally (did you have a big meal?)
- Fighting an illness (bacterial or viral infection, for example)
- Fighting an imaginary illness and creating a real one in the process (stress, inflammation, etc)
- Recovering/rebuilding from something you did yesterday or even before that
- Thinking (your brain is your largest organ by mass, and consumes the most calories by far)
Your brain does not get a free pass on being part of your body! Just like if a certain muscle group were working out constantly for 16 hours you’d be feeling pretty tired, the same goes for the organ that is your brain, if it’s been working out constantly.
Your body is a composite organism—take advantage of that
Dolphins can shut down half of their brain at once, to let each hemisphere of the brain sleep independently in shifts. We (except in the case of split brain patients, where the corpus callosum has been severed) can’t do that, but we can let different parts of the organism that is our body work in shifts.
This is the real meaning of “a change is as a good as a rest”:
If you’ve been doing cognitive work (at your desk perhaps, maybe managing a spreadsheet, say), then taking a break to do crosswords will not, actually, give you break. Because you’re still sitting manipulating letters and numbers. As far as your brain (still having to do work!) is concerned, it’s basically the same. Nor will checking out social media; you’re still sitting examining a screen.
Instead, time to get physically active. Literally just doing the washing up would be a better break! Some yoga or Pilates would be perfect.
In contrast, if you’ve been doing a vigorous bit of gardening, then for example taking a break to lift weights isn’t going to be a break, because again you just switched to a similar task.
Better to pick up that book you’ve been meaning to read, or the crosswords we mentioned earlier. Or just lounge in your nicely-gardened garden.
The important thing is: to not require the same resources from the body (including the brain, it’s still part of the body) that you have been.
For more specific tips than we have room for here today, check out:
How to Take Better Breaks at Work, According to Research
Give your metabolism a break too
Not completely—you don’t need to be put into cryostasis or anything.
But, give your metabolism a rest, in relative terms. Intermittent fasting is great for precisely this; it lets your body rest and reset.
See: Intermittent Fasting: we sort the science from the hype!
So does the practice of meditation, by the way. You don’t have to get fancy with it, either:
Check out: No Frills, Evidence-Based Mindfulness
Enjoy, and rest well!
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How Aging Changes At 44 And Again At 60 (And What To Do About It)
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As it turns out, aging is not linear. Or rather: chronological aging may be, but biological aging isn’t, and there are parts of our life where it kicks into a different gear. This study looked at 108 people (65 of whom women) between the ages of 25 and 75, as part of a longitudinal cohort study, tracked for around 2–8 years (imprecise as not all follow-up durations were the same). They took frequent blood and urine samples, and tested them for thousands of different molecules and analyzing changes in gene expression, proteomic, blood biomarkers, and more. All things that are indicators of various kinds of health/disease, and which might seem more simple but it isn’t: aging.
Here’s what they found:
Landmark waypoints
At 44, significant changes occur in the metabolism, including notably the metabolism of carbs, caffeine, and alcohol. A large portion of this may be hormone related, as that’s a time of change not just for those undergoing the menopause, but also the andropause (not entirely analogous to the menopause, but it does usually entail a significant reduction in sex hormone production; in this case, testosterone).
However, the study authors also hypothesize that lifestyle factors may be relevant, as one’s 40s are often a stressful time, and an increase in alcohol consumption often occurs around the same time as one’s ability to metabolize it drops, resulting in further dysfunctional alcohol metabolism.
At 60, carb metabolism slows again, with big changes in glucose metabolism specifically, as well as an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, and a decline in kidney function. In case that wasn’t enough: also an increase free radical pathology, meaning a greatly increased risk of cancer. Immune function drops too.
What to do about this: the recommendation is of course to be proactive, and look after various aspects of your health before it becomes readily apparent that you need to. For example, good advice for anyone approaching 44 might be to quit alcohol, go easy on caffeine, and eat a diet that is conducive to good glucose metabolism. Similarly, good advice for anyone approaching 60 might be to do the same, and also pay close attention to keeping your kidneys healthy. Getting regular tests done is also key, including optional extras that your doctor might not suggest but you should ask for, such as blood urea nitrogen levels (biomarkers of kidney function). The more we look after each part of our body, the more they can look after us in turn, and the fewer/smaller problems we’ll have down the line.
If you, dear reader, are approaching the age 44 or 60… Be neither despondent nor complacent. We must avoid falling into the dual traps of “Well, that’s it, bad health is around the corner, nothing I can do about it; that’s nature”, vs “I’ll be fine, statistics are for other people, and don’t apply to me”.
Those are averages, and we do not have to be average. Every population has statistical outliers. But it would be hubris to think none of this will apply to us and we can just carry on regardless. So, for those of us who are approaching one of those two ages… It’s time to saddle up, knuckle down, and do our best!
For more on all of this, enjoy:
Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!
Want to learn more?
You might also like to read:
Also, if you’d like to read the actual paper by Dr. Xiaotao Shen et al., here it is:
Nonlinear dynamics of multi-omics profiles during human aging ← honestly, it’s a lot clearer and more informative than the video, and also obviously discusses things in a lot more detail than we have room to here
Take care!
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The Other Significant Others – by Rhaina Cohen
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As we get older, it’s a function of statistics that increasingly many of us are divorced or widowed. While some will—after whatever time seems right to them—get back into dating, what about those of us who decide that we won’t?
Rhaina Cohen explores the importance of friendship, mutual support, and (Platonic!) closeness and yes, even kinds of intimacy (for that too can be Platonic!) as we go on.
Even from a purely evolutionary approach, we are fundamentally social creatures, and while as individuals we may exist on a spectrum from reclusive to extroverted, we all thrive better when we at least have access to community and friends.
The style of the book is easy-reading and exploratory, and is very compelling as a call-to-arms for those who may wish to give/receive support to/from those with whom we are not necessarily sleeping.
Because at the end of the day, why should sex and/or romance be a required feature for legal protections? Aren’t we adults who can make our own decisions about whom we trust to care for us?
Bottom line: if you’re happily partnered and expect to pre-decease your partner, this book might not be directly important for you (it might for your partner, though). Everyone else? This book may be important at some point. That point might even be now already; only you know.
Click here to check out The Other Significant Others, and make your own choices in life!
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Artichoke vs Broccoli – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing artichoke to broccoli, we picked the artichoke.
Why?
Both have their strengths, and it was close! But…
In terms of macros, artichoke has about 2x the fiber (which is lots, because broccoli is already good for this) and more protein, for only slightly more carbs, making it the nutrient dense choice in all respects, and especially in the case of fiber.
In the category of vitamins, artichoke has more of vitamins B3, B9, and choline, while broccoli has more of vitamins A, B2, B5, B6, C, E, and K, thus winning this round.
When it comes to minerals, artichoke has more copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc, while broccoli has more calcium and selenium, handing artichoke the win again here.
Looking at polyphenols, both have an abundance; artichoke has more by total mass (in terms of mg/100g) and is especially rich in luteolin and phenolic acids, but broccoli has some that artichoke doesn’t have (such as quercetin and kaempferol). We could reasonably call this a tie or a win for artichoke on strength of numbers; either way, it doesn’t change the end result:
Adding up the sections makes for an overall win for artichoke, but of course, by all means enjoy either or both; diversity is good!
Want to learn more?
You might like:
What’s Your Plant Diversity Score?
Enjoy!
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Chard vs Red Cabbage – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing chard to red cabbage, we picked the chard.
Why?
Often thought of as containing nothing much of anything much, the leafy greens come out on top:
In terms of macros, red cabbage has 2x the carbs, for approximately the same fiber and protein. This could be a win either way or a tie depending on how you feel about the carbs; given that the actual carb amounts involved are tiny, however, we’re calling this round a tie.
In the category of vitamins, chard has a lot more of vitamins A, B2, B5, E, and K, while red cabbage has slightly more of vitamins B1, B6, and B9, yielding a compelling 5:3 win to chard.
Looking at minerals, chard has more calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and zinc, while red cabbage is not higher in any minerals—a complete win for chard in this round.
In other considerations, chard has a lot more polyphenols, so that’s one more point in its favor.
Adding up the sections makes a clear overall win for chard, but by all means enjoy either or both, as diversity is good!
Want to learn more?
You might like:
21 Most Beneficial Polyphenols & What Foods Have Them
Enjoy!
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Quiet Your Mind And Get To Sleep – by Dr. Colleen Carney & Dr. Rachel Manber
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One of the biggest problems with disrupted sleep is how it relates to other conditions, especially chronic pain or mental health difficulties—each part of it makes the other part(s) worse.
How, then, to interrupt that cycle, and enjoy better sleep that allows one to improve the other things too? Of course, you can tackle all parts of it in any order, but this book deals with it from a “sleep first” angle, with the philosophy that you’ll then be well-rested and better able to take on the other things.
The authors use an approach based in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), which you’ve probably encountered elsewhere, but the difference here is that the authors don’t assume that all your problems can be just flowcharted away (which is otherwise a common weakness of CBT; attempts to note that the thing isn’t as bad as you automatically assumed will fail, if the thing really is that bad).
Instead, we see tools for improving sleep from the inside out, examining in detail how sleep works and what can go wrong with it, before then troubleshooting sleep-incompatible behaviors, optimizing our sleep system, and, as the title promises, quieting our mind. The authors give us tools for change to implement in all parts of this, including tools for changing our way of thinking about sleep, when often the stress of sleeplessness can, by painful irony, contribute to our sleeplessness.
It’s not all about head-stuff though; the authors do also cover peripheral matters including discussing quite an assortment of substances and medications that can help, harm, or both).
Lastly, the authors talk us through creating a plan, including working out in advance the possible challenges we may face (due to factors unforeseen by the authors, but known to us) and how we’ll overcome them or, if necessary, work around them.
The style is to-the-point self-help pop-science, without undue jargon, and/but with copious citations throughout, and an extensive bibliography, itself preceded by a generous set of resource-containing appendices.
Bottom line: if you struggle with sleep and that problem is comorbid with something else (e.g. chronic pain, stress, anxiety, depression, PTSD, etc—actually the authors cover far more conditions than we’ve had room to mention here) then this is an excellent book to tackle your sleep holistically with those things in mind.
Click here to check out Quiet Your Mind And Get To Sleep, and rest well!
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Tea vs Coffee: Very Different Results For Bones!
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Tea and coffee both have abundant health benefits, and both have some small health risks (usually associated specifically with the caffeine, so drinking decaffeinated versions can avoid those in any case).
But when it comes to bone health, there’s a clear (albeit marginal, but clear) winner:
Here’s the tea
In few words: a decade-long prospective analysis examined whether coffee and tea intake were linked to changes in bone mineral density in older women.
More specifically: The Study of Osteoporotic Fractures followed (in the observational longitudinal study sense, not in the stalker sense) 9,704 women aged 65 and older for about 10 years, taking note of repeated self-reports of coffee and tea intake and repeated hip and femoral neck bone mineral density measurements using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.
How tea and coffee scored:
- Tea: regular tea consumption was associated with slightly higher total hip bone mineral density, a small but statistically significant difference that could matter at a population level.
- Coffee: moderate coffee intake of about two to three cups per day was not linked to harm, while heavy intake of more than five cups per day was associated with lower bone mineral density.
In other words:
- Tea appears to be good for the bones
- Coffee is fine* at moderate levels, potentially harmful at more than 5 cups per day
*Actually likely better than “fine” at moderate levels, as we wrote about here: Coffee vs Frailty ← but that was about frailty in general, not bone density specifically
One category of drink that the study reinforced should be avoided, however was alcohol: higher alcohol intake strengthened the negative association between heavy coffee consumption and bone density.
On the flipside, and to share some good news: higher BMI strengthened the positive association between tea consumption and bone density.
Likely one of the differences between coffee and tea here is that while both are abundant in polyphenols, tea is generally higher in catechins, which can be particularly beneficial to bone formation.
Nevertheless these differences are modest, so:
❝Our results don’t mean you need to give up coffee or start drinking tea by the gallon❞
~ Dr. Enwu Liu
Want to learn more?
First, about caffeine (unrelated to whether you get it from tea, coffee, or something else), you might like to check out: Caffeine: Cognitive Enhancer Or Brain-Wrecker?
Next, when choosing your tea, should you choose black, white, green, or red?
You can see which is best for what, here: Which Tea Is Best For The Health, By Science?
You can also learn about why getting flavonoids (as are abundant in these drinks) from diverse sources is important, here: Are You Getting The Right Kinds Of Flavonoids?
For more on polyphenols in general, see: 21 Most Beneficial Polyphenols & What Foods Have Them
For the coffee-lovers, enjoy: The Bitter Truth About Coffee (or is it?) ← as while we’ve focused on tea’s merits today, it’s worth noting before we close that coffee has a lot of health benefits; we didn’t cover them today because they were beside the point, but they are interesting nevertheless. including:
- 53% reduced suicide risk for coffee-drinkers
- Coffee is the world’s biggest source of antioxidants
- 65% reduced risk of Alzheimer’s for coffee-drinkers
- 67% reduced risk of type 2 diabetes for coffee-drinkers
- 43% reduced risk of liver cancer for coffee-drinkers
And if you don’t love coffee but would like the benefits, then check out: Green Coffee Bean Extract: Coffee Benefits Without The Coffee?
Enjoy!
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