Vertigo and Rocking Chairs

By Dominik Matus [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons

Sufferers of vertigo and bouts of dizziness may also benefit from time in a rocking chair. A study by the Baylor College of Medicine in the US found that vestibular rehabilitation therapy, such as rocking chair therapy, can reduce the symptoms of those patients who can’t be treated through surgery.

“The elderly – an increasing proportion of our society – are often prime candidates for vestibular rehabilitation therapy,” study researcher Greg Ator says. “It appears that patients with peripheral vertigo with classical symptoms, especially of an episodic variety, will definitely benefit from a vestibular rehabilitation program.

http://optimaol.com/benefitsofrocking/

Recipe for Health: Sit Less, Sleep More

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What do sitting less and sleeping more have in common? And why would this be a recipe for health?

Sitting and sleeping are related to increased risk for chronic health concerns such as obesity, diabetes, stroke, cardiovascular problems, certain types of cancer and a lessened longevity. 

Why would this be? It’s because of the way our metabolisms work. Both sitting the right amount of time and sleeping the right amount of time trigger our metabolisms to do the things necessary to see that our bodies work well and stay healthy.

The foot is a common link between sitting and sleeping. You see, the foot is a motion detector. Sensors in the feet add to other signals informing the rest of the body that we’re up and about. Pressure sensed by the feet provides a request that our metabolisms create the resources necessary to get us where we want to go. Sit too much and metabolism becomes inactive leading to disregulation of basic metabolic components (blood pressure, glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol and waistline size)

As we sleep, the pressure sensing capabilities of the feet are turned down. Moving about is not necessary. Sleep restores our bodies as decreased are basic components of metabolism such as glucose utilization, blood pressure as well as heart rate and sympathetic nervous activity. Hormones that regulate appetite and energy expenditure, important to weight control, are activated. 

Sleep too little and restorative time is shortened. As we lay awake, the pressure sensors of the feet remain on alert with metabolism on daytime settings as well. Research shows those who fail to sleep enough are 55% more likely to experience metabolic syndrome, abnormal measures for 3 of the 5 basic metabolic components. 

People with metabolic syndrome are two to three times as likely to develop cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes; twice as likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke and more than three times as likely to die early from those causes. Those with metabolic risk factors in middle age have poorer cognitive function, suggestive of dementia or Alzheimer’s later in life.

What’s a person to do to stay healthy? Actually think about your body and its schedule. Make sleep a priority. Seven hours of sleep a night is recommended. Move more during the day. Take breaks from sitting, preferably 2 minutes every 20 minutes. Your glucose and blood pressure levels as well as musculoskeletal system will thank you. Walk 15 minutes after each meal. Aim for two hours more up and about time than you now do. 

Dementia Prevention: Un-sit Your Life

Dementia Prevention: Un-sit Your Life

Into dementia prevention? Move more, build a better brain. We think of it as un-sitting your life.

Moving more at any age impacts cognitive abilities. It’s never too early to start your campaign to prevent dementia. And, it’s never too late to do something about your cognitive concerns. 

Especially if Alzheimer’s, the most serious form of dementia, runs in your family, you’ll want to consider dementia prevention. Heredity is considered to be 46% of the risk for Alzheimer’s.

Un-sit your life by sitting smart and sitting less.

• Sit smart. Don’t just sit there, rock. Rocking sends more blood to your brain feeding it more nutrients. Also, rocking helps build walking speed, linked by research to dementia. The slower an individual’s walking speed, the more increase in potential for and degree of dementia. 

How much and how often? Rock 15 minutes twice a day.

• Consider your television watching time. Those who don’t exercise and whose primary recreational activity from ages 40 to 59 was television watching increased their risk for Alzheimer’s by 250%.

How much and how often? Keep track of your television time and look at adding activity to your life. (See below.)

• Take breaks from sitting. This will improve your blood sugar level. Elevated blood sugar appears to play a role in the risk for dementia. Those with diabetes are twice as likely to develop dementia. Even for those who do not have diabetes, risk for dementia rises for those with elevated blood sugar levels.

How much and how often? If you’ve sat an hour, you’ve sat too long. Ideally, take a break from sitting every 20 minutes.

• Substitute some of your sitting time with up and about time to help manage your weight. Those who sit more have a greater risk for weight gain. Obesity in middle age is a risk factor for cognitive decline. Those who are over weight at the age of 50 with two metabolic abnormalities (abnormal levels of cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, triglycerides) experience a more rapid cognitive decline.

How much and how often? Those with weight problems sit two hours more than those who have a normal weight. Start gradually and build your up and about time.

Add some activity to your life.

• A 2% growth in the part of the brain responsible for memory occurred for adults who walked three times a week for 30 minutes to 45 minutes for a year.

• Moderate exercise (brisk walking, aerobics, yoga, strength training or swimming) is linked with a reduction in cognitive impairment. A 39% reduction was seen or those who exercise in their 40’s and a 32% reduction for later in life. 

• Older adults (average age 75) who were more active, resulting in burning an additional 1,000 calories a day, “were 91% less likely to experience declines in memory, concentration and language abilities after five years.” 

• Among the elderly, those who are the least physically active during the day are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s. Even for the elderly "activities like cooking, washing the dishes, playing cards and even moving a wheelchair with a person's arms were beneficial,"

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