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More than 80% of Americans are deficient in Vitamin D

vitamin d

The geographic location of the United States on Earth is known as the “Mid-Latitudes” (from 35 to 50 degrees). This position causes us to have little to no access to UV-B rays from some point in autumn to some point in spring. These UV-B rays are required for us to naturally produce vitamin D in our body. During these times, we must rely on our stores of vitamin D that we have accumulated through the summer and/or vitamin D from foods and supplements. Those who are not aware of this information and do not supplement are very likely to be suffering from Vitamin D deficiency. This deficiency is associated with a myriad of health problems anywhere from poor functioning immune system to increased risk for cancers and many other diseases. It is unfortunate that more than 80% of Americans may be deficient. There are small amounts of vitamin D in a few foods. Unfortunately it is nearly impossible to get the proper amount that your body needs from food.


Vitamin D is the vitamin of the sun. When our skin is exposed to sunlight, UV rays activate a blood soluble form of the vitamin termed D3. There have been a manyimportant discoveries in the past few years about the health benefits of having optimal levels of this vitamin in our body. A powerful article in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition identifies vitamin D’s potential for contributions to good health in the adaptive and innate immune systems, the secretion and regulation of insulin by the pancreas, the heart and blood pressure regulation, muscle strength and brain activity. Furthermore, it demonstrates that 36 different organ tissues in our body respond biologically to vitamin D. Similar to the past newsletter about Omega 3 Fatty Acids, optimal vitamin D levels has been shown to reduce the risk of death from ALL CAUSES.


Order High Quality Vitamin D Supplement at this link:

vitamin d3 5000 metagenics

How Much Vitamin D Should I Take?

It is a great idea to add this one as a supplement for your daily use. Adults in the United States should take 5,000 units of Vitamin D each day through the summer and increase intake to 10,000 units through the winter months. Children from the ages of 5 to 10 should take 2500 units each day. For those under the age of 5; supplement with 35 units per pound per day.
For those who may have been deficient for an extended time, it is important to have levels tested by a lab using a serum test or a dried blood spot test. It may be necessary to supplement with 4 to 5 times the recommended doses above for a short time to restore adequate levels.


I have recently been tracking my vitamin D intake from the Sun using a smart phone application called “D minder”. With a few clicks, the app can very accurately track your intake and account for many different variables including geographic location, cloud cover, amount of skin exposed, etc. The app can also warn when too much exposure is increasing your risk of burn. The use of this app has helped me to really understand how difficult it is to maintain adequate vitamin D levels from sun exposure alone. It also helps me to be more mindful of the time I spend in sunlight and offers me more opportunities to obtain the vitamin more naturally.
Please enjoy this 4 minute video clip that further discusses the topic:

For more information, please visit http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/

Order High Quality Vitamin D Supplement at this link:

vitamin d3 5000 metagenics

 


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Disarm Your Diagnosis

disarm your diagnosis

Consider the power of the mind. Deep reflection and self awareness may help you to realize how severely limiting, constricting, debilitating, and self-sabotaging your thoughts can be.

If impressed upon you that there was something different about your body that causes it to function sub-optimally, you might for the rest of your life, believe deeply within yourself that you are a victim. You might install a deep seeded belief or value that it is more difficult for you to do something than it is for others. As you age, you may even begin to introduce yourself to others shortly followed by, “I have __________.” Insert any condition here including and not limited to: ADHD, fibromyalgia, arthritis, introvert/extrovert, obsession compulsion, sciatica, depression, flat feet, bad knees, anxiety, IBS, etc. (This list could go on for days.) Each time you say this out loud to others or quietly to yourself this ailment becomes your own. You are assigning ownership to the condition and reinforcing it in your life both consciously and subconsciously. You begin to own this sickness as if it is an accessory or even a pet. Each time it burrows deeper within your being. As time goes by, the condition you are reinforcing becomes so real. It is now a part of you that you may even consider inseparable. The more power that you grant this condition over you, the more limiting it will be in your life.
You can start to “disarm your diagnosis” right now by simply changing how you think about your condition. No longer give it power over you. No longer give it ownership by saying the words: “my bad knees” or “my migraines” etc. Rather, discuss the condition or the symptoms in a way that lessens the ownership. For instance, “Even though I have these terrible headaches, this does not define me as a person.” Or, “Even though I feel discomfort in my knees, this does not limit the activities that I can do in life.” Right away this distances you from the problem. It separates you as a person who has the full capacity to heal and feel well. Keep at it every day, especially if you have already taken ownership to a condition for years. It sounds stupid simple, I know. But I have experienced the improvements within myself and witnessed the life changing progress in others.
Want to take it one step further? You can actually tap into your meridians and remove negative blockages in your body’s energy system with Emotional Freedom Tapping Technique (EFT tapping). This practice, along with the changing and reshaping of your thoughts in relation to the problem at hand, can provide phenomenal improvement in many different areas of your life.

Think well to feel well,

Kelly Baltuska, DC


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Get your shots every day! (of apple cider vinegar)

Apple Cider Vinegar

Another simple addition to your self care arsenal is Apple Cider Vinegar.

Drink one to two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar at a time, one to three times a day, mixed in a small glass of water. It is recommended before meals or in the morning, but I enjoy it whenever I can remember to.

Apple Cider Vinegar at a glance:

  • Rich in enzymes & potassium
  • Support a healthy immune system
  • Help control weight
  • Promote digestion & pH balance
  • Soothe dry throat
  • Remove body toxins
  • Maintain healthy skin
  • Promote youthful health
  • Soothe irritated skin
  • Relieve muscle pain post exercise

 

As reported in the Journal of Food Science

“Functional therapeutic properties of vinegar… include antibacterial activity, blood pressure reduction, antioxidant activity, reduction in the effects of diabetes, prevention of cardiovascular disease, and increased vigor after exercise.”

13 Therapeutic Effects of Apple Cider Vinegar

  1. Antimicrobial Properties

The organic acids in vinegar pass into cell membranes to kill bacteria. Foods fermented with vinegar have a natural arsenal of antimicrobial organic acids.

  1. Antioxidant Effects

Antioxidants are a class of molecules that are capable of inhibiting the oxidation of another molecule. Antioxidants play a significant role in your health, as they can control how fast you age by fighting free radicals that result in oxidative stress. Polyphenols and vitamins in many different types of vinegar help ward off oxidative stress due to their potent antioxidant properties.

  1. Anti-Diabetic Effects

Vinegar is said to be anti-glycemic and has a beneficial effect on blood sugar levels making it a good choice for everyone and especially diabetics.

  1. Cancer fighting

The antioxidant content of vinegar may make it useful against cancer, showing particular promise for reducing cancer risk. It has been found to inhibit the growth of a variety of cancer cells, including colon, lung, breast, bladder, and prostate. In lab studies, it has been shown to inhibit the growth of leukemia cells.

  1. Weight Loss

Vinegar may help you lose weight, as it appears to have an anti-obesity effect by increasing satiety and reducing the total amount of food consumed. For instance, when volunteers consumed two tablespoons of vinegar daily for four weeks they lost weight, while those who consumed the same amount of fruit juice gained it. I personally think the taste of the AVC is so wicked strong, that it simply makes me lose my appetite.

  1. Heart Health

As explained in the Journal of Food Science: “Polyphenols such as chlorogenic acid, which is present in high levels in apple cider vinegar, could inhibit oxidation of LDLs and improve health by preventing cardiovascular diseases.” It also appears to help lower blood pressure.

  1. Heartburn and Acid Reflux

Acid reflux typically results from having too little acid in your stomach. You can easily improve the acid content of your stomach by taking one tablespoon of raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar in a large glass of water daily.

  1. Injuries, exercise recovery

“Mother” of vinegar, a cobweb-like amino acid-based substance found in unprocessed, unfiltered vinegar, has antibacterial properties that may help to heal burn injuries. The intake of acetic acid bacteria (AAB) may also help to reduce muscle damage caused by inflammation after exercise.

  1. Brain Health

It’s been suggested that vinegar consumption might improve cognitive function in humans, and research shows that acetic acid bacteria produce precursors of important building blocks of brain tissues called sphingolipids.

  1. Increased Nutrient Absorption

Vinegar is high in acetic acid which can increase your body’s absorption of important minerals from the foods you eat. Therefore, it is possible that drinking ACV just before meals might improve your body’s ability to absorb the essential minerals locked in foods. Or, adding vinegar to your salad dressing might help you absorb more nutrients from your leafy greens.

  1. Balance PH levels

Apple cider vinegar helps the body maintain a healthy alkaline pH level. Research shows that higher acid levels (lower pH level) leads to a lack of energy and higher incidences of infection. Sip some ACV few times a day for a natural boost of energy instead of energy drinks.

  1. Great for your lymphatic system.

This miracle vinegar helps to break up mucous throughout the body and cleanse the lymph nodes. Research suggests that apple cider vinegar can help with allergies because of its ability to reduce mucous and sinus congestion. When reducing the effects of allergies, it can also help stave off sinus infections and their related symptoms, such as sore throats and headaches.

  1. Get rid of candida.

This vinegar is rich in natural enzymes that can help rid your body of candida—yeasts that are attributed to thrush in humans. Candida also is blamed for creating symptoms of fatigue, poor memory, sugar cravings, and yeast infections.

Get the one with ‘the floaties’

When purchasing an apple cider vinegar, you want organic, unfiltered, unprocessed apple cider vinegar, which is murky and brown. We use “Braggs with the Mother” brand at home.

When you try to look through it, you will notice a murky hairball-like substance floating in it. This is known as “mother,” and it indicates your vinegar is of good quality. The reason manufacturers distill vinegar is to remove the gnarly appearance that creeps people out. As with many foods, the more processed a food is, the less nutritious, and this holds true for apple cider vinegar.

Cheers to good health,

Kelly Baltuska, DC

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Get fat! The truth about fatty food and nutrition.

Time fatOne of the most detrimental misconceptions over the past 40 years is that “fatty foods are unhealthy”. All types of advertising, food labels, and even licensed nutritionists have been recommending foods that are “fat free” or “low fat” and attribute the fat in our diets with poor cholesterol levels, heart disease, and obesity. Only in the past decade have the mainstream health advocates begun to reveal the truth about fat. Research is pouring in about our body’s requirement for fat in order to function properly.


The truth is, fats provide the building blocks for your cell membranes and a variety of hormones and hormone-like substances. Fats also serve as carriers for the vitamins A, D, E, and K and are required for converting carotene into vitamin A, absorbing minerals, and a variety of other important biological processes. Saturated fat is actually the preferred fuel for your heart. Imagine the consequences of denying your body this essential nutrient!
Good sources of healthy fats to add to your diet include:
• Avocado
• coconut oil
• nuts and seeds
• raw dairy
• real butter made from raw grass-fed organic milk
• organic pastured egg yolks
• grass-fed meats
If you have been avoiding fats for a long time, you may have developed a “sweet tooth” and often crave sugar, soda pop and other soft drinks, candy, fruits, pastries and cakes. This feeling is likely your body signaling to you that you have not been eating enough fat. Many times my patients are able to help remedy their sugar addiction by introducing healthy fats back into their diet.

(While on the topic of sugar addiction it is also important to regularly

consume probiotics and avoid wheat products.)

Types of fats:
Saturated fats: Saturated fats are found in animal products such as butter, cheese, whole milk, cream, ice cream, and fatty meats. They are also found in some tropical plants and vegetable oils such as coconut, palm and palm kernel. (See the list above for my favorite saturated fats in foods.)
Monounsaturated fats: Most commonly from Olive and Canola oil. Olive oil is considered the healthier oil because of the nutrients it contains. Extra virgin olive oil contains antioxidants, polyphenols and omega-3 fatty acids with can promote cardiovascular health and cognitive function as well as boosting your immune system and protecting you from many types of cancer and even prevent or reverse type 2 diabetes. Olive oil even has anti-inflammatory properties, and can be of immense benefit to those with inflammatory diseases like arthritis and osteoporosis. In a speech by one of KC’s best preventative cardiologists, James O’keefe, MD, he said “my family goes through olive oil like your family goes through milk”.
Trans fats: Avoid at all costs! These fats form when vegetable oil hardens; a process called hydrogenation, and can raise LDL (bad cholesterol) levels, and lower HDL (good cholesterol) levels, which of course is the complete opposite of what you need in order to maintain good heart health. In fact, trans fats — as opposed to saturated fats — have been linked repeatedly to heart disease. These fatty acids can also cause major clogging of your arteries, type 2 diabetes and other serious health problems. Be warned! The discovery of the serious health consequences of consuming trans fats has led to the requirements to label it on food sold in stores and restaurants. One loop hole that food companies have found is that if the serving size is small enough, then they don’t have to label “trans fat” on the product. This stinks because we end up doing the same damage by consuming multiple servings of the smaller product. Another name for trans fats to avoid on the food label is “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil”.
Most people poison themselves with trans fats by eating fast food, snack food, fried food, and baked goods. The food industry uses trans fats in these foods for many reasons like increasing product shelf life, decreasing refrigeration requirements and replacing animal fats at lower cost.

(Another important topic in nutrition of fats is the

omega-6 fatty acid to the omega-3 fatty acid ratio.)

Don’t be scared of fat anymore. We had it all wrong and many have suffered because of the misinformation.

Kelly Baltuska, DC


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Certified Medical Examiner for DOT Physical Exams in Lenexa, KS Dr. Kelly Baltuska, DC, CME

DOT & CDL Physical Exams for 5 at Baltuska Chiropractic 

Call 913-283-9803 OR

Schedule Your Own Appointment Online Now Below:


ATTENTION COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLE DRIVERS

Interstate commercial vehicle (CMV) drivers can no longer get a valid medical certificate from just any healthcare provider. Instead, CMV driver examinations can only be completed by Certified Medical Examiners (CMEs) listed on FMCSA’s National Registry.

In preparation for your exam, please bring your driver’s license, an up to date list of your medications, and be prepared to provide a urine sample. (This is not a drug test) Your exam will take approximately 20 minutes. If you get the chance, you can print and begin filling out the first 2 pages of your intake paperwork using this link.

Call 913-283-9803 to schedule your DOT Exam in Lenexa, KS.

Dr. Kelly Baltuska, DC, CME

CME DOT ExamDr. Kelly Baltuska, DC Lenexa Chiropractor

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High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) with Dr. Kelly Baltuska, DC

HIITWhether you are a beginner or an expert in exercise, I’d like you to take a minute to review and consider trying High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). This has been shown to provide the most well rounded health benefits in the shortest amount of time. HIIT workouts are considerably shorter than most workouts and involve as little as four minutes of intense activity combined with rest for a total workout of only around 20 minutes. Because HIIT is so intense, you should only do it two to three times a week, making it a workout that even the busiest and most ‘time-crunched’ individuals can fit in their schedules. Use the other days of the week to round off your exercise program with core work, strength training, stretching, etc.


To achieve all of the wonderful benefits of HIIT, follow these time parameters:
• Warm up for three minutes (fast walk, jog, jump-rope, treadmill, jumping jacks, butt kicks, etc.)
• Exercise as hard and fast as you can for 30 seconds. You should be gasping for breath and feel like you couldn’t possibly go on another few seconds. It is better to use lower resistance and higher repetitions to increase your heart rate. (sprint, climbing stairs, jump squats, mountain climbers, burpees, plank to pushups, etc.)
• Recover for 90 seconds, still moving, but at slower pace and decreased resistance (similar to warm up exercises)
• Repeat the high-intensity exercise and recovery 7 more times. (When you’re first starting out, depending on your level of fitness, you may only be able to do two or three repetitions of the high-intensity intervals. As you get fitter, just keep adding repetitions until you’re doing eight during your 20-minute session)
I recommend HIIT as a key strategy for improving your health, boosting weight and fat loss, promoting Human Growth Hormone production, and improving strength and stamina.

*The types of exercises that you choose to program your HIIT with can vary greatly and are by no means limited to the examples shared here. The possibilities are endless!


Some of the many benefits of HIIT
Studies show that 27 minutes of HIIT 3X/week produces the same anaerobic and aerobic improvement as 60 minutes of cardio 5X/week!
Stimulates muscle tissue at a cellular level, changing mitochondrial activity in the muscles
Reduction of visceral and total body fat
Boost your aerobic power
Improve your heart health
Improve insulin sensitivity
Another study found that unfit but otherwise healthy middle-aged adults were able to improve their insulin sensitivity and blood sugar regulation after just two weeks of interval training.
A follow-up study also found that interval training positively impacted insulin sensitivity. In fact, the study involved people with full-blown type 2 diabetes, and just ONE interval training session was able to improve blood sugar regulation for the next 24 hours!

Life is motion. Exercise offers too many health benefits to pass up.

Kelly Baltuska, DC


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Sports Physicals and Pre-participation Exams with Dr. Kelly Baltuska, DC

sports physicalsIf your children are in need of their school and sports physicals, please call me at 913-283-9803 to schedule your visit for just $35. I am excited to meet your kiddos and make sure they are in great shape for their upcoming events.

Dr. Kelly Baltuska, DC


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Grounding or Earthing

Grouding or EarthingHave We Lost Touch with the Earth?

Do you notice you feel better when you walk barefoot on the Earth? Long walks on the beach may have more to offer than romance and peace of mind. Research indicates that electrons from the Earth have antioxidant effects that can protect your body from inflammation and its many well-documented health consequences. For most of our evolutionary history, humans have had continuous contact with the Earth.
It is only recently that building materials like asphalt, wood and rugs, in our homes have separated us from this contact. Only in the past 100 years have we begun to design shoes with plastics and rubbers that act as electric insulators that prevent the Earth’s natural flow of energy from reaching the human body. Think to yourself: “When is the last time I spent physically touching the earth?” For some people, this may be years!
It is known that the Earth maintains a negative electrical potential on its surface. When you are in direct contact with the ground when standing, walking, sitting, or laying down, the earth’s electrons are conducted to your body, bringing it to the same electrical potential as the earth. Living in direct contact with the earth grounds your body, inducing favorable physiological and electrophysiological changes that promote optimum health.
There is emerging science documenting how conductive contact with the Earth, which has is also known as Earthing or grounding, is highly beneficial to your health and completely safe. Earthing appears to minimize the consequences of exposure to potentially disruptive fields like “electromagnetic pollution” or “dirty electricity.” Some of the recent evidence supporting this approach involves multiple studies documenting Earthing’s improvement in immune system function, blood viscosity, heart rate variability, inflammation, cortisol dynamics, sleep, autonomic nervous system balance, and stress reduction.


The Ultimate Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory
Grounding or Earthing is defined as placing one’s bare feet on the ground whether it be dirt, grass, sand or concrete. It works even better if the ground is moist or wet because water is such a powerful conductor. When you ground yourself to the electron-enriched earth, may actually be the most effective, essential, least expensive, and easiest to attain antioxidant. It is common understanding how tremendously we rely on the Sun’s energy to sustain life. It seems that it is not as much a common thought, that our physical contact with the earth is imperative for life also.
Modern science continues to document the connection between inflammation and all of the chronic diseases, including the diseases of aging and the aging process itself. It is important to understand that inflammation is a condition that can be reduced or prevented by grounding your body to the Earth, the way virtually all of your ancestors have done for hundreds if not thousands of generations.
I invite you to take 10 to 20 minutes a day to devote to grounding yourself with the Earth. The more time the better. Take note the many benefits that you notice with this practice. Many people report more energy, less stress, better sleep, less irritable, clear thought, and less pain.

Sound far fetched? Hockey-pokey? Hippy-dippy? I thought so too a little bit until I made it a priority to try out myself. Now it is my favorite way to recover after a long run or a workout.

Enjoy this free documentary about Grounding on YouTube:

You can even purchase equipment to practice grounding indoors. Check these out:

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Do You Even Breathe?!

Conscious BreathingOne of the simplest ways to improve health right this moment is absolutely free! Breathe deeply to increase oxygen intake, relieve stress, cleanse the body of toxins, improve digestion, alkalize your blood and much more.
What’s wrong with how I breathe now?
Without the practice of conscious breathing, you may be unaware that you are, in a way, suffocating yourself throughout your unconscious breathing habits. With shallow, frequent and anxious breathing, there is not enough oxygen provided for the optimal performance of all of your cellular activity. Breathing too shallow and rapidly can cause an imbalanced pH condition by stimulating the nervous system to release too many stress hormones. This can also cause the body to become oxygen deprived and leave excessive amounts of carbon dioxide in the blood, leading to an overly acidic state.
What is the correct way to breathe?
There are many different ways to practice breathing techniques. From professional singers and horn instrument musicians to Yoga, Tia Chi, Qigong and other Eastern martial arts, many teachers acknowledge that proper breathing is paramount to personal performance. I encourage you to study them and practice daily for your optimal health and wellness. You may be surprised to find out how poor your breathing patterns have become and actually feel a type of post exercise soreness within your core at your diaphragm after the first few exercises.
“Hypo-gastric” breathing means breathing below your stomach and bowels. This is a misnomer because the lowest parts of your lungs end before your stomach begins. But this does help us visualize and perform optimal breathing. By focusing on pulling the air deep in your core below your belly button, this will ensure the maximum use of all of the lung tissue while distending your digestive organs out of the way to allow more room. This also allows you access to your energy core. According to Eastern thought, breathing is the primary way we bring energy into the body. We extract energy from the breath and store it in the lower abdomen, and the more we can extract and store, the better our physical condition. 
Practice conscious breathing right now:
I invite you to practice deep; full breaths that fill the lower part of your lungs. Don’t be afraid of letting your belly hang out at first, but with practice, you should be able to pull a full breath without exaggerating this motion. Count to four slowly as you inhale, pause for four, and exhale for a count of four. When you exhale, imagine pushing the energy from your lungs into the lower abdomen about four fingers below the navel and about 2 inches deep into your core. If you’re in good condition, you may feel something right away. If not, with practice you soon will. You may feel a tingling sensation in your abdomen or lower back, or heat, or a pleasantly springy feeling in the abdomen, as though pushing on a shock absorber. You may also feel the spine relaxing and small movements with cavitation and popping or clicking taking place in the bones and muscles, similar to when you receive a Chiropractic Adjustment. Your physical body is releasing tension and stabilizing itself into optimal health. The position of body structures relative to each other are falling into alignment. This is a gradual process, like training a new skill, but each time you’ll be able to benefit more with less effort and less focus – it will become natural.
Practice often! Practice conscious breathing just a few minutes of this each morning, night, during a workout, while driving or at stoplights, or while practicing EFT tapping technique. As you become a pro, you will be able to passively and subconsciously pull more successful breaths throughout your typical daily routine which will have a profound impact on your overall health. 
Breathe easy,
Kelly Baltuska, DC

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Dr. Baltuska’s Sleep Hacks for Optimal Rest

DrBsleepSleep is every bit as important for optimal health as healthy food, pure water, exercise, prayer and meditation, and Chiropractic adjustments. The human body’s sleep-wake cycle, or circadian rhythm, plays a central role in multiple processes including mood and energy levels, disease progression, weight gain and much more.

In Sleep Deprivation, Life is ROUGH!

Reaction Time Slows: When you’re sleep-deprived, you’re not going to react as quickly as you normally would, making every activity of the day a potentially dangerous one.

Cognition Suffers:
Your ability to think clearly is dampened and you will have trouble retaining memories, processing information, and making decisions.

Emotions Are Heightened:
Your emotions will be kicked into high gear. This means that arguments with co-workers or your spouse are more likely and you’re probably going to blow things way out of proportion. Count on experiencing strong anxiety and flowing tears.

Immune System Shutdown:
Chronic sleep deprivation will weaken your immune system to that of a 80-year-old on antibiotics. You will be sick often. And if not actually sick, you will feel sick.

Better Sleep Quality and Quantity for Optimal Health

1. Sleep in complete darkness, or as close to it as possible. Even a sliver light in your bedroom can disrupt your body’s clock and your pineal gland’s melatonin production. The glow from your clock radio, phone, moonlight, or streetlights could be interfering with your sleep, so do whatever it takes to find pitch black slumber. Move all electrical devices at least three feet away from your bed. You may want to cover your windows with drapes or blackout shades. I recommend a sleep mask to cover your eyes each night. The bonus of sleep masks are twofold. First, the sleep mask will reduce the amount of light reaching your eyes and pineal gland. Second, the Oculocardiac reflex is a physiological process that causes heart rate to drop when pressure is applied to the eyeballs. The sleep mask will trigger this response and calm your body allowing you to fall asleep and stay asleep.

2. Avoid viewing your phone, TV or computer screens in the evening, at least an hour or so before going to bed. These devices emit blue light, which tricks your brain into thinking it’s still daytime. Normally, your brain starts secreting melatonin between 9 and 10 pm, and these devices emit light that may stifle that process. Even the American Medical Association now states: “…nighttime electric light can disrupt circadian rhythms in humans and documents the rapidly advancing understanding from basic science of how disruption of circadian rhythmicity affects aspects of physiology with direct links to human health, such as cell cycle regulation, DNA damage response, and metabolism.” Find out how to toggle your Iphone settings to protect your eyes from blue light when you use your phone just before bed here: Red Light Tint to Protect from Blue Light Exposure

3. Make sure you get BRIGHT sun exposure regularly. Your pineal gland produces melatonin with the strong contrast of bright sun exposure in the day and complete darkness at night. If you are in darkness all day long, it can’t appreciate the difference and will not optimize your melatonin production. Also, sun exposure is required to achieve optimal vitamin D levels for numerous health benefits.

4. Install a low-wattage yellow, orange, or red light bulb if you need a source of light for navigation at night. Light in these bandwidths does not shut down melatonin production in the way that white and blue bandwidth light does. You can also download a free application called F.lux that automatically dims your monitor or screens.

5. Keep the temperature in your bedroom between 60 and 70 degrees F. Many people keep their bedrooms too warm unintentionally just because heat rises to the upstairs rooms. Optimal room temperature for sleep is between 60 to 68 degrees F.

6. Take a hot bath before bedtime. This increases your core body temperature, and when you get out of the bath it abruptly drops, signaling your body that you are ready to sleep.

7. Avoid using loud alarm clocks. Being jolted awake each morning can be very stressful. Every time the loud alarm shocks you into reality, your body’s stress hormones flood the bloodstream. Imagine what you are doing to yourself with repeated use of the “snooze” button every morning! If you are regularly getting enough sleep, you might not even need an alarm.

8. Be mindful of electromagnetic fields in your bedroom. EMFs can disrupt your pineal gland and its melatonin production, and may have other negative biological effects as well. A gauss meter is required if you want to measure EMF levels in various areas of your home. Ideally, you should turn off any wireless router while you are sleeping. You don’t need the Internet on when you are asleep.

Nighty-night,

Kelly Baltuska, DC