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6 Tips for Getting Better Sleep on Vacation
And more weekly heart-health news
Yasmine S. Ali, MD
October 11, 2023
Hello again!
In prior issues, I’ve touched upon how important it is to get a good night’s sleep—on a regular basis—as part of maintaining heart health. But what about when you go on vacation? How can you ensure restful sleep in a different environment? See below for 6 tips!
You’ll find more heart-health news below, but first I’d like to ask your opinion on a project I’m contemplating. I’d like to offer online courses to help you set and keep your health goals, learn more about whole-body health, and get actionable tips for stress relief and reduction, better sleep, weight loss, healthy eating, and more.
To ascertain interest in such courses, would you help me by answering the following 2 questions? I want to be sure that any course offerings align with what YOU need. Thank you in advance!
Would you take an online course to learn more about how to improve your health and longevity?(Courses would start at $29.99 for the most basic, with discounts for premium subscribers.) |
Which topic would you MOST like an online course to address? |
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To your health,
Yasmine S. Ali, MD
Health coaching sessions are now available! See below for details. For the month of October only, Premium subscribers to this newsletter will receive 5% off any of my health coaching services (upon successful application).
Weekly Heart-Health News: The Highlights
My Take:
This is a great article from the AARP that applies to everyone of all ages. I actually read it twice, because it can be hard to sleep well when traveling, for a variety of reasons. I follow several of these myself, including taking a sleep mask and my own pillowcase (and sometimes, pillow) with me. Jet lag is one I have yet to master, though!
What do you do to get better sleep while traveling or on vacation? Just reply to this email and let me know! I am always looking for good tips!
My Take:
There is some great news here:
“Walking always has been beneficial for health, but European and U.S. researchers have found that you don't have to walk a great distance daily to receive significant benefit.”
We have known for a long time now that movement of any kind, even a little, is better than none at all. You don’t have to go to great lengths (or walk great distances) to derive benefit from adding a little extra physical activity to your day.
In this very large study (over 225,000 people involved!), walking just 3,967 steps per day reduced the risk of dying prematurely from any cause. Walking 2,337 steps a day reduced the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.
And the more people walked, the more benefit they derived: “The risk of dying from any cause or from cardiovascular disease decreases significantly with every 500 to 1,000 extra steps you walk,” researchers said. “An increase of 1,000 steps a day was associated with a 15% reduction in the risk of dying from any cause.”
In my last newsletter, I offered some tips for getting in a little extra physical activity every day. Here are 3 more ideas:
Walk to your mailbox (instead of driving).
Walk around while you’re on the phone.
Do some window shopping—instead of online shopping, walk around your local stores or mall.
Remember, it doesn’t take much to improve your health! As Lao Tzu wrote in the Tao Te Ching: “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
My Take:
And, if you had any doubt about the virtues of walking … this study found a lower risk of certain cancers for women who live in walkable neighborhoods. This was especially true for women living in neighborhoods with higher poverty levels.
From the article: “This was particularly true of postmenopausal breast cancer, but also of ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer and multiple myeloma, according to researchers at several universities in New York City.”
American Heart Association Identifies New Syndrome that Links Heart Disease, Metabolic Disorders, and Kidney Disease
What is CKM, and what causes it?
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