But whether milk can induce sleep is debatable, and studies suggest that if it does, the effect has little to do with tryptophan.

To have any soporific effect, tryptophan has to cross the blood-brain barrier. And in the presence of other amino acids, it ends up fighting — largely unsuccessfully — to move across.

One study by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology demonstrated this in 2003. The study, which was published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, showed that eating protein-rich foods — like milk — decreased the ability of tryptophan to enter the brain. The trick, the study showed, is to eat foods high in carbohydrates, which stimulate the release of insulin. Insulin, in turn, makes it easier for tryptophan to enter the brain. But surveys have found that many people swear by milk as a sleep aid, and that may have something to do with psychology. Scientists say the routine of drinking a glass of milk before bed can be as soothing as a favourite old blanket.

Toluene is a colourless liquid used as a solvent, formaldehyde helps harden nails and dibutyl phthalate is a plasticiser that makes nail polish flexible.

YOUR BODY’S THIRST.

Dehydration reduces blood flow to your organs, leaving you sluggish. Drink at least ten glasses of liquids such as water each day. If your pee is clear or pale yellow, you’re getting enough fluids.

YOU CRAVE CARBS

Who doesn’t? But the processed ones in white bread, cookies, and pasta cause your blood sugar to spike, then crash, leaving you exhausted. At least 50 percent of your diet should come from carbohydrates.

YOU’RE SKIPPING MEALS

Skipping meals, or even just not eating for a few hours, can cause blood sugar dips that leave you feeling weak. A great way to build all-day energy is to eat a fiber-rich cereal for breakfast.

YOU’RE NOT GETTING THE NUTRIENTS YOU NEED

Many women are short on magnesium, a mineral that improves cell efficiency, thus conserving energy. You need about 400 mg a day (most multivitamins have about 100 mg). To make sure you get enough, eat foods rich in magnesium such as peanut butter, green leafy veggies, and whole grains. Another nutrient we often fall short on: omega-3 fatty acids, which help regulate metabolism and boost oxygen intake, thus increasing energy. They’re found in higher-fat fish such as tuna, mackerel, and salmon, so aim for a few servings a week.

YOU’RE WATCHING TOO MUCH TV

For every hour spent channel surfing, people walk 144 fewer steps. The result? Slow and steady weight gain that drags you down. To break the cycle, try limiting TV time, or watch it while you’re on the treadmill.

YOU’RE NOT GETTING ENOUGH DAYLIGHT

Sunlight triggers your brain to release specific brain chemicals such as serotonin, which is vital to boosting mood and energy. So step outside every day for a 20-minute walk, but don’t forgo the SPF — it’s the sunlight absorbed by your eyes that activates the brain’s pineal gland and signals the release of energising neurochemicals, so protecting your skin from UV rays won’t defeat the purpose.

YOU OBSESS OVER EVERYTHING

Women are prone to ruminating, be it a friend’s comment or a fight with hubby, which stresses us out and zaps our energy. It becomes a vicious cycle — stress brings on more rumination, which leaves us even more anxious and exhausted. Find someone you trust to vent to for five minutes, and then let it go.

YOU’RE GLUED TO YOUR CELL PHONE OR PAGER

They’re designed to make life easier, but these gadgets can actually increase anxiety levels by placing more demands on you throughout the day. And it’s worse for women, who are more likely to receive telephone calls at work from a crying child or a frustrated spouse.

YOU’VE GOT DIABETES

One telltale symptom: unexplained fatigue. When you’re diabetic, glucose or blood sugar — the body’s main source of energy — can’t get into your muscle cells. If you’re overweight and/or have a family history of diabetes, ask your doctor for a fasting blood glucose test to measure your levels. If caught early, diabetes can be controlled with simple lifestyle changes such as increasing exercise, lowering fat intake, and losing excess pounds.

NEED MORE ENERGY!

1. Go for a walk 2. Snack on nuts, not sweets 3. Pop a mint 4. Give yourself a massage 5. Have a banana 6. Sip green tea 7. Take a hike 8. Avoid energy vampires 9. Take a power nap 10. Do a mini-meditation

WHAT YOU CAN DO

There are several things you can do to lower your blood pressure.

The top five are:

EAT A HEALTHFUL DIET

Excessive sodium intake also has been linked to an increased risk of high blood pressure. Limiting salt intake to 2,000 milligrams per day may help keep blood pressure low. A diet of 1,500 milligrams or less salt is especially effective at controlling blood pressure. Sodium is found in many foods, so keep an eye on the ingredients list to help rein in your sodium intake. In addition, avoid adding table salt to foods.

AVOID SMOKING AND EXCESSIVE DRINKING

The nicotine found in tobacco products constricts blood vessels, causing your hear to beat faster and raising blood pressure for a period of time. Limit alcohol use to one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men. One drink is defined as one 6-ounce glass of wine per day, one 12-ounce beer or one 1-ounce shot of distilled spirits.

GET REGULAR EXERCISE

Exercising three to four times per week helps regulate high blood pressure, keeping in mind that the regularity of the exercise is more important than the intensity of the workout. Individuals should consult their physician before starting an exercise program.

LOSE WEIGHT

Shedding pounds, especially in the abdominal area, can immediately lower blood pressure and help reduce the size of the heart. A loss of just 10 pounds can make a significant difference.

TRY TO RELAX

Emotional factors may play important roles in the development of high blood pressure. Studies have linked numerous activities to reducing blood pressure. These include cognitive-behavioural therapy, transcendental meditation, active religious faith and participation in activities related to a faith community.

Why is sleep so important?

Sleep helps you fight fatigue and stress. When a headache strikes, sleep may help relieve the pain by changing the levels of serotonin and other chemicals in your
brain.
If you don’t sleep well, you may feel irritable and cranky. You may lose your patience quickly and find it difficult to concentrate. You may struggle with headaches and other physical signs and symptoms. Perhaps ironically, sleeping too much can have the same effect. If you’re vulnerable to headaches, sleeping longer than usual may only aggravate head pain.

Promoting good sleep

Most adults need seven to nine hours of sleep a night. Easier said than done? These strategies can help.

Establish regular sleep hours. Wake up and go to bed at the same time every day — even on weekends and holidays. Getting about the same amount of sleep every night can help keep your headaches at bay.
Nap wisely. A nap can be refreshing, but it’s not a substitute for a full night’s sleep. If you nap during the day, keep it short — 15 to 30 minutes. Longer naps may interfere with nighttime sleep.

Exercise regularly. Physical activity — especially aerobic exercise as well as regular sex — can help you fall asleep faster and make your sleep more restful. The key is to exercise often. Timing is important, too. Exercising too close to bedtime can make it more difficult to fall asleep.

Unwind at the end of the day. Anything that helps you relax can promote better sleep. Listen to soothing music, soak in a
warm bath or read a favourite book.

Watch what you eat and drink before bedtime. A light snack may help you relax before sleeping, but a heavy meal may cause heartburn.

Alcohol can aggravate headaches and make it harder to stay asleep. Caffeine and nicotine can interfere with sleep as well.
Minimise distractions. Save your bedroom for sleep and intimacy. Don’t watch television or take work materials to bed. Close your bedroom door, and use a fan to muffle distracting noises. Drink less before bed to avoid nighttime trips to the toilet.

Keep the temperature comfortable. It may be difficult to sleep in a room that’s too warm or too cold.

Don’t try to sleep. The harder you try to sleep, the more awake you’ll feel. If you can’t fall asleep within 15 minutes, get up. Read or do another quiet activity until you become drowsy.

Obstructive sleep apnoea is the most common form and is caused by a blockage in the airways. This in turn is caused by the tissue at the back of the throat relaxing and closing during sleep. Central sleep apnoea is a brain related problem in which the nerve signals are not sent to the breathing muscles resulting in breathing problems even when there is no airway blockage present. Mixed sleep apnoea is a mixture of the two – a soft tissue problem and a brain signal error. To ensure that the body receives enough oxygen to survive, the brain will wake the sleeping individual to ‘remind’ them to breath. As a consequence of this, sleep for sufferers of sleep apnoea can be unsatisfying. Fortunately, there are many treatment options available to sufferers.

The main symptom of sleep apnoea occurs during sleep and as such the individual his or her self will often be unaware of the problem. The spouse, or partner, will often be the first to complain about the disturbance. Most sleep apnoea treatment regimens begin with lifestyle changes, such as avoiding alcohol and medications that relax the central nervous system like, sedatives and muscle relaxants, losing weight and quitting smoking. Some people with sleep apnoea are helped by special pillows or devices that keep them from sleeping on their backs to keep the airway open during sleep.

For the food groups that these diets do permit, the proportions are either well above or well below those recommended by major health organizations such as the American Heart Association and the American Dietetic Association, as well as the Surgeon General and the US Department of Agriculture.

Some common claims of these diets include blaming particular hormones for weight gain, suggesting that food can change body chemistry, or touting or banning a particular food. However, they all have one thing in common: They offer only a temporary solution to what for many people is a lifelong and chronic condition. Once the diet is stopped, the lost weight is usually regained quickly, and when weight is lost rapidly, chances are it is not fat that is lost but water weight and precious muscle — but when it is regained, it is usually all gained as fat. This is because none of these diets teach you how to eat right.

While there is no set approach to identifying a fad diet, here’s how you can spot one:

• Recommendations that promise a quick fix.

• Dire warnings of dangers from a single product or regimen.

• Claims that sound too good to be true.

• Simplistic conclusions drawn from a complex study.

• Recommendations based on a single study or testimonials.

• Dramatic statements that are refuted by reputable scientific organizations.

• Lists of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ foods.

• Recommendations made to help sell a product.

• Recommendations based on studies published without review by other researchers.

• Recommendations from studies that ignore differences among individuals or groups.

• Eliminating 1 or more of the 5 food groups
Devoting yourself to a lifestyle that includes exercise and eating a proper diet with moderate portions is still the best method to lose weight and to keep it off. Most people who make the change from a typical high-fat diet and sedentary lifestyle to one that follows a diet based on the recommended food pyramid will slowly and safely lose weight.

WHAT IS SELF ESTEEM?

The term self-image is used to refer to a person’s mental picture of himself or herself. A lot of our selfimage is based on interactions we have with other people and our life experiences. This mental picture (our self-image) contributes to our self-esteem. Selfesteem is all about how much we feel valued, loved, accepted, and thought well of by others — and how much we value, love, and accept ourselves. How we’re treated by the members of our immediate family, by our teachers, coaches, religious authorities, and by our peers, all contributed to the creation of our basic self-esteem. People with low self-esteem may feel like no one likes them or that they can’t do well in anything.

WAYS TO ENHANCE YOUR LOW SELF ESTEEM

Be proactive. Do not wait for things to happen, instead make things happen. Fuel your determination. Let other people know in what aspect they can help you. Success comes to individuals who get down to business.
Know what you can change, and accept the things you cannot change. There are certain ‘givens’ in life as God’s gift, such as one’s features. These are things we all must accept. But if you need to, say, lose weight or smile more, you can do something about it.

• Talk to your dietician about a healthy diet and exercise plan. Practice smiling in a mirror and challenge yourself to smile at least 25 times each day.

• Accept the fact that we will fail from time to time. Failures are part of growing up. Avoid letting the negative effects of failures take over.

• Clean up your past. Most people have low self esteem because they focus on what they don’t have. They focus on their shortcomings and the so called failures of their past. It’s never too late to have a happy life.

• Don’t try to be like someone else. You are unique and you cannot be someone else. Don’t criticise yourself for not being as successful, as beautiful, as slim or as popular as someone else.

• Celebrate your journey, not your destination. Learn to always feel good about where you are now, and to exude self-confidence about anywhere you might find yourself tomorrow.

HOW COUNSELLING CAN HELP

Both individual and group counselling/therapy can help improve yourselfesteem. Individual therapy includes assertiveness training, communication skills and may also explore early and later experiences that contributed to your low self-esteem. Group therapy helps to foster trust and build relationships and encourages a sense of belonging.

Dr Sonal Shah, India’s First Certified Woman Trichologist take time out on this beliefs and myths and dos and don’t:

Myth: Is mundan compulsory for a child? Fact: Despite the fact that it has become almost mandatory to shave a baby’s head at least twice, in the hope of promoting good hair growth, there is no evidence to suggest that shaving helps. The quality of our hair is determined by a number of factors. It is very important to have a balanced diet, rich in proteins. Our hair also requires minerals like iron, copper and zinc in the right proportions and deficiency of these will affect the condition of our hair.
This holds good even for body hair, where many women shy away from the razor although it is one of the most convenient and safe modes of hair removal
Myth: Standing on the head helps to grow hair (Shershasan)
Fact: The fact is that we cannot grow the hair. Hair follicles need more than blood flow to grow hair. Standing on your head to increase blood flow to your scalp, may be great for your gymnastic skills, but will have no effect on your hair.
Myth: Cutting hair frequently will make it grow long faster. Fact: The fact is that we cannot really hurry our hair in its growth process but we can keep it healthy by eating a balanced diet, drinking plenty of water and washing and brushing it correctly. Trimming the ends of the hair will help in getting rid of split ends. Myth: Oiling is not good for the hair.
Fact: Despite the fact that oiling performs the essential function of scalp-conditioning, it will not stop hair from falling. Oiling is a pre-requisite to condition the scalp.

Here are a few hair do’s and don’ts:

Do: Shampoo your hair. Women in India seem to have an unfounded fear of shampooing. Shampoo is merely a cleansing agent and whether you use it in the form of soap or a liquid makes no difference, as long it is suited to your hair type. Moreover, shampoo has no effect on hair loss. Don’t: Wash your hair too often. It is harmful to the hair to have a continuous supply of moisture applied to it, but shampoo is not the culprit. Rather it is advisable not to wash your hair more than thrice a week (with or without shampoo), unless you find it distinctly greasy or dirty. Don’t: Try shaving your head or oiling it to stimulate hair growth. Despite the fact that it has become almost mandatory to shave a baby’s head at least twice, in the hope of promoting good hair growth, there is no evidence to suggest that shaving helps. This holds good even for body hair, where many women shy away from the razor although it is one of the most convenient and safe modes of hair removed. Despite the fact that oiling performs the essential function of scalp conditioning it will not stop hair from falling if you are not having a hair loss problem, nor will it accelerate the rate of hair regrowth. Do: Make sure you have a balanced diet, rich in proteins. Our hair also requires minerals like iron, copper and zinc in the right proportions and deficiency of these will affect the condition of our hair. More importantly, if you do suspect that you are losing hair excessively, it would be advisable to pay a visit to a Trichologist.

In an attempt to bring the joy of dance to people, Shiamak institutionalised Shiamak Davar Institute for the Performing Arts or SDIPA in 1992. In its role as India’s premier dance Institute, SDIPA organises dance workshops in 12 cities across India and three centers in North America.

The Summer funk and Winter Funk workshops organised by the Institute are ‘one-of-a-kind’ training programs for all during the workshop, students are taught a complete dance routine and are trained in disciplines of stage performance. The Shiamak Davar Dance Company, Shiamak Davar Junior Dance Company being an extension of this multifaceted powerhouse, continue to win hearts far and wide.

Enthusiasts can learn Jazz, Hip Hop, Salsa, Afro Jazz, Modern, Old Fashion Jazz, Shiamak’s Indojazz Dance Movement, Shiamak’s Bollywood Jazz by joining the batch which starts from 25 June. Call on 23537930 – 37 for enrollments between 5.30 pm to 7.30 pm at venues which include Borivali, Kandivali, Malad, Goregaon, Andheri West, Andheri East, Powai, Juhu, Bandra, Matunga, Nanachowk, Churchgate, Thane, Vashi and Ghatkopar.