Strange but smart tips to boost your well-being
THERE are many ways to achieve health. Here are some strange but healthy tips:
SKIP ENERGY DRINKS WHEN YOU’RE TIRED
According Time Magazine, they contain up to five times more caffeine than coffee, but the boost they give is fleeting and comes with unpleasant side effects like nervousness, irritability, and rapid heartbeat, says Amy Goodson, dietician for Texas Health Ben Hogan Sports Medicine.
Plus, energy drinks often contain high levels of taurine, a central nervous system stimulant, and upwards of 50g of sugar a can (that’s 13 teaspoons!).
The sweet stuff spikes blood sugar temporarily, only to crash soon after, leaving you sluggish and foggy-headed – and reaching for another energy drink.
BALANCE HORMONES WITH SPEARMINT TEA
Real Buzz says spearmint tea has been found to be an effective natural treatment for women’s hormonal problems, including facial hair and acne.
Spearmint is thought to be beneficial for the management of hormonal imbalances because of its natural anti-androgen properties. Turkish researchers found that drinking two cups of spearmint tea a day reduced levels of male sex hormones in the body.
WANT TO NAP? DRINK COFFEE
According to the Japanese, they conducted a survey where people took “coffee naps”, consuming 200mg of coffee and then taking a 20-minute power nap or rest. These people felt more alert and did better than those who did not have a “coffee nap”.
But isn’t coffee supposed to keep you wide awake? When one consumes coffee, the caffeine kicks in and clears the adenosine, a molecule in the brain that triggers alertness; and when adenosine levels increase, they make one more tired.
Napping at this time helps flush out the adenosine and drinking coffee reduces the effect of the molecule further. This results in better naps!
DISINFECT A WOUND WITH HONEY
Pour a dab of honey on a cut before covering it with a bandage: it has powerful antibacterial properties.
According to a literature review in the journal Wounds, honey offers the following benefits in healing wounds:
Acidic pH promotes healing. Honey has an acidic pH of between 3.2 and 4.5. When applied to wounds, the acidic pH encourages the blood to release oxygen, important for wound healing.
An acidic pH also reduces the presence of substances called proteases that impair the wound-healing process.
DON’T BRUSH AFTER EATING
Don’t brush teeth immediately after meals and drinks, especially if they were acidic. Acidic foods, such as citrus fruits, sports drinks, tomatoes and soda (diet and regular), can soften tooth enamel, notes Howard R Gamble, past president of the Academy of General Dentistry.
Brushing your teeth too soon can speed up acid’s effect on your enamel and erode the layer underneath.
Gamble suggests waiting 30 to 60 minutes after eating or drinking before brushing. The Mayo Clinic, too, says brushing too soon after eating acidic food can remove enamel, weakened by what has just been consumed.