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What’s with the night sweats after drinking?
I've enjoyed drinking responsibly for years and suffered no obvious ill-effect from this enjoyment. In recent years, however, I now experience night sweats after drinking, even with just a single drink. I usually fall asleep quickly, but after 90 minutes, I wake up drenched in sweat. It takes me about 4-5 hours to go back to a deeper sleep.
I have learned that this happens because alcohol affects the nervous system, which regulates blood pressure, heart activity, and body temperature. When we drink, our heart rate increases and our blood vessels in the skin widen, which causes us to sweat.
Alcohol also requires increasing energy to be metabolised, which generates heat that requires removal. The most efficient way for our body to remove this excess heat is through our skin.
Now that I understand why this happens, I am considering accepting a night of poor sleep, stop drinking altogether, or find a solution. Here are some strategies that could help if you are also experiencing alcohol-induced night sweats - if not drinking isn't an option.
🍷 Drink earlier in the day – stop drinking.
🍷 Ice water just before bed.
🍷 Before bed, take a shower, finishing with a cold zap.
🍷 Hold a sandwich bag of ice until falling asleep.
🍷 Start with a little bed covering, but keep the blankets close by.
🍷 Drop the air conditioning a click or two.
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Are you aerobically healthy?
Here's a quick test!
Most of us probably remember learning about mitochondria in year 7 biology.
These tiny organelles are known as "powerhouses of the cell" and play a crucial role in producing energy for our bodies.
Mitochondria produces energy in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which is essential for performing everyday tasks like making our morning coffee, running the City to Surf, and converting food into fuel. Renowned physiologists often cite good mitochondrial health as crucial for continued robust health.
To maintain optimum mitochondrial value, we need to take care of them, and that means staying active. Moving prompts the doubling of mitochondria - and the more mitochondria, the better. Without adequate activity, we can experience a decline in mitochondrial quality, which can lead to various health issues. Fortunately, by incorporating a little additional activity in our daily routine, we can promote mitochondrial function and maintain a robust healthspan.
Here is a quick & easy way to assess your aerobic mitochondrial health.
1. Take a slow deep nasal breath. Inhale, filling your lungs to the maximum. You should feel your ribs expand laterally.
2. Slowly exhale, nasally, until the balloons are empty.
3. Start your stopwatch!
4. Stop your watch when you need to take a breath.
Remember, you are not holding a deep breath, but emptying, then testing.
Seconds
Mitochondrial Status
0-3
Let's walk
4-7
OK
8-17
Healthy
18-26
Next Level
27+
Himalayan juiced-up oxygen junkie
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"Padge returns to his intended state!"
I had the pleasure of running a 10km race with my friend Padge, who was running this distance for the first time. He did a great job by running the second half faster than the first, also known as a negative split. He should be proud of himself for this achievement. But, what's even better than his race day effort are the changes he made to his health, which I'd like to share with you below.
I wish I could say that he found a secret formula involving fancy supplements, high-tech shoes, or deep immersion ice baths to achieve these results, but no, he simply followed some time-honoured principles.
Padge discovered that he didn't need breakfast as much as he thought he did. He reduced his intake of refined sugar and started to include more protein and fibre-rich vegetables in his diet. Additionally, he made it a point to remain active for at least four days a week. He would begin with a walk, then move into a shuffle, and finally, into a rhythmic stride. He never pushed himself too hard, just enough to break a sweat.
Before & after.
Metric
Jan 2024
April 2024
Weight (kgs)
104
86
HbA1c (%) - Blood Glucose value
5.4
5.0
Triglycerides
1.5
1.38
HDL [Good] Cholesterol (mmol/L)
1.0
1.3
Uric Acid (mmol/L)
6.7
4.9
Running talent
Never ran further than the coastal carpark to the ocean with a board under his arm.
Canberra 1okm Fun Run in a damn good time.
And finally, he tells me that his main motivation is setting a good example for his one-year-old daughter. He will use the 2024 City to Surf to strengthen this example.
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Ellie kills off those pesky 'winter bugs'
with this delicious snack!
Winter is approaching, and with it comes the problem of dealing with pesky bugs! While modern medicine is brilliant, I still believe in the timeless benefits of Mother Nature.
Ellie's delicious whip up is proven to boost immune wellness and guard against succumbing to winter infections.
To make this recipe, start by peeling some garlic and mixing it with salt and rosemary. Then, bake the garlic in olive oil and rosemary at 200°C for 15 minutes. Once cooled, jar the mixture and spread it on fresh sourdough bread with crumbled feta cheese and fresh lemon juice.
And what about garlic breath? The olive oil leaves a less potent taste and nullifies the after-breath. Still, I'd keep the fresh parsley close by. And besides, I'd rather give up a kiss than fall sick!
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Going long could be more
about the mind than the body!
It took me over a decade to truly fulfil my physical potential for racing in marathons and Ironman triathlons. With naturally aging body parts, I'm not convinced that my fitness - aerobic capacity or muscle endurance - improved dramatically. Rather, it was my mind that improved and produced better results.
Developing sufficient aerobic fitness - the ability to intake, uptake, and transport usable oxygen - doesn't take too long to develop. Furthermore, developing a robust, functional frame capable of tolerating the event's physical demands can also be developed reasonably quickly. I believe it is the mind that dictates enduring performance.
It's as if the brain guards effort - an effort that may or may not bring risk to good health. So, once appropriate fitness is developed, I've found training the mind - pretty much to tolerate boredom - is the key. Endurance events are, by nature, pretty much boring. You swim, ride, or run a kilometre, and then do it again on repeat.
I recently prescribed a first-time Ironman participant to run his long (training) run, 2 and ½ hours running figure 8's. Figure 8's are run on a football field. You simply run a figure 8 loop using the sidelines and splitting the field between the posts. There are no breaks for the entire session, with the intensity fixed at 70% (138 bpm).
Basically, the brain learns to tolerate boredom, so in the race, the brain is alive with excitement - rarely focusing on illusory pain and discomfort.
He nailed the race.