How Does Stress Affect Your Sleep?

I found that any amount of sleep deprivation will diminish mental performance. A professor form the University of Minnesota Medical School said that one complete night of sleep deprivation is as impairing in simulated driving tests as a legally intoxicating blood-alcohol level. I also found out that people who regularly do not get enough sleep are increasing their chances of developing diabetes and high blood pressure.  Over thinking can also cause you to stress and affect your sleep. If you find yourself still thinking about things and trying to solve problems at the end of the day that is not good. This will add even more stress before you sleep and you won't be able to get enough rest. You should take everything off of your mind before you go to bed.  At night, stress has a stronger impact, overriding your ability to sleep or preventing you from staying asleep so you wake in the middle of the night, says Thomas Roth, PhD, director of the sleep center at the Henry Ford Hospital, in Detroit.  You'll spend more time in the lighter stages of sleep rather than in deeper slow-wave and REM sleep, which leaves you vulnerable to waking in the middle of the night,explains Barry Krakow, MD, medical director of the Maimonides Sleep Arts and Sciences, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and author of Sound Sleep, Sound Mind.http://www.cosmopolitan.com/advice/health/stress-affects-sleep This was very interesting to me because I have problems sleeping often. I'm going to try and stop stressing because I believe that this is the main factor in my life that effects my sleep. 

Sources:
       http://stress.about.com/od/unhealthybehaviors/a/stress_sleep.htm  
       http://www.fi.edu/learn/brain/sleep.html                                 

                                                                
                                                                                                        Angel Morrisey

How can a person that doesn't believe in God, gain a better understanding about Jesus Christ?

   
     By James Coulter
     
    

     In the bible, Romans 10;14 reads “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed, and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard, and how shall they hear without a preacher?" The first step of understanding the word of Jesus Christ is by going to church, and hearing the word being preached by a preacher. After hearing the word of God, and studying the bible, a person will start to believe in someone they can’t see, and his name is Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:8 reads as followed
" For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God." In the Baptist religion, we believe that a person has to except Jesus Christ for their personal savior, and be baptized. But getting Baptized want save you, keeping Jesus in your heart will.
     All Christians believe in Jesus Christ. He was born in Bethlehem, Judea, and started preaching in the temples at young age! Jesus preached the word of his father all through the land of Judea, Galilee and etc. As he started to preach the word of God he stared to gain believers all over the land. Also, Jesus had twelve disciples who listened to him, and took many notes about his commandments, and what he expected out his believers. As a result of preaching the word of his father, the Roman Empire charged Jesus with blasphemy, and he was sentenced to die on the cross of Calvary.  Jesus Christ lives today, he is Omani present, and his word will live forever. The greatest commandment of all is to have love for all.

                                                              biblehub.com/romans/10-14.htm‎

Why do so many Americans today pursue professions that they have no passion for?

Molly Vickers

I found an interesting article titled, "80% Hate Their Jobs, but Should You Choose a Passion or a Paycheck?" by Alyson Shontel. The main reason Americans pursue professions that they do not have passion for is most likely because they fear the unemployment rates. They want the paycheck of a lawyer, but perhaps their passion is journalism. They want the job security of a nurse, but perhaps a passion for the sports industry. But is the desire for paycheck over passion benefiting our society?

 I think it's sad that people are unable, or at least think they are  unable, to pursue what they love and enjoy in life because they fear the possibility of not succeeding in it, due to the job market and economy. My personal perspective is that when people pursue jobs in an area they care about, they will put their heart and 100% into it, and I don't see how a society with people working in that fashion could fail.

Source:
http://www.businessinsider.com/what-do-you-do-when-you-hate-your-job-2010-10

Do college's have to follow/meet certain nutritional guidelines that they serve to the students? If not why is there not to help teens stay healthy and put on the right track for the future?

Jordan Stump

When teenager enter college and become students, their diets soon to diminished and become non-extinct. With the meal plans offering highly unhealthy choices and very slim healthy, nutritional options, it makes it easy for college students to slip under the pressure and make the wrong decisions. The term freshmen fifteen doesn't come from anywhere, this is one of the biggest periods of weight gain in a teenagers life. While in college it makes it hard for students to manage time which leads to often skipping of meals and management of food is nonexistent and makes it easy for students to pack on the pounds. While students lack the knowledge of what a nutritional meal does for the brain and the effects/roles it plays in getting good grades and studies. This leads to the question why do colleges not have better health options for students? It is a time in these students life where metabolism is slowing down, physical activity is harder to accommodate to and make into busy schedules, it seems strange to me why colleges with the profit and money kids are paying they don't have healthy, nutritionally filled food options. Colleges need to give students a facility that can accommodate thier needs to maximize potential in these crucial years. While researching, since students are over the age of 18, it prevents rules and regulation of the staff to in place a specific food plan and diet.

http://www.faqs.org/nutrition/Ca-De/College-Students-Diets-of.html#b

Are fitness supplements healthy to take, or can they have negative effects on the body?

By Dan Ritchey

     I was curious to know whether or not the wide variety of available workout supplements were actually safe for people to take. What I found was that most supplements are not regulated by the FDA and some contain harmful ingredients. Registered dietician Christina Meyer-Jax says stay away from these chemicals. “The tough part about some of them that are out there is that they contain both vasodilators and central nervous system or cardiac stimulants,” Meyer-Jax said. “When you combo those two together, that can cause a really heavy load on your heart and your blood pressure.” Her advice for fueling a good workout is a combination of natural foods. “What you’re really looking for is carbohydrates, you’re looking for protein and you are definitely looking for some fluid. Your body is going to need all of those things to fuel a really good workout,” Meyer-Jax said.

References:
Minnesota. (2013, April 12). 'It's Like Crack': Doctor On Pre-Workout Supplement Ingredient « CBS Minnesota. CBS Minnesota. Retrieved October 2, 2013, from http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2013/04/12/its-like-crack-doctor-on-pre-workout-supplement/

How often should HIIT be used?

   When we were discussing HIIT the other day I was wondering how much is too much? The truth is, it depends on how often you exercise, if you are a beginner you need to work your way in HIIT, so maybe start with something easy, like stationary bikes. The bike puts less stress on your joints, preventing injury and is one directional, leaving less room for error. For others who are experienced with HIIT, how often you use HIIT depends on what you are trying to gain from your workouts. When trying to become more lean, one should use HIIT three or four times a week, depending on how fast their body recovers. If you are trying to gain muscle, HIIT can be used once or twice a week. But if you trying to gain significant strength, HIIT should be used maybe once a week and allow time for the body to fully recover before lifting again. If you are working on endurance, HIIT does not really help since it is high intensity at short intervals, an endurance person would want a workout spread out over longer time.

Leslie Zoller

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/matthew-basso/hiit-workout_b_2812502.html

When it comes to weight loss is weight training or cardio, such as running or biking, more effective?

Weight training and cardio are both equally important when trying to lose weight.  What matters most is the way you train, the system you train under, and your lifestyle.  When it comes to weight training building muscles helps you burn more calories and helps burn off body fat. The more muscle you have, the more fuel you are constantly burning.  Cardio on the other had can include running, biking, the elliptical, etc. Cardio is effective in losing weight, it just takes longer to lose the weight.  The more miles you go when running or biking, the more calories are burned which means more fat is burn and is how the weight is lost. There are other important factors associated with weight loss such as diet and how much sleep a person gets and these are all important factors to maintain the healthy weight a person wants.

Kathleen Kimmell

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/livestrongcom/the-truth-about-weight-training-vs-cardio_b_894936.html
http://www.beachbody.com/product/nl_530-cardio-vs-weights-which-is-better-for-weight-loss.do