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>>Lori Casey: Most of us have had acne at one point in our
lives, either as teens or adults. This week on Being Well, dermatologist Doug
Leone from the Dermatology and Mohs Surgery Institute will be in the studio to talk about
this problem that affects so many. We'll learn more about common myths related
to acne, how to treat it at home, and what types of prescription medications are available.
We've got that and more, next on Being Well. So, don't go away.
[Music Plays] Production of Being Well is made possible
in part by: Sarah Bush Lincoln Health System, supporting
healthy lifestyles. Eating a heart healthy diet, staying active
managing stress, and regular check-ups are ways of reducing your health risks.
Proper health is important to all at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health System.
Information available at sarahbush.org. Additional funding by Jazzercise of Charleston.
Welcome to this week's edition of Being Well. I'm your host, Lori Casey.
And today, we're talking about acne with dermatologist Dr. Doug Leone.
Thank you so much for coming back to Being Well.
>>Dr. Leone: Thanks a lot for having me again.
I appreciate it. >>Lori Casey;
Oh, acne. I had it as a teenager.
Did you have it as a teenager? >>Dr. Leone:
We all had it. Yeah, yeah.
We all, I had more of adult acne, but yeah. >>Lori Casey:
It's something that affects a lot of people, and it's really hard as a teenager to have
your skin break out. >>Dr. Leone:
It is. >>Dr. Leone:
Alright. So, tell me first, well, what is acne, and
what causes it? We'll talk about it in, we'll start with the
teenage acne first. >>Dr. Leone:
Okay. Yeah, so acne, basically you need a few different
things. The main thing is hormones, okay.
That's why we don't have a lot of acne when we're 8, 9, 10, and then we hit the early
teenage years, it starts to come. So, what happens is hormone production goes
up. When hormone production goes up, oil production
goes up, okay. And when that happens, it makes the cells
in our skin a little bit sticky. And so, what happens is we get a plugged hair
follicle with those sticky cells and oil, and that's the first step in forming acne.
And then, we all have bacteria in each one of our hair follicles, and that bacterium
eats the oil. And once it's blocked up with those cells,
dead cells and oil, you get an acne lesion. >>Lori Casey:
Mmhmm. And you have millions of hair follicles on
your face? >>Dr. Leone:
Billions of hair follicles. >>Lori Casey:
So, it can happen, really, anywhere. >>Dr. Leone:
Yep, all over your body. So, yeah.
>>Lori Casey: Okay.
So, there's different types of acne. Can you kind of tell us what those are?
>>Dr. Leone: Sure.
There's comedonal acne, and that tends to be less of what we think of as acne.
And there's two types of comedonal acne: there's the blackheads, which we all know of, and
those are called open comedones, and then there's whiteheads, which are not actually
pustules, but closed comedones are skin colored bumps of acne, and often patients don't even
realize it's type of acne, but it is, and is quite common, especially in teenagers.
And then, there's what's called the inflammatory or nodulocystic acne, and that's kind of what
you and I, and most people think of, oh I have acne, is all these pustules and stuff
that we can, you know, pop and they hit the mirror, and whatever.
But that's what most people think of as acne, but there's actually three forms of acne.
>>Lori Casey: At what age do you start seeing kids with
acne? >>Dr. Leone:
It's actually getting a little bit younger, but usually as soon as the hormones start
kicking in, so at the same time females start to hit those changes, and usually around as
young as like 8 to 9 years of age, but usually by 11, 12, 13, most females have had some
type of acne. And by the time you've hit 14, 15, 16, almost
all teenagers in that age group are at least getting some level of acne.
>>Lori Casey: Mmhmm.
So, does it run in families? >>Dr. Leone:
It does, definitely. Genetic predisposition for acne is a huge
thing, especially the more severe acne. So, if mom or dad had severe acne, you're
at much greater risk to also have severe acne. Okay, so let's run through some really common
questions that you get about acne when you have people come into your office.
What's one of the most common ones? >>Dr. Leone:
I think one of the most common ones is "Why am I getting acne?"
And the reason for that is just what we talked about; the hormones are present, they're causing
the skin to produce more oils, you're getting those sticky skin cells that block the follicle,
and then you have acne. A lot of them want to know, well, is it something
I'm eating, is it something in my diet. >>Lori Casey:
Is it chocolate and high fat foods. >>Dr. Leone:
Right. Is it pizza, or you know.
Yeah, and all the studies that have been done so far have not shown any correlation with
the food types we eat and in acne. So, that's a thing that has not been proven.
So, I tell most patients that it's not actually been proven that it's what you're eating.
It could be, but there doesn't seem to be any cause and effect relationship at this
time. And then, the other question we get a lot
is "What can I do about my acne at home?" So.
>>Lori Casey: The store aisles are filled with different
things that you can try. We're going to talk about what sort of, you
know, active ingredients we should look for. But I've got another one: does stress make
your skin break out? >>Dr. Leone:
Oh boy, absolutely. You see a lot of people, especially college
age kids, come in, oh it's finals time, we're really stressed out, and my acne's just exploding.
So, there's no doubt, in my mind at least, that stress causes acne, so.
>>Lori Casey: Is that because hormone levels change, due
to stress, or...? >>Dr. Leone:
No, no one knows for sure, but that's probably exactly what it is.
When we get stressed out, our cortical steroid level goes up in our body.
And cortical steroids are known to cause acne, so that's exactly what, probably, the method
is of stress induced acne, is the hormonal changes that are going on.
>>Lori Casey: Okay.
So, this is probably another one you get: can I pick and pop my pimples?
We've all done it; admit it, you have, too. I know I have.
>>Dr. Leone: Yeah.
>>Lori Casey: It's a temptation.
Have you? >>Dr. Leone:
Oh yeah, yeah. It's impossible when you see a pimple sitting
there, you know, it's begging to be popped. And it's hard not to.
And the answer is you should try not to, because when you do squeeze and pop that pimple, if
it pops inward or doesn't, you kwon, sometimes we try to pop that pimple and, oh, it really
got sore, it felt like a pop, but nothing came out, what would happen is actually popped
inwards. And that's what the big cause of scarring
with the acne is. And so, you really want to try to stay away
from that as much as you can. >>Lori Casey:
Okay. So, sometimes, some people get maybe like,
it's a real hard bump, usually along the jaw line, that is hard and large, but nothing
comes out of it. What's that?
>>Dr. Leone: That's just a deeper form of acne, so that's
more of the cystic type of acne we talked about, which you can't pop, I mean, even if
you tried, because it's just so deep, and it's painful and sore.
And those eventually, as we know, they usually go away on their own.
Some do turn into permanent cysts, especially if you try to pop them, so that's another
reason not to try to pick or fiddle with that deeper cystic acne, because it can turn into
a long-term cyst, so. >>Lori Casey:
Okay, so let's talk about just, you know, what sort of, if you start, you've got a kid
that's got acne, you go to the drugstore and you get some over-the-counter things, what
are the most effective ingredients in these different products that are effective for
acne treatment? >>Dr. Leone:
Yeah, there's a lot of over-the-counter products, and it's important to know which ones are
really going to give you a *** for the buck, and which ones aren't.
The number one thing you can use over the counter is something with benzoyl peroxide
in there, and that's the single most effective ingredient you can get over the counter.
There's a lot of different washes you see out there, like exfoliating washes, all these
hard scrubs that you can use, and those are actually counterproductive and actually can
cause more skin irritation and acne. So, I tend to stay away from those.
There are some salicylic acid washes, a lot of good brands out there you could buy, and
those are also somewhat effective, but the number one thing is a benzoyl peroxide type
of... >>Lori Casey:
And what does that actually do? >>Dr. Leone:
So, benzoyl peroxide is anti-bacterial, so it wipes out the bacterial portion of acne
we talked about, and it's also anti-inflammatory, so.
>>Lori Casey: Okay.
So, why are some of those scrubs and things counterproductive?
>>Dr. Leone: Well, they actually cause more skin irritation.
And whenever your skin is irritated, it increases the chance for acne.
So, you know, those very intense scrubs and washes that, you know, a lot of people want
to get these little mitts that you put on or these exfoliating washes, and they tell
me how they scrape their face. And I just cringe, and I'm like, oh no, don't
do that. It just causes a lot of irritation; it doesn't
prevent acne at all, so. >>Lori Casey:
Okay. And can the process of using all those things
over-dry your face and create more oil production? >>Dr. Leone:
Yeah. That's not been proven, but it sure feels
like that sometimes, doesn't it? You know, like you dry your face out, and
then it kicks in the oil production. So, I don't know if it does per say.
There's really no studies out on that, but I would just generally stay away from that
because it's never proven to work. And you're just, you know, maybe psychologically
you think it's working, but it's actually causing more harm than good.
>>Lori Casey: So, can acne be contagious?
Like, you think about it, if you have a couple teenagers at home, and someone grabs someone
else's washcloth that they use to wash their face; is that contagious?
>>Dr. Leone: That's a really good question.
Acne itself has never been shown to be contagious. Now, there are lesions that look like acne
which are called folliculitis, which is infection of hair follicles with different types of
bacteria not known to cause acne, definitely are contagious.
But that's a whole different type of diagnosis. >>Lori Casey:
That's for a different show. >>Dr. Leone:
That's for a different show. But yeah, acne itself is not contagious.
>>Lori Casey: Okay.
So, at what point, you know, someone comes into your office, you have a certain treatment
plan that you go through; what do you do to assess somebody's acne condition, and then
go from there, as far as recommending and, you know, an over-the-counter or prescription?
>>Dr. Leone: Yeah, there's a lot of factors that go into
that decision, including what the patient's comfortable with and how bad the acne is.
But basically, as a baseline, we just kind of see how bad is that acne, and how bad is
the patient bothered by it, and what type of acne is it, because we talked about there
being different types of acne, and they all require different types of treatment or a
different weapon from the arsenal of treatment of acne.
So, if someone comes in with mild acne, and it's kind of that mild inflammatory acne,
usually, we'll start off with a topical cream, usually something with a benzoyl peroxide
and antibiotic in it. We sometimes may add an antibiotic early on
if the patient want to be more aggressive about it, and then over time we'll try to
get them off the antibiotic by mouth, and just use the topical cream for maintenance.
And so, again, it depends on the level of acne, and how bad it is, and how aggressive
the patient wants to be about it. Now, if they have that comedonal acne, and
it's not inflammatory, the topical medications work much, much better than a medicine by
mouth for the comedonal type acne. >>Lori Casey:
Now, I had bad skin as a teenager, and I took Accutane.
And that was many, many years ago, and is that still kind of a common prescription medication
for acne? >>Dr. Leone:
It is, it's very common, and we use a fair amount of it.
I myself used Accutane several years ago, and it really is a great, effective treatment.
It's gotten a lot of bad press in that last 10 to 12 years or so, which is unfortunate.
>>Lori Casey: Because of the risk of birth defects.
>>Dr. Leone: That's one of the reasons, yeah.
>>Lori Casey: And something else, I can't remember what
it was. >>Dr. Leone:
The other two big things were that it could cause you to be depressed and sometimes suicidal.
Then, there have been a lot of studies out there that have shown that that is not a cause
and effect relationship, but we still want to be careful when we prescribe Accutane for
that because of a few incidental reports about it.
There was another one saying it could cause you to have inflammatory bowel disease, which
is a bad situation where you have bloody diarrhea. And that's actually been proven in almost
all medical studies that Accutane does not cause that.
But unfortunately, some of the press got a hold of that, kind of ran with it, and people
have this big fear of Accutane now. >>Lori Casey:
So, what does that Accutane actually do to treat acne?
How is it working? >>Dr. Leone:
That's a really good question. It works in several different steps.
The one step is that it reduces oil production. Remember we said...
>>Lori Casey: I remember very dry skin.
This has been quite a few years ago, but I remember that.
>>Dr. Leone: Yeah, the lips get really dry.
But, and that's a temporary thing when you're on the medicine.
But remember we talked about acne, and we said oil production, sticky cells, and bacteria
are the three things you need for acne. And so, Accutane works by reducing oil production,
and it does that somewhat permanently, not so much that we get dry skin, but reduces
it to be a more normal level of oil production. And two, it changes our cells permanently,
so they no longer are sticky and won't plug those pores and follicles.
>>Lori Casey: So, is there a certain amount of time that
people are on something like that? >>Dr. Leone:
Yeah, that's the other thing that, another advantage of Accutane is you're on it for
a finite amount of time. It depends on your weight, so it's anywhere
from five to seven months of treatment course, and then you're usually done with the course.
>>Lori Casey: Can the acne come back?
>>Dr. Leone: It definitely can come back.
Unfortunately, acne, as we all know, can be tough to treat, but 85% of the people that
complete a course of Accutane have a long-term, I don't want to say cure, but a very good
long-term, almost remission of acne, where it's not nearly as severe as it once was.
I mean, I myself was almost completely cured of my acne; I rarely get it anymore, so.
>>Lori Casey: So, let's just step back a little bit.
I'm thinking about mom out there watching with teenage boy or teenage girl, we'll pick
on the boys a little bit. How important is it to get your kids used
to, if they've got acne, they've got that problem, get them into the habit of washing
their face? Is that critical to sort of prevent, or you
know, helping the acne? You know, with something to be washing it
every day? >>Dr. Leone:
Almost everyone that comes in talks about washing their face, like, you know, I wash
my face twice a day. You know, am I using the right stuff.
And most people have pretty good hygiene, you know.
So, if you're washing once or twice a day with a gentle cleanser, you're doing good.
So, that's the number one thing with washing. But yeah.
And then, what did you ask me specifically about...
>>Lori Casey: So, should they, how do you get them into,
or is it, it is essential, you can't, it may not get rid of the acne, but if you have a
teenager that just never washes their face like with a facial kind of cleanser, is acne
going to get worse? >>Dr. Leone:
Yes, it will. Yeah.
I mean, you have to wash your face; you have to have good hygiene.
And the best time to wash are morning, and then after any big physical activity, and
before you go to bed. So, those are the big times you want to wash,
so. >>Lori Casey:
I'm thinking of like, you know, if you've got kids that play football, and they're wearing
those football helmets, does that, can all that sweat and all that stuff of a football
helmet create more acne? >>Dr. Leone:
Absolutely, absolutely. The sweat can, and even more so is anything
that's rubbing on your face; remember, we talked about those scrubbing cleansers.
Anything that irritates your skin like repetitive friction can cause acne, so you should wash
your face if you could right before those activities and right after.
>>Lori Casey:
So, we've kind of focused on the teenagers; now let's talk about adult acne.
It's not a fun thing to have to have a breakout, you know, when you're 35 or 40 years old.
Why does it still keep occurring in adults? >>Dr. Leone:
You know, that's another thing that the incidence of adult acne seems to be on the rise, and
no one's really sure if it truly is on the rise, or if more people are just seeking treatment
for it. But again, we still have the hormones.
I mean, the reason it's worse when we're teenagers is because our hormones are really surging,
but we still have those hormones until females hit post-menopausal time, but that's why you're
still getting acne; you still have all the things that cause acne: you still have the
hormones, the oil production, and we always have a little bit of that bacteria on our
skin, so. >>Lori Casey:
Do you see adult acne more in women than in men?
>>Dr. Leone: It seems so.
And I don't know if that's because more women are concerned about it and seek treatment,
or if it's that they just truly have a higher incidence of adult acne.
I feel like it's the latter and I feel like there is a little bit more of a higher incidence
of adult acne in females than males. >>Lori Casey:
So, is it actually a different kind of acne than teenage acne?
>>Dr. Leone: A little bit.
For adults, you have to make sure the acne's not caused by any medication that they're
taking, because some medications can cause acne.
>>Lori Casey: Let me interrupt you; what medications would
cause your skin to break out? >>Dr. Leone:
Usually medications, well, there's quite a big slough of them, but some of the worst
ones are medicines for bipolar disorders, and other psychological disorders tend to
be the biggest ones, and then some vitamins can, overdosing of vitamins, especially the
B12, B6s can cause some acne, so. >>Lori Casey:
Okay. So, I will let you finish.
What is the difference between teenage acne and adult?
>>Dr. Leone: Well, other than adult acne being harder to
treat sometimes, it's still caused by the same things.
But we tend to, especially in adult females; tend to have a lot more success with hormonal
treatments, such as oral contraceptive pills. There's also other pills out there that can
block some of the hormones in females that are causing the acne.
So, Accutane, for instance, tends to be a lot less effective in adult acne than it was
in teenage acne. So, it tends to be more hormonally driven
than the bacteria and the sticky cell type of theory with the younger type of acne.
So. >>Lori Casey:
Okay. So, what kind of, if someone now is an adult
had acne as a teenager, and they've got those scars on their face, what kind of treatments
are available to get rid of those acne scars? >>Dr. Leone:
That's a good question. And those are really tough to treat.
As we know, those are kind of deeper pock mark scars.
And the treatments out there that are available right now are cosmetic laser resurfacing,
and there's several different kinds of lasers. Usually, you need several different courses
or rounds of treatment. There's deeper chemical peels that can do
a good job; you usually need several rounds of treatment again.
There's a newer treatment out there now called the Dermapen, which is actually a fine pen
that goes around, it has a lot of small needles in it, will puncture the skin, and several
treatments of those usually have been shown to be pretty effective.
>>Lori Casey: That sounds uncomfortable.
>>Dr. Leone: Well, there's some anesthesia involved.
All those treatments, whether it be the chemical peels, or the laser, or the Dermapen, almost
all of them have to have some type of anesthesia involved, because if you want to get to the
level of skin to get effective treatment, there's going to be some pain involved.
So, you have to use some anesthesia to reduce that.
>>Lori Casey: So, on a lesser level, of course, the, you
know, the market is flooded now with skin brighteners, skin lighteners, things to diminish
spots. Do they work?
Are they effective? >>Dr. Leone:
Some are. And when people talk about acne scarring or
acne marks, I think the main question is are we talking about the little dark spots we
get after have a lesion, or are we talking about a true scar?
Those dark spots will always fade on their own; will almost always fade on their own
eventually. And most of the over-the-counter brightening
medicines do not work. And it goes the same for scarring; none of
the, you know, you're kind of wasting your money in my opinion if using the over-the-counter
treatments. So.
>>Lori Casey: And what I've noticed with the skin lightener,
you have to keep using it. >>Dr. Leone:
You have to keep using it. Yep, yep.
There are prescription strength skin lighteners, and some other skin lighteners that are sold
in some physician's offices that have been shown to be very effective.
But most of the over-the-counter stuff is not all that effective.
>>Lori Casey: Well, and I think I noticed, too, like the
older you, you know, if you have a pimple or something as an older adult, it takes a
long time for that to go away. >>Dr. Leone:
Yeah. >>Lori Casey:
Vs. when you were a teenager. Is that just because of our age, and our cells
don't work quite as well? >>Dr. Leone:
That's right. And any time, as we get older and the older
we get, our skin just doesn't heal as well as it once did.
I mean, if an infant gets injured, or their skin gets cut, and you know, often in six
weeks, you can't even see where that lesion was.
An adult, it might still be healing. So, it's all about us getting older, so.
>>Lori Casey: So, as we wrap up here, I just want to ask
you a little bit about a dermatologist. Because there's, you know, you see there's
a lot of places where you can go for different facial treatments, and lasering, and stuff
like that. What, at what point should someone seek a
dermatologist, if they want to have some of those more advanced treatments?
What's your recommendation? >>Dr. Leone:
Well, I'd recommend that you see a dermatologist anytime you're having any thoughts of having
any types of those advanced treatments performed. And not because they need to be performed
by a dermatologist per say, but just because no one knows skin better than a dermatologist,
and they can give you a really good option and really good information about what kind
of treatment is going to be the most effective, what you want to save money on, and prevent
a lot of long-term side, or at least discuss how to reduce the risk of some of the long-term
side effects with some of those treatments. And I think it's good to sometimes get a few
different opinions about what those treatment regimens are, because some people have the
propensity to kind of push whatever they offer, and I think getting two or three different
opinions is well worth it. It may cost you a little more up front to
get those opinions, but in the long run, if you're going to spend the money for that cosmetic
improvement, I think it's a pretty good investment, so.
>>Lori Casey: Well, and it is.
It's your, most of those things are taking place on your face.
So, it's in an area that you really can't cover up if something goes wrong.
>>Dr. Leone: Exactly.
It's hard to go backwards, you know. And the other thing I tell people, you asked
about the acne scarring, is the single best treatment for that is to prevent the acne
to begin with. And I get a lot of moms coming in with their
kids with really bad acne saying, Oh geez, you know, we've done antibiotics, nothing's
working, I don't want to use the Accutane because I've heard these bad things about
it. And what I try to tell them is this scarring
is permanent, and your child has to live with that for their whole life on their face.
So, that's a pretty big part of your health, too.
So, the number one thing with acne and acne scarring is get it treated quickly and effectively,
and prevent it from happening in the first place.
>>Lori Casey: Because it usually doesn't just go away.
I mean, as a teenager, it just doesn't magically disappear.
I mean, you can kind of outgrow it a little bit, cant' you?
>>Dr. Leone: Yeah, usually as we get older, acne gets a
lot less intense. But what I see is a lot of patients coming
in after they've had really bad acne for like two or three years, and they've tried all
this over-the-counter stuff, and now they have really bad scarring.
So, the idea is get it treated early. Don't wait.
Don't be, you know, when your kid's 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, don't be thinking, Oh, maybe next
year it will get better, because by next year, it's too late.
You know, you have to get that stuff treated early.
>>Lori Casey: Well, and it's a self-esteem thing, too.
I mean, it's really hard to be a teenager and have all these, you know, pimples on your
face. It can be really devastating.
>>Dr. Leone: Yeah, I agree.
I mean, one's self-perception is probably one of the most important parts of our mental
health and overall health. So, I think getting that treated effectively
early on is just an amazing improvement of one's overall health, not just their acne,
so. >>Lori Casey:
I mean, I remember I had bad skin as a teenager. And boy, when it cleared up, it was like the
world changed for me. So.
>>Dr. Leone: Yeah, it can really, I mean, I think you really
feel like a new person, and it puts an extra bounce in your step; you have a new outlook
on life. And it's good to get treated early, so.
>>Lori Casey: Alright.
Well, Dr. Leone thanks for coming by Being Well and talking about acne with us.
>>Dr. Leone: Yeah, thanks again for having me.
I appreciate it. [music]
>>Kean Armstrong: Runny nose, sore throat, cough and a fever. Those symptoms are typical
of cold and flu season. Most of the time kids who catch a virus get better on their own
with the help of some TLC. But how do parents know when it’s time to take them to the
doctor? Here’s advice from a pediatric emergency physician at Mayo Clinic.
Little Sarah and her sister Maggie are in the E.D. because of persistent cold and
flu symptoms.
Runny nose, sore throat and a fever.
“Hi, Sarah, I’m Dr. Homme.” “Fevers are usually designated as a
temperature greater than 100.4
Dr. Jim Homme sees many kids come into the E.D. because of fever. But he
says, these days, with most kids having been vaccinated against many common
and dangerous illnesses, the height of the fever doesn’t always correspond to
the severity of illness.
“For the majority of children, parents should never use the fever as the sole
indication to bring them to the doctor.”
For example, he says he’s more concerned about a listless child with a
low temp than a more normal-acting one with a higher temp.
“So its really important for a parent to look at their child and assess how they
act and interact compared to what they normally act like, and make decisions
based on that and not so much based on the fever.”
Look for other symptoms such as difficulty breathing, very poor fluid intake,
severe pain, vomiting or if your child is listless or not responsive. And it’s
important to be extra vigilant with newborns.
“Any temperature over 100.4 in the infant less than 2 months, sometimes less than
three months if they haven’t had their vaccines yet, is going to be a trigger for
you to bring them in.”
Dr. Homme says you should also bring in your child if symptoms suddenly get
worse. Or if a fever goes away and then comes back, as that could be a sign of a
secondary infection such as pneumonia, which may require treatment with
antibiotics.
Most kids do get better on their own. So they key is to help relieve symptoms.
“You can treat your child with the appropriate dose of acetaminophen or
ibuprofen.”
If your child is not up to date on vaccinations or has health problems
such as being immune compromised, do see a doctor if fever is present. For Mayo
Clinic News Network, I’m Vivien Williams.
>>Kean Armstrong: When's the last time you got a good night's sleep when on the road?
For many, traveling can make it tough to get the 7 or 8 hours of sleep we need each night.
Reporter holly firmer give us tips on how to get your zzz's when you're away from home.
When people travel a lot it can be hard to get a good night's sleep.
Sherry torkos is a pharmacist and author....whose written on diets...travel and lifestyle...
Torkos: you're changing time zones, you're eating at different times, maybe you're sleeping
in a hotel room, listening to noise, you have lights.
And these things can disrupt our sleep cycles, making rest hard to come by.
But there are things frequent travelers...as well as stay at homers, can do to help.
First off, experts say avoid caffeine late in the day. Also:
Torkos: "don't eat a big meal before you go to sleep because all of your body's processes
are going to go towards digestion. You're not going to feel calm and relaxed and you
can have a bit of a belly-ache which might affect your ability to fall asleep."
If you're hungry before bed, grab a light snack with a little bit of protein and complex
whole grains. And.... Torkos: "don't use alcohol as a sleep aid.
Alcohol may help you fall asleep but if you have alcohol it might cause night time wakening."
If you can't sleep, torkos says to try to avoid the distracting devices we all carry
around. So don't check cell phone messages, or go
online to work. This can amp you up. And if you turn on the TV, watch something
that's relaxing, or try meditating. For today's health minute, I’m holly firmer.
Production of Being Well is made possible in part by:
Sarah Bush Lincoln Health System, supporting healthy lifestyles.
Eating a heart healthy diet, staying active managing stress, and regular check-ups are
ways of reducing your health risks. Proper health is important to all at Sarah
Bush Lincoln Health System. Information available at sarahbush.org.
Additional funding by Jazzercise of Charleston.