That's Fit

Do you have trouble sleeping sometimes? Yeah. Me too. Standard recommendations for getting a good night's rest include going to bed at the same time each night, avoiding caffeine and alcohol before bed, exercising regularly, and avoiding daytime naps. It's also good to make your bedroom a restful environment -- not for working or other activities, just for sleeping. Also, avoid using the computer and watching TV just before bed.

But what works for one person, doesn't work for everyone. In my case, it's almost necessary to sleep with the TV on. The main reason I can't sleep at night is I just can't turn my brain off enough to rest. Leaving the TV set on some old re-runs allows me to distract myself enough from worrying but yet not pay too much attention. That way, I'm able to get to sleep. It's odd, and it's completely opposite of the typical suggestions, but it's what works for me.

BBC Health users submitted some tips for beating insomnia. The tips include playing Sudoku, counting backward from 300, and writing down everything that's on your mind. They certainly aren't the most common recommendations, but they must work for the people who sent in the idea. How about you? What are your tips for a better night's sleep?

In a surprising bit of news, researchers from Copenhagen University recently asserted that antioxidant supplements do nothing to extend life and, perhaps even more shocking, that "beta-carotene and vitamins A and E seem to increase mortality."

Even after various outside factors were taken into account, the researchers linked vitamin A supplements to a 16-percent increased risk of dying, beta-carotene to a 7-percent increased risk and vitamin E to a 4-percent increased risk, reported the BBC news in a recent release.

Researchers speculate that taking these supplements may somehow interfere with the body's utilization of vitamins and minerals derived from food sources. Beta-carotene, for instance, is thought to change the way a body utilizes fats. As such, the researchers -- as well as the Department of Health in the U.K. -- urge people to exercise caution when using supplements and, if possible, to get the vitamins and minerals they need from their diet.

Apart from how crowded it has made my gym over the past few years, I'm excited to see that the exercise revolution reach such a fever pitch. Best of all, doctors are now looking at exercise as a viable solution to some of their patients' ills.

Such is the case with a recent report from the BBC; doctors have discovered that regular exercise may help people to better deal with their depression. In a survey of 200 English general practitioners, the Mental Health Foundation found that twenty-two percent suggest exercise to help people with milder forms of the condition. This is a marked increase from the five percent that was reported in a similar survey three years ago.

Doctors are looking to exercise more and more these days, rather than reporting to prescription drugs for their patients. This is all good news, even if it does mean I may have to wait a few minutes for a treadmill to finally become available!!

Like the popular series Mythbusters, BBC program The Truth About Food dispels mysteries and rumors, only on this show, they focus on the nutritional side of life. Recently, the program put their segments online and now all of your burning food questions are easily answered with the click of a button. Have you ever wondered:

• Is my metabolism to blame for my weight?
• Does detox work?
• Can omega3s reduce you stress levels?
• Do aphrodisiacs really work?
• Can changing your diet give your gut a makeover?
• Is TV really to blame for making us fat?

And many, many more. You'll need RealPlayer or Windows Media Player to view the clips, but I highly recommend checking the site out for a closer look at these interesting and highly entertaining clips.

What happens when you put 9 people in a zoo and feed them meals fit for an ape? BBC producers were hoping for some moments of grumpiness and maybe a little regret over joining the experiment, but surprisingly, that's not what they got. Instead, the 9 volunteers -- after an initial adjustment to their new diet -- found themselves feeling energetic and happy.

The experiment was created to see what would happen to blood pressure and cholesterol levels if people eliminated processed foods and saturated fat from their diet. Served a diet full of raw fruits and vegetables and appropriate servings of oily fish, the diet was meant to mimic that of our closest animal relative, the ape. The fish was served to tweak the diet into more of a hunter-gatherer type menu -- hence the name the "Evo" (for evolution) diet. Each participant was served 2300 calories per day, but often, because there was so much bulk in the fruits and vegetables, they didn't finish their meals.

Everyone lost weight, though that wasn't the point of the experiment. Blood pressure and cholesterol levels plummeted. In fact, cholesterol levels dropped an amazing 23% -- something usually only achieved through medication. The participants left feeling great and with some valuable lessons in what good nutrition could do for them. What they didn't achieve was a riveting reality TV show -- I guess nutritious foods are good for you, but not for ratings!