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Being an early bird has long been associated with a go-getter attitude. Early birds, or those who tend to wake early and go to bed early, are people who naturally feel sleepy earlier in the evening and naturally wake early in the morning. For an early bird type, a 9 pm bedtime may be the norm, and rising at 5 am without an alarm clock feels relatively effortless.
Being an early bird, or the opposite night owl, is usually not something that is thought of as being highly under our control. Some people seem to be hardwired to sleep early, while others get a second wind and tend to sleep late. This internal clock is called our circadian rhythm, each person’s unique internal timekeeper and the body’s own master controller of many functions. Most obvious is our sleep patterns; however, our internal clock also plays a role in our hunger and eating patterns, hormone levels, and maybe even our mood.
A growing body of research shows that we may want to pay more attention to circadian rhythm, also called our chronotype. Identifying if we’re more of an early bird or night owl may help predict our risk of potential health problems.
A recent study from the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports looked at whether the body clock is related to levels of physical activity. Using a wrist-based device that measures movement, over 5,000 participants’ activity levels were collected for two weeks. Researchers also identified whether each person was more of an early bird or night owl, based on a well-studied questionnaire. After considering some factors that may explain differences, such as education or background health conditions, they found that being a night owl was linked to lower physical activity. Night owls, as compared to morning types, had up to 60 to 90 fewer minutes per day of activity.
In short, more research in this area is needed to know for sure. Most studies on this topic look at patterns; there seem to be trends emerging that certain body clock patterns and health conditions run together. What we don’t know, though, is whether being a night owl or early bird is the cause. But when trying to understand why, there are a number of potential factors that come into play.
For those with a more of a night owl or an “eveningness” type, it may be more of a challenge to incorporate activity into their day. For many night owls, jobs or other demands on time may mean that a morning alarm is sounding well before their natural wake time. As a result, a night owl type may be starting the day relatively “jet lagged” — feeling out of sync with their body due to being awake when the body would prefer to be asleep. They also may be sleep deprived if they had to get up significantly earlier than desired. These may contribute to less activity on a regular basis.
On days off, catching up on sleep may become a priority given too little sleep during the week. Sleep patterns, such as how much or when people are sleeping, are potentially the key here, but this information wasn’t captured in this study. Other health conditions or behaviors that interfere with sleep, such as mood disorders, may be found more often among night owls.
We should emphasize that this study does not tell us that being a night owl is the cause for lower physical activity. (This is true for much research around our body clock, as previously mentioned.) It simply shows an association between being an early bird or night owl and certain conditions. In addition, the factors at play — sleep patterns and activity — are factors we have some control over. Though we may be hardwired to lean toward being a night owl or morning bird, most people fall somewhere in the middle. Sleep patterns and activity are modifiable, and even small changes can have a big impact over days, weeks, months, and years.
Reflecting on your sleep patterns is one way to take advantage of the best times of the day for more activity. Are you someone who feels ready and alert first thing in the morning? That may be the best time to get those steps in. More energy in the evening? Then scheduling that walk for after dinner may be best. Using your body clock to your advantage may help optimize the best time to be active.
The post Early birds may be more active, but night owls can catch up appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.
Researchers have been investigating the “insulin-like” effects of cinnamon for years, and the verdict is in: Cinnamon is a proven contender in the fight against diabetes.1 Recent research shows that it not only can reduce A1C levels in diabetic patients, but reduces blood pressure as well, along with a host of other benefits.
Cinnamon has been used for thousands of years as a spice, fragrance and medicine,2 and in ancient times was a valuable trade commodity considered to be as precious as gold and a fitting gift for emperors, kings and queens.3,4
Egyptians used it for embalming; in medieval Europe, it was not only used as a medicine for coughs, arthritis, bad breath, toothaches and sore throats, but was also included in religious rites.
As a commodity, the spice was marketed to royalty such as Indian kings and Egyptian sultans as early as the 10th century.5 By the 14th century it was well-established as an export product. Today, almost every part of the cinnamon tree including the bark, leaves, flowers, fruit and roots, is used and contains some beneficial properties.
Before I delve into the many reasons to include cinnamon in your diet, you may not be aware that there are about 250 different species of the cinnamon plant, and they’re not all created equal in terms of your health.
Most of the cinnamon you find on grocery store shelves today is not actually true cinnamon, but rather belongs to the Cinnamomum cassia species, otherwise known as Chinese cinnamon or cassia cinnamon.
Cinnamomum verum, which is native to Sri Lanka, is known as Ceylon cinnamon, and its name translates to “true cinnamon.” While it is less common than Cassia cinnamon and therefore tends to be more expensive, it’s considered to be a “richer spice”6 and, importantly, contains lower levels of a chemical called coumarin, a powerful anticoagulant with potentially carcinogenic and toxic properties.
Cassia cinnamon can contain up to 1% coumarin while Ceylon typically contains only trace amounts (about 0.004%).7 That being said, there are bioactive antioxidants in cinnamon that, along with its high flavonoid content, have been shown to promote metabolic health and other benefits, including:8
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Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties9,10 |
Antilipemic properties to lower cholesterol and triglycerides11 |
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Antidiabetic properties to significantly lower blood glucose levels in people with Type 2 diabetes12,13,14 |
Gastroprotective properties15,16 |
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Neuroprotective properties against migraine headaches17 and tau aggregation, which is associated with Alzheimer’s disease18 |
Help in lowering blood pressure19,20 |
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Antitumor properties and an ability to inhibit various types of cancer cells including cervical, colon, breast and liver cancer21,22,23 |
An ability to function as an antibacterial24 and antifungal agent25,26 |
Recent studies have also shown that cinnamon can inhibit platelet function and improve your cardiovascular system.27 Yet, even though the powers of cinnamon are well-established, they continue to be researched, with ongoing studies documenting still more health benefits, including helping to control the symptoms of dysmenorrhea28 (painful menstrual periods) and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).29
Other research suggests cinnamon may help fight diabetes. When blood sugar levels are higher than normal, they can progress to a condition known as prediabetes, and then on to Type 2 diabetes, two conditions that an estimated 100 million Americans are thought to have.30
A diet high in carbohydrates is linked to prediabetes. When cinnamon supplements were given to prediabetic participants after they consumed a high-carb meal, they experienced lowered abnormal fasting glucose levels.31
In another study, blood glucose levels decreased by an average 15.95 after drinking cinnamon tea. A1C levels and triglycerides also were significantly reduced.32
In a related study,33 researchers showed that when individuals with prediabetes ingested cinnamon it helped reduce high blood glucose levels, improved glucose tolerance and had a tendency to slow the progression of prediabetes to Type 2 diabetes.
In addition to lowering blood sugar and blood pressure levels, cinnamon has also been found to inhibit Streptococcus mutans, which is a major cause of tooth decay.34 Studies also show it may alleviate Parkinson’s disease35 and may even improve your ability to learn by enhancing the power of your brain.36
As mentioned, there are two main types of cinnamon — cassia and Ceylon, true cinnamon.37 Cassia, or Chinese cinnamon, is darker and has a stronger flavor than Ceylon.38 Ceylon cinnamon is typically more expensive and harder to find in stores. It’s lighter in color than cassia and has what some describe as an almost citreous flavor.39,40,41
A powerful type of polyphenol found in Ceylon cinnamon is proanthocyanidins.42,43 Due to their molecular size, proanthocyanidins are typically too large to be absorbed in your stomach, and only become bioavailable in your small intestine.
When you ferment cinnamon, which is available in supplement form, these proanthocyanidins become bioavailable in your stomach to allow you to get far more of their benefits.
Despite the safety of using cinnamon as a dietary spice, if you’re considering supplementation there are possible adverse effects to be aware of, particularly with large doses or a long duration of use. Out of 38 clinical trials, five reported adverse effects,44 with gastrointestinal disorders and allergic reactions the most commonly reported.
Ceylon is less toxic than cassia cinnamon. That’s because cassia cinnamon contains high amounts of coumarin, which can cause liver damage. One study showed 63 times more coumarin in cassia cinnamon than the Ceylon variety in powder form, and 18 times more than in Ceylon sticks45 — another reason why you may want to rule out cassia cinnamon and replace it with Ceylon cinnamon, despite the expense.
You can reap the many benefits of cinnamon by eating or drinking just one-fourth to 1 teaspoon of cinnamon a day in your food or beverages. It’s easier than you think, but you’ll want to avoid gulping big spoons of dry cinnamon. The dry powder can cause choking and you could aspirate it into your upper airways and small passages of your lungs. It could also cause an inflammatory reaction.46
Instead, go the smart route. Sprinkle cinnamon liberally on your food or add a dash or two to your coffee or tea. Many coffee shops keep a shaker canister of cinnamon on the self-serve counter for just that reason.
An easy way to get your daily dose of cinnamon is to treat yourself to a cup of cinnamon tea. Simply boil a cinnamon stick (or two) in water for a few minutes, and you'll have a spicy beverage that may have antimicrobial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, to name just a few of its benefits.
Change it up by adding a small amount of raw honey, a 1.5-inch piece of fresh, peeled ginger or the peelings from three organic apples. Keep in mind that cinnamon is not a cure all that will make up for poor dietary habits and lack of exercise, but adding it to your diet is a positive step.
Another way to utilize cinnamon for your own benefit? Researchers have found that when supplements containing a blend of cinnamon, curcumin, turmeric, chromium and alpha-lipoic acid were given to healthy individuals, they worked synergistically to provide a positive effect on blood lipids and also improved brain performance.47 So if you don’t like the taste of cinnamon, taking it in fermented supplement form is one alternative to still gain its many benefits.
October 24, 2020, Robert F. Kennedy, founder of Children’s Health Defense, gave this online “International Message of Hope for Humanity” speech.1
The speech was a kickoff of sorts to an international day of protest against the coup d’état by big tech, big oil and chemical companies, and “the global public health cartel” led by Bill Gates and the World Health Organization that seeks to magnify its wealth and power over our lives, remove our liberties, subvert democracy and “destroy our sovereignty and our control over our lives and our children’s health.”
Kennedy reminds us of Franklin Roosevelt’s famous quote: “The only thing that we have to fear is fear itself,” as it speaks directly to the fact that the only way this global takeover can occur is if we remain in fear. As noted by Kennedy:
“We grow up hearing that but people don’t really understand what it means. It was a very, very profound warning by Roosevelt, because he saw what the Great Depression was doing in eastern Europe, Italy, Germany and Spain. That crisis was turning people towards fascism in the eastern countries.
The same crisis was turning citizens and governments towards communism and also causing the collapse of governments all over the world. In the United States … almost a third of the people were completely disillusioned with capitalism and wanted to turn to communism. Another third wanted to turn to fascism.
Franklin Roosevelt wanted to preserve our country for democracy, for free market capitalism, for civil rights and to preserve our constitution. He recognized that the weapon of authoritarian control was going to be fear.”
Fearmongering and false propaganda about the risks posed by COVID-19 has led many to unquestioningly abdicate their civil liberties over the past eight months. Yet, when you look at the facts, there’s really no reason to live in fear, and even less reason to give up our rights and liberties to protect us from the relatively minor risks that do exist. Kennedy says:
“When I spoke a few weeks ago in Berlin, I reminded the people of Germany of a famous story that happened during the Nuremberg trials after World War II when Hitler’s closest Lieutenant, the head of the Luftwaffe, Hermann Goering, was asked by one of the prosecutors:
‘How did you get the German people, the most educated people in the world, some of the most tolerant people in the world — the Weimar republic was one of the strongest democracies in the world — how did you take these people who were so well educated, so awakened and so tolerant, and turn them into obedient slaves who committed some of the worst atrocities in human history?’
Goering said, ‘Oh, that’s a simple thing … and it works not just in a fascist government but it works in a democracy, in a monarchy, in a communist government, in any government … The job of the government is to put the people in fear, and if you can keep them in fear, you can get them to do anything that you want them to do. They will turn into sheep.’”
Kennedy recommends reading Naomi Klein’s book, “The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism,” which provides a chronology of instances in American and global history when authoritarian elements exerted and augmented their control by capitalizing on disaster.
A handful of examples include the Great Depression, the 1973 financial collapse in Chile, the World Trade Center bombing, the 2008 financial collapse and 9/11. These crises allowed large corporations and wealthy oligarchs to transfer wealth upward, obliterating the middle-class in the process, and implement more totalitarian controls of the population. The exact same thing is happening now, and it’s clear for anyone willing to look at the facts.
“Of course, it’s an obvious thing that people who are used to voting for their governments are not going to vote for policies that make rich people richer, that give corporations even more power over their lives, that reduce democracy and reduce civil rights.
In order to transform the government so that it will reward the rich with even more wealth, the people who want to do that, in the large corporations … have to get rid of civil rights. And the first civil right they begin with is freedom of speech,” Kennedy says.
The reason why totalitarian takeovers always begin with the censorship of speech is because all other rights depend on the ability to express your views and concerns freely. That’s why freedom of speech is the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Remove the First Amendment, and all the others are automatically nullified.
For example, without free speech, you cannot exercise your freedom of assembly. Indeed, today, people are being arrested for being in groups larger than six, or 10, or whatever arbitrary number has been dictated by the local or state leadership to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
And without freedom of assembly, your freedom of religion goes down the tubes. As noted by Kennedy, all human rights can be and are subverted once you impose censorship. Censorship is also anathema to democracy.
“If a government can hide what it’s doing, it can get away with anything it wants. If a corporation can lie to you and conceal information, if there’s no transparency, you do not have a democracy,” Kennedy warns.
Indeed, democracy requires freedom of speech. How can you have a democratic society if only one side of any argument is allowed to be heard? The media and online censorship we’re now seeing is really an unprecedented attack by nonelected corporate leaders on democracy around the world.
“The coup d’état that we are all fighting today is a coup d’état that starts with a conspiracy between the government agencies and the big technology companies, the Silicon Valley billionaires.
People like Zuckerberg and Bill Gates, the people who run Google, Facebook and Pinterest and all of these other Silicon Valley corporations are now in this conspiracy to make sure that we cannot talk about our grievances,” Kennedy says. “We cannot say bad things about pharmaceutical products, we cannot question government policies that make no sense to us.”
He points out there are important questions that must be asked and answered. Among them, what is the origin of SARS-CoV-2? Why do we still not have an answer to this question?
“We need to know that. This is the worst calamity in history and nobody seems curious about where this actually comes from? We know it didn’t come from a bat in the wet market in Wuhan. That story was a fable that has no basis in fact.
We have Nobel laureates, we have large institutions, investigative agencies and prosecutorial agencies saying ‘We think it came from the Wuhan lab and we think it may have come from studies that were funded by Bill Gates and Anthony Fauci’ …
Why, instead of sending their police to suppress dissent, are they not sending the police to question people who may know the answer to that question?” Kennedy says.
Another question that demands an answer is, why are face masks being mandated if there is no science to show that they reduce infection rates? As noted by Kennedy:
“I’m very willing to accept it if the masks work … But the studies I’ve seen indicate that they do not work against viral transmission, for the most part. There are some that say they may work under limited circumstances. What I don’t want to be told is: ‘They work, you’re going to wear them and you better not ask questions about it.’
Most Americans, and most of the people on this planet, want leadership. We don’t want bullying. And we know the difference between bullying and leadership. We want to know the truth about hydroxychloroquine. We want to know, why are we spending $18 billion on vaccines and only $1.4 billion on therapeutic drugs? What is the sense of that?
There are many, many other questions that we, in a democracy, have a right to have answered without being called conspiracy theorists. Without being vilified as being ‘inconsiderate’ or being ‘bad citizens.’”
We’re fighting a technocratic machine that has enormous resources, including the surveillance technology to shut down a vast majority of dissenters. So, how can we possibly win? The answer, Kennedy says, is through the democratic process.
“The only way we can win it is with democracy,” he says. “We need to fight to get our democracy back, to reclaim our democracy from these villains who are stealing it from us. You notice the people who are getting richest from this quarantine are the same people who are censoring criticism of the quarantine.
Who is becoming the richest? Jeffrey Bezos; $83 billion he’s made. He owns Amazon and he is censoring books that criticize the quarantine. Zuckerberg, who owns Facebook, who’s made tens of billions of dollars by this quarantine, he is censoring information that is critical of the quarantine.
He censors my Instagram. He censors my Facebook. My Twitter page is also censored. And all of these people are the people who are making billions of dollars on the quarantine. And what I want to know is a simple question: Is the quarantine actually effective?”
There have been many pandemics in the past. In 1968 and 1969, the Hong Kong flu pandemic2 killed 100,000 people in the United States, which is equivalent to 200,000 people today when you adjust for population growth — about the same number allegedly killed by COVID-19.
There were no lockdowns or mask mandates back then. On the contrary, people attended Woodstock and the Democratic Convention in Chicago in large numbers. We also sent the first manned mission to the moon.
Kennedy also reminds us to maintain perspective on the pandemic by remembering there are many other infectious diseases that claim far more lives than COVID-19, yet do not disrupt normal life at all, and never have.
“We have 1.6 million people die every year from tuberculosis,” he says. “We’re not wearing masks. We’re not on lockdown. What’s the difference between tuberculosis and coronavirus?
Tuberculosis has a vaccine and the vaccine costs about $3. That’s why we’re not on lockdown. Because nobody is making $39 a vaccine or $300 a vaccine, the way Moderna and AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson are making from this catastrophe. That is the only reason that I can think of. I’m happy if somebody tells me there’s another reason. But let’s hear it. Don’t just shut me up. Don’t just tell me that I can’t debate.”
Kennedy also stresses another crucial point, namely the need to stick together. We must put aside our quibbles over nonessential things like race, religion and political affiliations, and focus on the real enemy.
“We need to come out on the street and we need to stick together,” Kennedy says. “What the Big Tech villains and scoundrels — Mark Zuckerberg, Jeffrey Bezos, Bill Gates and Tony Fauci — want us to do is fight with each other.
They want Blacks fighting against whites. They want republicans fighting against democrats. They want everybody polarized. They want everybody fragmented because they know that if we all get together, we’re going to start asking questions and those are questions they can’t answer.
‘Why are you getting rich and why are we all getting poor?’ ‘Why are we not wearing masks for tuberculosis but we are for the coronavirus?’ ‘Where did it all come from?’ All of those questions we deserve an answer to, and we’re not getting answers.
We need to stick together. If you’re a republican or democrat, stop talking about that. Stop identifying yourself.
The enemy is Big Tech, Big Data, Big Oil, Big Pharma, the medical cartel, the government totalitarian elements that are trying to oppress us, that are trying to rob us of our liberties, of our democracy, of our freedom of thought, of our freedom of expression, of our freedom of assembly and all of the freedoms that give dignity to humanity.”
Lastly, we need to get educated and stay informed. Now, more than ever, it’s imperative to start seeing the big plan. Look at the facts, and look where that takes us. I’ve written several in-depth articles about the technocratic agenda, surveillance capitalism and the global takeover, also advertised as the Great Reset. If you missed them, set aside some time to go through it all.
In his speech, Kennedy also announced the launch of a new online daily journal — The Defender — by the Children’s Health Defense.
“We are going to weaponize information for you,” he says. “We’re going to tell you what the newest science is. We’re going to take all the information that is censored everywhere else and we’re going to reprint it in our publication, and you can get that every day.
So, if you see something that is censored, we want to hear about it. We are going to be the enemies of censorship. We are going to be the refuge. And we’re going to allow debate. We’re going to encourage people to be non-partisan, but we’re going to allow people to have different opinions than us.
We are not scared of debate the way pharmaceutical companies, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeffrey Bezos and Tony Fauci are terrified of debate.
We welcome debate … and I want to see your science. I want the public to hear us talking about it, debating about it, because the free-flow of information, the cauldron of debate, is the only thing that allows governments to develop rational policies in which self-governance will actually work and triumph.
You are on the front lines of the most important battle in history — the battle to save democracy, freedom, human liberty and human dignity from this totalitarian cartel that is trying to rob us, simultaneously, in every nation in the world, of the rights that every human being is born with.
So, thank you for your courage, thank you for your commitment, and thank you for your brotherhood. And I pledge to you: I will go down dying with my boots on, fighting side-by-side with all of you to make sure that we return these rights and preserve them for our children.”
