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The Porch
Super Self-Sufficient
Hmmmmmmm, very interesting,,,,,,,, it must be "weather" changeLike many of you - I couldn't get to sleep last night.
Luke 17:20~21
Jesus is Lord and Christ
Coffee's Ready, Come and Sit on the Porch
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The Porch
Super Self-Sufficient
I have a subscription to The Epcho times, and I am just now reading this article about why we wake up between 1 and 3am I'll copy and paste so you can read it:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
By Brandon LaGreca
November 30, 2021 Updated: December 1, 2021
There is a frustrating and all-too-common phenomenon that plagues many a sleeper. It goes something like this: Falling asleep is no problem, but in the early morning hours, one wakes up agitated and restless. This can last up to an hour or two before finally falling back asleep. Upon rising is the feeling of being unrested, what we call “non-restorative sleep” in integrative medicine.
If this describes your sleep cycle, here are two related explanations that directly lead to actionable strategies to help you sleep through the night. The first is the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory that posits that the body’s vital energy peaks in two-hour timeframes as it circulates through the body. Between 1 and 3 a.m. is when Liver function is most active. This concurs with Western biomedical physiology that understands that the body performs much of its repair and detoxification while asleep.
This brings up an important distinction that must be made at this juncture. TCM capitalizes an organ name when we’re referring to it in Eastern medicine. This delineates the TCM organ and its holistic relationship with body, mind, emotions, and spirit. Thus, lowercase “liver” is the organ as we think of it in Western terms and our understanding of its physiology. There is overlap between the two medical paradigms. Both recognize the liver’s capacity to cleanse the body of toxicants, but the Eastern model upholds that the Liver is also responsible for cleansing our system of toxic thoughts and emotions.
Waking around 3 a.m., at the end of Liver time, suggests that the body has worked hard processing environmental and emotional stressors. Dreams are more pronounced during the early morning hours as unresolved issues from the days and weeks prior play out in bizarre and disturbing dreamscapes. This alone can wake us up with a racing heart and mind, but a Western understanding of liver function grants another perspective to connect the dots.
The liver stores glycogen as a quick fuel source to tide metabolism over in between meals. This will provide about 12 hours of accessible glucose (sugar) after which the body breaks down adipose tissue (body fat) and liberates ketones for fuel. With a healthy and flexible metabolism, this shift is seamless, and fasting for several hours is uneventful. If metabolism depends on sugar for fuel, the transition elicits a stress response by the body whereby the adrenal glands release the hormone cortisol to raise blood sugar.
A drop in blood sugar is a root cause of waking in the night, stemming from Liver’s increased need for energy to metabolize life in the form of dreams as well as the liver’s demand for fuel to detoxify pollutants. Whether the stress is physiological or emotional, metabolism is taxed and waking ensues as the elevation of cortisol from the adrenals is accompanied by a release of catecholamine hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine. These potent stimulating hormones will assuredly wake even the most sound sleeper. Of course, these hormones need not be tapped if blood sugar is balanced. Becoming metabolically flexible is the key to staying asleep.
There’s a simple way to see if unbalanced blood sugar is at the root of sleep disturbance. Eat an early dinner and don’t snack until bedtime, when you will consume one of the following: a teaspoon of raw honey, a slice of lunch meat turkey, or a tablespoon of coconut oil. Try each separately and see which (if any) prevent waking at night. Which one(s) work is a clue to how efficient your metabolism is at burning fats for fuel instead of depending on sugar.
If metabolically inflexible, the raw honey will likely be the only thing that works. If metabolically efficient, ketones from the coconut oil will work best. A protein such as a slice of turkey burns slower than the quick sugar of raw honey, but ultimately can be converted into sugar by the liver in a process called gluconeogenesis. Some people do best with a higher protein diet, and a slice of turkey will maintain their metabolic needs while providing a rich source of tryptophan, the precursor amino acid to melatonin.
This nightly dietary experiment can aid sleep in the short term, and clue you into the resilience of your metabolism, but the long-term goal is to not need a snack before bed every night. The solution is twofold: mitigating stress to prevent a nightly cortisol spike and shifting one’s metabolism toward proteins and fats to become fat-adapted. The former strategy can be achieved by journaling before bed to vent the day’s frustrations. The latter can be realized over time by having a regular diet of lower carb foods and practicing intermittent fasting or time-restricted eating to strengthen one’s metabolism.
With both influences in place, stress hormones remain in check and sound sleep is restored. Understanding the different cultural interpretations of Liver/liver function is key to holistically addressing sleep as a metabolic disorder. Leverage the best of East and West and be rewarded with deep, restorative sleep.
Brandon LaGreca, LAc, MAcOM, is a licensed acupuncturist in the state of Wisconsin. He’s the author of “Cancer and EMF Radiation: How to Protect Yourself From the Silent Carcinogen of Electropollution” and “Cancer, Stress & Mindset: Focusing the Mind to Empower Healing and Resilience.” He shares his thoughts at Empowered Patient Blog.
Why Do I Always Wake Around 3 a.m.?
Manage your metabolism by feeding your liver what it needs to do its work—without waking you upBy Brandon LaGreca
November 30, 2021 Updated: December 1, 2021
There is a frustrating and all-too-common phenomenon that plagues many a sleeper. It goes something like this: Falling asleep is no problem, but in the early morning hours, one wakes up agitated and restless. This can last up to an hour or two before finally falling back asleep. Upon rising is the feeling of being unrested, what we call “non-restorative sleep” in integrative medicine.
If this describes your sleep cycle, here are two related explanations that directly lead to actionable strategies to help you sleep through the night. The first is the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory that posits that the body’s vital energy peaks in two-hour timeframes as it circulates through the body. Between 1 and 3 a.m. is when Liver function is most active. This concurs with Western biomedical physiology that understands that the body performs much of its repair and detoxification while asleep.
This brings up an important distinction that must be made at this juncture. TCM capitalizes an organ name when we’re referring to it in Eastern medicine. This delineates the TCM organ and its holistic relationship with body, mind, emotions, and spirit. Thus, lowercase “liver” is the organ as we think of it in Western terms and our understanding of its physiology. There is overlap between the two medical paradigms. Both recognize the liver’s capacity to cleanse the body of toxicants, but the Eastern model upholds that the Liver is also responsible for cleansing our system of toxic thoughts and emotions.
Waking around 3 a.m., at the end of Liver time, suggests that the body has worked hard processing environmental and emotional stressors. Dreams are more pronounced during the early morning hours as unresolved issues from the days and weeks prior play out in bizarre and disturbing dreamscapes. This alone can wake us up with a racing heart and mind, but a Western understanding of liver function grants another perspective to connect the dots.
The liver stores glycogen as a quick fuel source to tide metabolism over in between meals. This will provide about 12 hours of accessible glucose (sugar) after which the body breaks down adipose tissue (body fat) and liberates ketones for fuel. With a healthy and flexible metabolism, this shift is seamless, and fasting for several hours is uneventful. If metabolism depends on sugar for fuel, the transition elicits a stress response by the body whereby the adrenal glands release the hormone cortisol to raise blood sugar.
A drop in blood sugar is a root cause of waking in the night, stemming from Liver’s increased need for energy to metabolize life in the form of dreams as well as the liver’s demand for fuel to detoxify pollutants. Whether the stress is physiological or emotional, metabolism is taxed and waking ensues as the elevation of cortisol from the adrenals is accompanied by a release of catecholamine hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine. These potent stimulating hormones will assuredly wake even the most sound sleeper. Of course, these hormones need not be tapped if blood sugar is balanced. Becoming metabolically flexible is the key to staying asleep.
There’s a simple way to see if unbalanced blood sugar is at the root of sleep disturbance. Eat an early dinner and don’t snack until bedtime, when you will consume one of the following: a teaspoon of raw honey, a slice of lunch meat turkey, or a tablespoon of coconut oil. Try each separately and see which (if any) prevent waking at night. Which one(s) work is a clue to how efficient your metabolism is at burning fats for fuel instead of depending on sugar.
If metabolically inflexible, the raw honey will likely be the only thing that works. If metabolically efficient, ketones from the coconut oil will work best. A protein such as a slice of turkey burns slower than the quick sugar of raw honey, but ultimately can be converted into sugar by the liver in a process called gluconeogenesis. Some people do best with a higher protein diet, and a slice of turkey will maintain their metabolic needs while providing a rich source of tryptophan, the precursor amino acid to melatonin.
This nightly dietary experiment can aid sleep in the short term, and clue you into the resilience of your metabolism, but the long-term goal is to not need a snack before bed every night. The solution is twofold: mitigating stress to prevent a nightly cortisol spike and shifting one’s metabolism toward proteins and fats to become fat-adapted. The former strategy can be achieved by journaling before bed to vent the day’s frustrations. The latter can be realized over time by having a regular diet of lower carb foods and practicing intermittent fasting or time-restricted eating to strengthen one’s metabolism.
With both influences in place, stress hormones remain in check and sound sleep is restored. Understanding the different cultural interpretations of Liver/liver function is key to holistically addressing sleep as a metabolic disorder. Leverage the best of East and West and be rewarded with deep, restorative sleep.
Brandon LaGreca, LAc, MAcOM, is a licensed acupuncturist in the state of Wisconsin. He’s the author of “Cancer and EMF Radiation: How to Protect Yourself From the Silent Carcinogen of Electropollution” and “Cancer, Stress & Mindset: Focusing the Mind to Empower Healing and Resilience.” He shares his thoughts at Empowered Patient Blog.
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- #823
The Porch
Super Self-Sufficient
,,, and on that note I am going to get some turkey bone broth started for soup.
View attachment 17282
View attachment 17282
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The Porch
Super Self-Sufficient
Good Friday Morning,
went in for cup#2 I hope everyone has had a good week and slept well last night,
I got the fire going while the coffee brewed.
The temperature dropped from 50 to 42 by 4pm.
Its a very chilly 35
went in for cup#2 I hope everyone has had a good week and slept well last night,I got the fire going while the coffee brewed.
The temperature dropped from 50 to 42 by 4pm.
Its a very chilly 35
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The Porch
Super Self-Sufficient
i love this pic i found
FarmerJamie
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Got my shoulder cortisone shot this morning. Left a little early with the wife and had a nice breakfast in a little local place before my appointment.
Explanation of the process took longer than the procedure. Amazing what modern medicine is capable of.
Explanation of the process took longer than the procedure. Amazing what modern medicine is capable of.
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frustratedearthmother
Sustainability Master
I am a firm believer in cortisone! I had one in my shoulder several years back and it worked like a charm. Hope you have the same results!
CrealCritter
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CrealCritter
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1/2 Bionic Babe is Now, Bionic Babe 
Both of us are so thankful to Almighty that this is over and no issues were created
Got a Burbon Red Turkey Tom, defrosting in the fridge.
Jesus is Lord and Christ
Both of us are so thankful to Almighty that this is over and no issues were created
Got a Burbon Red Turkey Tom, defrosting in the fridge.
Jesus is Lord and Christ
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baymule
Sustainability Master
Thursday I got a deal on 26 T-posts, still with insulators for hot wire on them, 8 treated wood posts and a 16’ wire filled gate. All for $200! New price is $605, so I did pretty good.
Yesterday I learned how to hitch the stock trailer all by myself. It took me 45 minutes. Then I learned how to back the trailer to the loading chute. That only took me 15 minutes! LOL. Then loaded 4 sheep, parked truck and trailer. Fed and watered sheep and will head out to auction shortly.
Yesterday I learned how to hitch the stock trailer all by myself. It took me 45 minutes. Then I learned how to back the trailer to the loading chute. That only took me 15 minutes! LOL. Then loaded 4 sheep, parked truck and trailer. Fed and watered sheep and will head out to auction shortly.
