Disclaimer: Please note that neither Natural Awakenings nor our advertiser has control over the videos that come up after the one titled above.

Disclaimer: Please note that neither Natural Awakenings nor our advertiser has control over the videos that come up after the one titled above.

by Marlaina Donato

Tossing and turning most of the night while obsessing about the need for sleep is a torture we all go through every now and then, but for the 40 percent of Americans dealing with current or chronic insomnia, it can be a regular nightmare. In fact, 50 to 70 million adults in the U.S. suffer from some form of sleep disorder, according to the American Sleep Association.

The causes are multi-faceted: stress, pharmaceutical side effects, hormonal imbalances, chronic pain, anxiety and too much caffeine all fuel the insomnia loop. Add to that the overstimulation from 24/7 technology, social pressures and unresolved emotional pain, and it’s easy to see why long, hard, sleepless nights have become a worldwide epidemic. (read more…)

by Ronica O’Hara

This Thanksgiving, there’s something to be especially thankful for—gratitude itself. Emerging research shows gratitude to be one of the easiest, most effective ways to kickstart happiness and well-being. “The good news about gratitude is that it is one of the more growable character strengths—and it’s never too late,” says Giacomo Bono, Ph.D., an assistant professor at California State University, in Dominguez Hills, and co-author of Making Grateful Kids: The Science of Building Character. (read more…)

by Ronica O’Hara

Much of our day-to-day well-being—how energetic we feel, how clear our thinking is and how our body processes food—is governed by the activity of the butterfly-shaped, thumb-sized thyroid gland at the base of the throat. When it’s working as it should, life is good. However, about one in eight Americans suffers from a malfunctioning thyroid, and women are five to eight times more likely than men to face the consequences.

It’s a delicate balancing act. A thyroid that produces too few hormones makes us feel sluggish and constipated. We gain weight easily, have muscle cramps (read more…)

by Yvette C. Hammett

Fast food and fast fashion are common in this amped-up world. There’s also fast furniture—the kind that often comes in a box, assembly required. It’s made of particle board held together by toxic chemicals; it is often flimsy and it’s consuming forests at an alarming rate. But millennials love it. That’s why they’re sometimes called the IKEA generation.

“Your grandmother’s big sideboard and armoire are hard to sell,” says Todd Merrill, owner of the Todd Merrill Studio, (read more…)

by April Thompson

In Zen monasteries, the head cook (known as the tenzo) is one of the most important positions a monk can hold; Eihei Dogen, founder of Soto Zen, one of the longest-established sects of Buddhism, said this is “because the position requires wholehearted practice.” In the 13th-century volume Instructions for the Zen Cook, Dogen wrote, “In preparing food, it is essential to be sincere and to respect each ingredient, regardless of how coarse or fine.” (read more…)

by Julie Peterson

Welcome to the digital age, where budding gym rats, former couch potatoes and schedule-challenged fitness freaks are finding new ways to get in shape. These days, virtually anyone with a smartphone or Wi-Fi connection can connect with a yoga video, a spin class or any number of personal exercise experiences.

Some folks are wearing devices that calculate distance and monitor bodily functions—then post it all to social media. Private trainers are offering online workout routines with motivational emails and text messages, while some gyms include online training as an add- (read more…)

In our print edition, we mistakenly attributed the Bible quote in the first paragraph to Genesis 3:5. It should have been Exodus 3:5. It has been updated below.

by Brother David Steindl-Rast

Grateful living is the awareness that we stand on holy ground—always—in touch with mystery. Jewish sages interpret the words of Exodus 3:5 in a way that is of great relevance to grateful living. “Take off your shoes; the ground on which you stand is holy ground.” The soles of your shoes are leather—dead animal skin. Take off the deadness of being-used-to-it and your live souls will feel that you are standing on holy ground, wherever you are. (read more…)

From mountain peaks to base lodges, many alpine ski resorts are working to reduce the environmental impact of their operations. Skiers will discover that sustainability is the watchword at a growing number of facilities, with a focus on reducing energy usage and cutting back on waste.

In Vermont, Killington Resort uses four offsite solar farms, as well as the AllEarth Solar tracking system that rotates panels using GPS technology to produce enough energy to run all the lifts for the resort and nearby Pico Mountain for the entire season. (read more…)

Farmer Cannon Michael left more than 100 acres of ripe cantaloupes unharvested last year because he couldn’t sell them for enough to cover the cost of labor, packing and shipping. According to a new study from Santa Clara University, in California, about one-third of edible produce remains unharvested in the fields, where it rots and gets plowed under. Most research on food loss and food waste has focused on post-harvest, retail and consumer levels. The new study offers a far more accurate look at on-farm food loss by relying on in-field measurements. ReFED, a coalition of nonprofits, businesses and government agencies that fight food loss and food waste, estimates that 21 percent of water, 18 percent of cropland and 19 percent of fertilizer in the U.S. are dedicated to food that is never eaten.

Phoenix, which had 128 days at or above 100 degrees Fahrenheit last year, is one of the hottest and fastest-warming cities in the U.S., and most American cities are expected to drastically heat up in the next decades with heat waves and triple-digit days. In the Valley of the Sun, work and play are shifting into the cooler hours. Neighborhoods are active at dawn and dusk when residents hike, jog and paddleboard. Last year, heat caused or contributed to the deaths of 182 people in Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix. Ariane Middel, a professor of urban climate at Arizona State University, says, “We are almost a living laboratory. We can test strategies and see different ways to keep adapting and mitigating. By the time it gets hot in other places, they can take what we have learned here.”