DIY Health
Nail Fix
To get rid of ridges, focus on eating more protein. Kanner suggests consuming 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per kilogram of your body weight each day (as one example, a 150-pound person should be consuming about 68 grams of protein daily). Kanner encourages her clients to focus on plant-based proteins, such as tempeh, tofu, beans and nuts, since they also pack in some fiber and heart-healthy unsaturated fats.
Problem: Dry Skin
While we tend to think of dry skin as a beauty blunder, it may require more than an extra dose of moisturizer. According to Kanner, dryness could also indicate dehydration or that you're not consuming adequate amounts of essential fatty acids or vitamin A.
Dry Skin Fix
To see if your skin is dehydrated, try this test: Pinch your skin and see how quickly it springs back. Skin with poor turgor (meaning it's slow to rebound to its original position) indicates dehydration, says Kanner. Make sure you're drinking plenty of water and consider supplementing with or eating more foods containing essential fatty acids (such as hemp, flax seed,walnuts and almonds) or vitamin A (found in sweet potatoes, carrots, dark leafy greens and bell peppers).
Problem: Waking Up Exhausted + Sleeping In
Ever have an 8-hour night of sleep but feel like you only got two? Or do you live for sleeping in on the weekends? Either may be signs that you're not getting optimal sleep. As for waking up exhausted, the underlying cause could be sleep apnea, says Dr. Robert S. Rosenberg, Board-Certified Sleep Medicine Physician and author of "Sleep Soundly Every Night, Feel Fantastic Every Day." Other signs of this sleep disorder include having to urinate frequently in the middle of the night or waking up with headaches. If sleeping in is your guilty pleasure, this also is a sign that your body isn't getting optimal rest. "Sleeping extra hours on the weekend can be a sign of social jet lag [a shift in sleep schedule that typically happens on days off from work] and a resulting sleep debt," says Dr. Rosenberg. "You are not getting enough sleep on the weekdays and your brain keeps track of this and tries to compensate on weekends."
Not-Enough-Sleep Fix
Strive to get seven to nine hours of sleep each night and stick to a set wake schedule every day, suggests Dr. Rosenberg. To ease yourself into a deep, satisfying sleep, he recommends starting to unwind at least 90 minutes prior to bed. Additionally, avoid television, computers, cell phones and all other electronics at least an hour before. And during the day, observe the amount of light in your workspace. "We know that people who work in darker environments have more trouble going to sleep and waking up in the morning," he says. "This is because light is the strongest external stimulus for entraining the circadian system." As for treating sleep apnea, you may want to consider a CPAP (Continuous Positive Air Pressure) device. Or, he notes that certain lifestyle changes may also prove effective, such as losing weight, avoiding alcohol, quitting smoking and increasing exercise.
Problem: Slow-Healing Bruises
While you may be quick to pass off that new bruise as a careless misstep, make sure it heals and that more don't appear out of nowhere. Bruises—especially ones that result from light pressure—could suggest that you're low in iron and protein, says Dr. Allana Polo, ND, a certified naturopathic physician and owner of Polo Health + Longevity Centre. Furthermore, if a bruise, cut or scrape isn't healing quickly, this could also be an indication of high blood sugar or pre-diabetes, which slows circulation and causes wounds to take longer to heal.
