Like most Americans, you probably do not sleep the 7-9 hours each night that the National Sleep Foundation recommends. It is also safe to assume that you have, or know someone who has, one or more of the leading causes of death in the US according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) including heart disease, cancer, chronic respiratory disease (such as COPD), or diabetes; all of which are affected negatively by an undiagnosed or untreated sleep disorder.

A. Think about this…eating 1 cookie a day during the holiday season can increase your weight by one pound!! That 1 cookie seems so unimportant, but it is all the little things that you splurge on that may affect your health!

Take a deep breath & slow down. That is, eat more slowly! Savor your food; enjoy the flavors & seasonal offerings. Eating slowly gives your stomach a chance to feel full.

In the United States, overweight and obesity among all groups—particularly children and adolescents—have greatly increased over the past quarter century. Excess weight has become an epidemic, causing serious health problems for millions of people.

Obesity is the accumulation of excessive body fat. It is defined by a measure called “body mass index” or BMI. BMI is calculated using this equation: BMI = your weight in pounds divided by your height in inches squared, multiplied by 703.