| Dr. Susan Bartell |
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Dr. Susan is a nationally recognized psychologist, author and speaker. You can learn more about her
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Greetings!
Summer has arrived and if you're reading this you've either finished school, or just about done, and ready to jump into your summer plans. So, what are you doing this summer? Are you working? I've heard that that the tough economy has made it a bit challenging for teens to find jobs this summer--have you been successful? Are you going on a cool trip? Back to camp? I'd love to hear your plans!
I'm working this summer and probably sneaking in a weekend trip here and there. My favorite part of the summer is the long days. I love walking out of my office at 8p.m. and finding that it's still bright light outside--and warm. That leaves me plenty of time for spending time outside--and exercising, even when I've had a long workday--you should remember to do the same!
Dr. Susan |
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Sleep for your health! |
Research shows us that getting enough sleep is very  important for your health. In fact, not sleeping enough can:
- make you so run down that you get physically sick (your body it too tired to fight infections)
- cause you to be sad & depressed
- make your brain so fuzzy you can't think properly.
Not getting enough sleep can also make it difficult to reach a healthy weight! Really! The lack of sleep causes your metabolism slows down. So if you are overweight and trying really hard to get healthy, consider how much sleep you are getting.
We're discussing this now, because it's summer, so you probably have more time for sleeping, eating healthily, and exercising. This is the perfect time to focus on getting some healthy sleep habits that you can stick to in the fall. Here are a few tips to get you going:
- Get about 8-10 hours of sleep most nights.
- Turn off electronics (including TV) 1/2 an hour or more before going to sleep; the bright lights & stimulation will keep you awake
- Sleep in a very dark, quiet room
- Keep your room cool/well ventilated
- Exercise will help you sleep at night but don't exercise close to bedtime--it will keep you up
- Warm milk or chamomile tea really will help you sleep, but not too much or you'll have to go to the bathroom during the night!
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Gum that can hurt you? |
 I just found out about a teenage boy who landed in the emergency room after chewing 'energy' gum! It turns out that chewing too much caffeine-containing gum, like Mad-Croc, Pepp, Jolt, KickBrix, Penguin, and Blitz can give you caffeine intoxication which can cause stomach pain, painful urination, and your heart-rate and blood-pressure to sky-rocket--amongst other awful and dangerous side effects.
So, it's far better to stay away from energy gum altogether, but if you feel you must chew it, stick to no more than one piece a day and don't drink coffee or other caffeinated drinks when you do or you might end up in the hospital like that kid. |
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Ask Dr. Susan! |
Q. Dear Dr. Susan, I don't have any great plans yet this summer, but I don't want to be bored...help!
A. Although it's a little late to be making formal plans, don't give up yet. You may not be able to find a money-making job this summer, but you're right being bored isn't fun and can lead to trouble. So you should look for a way to spend your summer that will not only keep you busy and give you something that will look good on your future college or job resume, but it would be great if you could give back to your community. You can do this by volunteering. You'd be surprised how great it will make you feel!!
There are many different places in every community to volunteer, you will simply need to do the research and make the effort to find the ones that interest you and that have space in their programs. So don't wait. Get online, get on the phone and start looking.
One last word of advice to all volunteers: before you leave your position at the end of the summer, ask for, and get a letter of recommendation from your supervisor. It will be much more difficult to get it once the summer is over! | |
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