Lactate is a fuel, not the thing that burns
Working muscle ships lactate as a fuel other tissues can oxidize. The burn is not lactate acting as a toxin.
Energy metabolism 8 min read
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Energy metabolism (3 articles)
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A late meal and the next morning's insulin
Eating late lands the meal when insulin sensitivity is already lower, and the next morning still shows it.
Energy metabolism 8 min read
The afternoon dip is a pacing problem, not a moral one
The mid-afternoon slump is circadian and post-meal, with mitochondria supplying ATP at the pace the cell allows.
Energy metabolism 8 min read
Hormones and signaling (4 articles)
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Cold hits the nerves first and the thyroid later
The first response to cold is sympathetic. Thyroid hormone turnover changes on a slower clock than shivering.
Hormones and signaling 8 min read
What an orgasm changes in the next hour
After orgasm, prolactin often rises and oxytocin can rise with it. The next hour is a hormone shift, not a cure.
Hormones and signaling 8 min read
Growth hormone waits for deep sleep, not for an early bedtime
The big growth-hormone pulse rides slow-wave sleep. Going to bed early does nothing if that deep sleep never arrives.
Hormones and signaling 8 min read
Neural chemistry (4 articles)
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Why nerves misfire when you only drink water
A nerve fires on a sodium gradient. Drinking only water during long effort can wash that gradient down.
Neural chemistry 8 min read
Daylight, brain serotonin, and the gut's separate pool
Morning light reaches brain serotonin through the eye. The gut's serotonin does not commute upstairs to become a mood.
Neural chemistry 8 min read
Light affection and the oxytocin pulse
A hand on an arm can raise oxytocin when the touch is wanted. The pulse is a context signal, not a switch.
Neural chemistry 8 min read
Recovery and repair (1 articles)
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What the day-after ache is actually signaling
The soreness after a long effort is not the same signal as chronic inflammation, and muscle IL-6 is not a fire alarm.
Recovery and repair 8 min read