sleep

Health Tip of the Day ~ Lavender May Help You Sleep Better

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A Few Drops on Your Pillow Will do the Trick

Insomnia is a nagging problem that keeps you tossing and turning throughout the night. Cutting out caffeine and getting more exercise might help induce sleep. But sometimes these efforts and other remedies don’t work. As a result, you end up a groggy mess in the daytime.

If you’re willing to try anything for a restful night’s sleep, a 2017 study of 60 participants found lavender essential oil to be an effective remedy in improving the sleep quality of intensive care unit (ICU) patients who had difficulty sleeping. (2)

So if you’ve tried other sleep remedies to no avail, place a few drops of lavender essential oil on your pillow before going to sleep tonight. Just be sure not to ingest it, or any other essential oil, for that matter, as doing so may pose health risks.

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Today’s Health Tip ~ The 4 Pillars to Good Health

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Health fads come and (thankfully) go. Despite the shiny promises that one particular superfood/workout/biohack will get you in the best shape of your life, the truth is, you don’t need to overthink (or overpay) to get healthy.

The Four Pillars to Good Health

  1. Diet ~ The secret to simple, healthy eating? Variety. Choose different kinds of veggies, fruits, and other plant-based foods, since they all have phytonutrients that contribute to good health in unique ways. The same goes for protein foods. Try new kinds of fish, poultry, meats, beans, and legumes. And don’t overlook nuts and seeds.

  2. Exercise ~ No matter if you’re thin, it’s still important to keep working out. Research has even found that people who are obese and cardiovascularly fit have better health outcomes than people who are slim and not fit. Aim to be active 150 minutes each week, spread across five or six days instead of just one or two. Your body benefits more from daily increases in your heart rate and oxygen consumption—just like your system benefits more from food and water that’s consumed over the course of a week, rather than a giant feast eaten in a single day.

  3. Stress ~Stress is inevitable. But its cumulative effects over time are what damage your health. Chronic stress has been linked to a host of issues, including anxiety and depression, weight gain, inflammation, digestive issues, fertility problems, even poor memory. The way to avoid repercussions is by dealing with stress in the moment, as it happens.

    The idea is to become psychologically flexible—or in other words, to learn to balance your exposure to stress with self-soothing efforts. I often equate this to standing on a surfboard, on top of a bowling ball. You can lean into your uncomfortable emotions, and then discipline yourself to pull out of that discomfort. Being able to toggle back and forth like that will make you more resilient.

  4. Sleep ~ Your brain is pretty binary when it comes to sleep. It has to rest. When you sleep, your brain rids itself of waste products and consolidates memory. Sleep also keeps your heart and circulation working, and your digestion regular. It’s not yet known why we have to be unconscious for these things to happen, but we do. On average, people need 7½ to 8 hours of sleep each night. Lots of people say they do “fine” on 5 hours. But they’re more likely to be functional despite mild sleep deprivation. “Functional” and “doing what is best for your body” are not synonymous.

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Today’s Health Tip ~ Being in Love is Healthy

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Have you ever considered the benefits love can have on your overall health?

Increases Life Expectancy

Research suggests that married people in particular but those also involved in healthy social relationships typically live longer. The benefits of these relationships can even lower your risk of heart attack, developing certain types of cancer or pneumonia.

  1. Maintains a healthy heart – Studies indicate that those who are involved in good, strong, happy marriages have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease compared to those who are in stressful relationships or tend to feel lonely more often.
  2. Reduces Depression – Falling in love, getting married and maintaining healthy relationships, as well as friendships, have been shown to reduce the feelings of isolation and depression in both males and females while simultaneously increasing the sense of belonging and happiness.
  3. Keeps the Doctor Away – Feeling loved, cared for and secure tends to boosts the immune system and reduce the chance of catching a cold or other viral infections. Those who have a loving support system also tend to recover more quickly from an illness.
  4. Lowers Blood Pressure – Happily married couples have been shown to have the best blood pressure values in relation to those who are unhappily married or single, according to one study.
  5. Decreases Anxiety – MRI scans have shown that those who are involved in stable, long-term relationships had greater activity and activation in the part of the brain that is responsible for the reward/pleasure response and less activation in the area of the brain associated with anxiety.
  6. Reduces Stress Levels – Due to the security and support healthy relationships tend to offer, you are less likely to feel stressed if you have a partner or close friend to help you through difficult situations or emotions.
  7. Eases Acute or Chronic Pain – Similar to how love reduces anxiety, love can also increase activity in the area of the brain associated with the control of pain. Happily married couples have reported having fewer complaints of back pain and headaches.
  8. Helps Your Gut – 80% of your immune system (and the vast majority of your body’s microbes) reside in your gut. The feeling of love can help to nurture and support your life-enhancing gut microbiome and fight off harmful bacteria that can make you feel under the weather.
  9. Betters Your Sleep – Because loving relationships lead to less stress, you are more likely to sleep well and feel refreshed when you wake in the morning.

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Today’s Health Tip ~ Ease Burnout & Exhaustion

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3 Ways to Feel Emotionally Better

 

  1. Carve Time Out for Yourself – Taking time for yourself isn’t a luxury; it’s essential to self-care. “You need to slow down and give yourself the opportunity to rest and rejuvenate,” Dr. Chanoff says, “Schedule it if you have to, starting with 10 or 15 minutes, a couple of times a day.” . . . Give yourself permission to say ‘no thank you’ to things that deplete you or don’t serve you,” Dr. Chanoff says.
  2. Commit to Better Health – A strong body helps balance the stressful situations that have caused your burnout. The basic recipe for good health includes:Exercise. Moderate intensity exercise, the kind that works the heart and lungs, releases important chemicals that help regulate mood, sleep, and many body systems. Aim for at least 150 minutes of exercise per week, which amounts to about 22 minutes a day. A good diet. Choose more unprocessed foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, lean proteins (fish or poultry), and unsaturated fats (such as avocados or olive oil). Sleep. Insufficient sleep affects overall health, concentration, and mood. Try to sleep seven to nine hours per night. “It helps to wind down an hour or two before you fall asleep. And practice good sleep hygiene: turn off your phone, keep your room cool and dark, and go to sleep and wake up at the same time each day.
  3. Surround Yourself with Comfort – Hygge (pronounced HOO-ga) is the Danish concept of cozy comfort that brings happiness and contentment. Folks in Denmark know a thing or two about finding sunshine in cold dark months. To practice hygge, surround yourself with people, activities, and things that make you feel cozy, loved, happy, or content. Go simple: spend time with your favorite people, add a small vase of flowers to your space, don fuzzy slippers once home, eat a treasured comfort food, or listen to a favorite song.

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Today’s Poem ~ To Sleep

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To Sleep

John Keats

O soft embalmer of the still midnight,
    Shutting, with careful fingers and benign,
Our gloom-pleas’d eyes, embower’d from the light,
    Enshaded in forgetfulness divine:
O soothest Sleep! if so it please thee, close
    In midst of this thine hymn my willing eyes,
Or wait the “Amen,” ere thy poppy throws
    Around my bed its lulling charities.
Then save me, or the passed day will shine
Upon my pillow, breeding many woes,–
    Save me from curious Conscience, that still lords
Its strength for darkness, burrowing like a mole;
    Turn the key deftly in the oiled wards,
And seal the hushed Casket of my Soul.

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Today’s Health Tip ~ Tips to Boost Your Immune System

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6 Tips to Boost Your Immune System

  1. Get Enough Sleep ~ Sleep is a necessity, not a luxury. The best thing you can do is make sure you’re getting 7 to 8 hours of quality sleep every night.
  2. Be Active ~ Make regular exercise a part of your life. A good goal is 30 to 45 minutes a day at least 5 days a week.
  3. Find your Special Place ~ You can help manage stress by doing something you like or going somewhere that relaxes you. For example, getting outside and into nature can be a great way to stop, breathe, and rebalance yourself.
  4. Be Mindful ~ A lot of us think we’re supposed to be busy all the time, but that’s not really good for us. It can be hard to just shut it off, so you need to retrain yourself to think a different way. Try to be aware of when you’re about to short-circuit. When it comes, take a step back.
  5. Eat Right ~ A healthy, balanced diet gives your body the nutrients it needs to work the way it should. Your eating plan should include protein with each meal — like fish, chicken, tofu, or beans. Get a variety of fruits and vegetables too.
  6. Go With Natural Sources ~ If you feel like you’re coming down with something, you don’t need to take supplements to give your immune system a boost. Instead of vitamin C tablets, opt for tea with ginger or honey. As we get older, our ability to fight off germs can fade a bit. If you notice that you’re getting colds more often, try getting more zinc into your diet. You can get it from things like seafood and beans.

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Today’s Health Tip ~ Stress & Heart Problems

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A growing body of evidence suggests that psychological factors are — literally — heartfelt, and can contribute to cardiac risk. Stress from all sorts of challenging situations and events plays a significant role in cardiovascular symptoms and outcome, particularly heart attack risk. The same is true for depression, anxiety, anger, hostility, and social isolation. Acting alone, each of these factors heightens your chances of developing heart problems. But these issues often occur together, for example, psychological stress often leads to anxiety, depression can lead to social isolation, and so on.

Does reducing stress, or changing how you respond to it, actually reduce your chances of developing heart disease or having a heart attack? The answer isn’t entirely clear, but many studies suggest the answer is “yes.” There is much to learn about exactly how. Research indicates that constant stress contributes biologically to heart disease risk factors such as high blood pressure and the formation of artery-clogging deposits. Other research finds that chronic stress may make it harder to sleep, eat well, quit smoking, and exercise.

Fortunately, you can learn healthier ways to respond to stress that may help your heart and improve your quality of life. These include relaxation exercises (deep breathing, guided imagery), physical activity (walking, yoga), and staying connected with friends, co-workers, family members.

Source: Harvard Medical School Newsletter: Healthbeat

Today’s health Tip ~ Want to Jump Start Your Immune System?

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Boost Your Immune System

    1. “While no food or supplement can ‘cure’ or even 100% prevent you from catching a virus like the coronavirus or the flu, some foods have been shown to help bolster immunity,” Cynthia Sass, Health contributing nutrition editor, told us. Citrus fruits, red bell peppers, almonds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, beans, and garlic all have research behind them to back up their immune-boosting claims.
    2. “Exercising regularly and eating healthy are the most significant factors for your immune system,” Timothy Mainardi, MD, an allergist and immunologist based in New York City, tells Health. Research shows that people who live more sedentary lifestyles are far more likely to get colds or other infectious diseases.
    3. Wash your hands. You’ve heard over and over how best to wash your hands since the coronavirus pandemic began. But it bears repeating, because it’s just such an easy and effective way to prevent any infection. Washing your hands is an extraordinarily good way of helping one from getting sick.
    4. Get enough sleep. There’s an association with lack of sleep and getting sick,” explains Dr. Mainardi. Case in point: In one study, “medical and surgical residents who would notoriously work 100-hour weeks during their residencies were at a much higher risk of not only getting an infectious disease, but also reactivation of a past one.

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What If I Recognized Lonely People?

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 What if I were aware of those who pass my way who are lonely? What would I do? Would I keep walking and ignore them? Or, would I offer a friendly greeting? According to researchers 58% of Americans feel that no one really knows them. And, 30% of older adults consider themselves lonely. Loneliness is not listed as a disease, yet, loneliness is linked to an early death, depression, poor sleep among others. What if we stepped out of our comfort zone and made a lonely person feel not so alone? A simple greeting can turn a person’s life around.

What if I slowed my pace of living by ten percent?

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What if I slowed my pace of living by ten percent? That’s not a real big change. I’d find time to chat with friends. I wouldn’t speed up to get to the next light. The time wouldn’t control me. I’d feel the rhythm of the day and move with it. I believe I’ll sleep better, my disposition will improve, and I’ll find time to be grateful for the day’s gifts. 

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