It can be difficult to sleep with a stuffy nose and cough. Try these tips to breathe easier and have a better night’s sleep:
Use an extra pillow to prop up your head and ease sinus pressure.
Sleep with a humidifier or vaporizer in the room.
Take a hot bath or shower before bed.
stress
🍎 Health Hack ~ Good Relationships = Longevity
[If] you’re surrounded by a tightly connected circle of friends who regularly gather to eat and share gossip, you’ll not only have fun but you’re also likely to live an average of fifteen years longer than a loner. One study of almost three thousand Americans found that people with close friendships are far less likely to die young, and in 2004 a Swedish epidemiologist discovered the lowest rate of dementia in people with extensive social networks. Fifty-year-old men with active friendships are less likely to have heart attacks than more solitary men, while people who have had a stroke are better protected from grave complications by a tight, supportive social network than they are by medication.
Source
Feel Good Hack ~ Clear Your Mind
Take a brief meditation break. It’s simple: Sit quietly, close your eyes, and focus on your breathing. When you get distracted, just bring your attention back to your breath.
When you’re done, you could feel more positive and patient. That’s just what you need to shift the energy of your day and help you bounce back from stress.
🤗 Feel Good Hack ~ Happiness is Good for Your Heart
Love and happiness may not actually originate in the heart, but they are good for it. For example, a 2005 paper found that happiness predicts lower heart rate and blood pressure. In the study, participants rated their happiness over 30 times in one day and then again three years later. The initially happiest participants had a lower heart rate on follow-up (about six beats slower per minute), and the happiest participants during the follow-up had better blood pressure.
🍎 Health Hack ~ Washing Hands versus Hand Sanitizers, Who Wins?
Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can quickly reduce the number of microbes on hands in some situations, but sanitizers do not eliminate all types of germs.
Why? Soap and water are more effective than hand sanitizers at removing certain kinds of germs, like Cryptosporidium, norovirus, and Clostridium difficile1-5. Although alcohol-based hand sanitizers can inactivate many types of microbes very effectively when used correctly 1-15, people may not use a large enough volume of the sanitizers or may wipe it off before it has dried 14.
🍎 Health Hack ~ Wash Your Hands
Wash Your Hands Often to Stay Healthy
You can help yourself and your loved ones stay healthy by washing your hands often, especially during these key times when you are likely to get and spread germs:
- Before, during, and after preparing food
- Before eating food
- Before and after caring for someone at home who is sick with vomiting or diarrhea
- Before and after treating a cut or wound
- After using the toilet
- After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
- After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
- After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste
- After handling pet food or pet treats
- After touching garbage
🍎 Health Hack ~ Rev Up Your Immune System
“The immune system is the body’s defense against illness and infection. But when someone has a poor immune system, due to a disease such as cancer, they’re more likely to get sick easily. However — whether you have a naturally weaker or compromised immune system — you can help build it and protect your body by optimizing your eating plan. And the best way to strengthen your immune function may be to eat a nourishing diet that packs in immune–boosting foods.”
5 Food Types Supporting a Strong Immune System
- Berries
- Citrus fruits
- Nuts & seeds
- Green & orange vegetables
- Plant based food for gut health
🤗 Feel Good Hack ~ 5 Keys to Happiness
A 2010 study found that there are five key items that contribute to positive thinking, which, in turn, results in happiness:
(1) being grateful, (2) being optimistic, (3) practicing acts of kindness, (4) relishing in how lucky you are, and, (5) using your strengths. It’s in being aware of these aspects of your daily life that positive thoughts will flow, providing for better well-being and overall joy.
🍎 Health Hack ~ Hydrate to Knockout the Flu
One symptom of the flu is a high fever, which can lead to sweating. You might also be dealing with bouts of vomiting or diarrhea. Your body needs plenty of fluids to replace lost liquids, and even more to fight off the infection.
Water is best, but you can also drink herbal teas or tea with honey. These can have a soothing effect on your symptoms while keeping you hydrated. Two things you should always avoid, though, are alcohol and caffeine.
🤗 Feel Good Hack ~ Know When to Let Go
Know when to let go
As the people get older, they tend to focus more on what’s important to them, and don’t sweat the small stuff to the degree they did when they were younger, according to Dr. Robert Waldinger. Other research supports this mindset, and has found that older adults are better about letting go of past failures. “They tend to realize how life is short and they are more likely to pay more attention on what makes them happy now,” says Dr. Waldinger. You can do the same.
