Wednesday, 31 August 2022
Binge-sleeping, Naps And No Tracking Help Put Bad Habits To Bed
As we start the new year with a renewed focus on our health and wellbeing, it’s time to put some bad habits to bed… and sleep is no exception.
Last year we saw the start of the ‘clean-sleeping’ and ‘smart sleep tracking’ trends; but in my opinion, this quest for more shut eye resulted in us losing sleep.
Putting a number on how many hours of sleep we should get just isn’t realistic. When we talk about ‘good’ and ‘bad’ sleep we’re creating fear about something that is as personal to you as a fingerprint.
This constant concern about not getting enough sleep can cause us to actually lose sleep. I’m encouraging Brits to make 2018 the year we all say goodnight to sleep anxiety.
To help Brits shake off sleep anxiety this year here are my six trend predictions for 2018:
1. Sleep binging
Yes, a full night’s sleep every night is the ultimate goal, but for most people, this is an unrealistic expectation because they have children or work long hours. So, when you get the opportunity for a good, long sleep – take it.
Recharging your batteries with an extra-long slumber at the weekend or during a holiday is something we should embrace and enjoy. Regular sleep binges will help your body to do all the repairing it needs to do – so don’t feel guilty about having an early night, or an extra lie in.
2. The rise of the anti-trackers
Modern society has taught us to count everything. Whether it’s the calories we consume or how many steps we take each day, most of the time counting helps us to develop better habits.
However, putting a number on how many hours of sleep we should be getting can exacerbate anxiety about not being able to get enough. With more of us counting sleep rather than sheep, 2018 should be the time when we reflect as individuals on what we need, and what we can realistically achieve.
If you are someone who struggles to nod off, or you find yourself waking up during the night, don’t be tempted to check the time. This immediately causes your brain to calculate how many hours of sleep you’ve clocked and stimulates it with light, making it less likely that you’ll fall asleep again quickly.
3. Made-to-measure sleep
I hear people say all the time that they ‘don’t sleep well’, however, when you dig a bit deeper, most of the time they are comparing themselves with those (literally) closest to them – usually their partners or the people they live with.
Instead of judging yourself on the habits of others, ask yourself how you feel about your sleep. The amount of sleep someone needs really varies, and we need to think about our individual needs when it comes to getting a good night’s rest.
4. Losing the race to bed
This year we want to encourage people to lose the race to bed. In the evening, we naturally start to relax and feel sleepy, whether it’s in front of the TV or elsewhere. We then realise it’s time for bed and rush to prepare. This adrenaline stimulates our bodies and makes it harder to drop off.
I encourage people to lose this race to bed and instead do all the necessary bed-preparation before they sit down to relax. Get your PJs on and teeth brushed before chilling out. Avoid screens, dim the lights and let yourself relax. Once you feel sleepy, just take yourself straight to bed.
5. Holistic help
If you regularly struggle with sleep, or even if you just want to find out how to improve your personal sleep pattern, a health assessment is a great way to get feedback on your entire lifestyle.
During a health assessment at a Bupa Health Clinic, we show our customers that there’s no such thing as a ‘normal’ night’s sleep, and help to build a picture of what would work for you as an individual. This gets people to become more aware of their personal needs and follow their own rules about sleep. Rest assured, learning how to get a good night’s sleep will help with every area of your life as you’ll have more energy.
6. Boost energy levels with a nap
It may be hard to work around work but a short nap of 20-30 minutes can help improve mood, alertness and performance, especially in the early afternoon when blood sugar levels are low.
Just remember that naps shouldn’t replace long periods of sleep, as this is when the real work begins and our bodies really get the chance to rejuvenate and repair.
And like everything to do with rest, it’s entirely personal – naps may be great for some while others will find it difficult to include in their day-to-day routine – and that’s absolutely fine!
By :Dr Petra Simic
Clinical Director of Bupa UK Health Clinics
An Article from: www.huffingtonpost.co.uk
Saturday, 30 July 2022
You Can Do The Hard Things
Former US President Theodore Roosevelt's wise words:
"Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty... I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well."
These positive, wise words can, unfortunately explain away negative situations such as "advance aging" because advanced aging is most often the result of backing off from doing the hard things, especially regarding our health.
In life, we are constantly tempted to take "the path of least resistance" because, well, it's the easiest and usually the quickest way. But easy does not translate to better nor does it translate to growth. Easy translates to lazy. And, when it comes to our health, lazy translates to disease and "advanced-aging."
An Exchange of Energy -
Have you ever really gotten anything of lasting value in your life without some form of valuable/energy/ monetary exchange? Certainly nothing that has any lasting value comes free because everything is an energy exchange.
When we put a little energy into accomplishing or achieving something, the "little" value we receive back matches. But when we push the envelope and challenge ourselves to do the harder thing, to reach beyond our current limits, our ROI grows expoentially.
There's no better example of this than lifting weights in the gym - one of the best things we can do to sculpt our bodies and strengthen our muscles. What's hard today, won't be after many repetitions. Enjoying the benefits that stronger muscles provides us demands that we continually challenge ourselves by adding more weight.
There is no gain in life without some sort of stretch/pain. It's called evolutionary growth and all human emotional, mental and physical challenges hold within them the greatest opportunity for growth.
Rather than avoid the "hard stuff," we need to see the "silver lining" hidden within the hard stuff and stop running away from a race we can never win.
Perceptions are Key
Shifting our perceptions is the starting point. Seeing challenges as opportunities for growth is the clear answer to confronting fear and eliminating its paralyzing effects. Challenges boost our adrenalin and energy output and increase our heart rate but not the same way as a "fight or flight" response would.
Different hormones are released when we're faced with challenges; we're more focused and able to access our mental and physical faculties easier.
We've become weak as humans, literally and figuratively because we "take the easy way out" too often. This explains the reasons we are currently experiencing a global health crisis.
We want to be healthier but it's "too hard to lift weights or make time to go to the gym
We want to be healthier but it's too hard to let go of unnecessary easy things eating up time
We want to be healthier but it's "too hard" to give up our destructive diet in lieu of nutrient dense foods
We want to be healthier but we don't want to take time to cook and prep our own meals. It's too hard and so we opt for "fast foods"... (the only thing fast about fast foods is how quickly they destroy our health).
We want to be healthier but want it as a gift, not something we've earned through "hard work" and as a reward for adjusted lifestyles
We want to be healthier without putting forth any "hard effort"
Easy doesn't push the envelope. Life is not set up to operate that way. Life is set up as a reward - give and take system. What you put in, you get out. It's really that simple.
Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.-Thomas A. Edison
Pushing challenges aside and continuing to opt for the easy way sends very clear messages to our minds and to our body that we are satisfied with our lot in life. Life returns the same to us and rather than pushing the door to new opportunity wide open or healing us from the inside out, it begins the process of sedentary decay.
The raw truth is, we are either moving in a forward direction by tackling the "hard stuff" or we subtly move ourselves in a negative direction by staying in our comfort zone of safety.
Success at anything is directly connected to sacrifice. Sacrifice most often means giving up something in exchange for something else.
The "good" we're all searching for in life is cleverly wrapped up in a willingness to tackle the "hard things" rather than wimp through the easy ones. Our current health status is the perfect example and reason to begin tackling the "hard things."
It's time we traded our "easy path" false delusions about getting healthy for some real growth "hard solutions" because we cannot move forward or heal completely from any health crisis, personal or global until we address the causes. If we have not focused on and addressed the initial causes, it is only a matter of time before another global health catastrophe reappears cleverly disguised in a "different virus or disease."
"It is better to make many small steps in the right direction than to make a great leap forward only to stumble backward."
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10546502
Thursday, 30 June 2022
Open Water Swimming Tips
Hi, thanks for reading this article. An adventurous swimmer like me and probably you as well, will always want to try out the open water swimming. I have had several experiences and incidents happen during my open water swimming. Now, I'm going to share this with you and I hope it benefits you!
#1 Never Swim Alone
It is going to be dangerous if you are doing open water swimming alone. Mother nature is very unpredictable. You will never know what can happen even if you are a strong swimmer. Before you swim, you can do all necessary arrangements for every possible problem, but trust me, it is always possible that something is not within your control. So, do inform lifeguard on duty, let them know your plan before your start your swim. If there is no lifeguard, then please ask your friend along.
#2 Check the temperature
Test the water temperature before you swim. It is going to be difficult for a swimmer if the water is freezing cold. You are advised to wear a wet suit to swim in cold water. It prevents you from muscle cramps and a running nose. Do not swim for too long in a cold water - then it will be difficult for you to stop shivering and you can suffer from jaw/teeth ache after that.
#3 Do stretch and warm up before you swim
This will give a signal to your muscle that they are going to work hard. It prevents muscle cramp during the swim. It is very dangerous if you cramp in the middle of open water swimming. As nobody could notice you easily. So, do spend 10-20 minutes to do the stretch and warm up before you swim.
Thank you for reading this article. I hope that this article benefits you.
Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Tan_Jian_Yong/93752
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1617392