Tag Archives: advice

The Incredible Health Benefits Of Sleep

03/12/2020 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

Everyone seems to be on the lookout for the perfect health supplement. We all want some magic pill that will make us healthier, less stressed, and allow us to enjoy life to the fullest.

What if you found out that this supplement already exists and everyone has free access to it?

You’d be jumping for joy and asking me where you can get it from! Well, all you have to do is lie down, close your eyes, and sleep.

That’s right, the magic supplement is a good night’s sleep every single night! There’s no need for any fancy pill or anything like that, you will see some remarkable health benefits when you start improving your sleep cycle.

Today, I want to discuss some of these benefits, so you see the importance of getting lots of sleep. Not only that, but I’ll end the article with some actionable tips to help you get more sleep

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Sleep helps you maintain a healthy weight

Do you struggle with weight gain all the time? If you’ve been piling on the pounds, then the chances are it could be due to a lack of sleep. The two things seem unconnected, but there’s a strong link that involves the hormone leptin.

Leptin is one of the many hormones that control your hunger levels. It’s meant to suppress your appetite and tell you when you’re full. When you don’t get enough sleep, this hormone isn’t produced as much as it should be. The result is that you feel hungrier. From here, you start stuffing your face to calm your hunger.

If you got more sleep, then you’d produce a normal amount of leptin and suppress these feelings of hunger, maintaining a healthy weight.

Sleep can help you build muscle

That’s right, sleep can play a role in the muscle-building process. Mainly it comes down to what happens to your body after a workout. When you’ve been lifting weights, you break down the fibers in your muscles. This leads to the classic feelings of soreness you get the next day. Muscles need to get broken down in order to be built back up bigger and stronger.

Sleep is vital in all of this. When you’re asleep, your body recovers far quicker than when you’re awake. So, by getting lots of sleep each night, your body can recover from gym sessions and build your muscles back up. A lack of sleep leads to persistent soreness, meaning you can’t train again, or you can, but you risk overtraining and damaging your muscle growth.

Sleep reduces stress

Getting lots of sleep every night is proven to reduce your stress levels. This is because sleep lets your body relax and get ready for the next day. Anyone that’s woken up after a couple of hours of sleep will know what this feels like. You’re grouchy, everything annoys you, and your stress levels go through the roof.

The main problem is that feeling tired makes you feel stressed. When you have other things stressing you out, the last thing you want is to feel like you need some sleep. Then, you stress over your lack of sleep! So, sleeping more each night can help you feel more calm and relaxed.

Sleep prevents heart disease

Yep, sleep can keep your heart healthy and prevent cardiovascular diseases.

How?

It’s mainly to do with your blood pressure. High blood pressure causes heart complications, and your blood pressure will usually be high when you don’t get enough sleep. Therefore, a proper amount of sleep every night will keep your blood pressure at a regular level. Thus, the risk of heart disease decreases!

How do you get more sleep?

As you can see, sleep is so beneficial for your health. It impacts so many different elements of your health system:

Mental health
Cardiovascular health
Physical health
Digestive health

Naturally, many of you are reading this feeling a bit worried. You know you don’t get enough sleep every night, so you fear that all the potential health problems could be coming your way. Well, health issues don’t happen overnight, they happen after you consistently get a bad night’s sleep for months and years on end.

What’s more, if you improve your sleep schedule, then you will start to turn the tide and see all the benefits.

With that in mind, here are some ways to help you sleep better every night:

Take a sleep supplement: sleep supplements are useful for people with problems like insomnia that stop them from getting to sleep. Typically, the best supplement is melatonin. This is a hormone we produce to help us sleep, so you’re giving yourself a boost. It’s generally safe, and you shouldn’t have issues using melatonin during pregnancy – if you’re a woman – or if you have any health conditions. If you’re worried, then a simple check with your doctor will suffice. Many have also tried more alternative supplements and had great success. CBD oil has been shown to reduce anxiety, which will encourage restful sleep. There is a guide to find CBD for sleep online. But with alternative therapies, make sure you do your research and start with a low dose.

Stop drinking caffeine before bed: do you enjoy an evening coffee or tea? Stop doing this as caffeine stays in your system for hours after you drink it. Therefore, it will keep you awake for longer than usual. This results in a late bedtime and a lack of sleep.

Stick to a routine: speaking of bedtime, you need to set one for yourself every night. Get into the routine of going to bed at 10 or 11 pm, then waking up at 7 or 8 am. This gives you the 8 hours minimum you need for a nice sleep. By sticking to a routine, your body will adjust and you’ll find it easier to fall asleep at the same time every night.

Stop staring at screens: avoid watching TV or using your phone/computer before bed. The light from these screens can keep you awake, so spare half an hour or so of no screen time before going to sleep. It’ll help you sleep deeper and easier.

In conclusion, there are so many incredible health benefits of sleep. We’ve barely scratched the surface as well. The benefits listed above are some of the best and most significant, but there are loads more. If you struggle to sleep well every night, then follow the advice above to fix this and reap the rewards of a good night’s sleep.

Going Healthy, Health, Lifestyle

Improving How You Look Is Dead Simple. Honest!

02/12/2020 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

If you think that improving your appearance is tricky, then think again, my friend! Going to bed early, eating right, and getting the latest treatments can all make a massive difference in how you look. Do them all at the same time, and you have a recipe for being your best self yet.

Start With Your Teeth

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Your teeth are an excellent first place to start. They are one of the things that people notice first when they meet you. It pays, therefore, to make them look good.

If you have crooked teeth, then sorting them out should be your priority. Crooked teeth not only make you feel self-conscious, but they can also provide opportunities for bacterial buildup. Next, go to the hygienist and ask them to give your teeth a thorough clean to remove all the stains and plaque. Usually, your teeth will come out much whiter than when you went in. Finally, choose a whitening product – either a toothpaste or in-office treatment to transform your smile.

Eat Red And Green Veggies

The plants that you eat can have a profound impact on your overall appearance and health. For years, scientists have known that people who consume green, yellow, and red vegetables tend to have the best skin. The reason for this has to do with the chemicals in the plants themselves. Beta-carotenes in foods like sweet potatoes and broccoli make their way through the gut into your bloodstream, which then transports them to the cells in your skin. The body does this to provide your skin with extra protection against the sun (and other environmental toxins), but it has the nice side-effect of giving you a healthy glow.

Get Treatment For Issues That Diet Alone Cannot Solve

While diet is one of the most powerful tools in your arsenal, it can’t solve everything. If you have varicose or spider veins, for instance, you may need venous insufficiency treatment. The idea here is to use lasers to reduce the visible signs of these veins, no matter where they are on your body. The technique closes off abnormal veins, allowing your body to redirect blood supply through other, undamaged channels. The veins then shrink back and eventually become invisible.

Get Exercise In The Outdoors

While gyms are a popular venue for taking exercise, they may not be the best for your appearance. Evidence suggests that we do best when we exercise outdoors, not just because of the fresh air, but also because of the positive effects on other systems in our bodies.

Walking through a forest, for instance, helps to reduce psychological markers of stress, which, in turn, can improve your ability to sleep. Being in nature may also have beneficial effects on your microbiome. Being in contact with beneficial bacteria helps your skin health.

Don’t Do Any Work Before Bed

Sleep is the king of all beauty tips, but few people get enough of the stuff. The current advice is to stop working several hours before bed to give your body a chance it needs to unwind and relax.

Life, Lifestyle, Parenting

Why (and How) Dads Should Spend Time Alone with Their Kids

02/06/2020 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

Food on the table. A roof over their heads. Education from the best schools. Money for their other needs.

What does it mean to be a good father? For many men, they equate that role with being a good provider. While there is certainly nothing wrong with providing for the needs of your children, the truth is that it is just a fraction of what fatherhood is really about.

Times are a-changin’

Traditionally, dads have taken the role of the provider or breadwinner while moms tended to their kids and homes. For many dads, that can mean having little time to spend with their kids.

But with the changing times and the evolution of cultures, more and more dads are now beginning to spend more quality time with their young ones. Compared to 50 years ago, dads have tripled the time they spend with their kids.

Why spend more time with your kids

Numerous studies indicate that spending more time together benefits both dads and their kids. What are these benefits?

Kids perform well in school

When a father takes a paternity leave to take care of his little one, his child is more likely to do well in school later on. And when a dad spends more time helping his child with schoolwork, his chances of becoming successful inside the class increases exponentially.

Kids develop positive traits

Masculinity has been associated with many positive characteristics, like confidence, assertiveness, and loyalty. But on the flip side, these same traits, when taken to the extreme, can lead to qualities associated with toxic masculinity. These include lack of empathy, aggression, and detachment.

When dads spend more time at home, they provide their kids, especially boys, with a positive role model to pattern their behavior after. The result? Boys who are open and emotionally present.

Happier couples

Apart from the kids, both moms and dads also benefit from the increased time that fathers spend with their children.

When a father spends more time at home, not just to play with the kids, he becomes more aware of the things involved in raising his children. Tracking appointments with doctors and school activities as well as tending to the house all take a mental toll on moms.

If you spend more time at home, you’ll be able to share and unburden your spouse of this mental stress. In turn, you develop an equal partnership that strengthens your relationship.

Spending quality time with the kids

Most fathers get the opportunity to spend time with their children after coming home from work and during the weekends. If you have never been alone with your kids, this may seem like a daunting idea.

Part of that fear stems from the fact that these interactions are usually done in the presence of your wife. Plus, your mind may be swirling with several questions. These are perfectly natural.

If you wish to overcome these fears and ensure that you have a good time with the kids, whether you’re just staying at home to play video games or you’re planning to visit a park, here are a few essential things to remember.

Don’t hesitate to ask questions

You might think that you know your kids well, but your wife probably knows their quirks better. From their favorite foods to their preferred clothes, don’t hesitate to ask your wife things that you might not know about your kids yet. And don’t commit things to memory; write everything down instead.

Let your kids be your focus

If you rarely spend quality time with the kids, every second that you spend with them should be sacred and respected. That simply means that you should be physically and mentally present. Turn your gadgets off before entering the kids’ play area with the young ones.

Momentarily forget about your commitments at work or the upcoming football match that you had been raring to see and focus your attention on the activities that you have planned to do with your little ones.

Plan your day around your kids’ personal rhythms

Kids, especially toddlers, have their own rhythms. As much as possible, you should plan your day with them around that rhythm.

For example, if you are heading out somewhere, make sure that you do so after they have been fed and have had their naps. This will help ensure that your kids won’t make a fuss and you will be able to maximize your enjoyment of the time spent with them.

Let your wife have her “me time”

Spending time alone with your kids will give you a better perspective of the things that your spouse does to keep the household in good order while taking care of the children.

While you are taking care of the kids, allow your wife to have the opportunity to do the things that she wants, whether she needs a well-deserved trip to the salon or spa or she wants to simply catch up on her favorite series on Netflix.

The clock is ticking

Your kids will only be young once. Soon, they’ll be making friends and would rather spend time with them. Take advantage of their youth and spend as much time with them as you possibly can, whether that means buying kids’ play area tickets for some fun bonding time this weekend or spending a lazy afternoon together at home.