Monthly Archives: December 2016

Getting A Good Sleep Is All Around Helpful

Getting A Good Sleep Is All Around HelpfulThere’s no underestimating the benefits of a good, sound, sleep.

Rest is essential on multiple levels regarding one’s own well-being, physically, and mentally.

The body has its own repair systems.  When we are at rest, these repair systems perform at maximum efficiency.  Without rest, we end up compromising our health across the board.  The human body and brain are very complex systems that interact with its environment that can introduce harmful agents like toxins and microorganisms.  The body needs rest so it can self-diagnose itself and issue out the proper defenses and rehab.  A proper diet is essential in this.

A good sleep helps the body to regulate itself, reboot systems, and do repair.  We often overtax ourselves in one way or another, and in Western countries like the US, food is the main problem.  Foods aren’t processed properly, toxins, radiation, and more.  It can cause inflammation throughout the system and cause serious damage.  If one plays sports or has a labor intensive job, you definitely need sleep.  For people who use intense concentration like administrators, artists, and such, getting that sleep is essential.

A good sleep first of all repairs body damage.  It regulates the endocrine system, circulatory system, and everything else.

One’s mental health is at issue too.  There are several levels of sleep ranging from none REM sleep to REM sleep.  REM stands for rapid-eye-movement.  When one drifts off to sleep, you first encounter non REM sleep.  You can be awakened easily.  With REM sleep, this is where dreaming occurs.  While in deep sleep the body repairs and grows tissue, tests systems, and importantly, strengthens the immune system.

REM sleep with dreaming allows for the mind to troubleshoot issues that are unresolved.  The mind examines information and processes it. Repairs memory gaps or modifies memory.  It overall relieves mental and physical stress.

Sleep is nature’s way of growing you. During the day you provide nutrition, exercise, protection, and more, but you need time to repair the damage of everyday survival which can be brutal.  We have to flush out toxins, battle diseases, solve mental challenges, prevent further injuries, and more.  Less sleep means the body and brain and mind can’t rehab itself and that leads to dangers in the waking world.

Without sleep you’ll be more vulnerable to diseases, stumbling and falls, your senses will be less than optimum.  Your sight, hearing, sense of direction, and more won’t be spot on.  You’ll be inviting disaster along the way.

To get that much needed rest, there are some simple ways to handle things.  If you’re not suffering from insomnia and you don’t need to see a doctor for the condition, then it’s just a matter of discipline to get what you need.

Try to schedule your sleep time better.  Demand the family to knock off the noise. Get comfortable before getting in the bed.  You want peace of mind and control. Look for the things that help you sleep better.  With some trial and error you’ll find your regimen.  Once you’ve nailed down what works for you, just keep a steady course and see how it goes.

Image credit: choreograph
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Reasons Why Fewer Americans Are Interested in Slimming Down

Reasons Why Fewer Americans Are Interested in Slimming DownIt is quite intriguing to note that more and more Americans have gone on record iterating that they don’t consider themselves to be obese, and hence not likely to be interested in weight loss programs. The chances of the present day US population expressing their desire to shed pounds and lose weight are less if the results of a recent poll or survey conducted on a section of American adults are to be believed. The survey was carried out by Gallup which revealed that more than 50 percent of Americans who were surveyed in the years between 2010 and 2016 had shown a desire for weight loss.

However, the corresponding figure for opinion polls conducted between 2000 and 2009 was 59 per cent which clearly establishes the aforementioned generalization that presently less number of Americans might be eager to slim up or melt the fat around their waists. Perhaps the inducement or stimulus for toning up the muscles or torching fat is in some way connected with the generation perception Americans have about obesity. Just about 44 percent of Americans felt that they were obese or overweight in the nineties. This figure came down to 41 percent in the initial millennial years and in the last seven years from 2010 to 2016, only 37 percent of the adult US population considered themselves to be obese.

The findings of the obesity perception of Americans were in sharp contrast compared to data collated from numerous other surveys indicating that the rate (of obesity) were on the rise in the US. In the last decade and a half, the obesity rate of/in the country demonstrated a steep 30.5 per cent spike in the year from 1999 to 2000. Then again, the rate heightened to 37.7 per cent in the year 2013-2014. These data were released by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. The exact reasons behind such findings that were at odds with each other are ambiguous but Gallup-the organization behind the survey also discovered that Americans’ insight or opinion about what constitutes ideal weight is also undergoing a sea-change.

Americans who were polled in the nineties considered 153 lbs to be the figure for ideal weight. Nevertheless, for polls that were carried out in the first decade of the new millennium, the corresponding figure was 159 lbs and for surveys conducted in between 2010 and 2016, the figure was `161’ lbs. Gallup, therefore, concluded that the benchmark or yardstick for an individual’s ideal weight showed a slow and steady increase.

Image Credit :  Don Purcell

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