Infographic Source: 80 Eye-Opening Stats & Facts About Sleep
Click the link above for more information about the wonderful world of sleep!
Christian Book Reviews, Self Improvement, Positivity
Infographic Source: 80 Eye-Opening Stats & Facts About Sleep
Click the link above for more information about the wonderful world of sleep!
After a day of working our minds to solve problems and craft solutions, we tend to be exhausted. Oddly enough, once we are settled into our bedrooms, it’s hard to shut our eyes and catch some zzz’s. Plenty of people experience restless nights even though they have been hard at work all day. This could be due to our thoughts still occupying our minds and not having the proper air quality in our homes.
Sometimes when we are physically drained, our minds stay awake, thinking about all the work we have done that day and will get to the next day. To add to factors affecting our sleep, breathing harmful chemicals takes a toll on our physical health, not allowing us to properly rest. To combat all of this, FTD has created a guide to help you get the rest you need to wake up feeling refreshed. There are flowers to help you sleep better and breathe better. Take a look at four flowers below to calm your mind and clean your air. Have a lovely rest tonight!
by Hayden
Adequate sleep is essential for a healthy body. It reinvigorates your mind and relaxes your body. If you lack enough sleep, you’re likely to be irritable and lethargic; this can also lead to more stress and increased appetite. We are all aware that obesity and craving for sweet foods can increase your risk of diabetes.
Regrettably, most people suffer sleep deprivation due to lack of the right mattress. However, by acquiring smart beds from Eight Sleep, you can be guaranteed of comfortable, good night sleep.
Can lack of sleep cause diabetes? Read on to find out:
Bottom line
Family history, what you consume, and your weight can all affect your risk of developing diabetes. More so, your sleeping habits play a significant role, and lack of sleep is a risk factor for diabetes. Therefore, get adequate sleep daily for better health and lessen your risk of diabetes.
I recently began a new series of posts here on the self help blog dealing entirely with essential oils and aromatherapy.
I have become a HUGE fan of essential oils and find myself turning to them first, as opposed to last, when I have a headache, stiff neck, nighttime restlessness, or morning grogginess. I am loving all the fascinating ways essential oils can be used to improve your health, mind, and… well to be perfectly honest… your quality of life.
One of my absolute favorite essential oils, Lavender, is one of the oils I never allow myself to run out of.
Relax, Release, Rest.
Lavender is associated with relaxation and for a very good reason. There is something incredibly relaxing and comforting about the fragrance of lavender. The scent, alone, seems to condition your mind and body that it’s time to relax, release, and rest.
I use lavender aromatherapy and essential oil absolutely everywhere in the bedroom and master bath. Candles, pillow sprays, essential oil… you name it, it’s there. I want that entire area of the house to feel like a relaxing spa and have achieved the desired effect. Lavender causes your body and mind to unwind and I love the way that feels (head to toe) at the end of a long day.
Have you ever tried to “think” your way to relaxation? Let’s be honest, it’s only so effective. While we try to make our thoughts concentrate on “relax, relax, relax.” another part of our mind answers back, “but.. I… can’t… because….” Then we’re right back to square one.
Lavender seems to have magical powers over the part of the brain that’s always a wiseguy! Maybe it lulls him to sleep. Whatever the trick is, I am mesmerized by it.
Lavender Essential Oil helps your muscles AND mind relax. THEN you are able to release the stress, cares, and worries that pile up over the course of the day.
You know what comes next, don’t you? The best rest you have had in a very long time.
Due to its relaxing aroma, lavender oil is often the only sleep aide needed to help sleep come faster. That’s why I routinely spray a little lavender essential oil on my pillow. There is even a Lavender Spray on Amazon that helps release tension and soothe the body and mind as you prepare for sleep. It’s made my Bath and Body Works and it is the best one on the market.
More Than Just Relaxing
Lavender oil actually has even more going on for it than stress relief and relaxation, however. It is believed to have antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties as well.
As I mentioned in a previous post, I suffer from plantar fascitiis. I’ve found that lavender oil salts are the only thing that causes the pain to let up. I have also rubbed lavender essential oil directly on my foot for relief as well.
When I recommend essential oils, lavender is usually the first one out of my mouth. There are so many that have wonderful benefits, but lavender has what I consider to be one of the best effects you can hope for – RELAXATION.
If you’re new to the world of aromatherapy and essential oils, I hope you’ll keep a very open mind about their usefulness. I once kind of doubted that they were as “wonderful” as people said they were.
After using them for months, now, I realize that the people who claimed they were “wonderful” didn’t do them any justice. They’re far better than that.
~ Joi
by Brooke Faulkner
Sleep. It’s not just a morning love affair with your warm cozy bed, it’s essential to your survival. It is as important as eating, breathing, and keeping an adequate water intake. Slumber is a way to refresh your eyes and your body while the brain restores itself. It helps your mind clear out the unnecessary “clutter” that accumulates within it throughout the day. Sleep helps you in your waking life to make decisions, create and organize memories, make creative connections, and learn/remember how to perform specific physical tasks.
Despite the importance of sleep on our functioning, it is severely lacking. In the US, 70 million adults suffer from some type of sleep disorder. Insomnia, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and movement syndromes (commonly known as restless leg syndrome) are only a few of the most common 70 different types of known sleep disorders.
Over half of all insomnia cases in the United States directly correlate to psychological stress, anxiety, and depression. Chronic sleep problems affect 50 to 80 percent of patients seen in a psychiatric practice, compared to just 10 to 18 percent of the general U.S. population.
The point: those suffering with depression and anxiety are more prone to sleep disorders, and those with sleep disorders are more prone to suffer from anxiety and depression.
Cause or Effect?
For many years, sleep problems were thought to be a symptom of mental problems, but new studies suggest that the opposite may be true. New or worsening mental health conditions may actually stem directly from a lack of sleep.
A lack of sleep can cause a decrease in alertness and diligence along with a general decline in mood and energy. Sleep issues such as insomnia have more than just drowsy effects on your brain. They have negative effect on other parts of the body like the central nervous system, the immune system, the digestive system, and the respiratory tract.
Whether a lack of sleep is causing an increase in mental illness issues, or the mental illness issues are causing a lack of sleep, both exacerbate one another, and trying to pinpoint which came first will really only keep us going in circles. So instead of searching for the answer to which came first, let’s focus on what is easily within reach. Sleep; let’s get some.
Focus on these to improve sleep:
Sleep Hygiene: This involves creating a series of different habits that are necessary to have a restful slumbrous sleep.
Live Stressless:
Feng Shui your bedroom:
Mental health issues can go far deeper than a sleep problem and often need specific treatments on their own to be resolved or relieved. But correcting one pillar of health, one habit that directly affects mental stability, can help make overall treatment more effective. At the end of the day, it may not be the end-all-be-all but treating a sleep problem can help to alleviate the mental health issues an individual is suffering from. By addressing what is within your control, and acknowledging the status of your own mental health, you can help yourself contribute to an effective treatment.
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