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Are You Getting Enough Sleep? If not, it Will Catch Up with You!

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Quote About Sleep

Are You Getting Enough Sleep?

Study after study tells us how physically and emotionally damaging lack of sleep is.  To compound matters, more studies are coming now proving that not getting enough sleep is also causing significant mental impairment in individuals, so add mentally damaging to physically and emotionally damaging.

I don’t know about you, but just one of these three makes me determined to getting more sleep – the three combining efforts  (like a frightening tag team) makes me want to go to bed right now!

The hard cold truth is that, apparently, most of us are actually sleep deprived. We’re filling out our to do lists so ambitiously that we neglect to figure in time for sleep.

Obviously we’re not doing ourselves any favors by skimping on sleep. In fact, we’re doing ourselves a whole world of harm. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that most of us get between 7 and 8 hours of sleep each night. Sleeping less than this (on a regular basis) is associated with:

  • Diabetes
  • Stroke
  • Hypertension
  • Cardiovascular Disease
  • A Shorter Life Span
  • Weight Problems

A few tips from experts on improving your sleep:

  1. Establish a relaxing bedtime routine. Whether it’s reading before bed, taking a bath or shower, or watching a little television – having a routine you associate with “winding down” helps significantly (this is also very, very true with kids).
  2. Try to keep regular hours for sleeping and waking. I’ve started making myself follow the weekday routine on the weekends and it has helped my sleep greatly.
  3. Get enough activity during the day but not too close to bedtime. Too much activity right before lying down to sleep spells disaster. I used to do a few regular “chores” (cleaning the litter box, loading the dishwasher…) right before lying down but found that doing them earlier in the evening helps me fall asleep faster.
  4. Essential Oils – Lavender, in particular, is wonderful for helping the mind and body wind down. I love using Downy Infusions Lavender Vanilla on my bed linens and gown – it sets the stage for very sweet sleep. A lot of people also keep a small bottle of lavender essential oil (Amazon link) by their bed to simply smell right before lying down. There’s just something relaxing and magical about lavender that helps most of us fall asleep faster.
  5. Be sure your vitamin levels are within a healthy range. If your magnesium, for example is low, it will VERY MUCH impact your sleep.
  6. Don’t even think about touching that phone or iPad! I know, I know, it’s easy to take one last look at Twitter, your e-mail, or Instagram, but they’ll be there in the morning!

Sweet dreams! ~ Joi


Quote About Fitness and the Life You Could Be Living by Shawn Phillips

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Staying Fit Graphic

“Eventually, there comes a point in every life where you can no longer ignore the enormous and expanding gap between the life you could be living and the life you’ve settled for…. Every day of your life that you’re not actively engaged in staying fit, eating well, and strengthening your body the gap grows.” – Shawn Phillips, Strength for Life (page 10)

You can read my review of Strength for Life here.

 

Tips for Coping with a Hiatal Hernia or Problems with Sluggish Digestion

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Hiatal Hernia Tips

Eat Slowly if You Have a Hiatal Hernia!

I’ve written about coping with a hiatal hernia before on Self Help Daily (I’ll link to each of the articles below this one) and as I find new things that help me with my own hiatal hernia, I’m sure I’ll be writing more.

As I often say with anything that involves health issues, the tips and advice are only for those who know for certain that their problem is a hiatal hernia. If you do not know for sure, please check with your doctor. Asking a professional if you could have a hernia frees you to know that it isn’t something else (which could be worse OR better than having a hiatal hernia) and it gives you a clear path to take to help yourself.

Something else to keep in mind is that everyone’s experience with their hiatal hernia can be very different.  Many suffer from a lot of heartburn with their hiatal hernia. I, however, seldom have heartburn. I do have the frequent feeling that I’m full sooner than I should be, hiccups (usually from eating too fast or not chewing well enough), and… the worst thing, a feeling that food is stuck in my esophagus which leads to pain and, usually, having to “expel” it – and we’ll just leave it at that! No one enjoys talking about upchucking or hearing about it either for that matter.

My hernia also causes me to have more indigestion and to suffer from acid reflux at night. REALLY hate that one!

Most people’s symptoms and experiences with their hiatal hernia aren’t as bad as mine. Heck, a lot of people don’t even know they have one! It all depends on the size, apparently. If you’re one of the ones who has similar symptoms, a few tips for coping that I’ve learned are:

  • don’t lift heavy objects – doing so is asking for a flare up
  • don’t do any activity where you hang upside down
  • don’t eat dense meat, such as steak or chicken
  • bread (all types of bread) often spells trouble
  • eat small meals, frequently, instead of a few large meals

Another simple (and we’re talking painfully simple) trick I’ve learned that has helped me a great deal is this: I chew to the count of 33 with each and every bite. Depending on the size of the bite, sometimes I have to go back to one and start counting again. When this happens, I always remind myself to take smaller bites!

Counting reminds you to slow down and chew. Since I began implementing the tips above along with the “Chew to the Count of 33” trick, I have had incredibly few issues. A while back I had a case of the hiccups and it was entirely my fault. I had forgotten to count to 33 and, basically, must have inhaled the entire waffle fry! The pain and hiccups reminded me to never, ever… under any circumstances forget to count and chew.

It will help you slow down and enjoy your meal if you think of it as an experience to be enjoyed rather than something that has to be done. Sometimes I see people inhaling their food like it’s a chore – “Gotta fill the tank and keep going!” This isn’t a healthy habit for anyone – whether they have a hernia or not. We should look for more times in our day when we can relax and enjoy the moment… I can’t think of a better time than when we’re enjoying a meal, especially if we’re in the company of someone we love.

A quick word about taking longer to eat than everyone else… so what?! It’s much better than having pain or getting hiccups. My family never complains, I think they just take it as a cue to eat slower, themselves.

A Few Other Hiatal Hernia Coping Tips

  • I am not even remotely a doctor, so I can’t explain the whys of it, but drinking incredibly cold drinks often aggravates the problem. Less ice or even drinking room temperature drinks leads to less issues for me.
  • Frequently drinking warm drinks seems to also help the issue.
  • Anything you can do to lessen inflammation will help you. Because of this, cutting back as much as you possibly can on sugar will do you a world of good. Also, researching foods and drinks that naturally reduce inflammation will serve you very well.
  • Anything you add to your diet that aids in digestion will help you. Healthline has an excellent article on foods that improve digestion and, after you’re finished here, I hope you’ll read it. A few of my favorite digestion-helpers (some are on their list) are pickled ginger, crushed pineapple, applesauce, and chia seeds. Again, when choosing foods, keep in mind that harder foods (apples, grapes..) can be problematic for you… find softer alternatives when possible.
  • Keep a food journal (Amazon link to the best one I’ve ever seen)! Whether it’s to keep track of food that causes symptoms or keep track of how well you’re doing cutting back on sugar, a food journal will help you so much. It was journaling my food/symptoms that helped me find the foods that caused problems AND pinpoint the meals that gave me zero issues (such as bacon and eggs, chili, soup, flat burgers…). Food journals have also helped people discover food allergies and intolerances they didn’t know they had. Trust me, food journals are one of the smartest things you can do for your health, you just have to be diligent about keeping up with it!
  • Don’t put too much into a bite at once! A few days ago, my husband took a bite of a big beautiful burger and all I could think was, “I’d be in pain for three hours and in the bathroom for two of them!” When you have a hiatal hernia, overloading it at once is begging for trouble. You’re simply better eating your meat off of bread, your tossed salads one vegetable at a time, etc. Once you begin eating this way, it becomes second nature quickly and the payoff will make you never fall off the bandwagon again.

Finally, I have notice such a huge improvement in my hiatal hernia in the past year and one of the biggest reasons is I lost a little weight. I weigh less now than I have in many, many years and it has helped my hiatal hernia greatly. Carrying less weight around the middle is one of the best things you can do for your hiatal hernia health as well as your overall health.

I’m not trying to be preachy, just trying to help anyone who is in the same boat as me. Whether your hiatal hernia causes similar problems or if you’re one of the ones who suffers mostly from heartburn or reflux, if you could stand to lose even as much as 10 pounds, I’m certain you’ll see a difference.

I, personally, have found that intermittent fasting and cutting way back on sugar and carbs (not all the way out, mind you… just back) has helped me tremendously. On top of my other hiatal hernia issues, I used to frequently wake up chocking on reflux – often it would feel like I couldn’t get a breath. Talk about scary!

I stopped eating at least three hours before I knew I’d be lying down and that took care of waking up chocking on a nightmare. My “cut off” for eating ANYTHING and for drinking anything with calories is 5:30 pm. It is absolutely worth it, trust me. I enjoyed snacking while watching tv in the evening as much as anyone but it simply isn’t worth it.

One other “trick” I did to cut back on empty calories AND cut out inflammatory sugar was switch from sweet tea to drinking tea sweetened with Stevia (something that is naturally anti-inflammatory… win/win).


More About Coping with a Hiatal Hernia:

Tips for Living with a Hiatal Hernia

Learning to Handle Your Hiatal Hernia Naturally

Tips for Controlling Your Hiatal Hernia

Back to School: Making Masks Easier for Children

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First of all, rest assured, this is not a preachy post and I have ZERO intention of telling anyone how to live their life in any fashion. I also will not EVER take something like a virus and life and death situations and politicize them.

I like to think I’m a better person…. and smarter!… than that.

I’m also not here to say with absolute certainty that this way or that way is the perfect way. From my vantage point, when it comes to getting out of this horrific pandemic and to outrunning the COVID virus nationally and internationally, there is no ONE right way. There are only attempts – multiple attempts – to keep as many people safe and well as possible.

There are only attempts to keep from overwhelming out hospitals and hard-working, dedicated medical professionals.

There are only attempts to keep the precious children in our lives from being traumatized or negatively affected any more than they already have been WHILE keeping them as safe and as healthy as possible. Like immunization shots for a 1 year old, keeping children safe isn’t always pretty to behold. Sometimes it gets downright sad and you just want to jump in there and save them from any discomfort or pain.

Thing is, the very temporary  thing we want to save them from is often the thing that will save them from a far worse fate.

Again, I’m not here to debate anything… masks included. Do I have my own opinions? Of course. And I will go ahead and say that I, personally, believe masks are effective. I’ve believed it all along (after all we’re talking about a respiratory virus, after all) but my beliefs were confirmed when (after the masks were lifted and removed) numbers went through the roof again.

For those who say that social distancing would be as effective – I agree, social distancing would be as effective. However, we can’t always determine how close someone gets to us in public and we darn sure can’t assume kids will adhere to distancing themselves from anyone.

Those little cuties want to get right up on everyone!

I know it can be debated, too, that children don’t get “as sick” as adults but, frankly, I raised three daughters and cannot remember ever thinking… “Oh, shucks, I’m going to let them play with those kids who have the flu… after all, my girls won’t get that sick.” I have three grandbabies now and cannot for the life of me imagine be willing to expose them to a virus simply because they MAY NOT get “as sick” as adults.

Sometimes the solution to a problem isn’t very attractive, but if you compare it to the alternative, it gets a little bit more agreeable.

Again, there is no one clear RIGHT answer to any of this. Chances are when your child (grandchild, niece, nephew, brother, sister…) starts the school year here in a matter of days, he or she will be required to wear a mask.

Below are a few tips that can help them… because, let’s be adults, here… they are absolutely the ones we should be thinking about:

  • Try to never EVER talk in an angry manner (and, for Heaven’s sakes, don’t cry!) about masks or mask mandates in front of your child. Children (of all ages) are incredibly, incredibly sensitive and will pick up on your emotions. What they pick up on will greatly effect their own emotions and outlook. Regardless of your personal feelings (and, trust me, I understand completely – the thought of children, especially small ones, having to wear masks all day breaks my heart)… be as strong as you’ve ever been in your life and treat it all as an adventure, something that, while temporary, has to be done. The children in our lives very often reflect us and if you’re stressed, angry, and overwhelmed, they will be as well. That’s the last thing they need to deal with on top of the stress of a new school year… which is, of course, on top of the pandemic!
  • When you talk about masks, try very hard to be as matter of fact as possible. The bigger an issue you make of it, the bigger an issue it will be to them.
  • Keep in mind how incredibly resilient and adaptable children are. They always amaze me at how they adjust and adapt – they do so far better than those of us who consider ourselves adults!
  • If your child has a health issue that would prohibit them from wearing a mask for extended periods of time, talk to your child’s physician and educators to find the best solution. I have (and have always had) chronic asthma and would not (today or as a child) be able to wear a mask for extended periods of time. I have no idea what could be done to help a child with asthma, but something would desperately need to be done. What seems like “no big deal,” to an asthmatic is a big deal. Yes, you can still breath through the mask, but… and remember, I know what I’m talking about, here, first hand… when you have asthma, even the slightest reduction in oxygen flow seems like you’re breathing through a collapsed straw. Children with anxiety would also need to have special considerations. Please talk to doctors and educators about the best thing for your child. If they are unwilling to help you, you will have a big decision to make – one I know that will put your child’s needs first.
  • As an asthmatic, I’ve found that disposable masks often feel less restrictive. My youngest daughter has clinical anxiety and has also found that disposable ones feel better to her. You just have to make sure you have a really, really good number of these masks and be sure to throw them away each day. It’s very unhealthy to wear one more than one day at a time. Amazon has wonderful Disposable Kids Masks in a wide variety of colors. Kids would get a kick out of matching them to their different outfits.
  • Children who are a little hard of hearing and tend to read lips also will need special consideration. If this is an issue for your child, be sure to talk to his/her teachers and ask for their help. Given that teachers have so many children to take care of, it may be something you need to mention several times over the weeks or months that masks will be in use. You could always simply say, “Thanks again so much for helping my child with this situation…”
  • Show your child photos of children wearing masks and being happy – SHOW them that it’s all going to be okay. They need this from you right now more than anything. BE the positive energy they need to feed on.
  • Finally, let your child pick out masks they like. Not only do stores have a wide selection of children’s masks, Amazon has MANY in different colors and styles. There are masks for every interest. Children love to express themselves, whether they’re in 1st grade or high school and masks allow them to do just that. Be sure to get them a good number of masks, so that one is always washed, dried, and ready to go. Some of the coolest, most FUN children’s face masks can be found here. Again, kids will get a kick out of matching masks to their outfits and favorite sports teams.

Whether it’s mask mandates, vaccine controversies, closed restaurants, quarantine, or any of the other things that have become part of our daily routines, remember this – we WILL get through this. There will be better days…. normal days… and we will never take a single one of them for granted! Everything is going to be better one day, and I believe that one day will be very soon. In the meantime, try to keep the best attitude and outlook you can.

Keep your sense of humor as much as humanly possible and don’t let any of the stress make you turn into someone that would have horrified you two years ago. Becoming a bitter, angry, and judgmental person does NOT have to be anyone’s destiny, no matter how ugly the valley is.

I know much too smart to let that happen!

Remember we are all in this together – none of us are the enemy… the virus is the enemy and it will take all of us to kick it’s vile butt to the curb!

Make each moment count double,

~ Joi (“Joy”)


5 Pieces of Advice to Find the Best Plastic Surgeon and Clinic

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By Debbie 

The International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery reports that 25 min procedures are carried annually. It means that about 70,000 people improve their appearance every day! All of them want to receive a good result and impress everyone with a new look. However, not everyone will boast of the perfect outcome — the wrong choice of a doctor or a clinic may cost your beauty and health.

So, before entrusting your appearance and agreeing to have a cosmetic procedure, carefully check whether a clinic or a doctor you have chosen can provide highly-qualified service. The following recommendations can help you to avoid a mistake and get the best option.

Experience in plastic surgery

Experience is a key factor you should take into account while choosing a clinic or a doctor. Always check how many years a doctor has been practicing, what education he/she has got, how many plastic surgeries have been performed. Some clinics or specialists have thousands of plastic surgeries on their account that is a reliable indicator of their professionalism. Also, pay attention to whether a clinic/doctor has additional certificates that confirm their experience and qualification. These certificates can be given by international or local plastic surgery organizations.

Before and after photos

One more criterion of picking the right place to have plastic surgery is before and after photos of patients who have had an operation. You can find a portfolio on the official website of the clinic or request them. You have to estimate the result before your operation to make sure of the perfect outcome. A clinic or a doctor that are proud of their success will provide you with a portfolio immediately. If something confuses you — it is better to look for another option, even if the offer seems very attractive.

Reviews

Nowadays, you can find as much info you need concerning any issue. Plastic surgery is actively discussed on the leading forums, public in the social networks. So, you can info almost about any specialist or medical center. There, people share photos, their experience, and comment on the result of plastic surgery with pleasure. It is your lucky chance to glean the info, ask questions directly, and eventually decide what a clinic to choose.

Prices

Prices for plastic surgery may vary significantly depending on the country, where a clinic or doctor practices. For instance, clinics for tummy tuck may offer absolutely different prices — from $2,800 (abdominoplasty cost in Turkey) to $12,000 (price in the USA). So, if the cost is important for you and you want to choose an affordable option, pay attention to the clinics located in Turkey, India, Mexico, some European countries (Poland, Lithuania, etc.) The medical centers in these countries usually offer much cheaper plastic surgery without the quality loss than American, Canadian, German, Swiss, Spanish centers, for instance.

Location

Even if you have found an experienced plastic surgeon or an affordable deal for the operation, think over how long you will travel to the country and how much the flight tickets will cost. Sometimes, you can save money on the operation, but waste more on travel charges and accommodation in another country. So, always calculate all expenses and decide whether it is worth going abroad to have plastic surgery.

Summary

Choosing a clinic/doctor for plastic surgery is an important and responsible step for achieving a desired esthetic result. Even if the medical center or a specialist is ready to conduct plastic surgery at a very low price, don’t hurry up to agree — check the experience, see the portfolio, read the patient reviews at first, and only then decide whether a clinic/doctor has enough experience to manage your plastic surgery. Do not be risky! Always be careful when your health and beauty are involved.