Discover Why Insomnia and Stress are Closely Related

Insomnia and stress are closely linked to each other. Stress causes insomnia as your mind is in overdrive and at the end of a busy demanding day at work it's very hard to switch off.

Transient insomnia is experienced by most people at some time throughout their lives and can be caused by stresses such as worrying about a job interview or an illness in the family.

As you lay awake in bed your mind is going over the meeting you had at work or any other problem that's keeping you from sleeping. Insomnia can cause more stress as you are tired during the day from lack of sleep which in turn makes you more stressed.

Drinking lots of coffee to overcome daytime drowsiness caused by insomnia will only make matters worse. Caffeine can make you more anxious and increase your heart rate especially if you drink lots of strong black coffee. Caffeine blocks the absorption of a calming chemical called adenosine which is produced during activities such as exercise, and instead promotes the production of adrenaline which speeds the body up.

reduce the amount of caffeine in your diet and try replacing coffee with herbal tea or just change to decaffeinated. There is very little difference in taste but it won't keep you awake at night. Some people are more sensitive to caffeine than others

Exercise is not only a great way to keep fit but it also helps you to manage stress. Exercise releases endorphins in the body which are natural pain killers and also help relieve stress. This works very well with mild depression and anxiety. You don't have to join a gym, but just try brisk walking for 30 minutes each day. This can fit in with most people's lives and you will notice a difference in a very short time.

You will find that you will be able to sleep better at night and your insomnia and stress levels will be greatly reduced.

If you are very stressed try meditation or join a yoga class. Set aside some time for yourself in the day no matter how demanding your work schedule is. It's very important for your mental and physical wellbeing to spend some time just relaxing and allowing your mind to switch off. You will feel refreshed and less likely to suffer from insomnia at night.

Aromatherapy is great way to reduce insomnia and stress. Try placing a few drops of jasmine or lavender oil into an aromatherapy burner and place it in your bedroom. The soothing and relaxing fragrance will help you to sleep. Alternatively try adding a few drops of these oils into a warm bath just before you go to bed.

The warm bath will relax you and the aromatherapy oils will help you to de stress.

In some cases the insomnia and stress experienced by the sufferer is so great that professional counselling is needed. This could be due to a traumatic event such as the sudden death of a close member of family, bankruptcy or redundancy. Read more...

Exercise and Diet as Pain Relief Therapy

To avoid physical pain, most people usually avoid engaging in strenuous activities and vigorous movements of the body. However, inactivity may actually worsen the condition and result in more pain in the long run. Since the human body is designed to be in motion regardless of your health condition, making your body inactive will lead to muscle degeneration. Through regular exercise, people can avoid pain or, at least, have an effective means of attaining pain relief therapy.

Once the muscles start to deteriorate, other problems may soon develop such as diminishing bone density, depression, and a weakened heart. On the contrary, regular exercise can help keep joints flexible and strong. Moreover, physical activity promotes pain relief by releasing mood-enhancing chemicals in the body that help deal with arthritic pain and lessen pain perception.

The three types of exercise recommended for arthritis patients involves the following:

* Flexibility Workouts
* Cardiovascular Workouts
* Strength Conditioning

Flexibility workouts involve stretches that can help enhance range of motion. Cardiovascular includes aerobic workouts, walking, water exercises, and cycling. Strength conditioning, includes isometric or isotonic workouts. Isometric workouts are static exercises that involve applying resistance without moving the joint. An example of isometric workout is pressing your hands against the wall while standing. It works out your chest muscle without joint movement. Isotonic workouts, on the other hand, use the full range of motion such as bicep curls and leg extensions.

Different exercises work for different individuals. A certain exercise that works for you may not work for your buddy. Always remember to apply appropriate effort in proper form to avoid further injury and minimize pain. Consult a doctor or a well-trained fitness instructor before engaging in a fitness program.

While regular exercise promotes natural pain relief by releasing mood-enhancing chemicals in the body that reduce perception of pain, being overweight can takes its toll on the joints due to the excess poundage they have to carry. A variety of weight loss programs are available everywhere but a nutritionally-balanced diet, besides regular physical activity, is a proven method for weight loss.

On the other hand, weight loss with a poor diet may result to being underweight that leads to inactivity. When the hormone levels are off, it can aggravate pain. While limiting intake of animal protein and saturated fat is ideally healthy, people need not become vegetarians to avail of pain relief benefits from proper nutrition. Instead, beef up on foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Eating whole grains and organically produced foods rich in fiber substantially help reduce your consumption of carcinogens and other harmful chemicals usually present in processed foods. These chemicals in preservatives may negatively stimulate the immune system.

Some studies are exploring on the pain relief properties of two dietary supplements, chondroitin and glucosamine, in relation to osteoarthritis. However, there is much research to be done on their long-term safety and effectiveness. While chondroitin side effects may be rare, it may include headache, motor uneasiness, euphoria, hives, rash, photo-sensitivity, hair loss, and breathing difficulties. Those with bleeding disorders or taking blood thinners should consult with their doctor before taking the supplement.

Some glucosamine products may be made with shellfish, and may cause adverse reaction in people with shellfish allergies. Side effects include upset stomach, drowsiness, insomnia, headache, skin reactions, sun sensitivity, and nail toughening Read more...

Stress Relief through Martial

Formerly known as Siam to foreigners who first came to this region as early as the 12th century, the country's name was changed to literally mean “Land of the Free.” Throughout the country's 800-year history, this nation can boast the distinction of being the only country in Southeast Asia never to have been colonized. Siam was changed to Thailand with the advent of a democratic government in 1939. People inhabiting Thailand today share rich ethnic diversity mainly Thai, Mon, Khmer, Laotian, Chinese, Malay, Persian, and Indian stock with the result that there is no typically Thai physiognomy or physique. There are petite, statuesque, round-faced, dark-skinned and light-skinned Thais. Some 80% of all Thais are connected in some way with agriculture which, in varying degrees, influences and is influenced by the religious ceremonies and festivals that help make Thailand such a distinctive country.
Thais are tribal people and have had to defend their country from many invaders throughout their history. As such, they have developed their own brand of martial art. Muay Thai is the devastating “science of 8 limbs” developed over thousands of years ago. The exact date of the creation of this fighting art is not known but it is widely believed to be over 2000 years old. Muay Thai used to be referred to as Pahuyuth (multi-faceted fighting style) hundred years back, but Muay Thai itself is only part of the whole Thai fighting system that covers weapons and groundwork which is often referred to as Ling-Lom. This most effective of fighting techniques has evolved from the cultural artform of the Siamese warriors of the past. It has also become an International sport with a proud heritage.
From time immemorial, Muay Thai had been practiced in imperial contests. During the early times, this would occur in any location such as jungle clearings, courtyards, a village square or any area of flat ground. There were no time keepers or rounds, and no forbidden moves, the winner being the boxer who remained standing. Boxers would fight with their forearms strapped in rope and their fists bound with strips of raw cotton.

In 1929, the switch was made to the type of gloves worn in International boxing, the contests became standardized and contained in a ring. Today, Muay Thai contests are fought over five, three-minute rounds with two minute breaks between rounds, a referee and three judges awarding points for effective strikes.

Muay Thai is now one of the most popular martial arts practiced all over the world. Just like any other form of martial arts, Muay Thai will enable the practitioner to develop many skills and attributes. Though most people would list physical fitness as an obvious benefit of studying Muay Thai, few people really understand all the physical benefits. One will realize increased strength and flexibility, stronger bones and joints, increased stamina and energy, better coordination and balance, weight loss, and lean muscle gain. One will also benefit in terms of increased coordination, flexibility, strength, endurance, and stress relief through constant practice of the martial arts.

In addition to physical skills, there are many noticeable spiritual and mental benefits. Some of the more subtle, but equally important benefit are; concentration, confidence, courage, awareness, respect, etiquette, self - discipline and humility.

Though martial arts such as Muay Thai seem at first glance to be a set of physical skills, in reality the real goal is to condition the mind. It is the mind that has to learn to act quickly, often reading subtle signs and responding with a complex set of moves. The mental benefits of martial arts are possibly more significant than the physical. Read more...

Vitamins And Minerals For Optimal Health

Health is a major concern in the United States, from vitamins and minerals, to the proper nutrition and intake, it is hard to get the proper amount of nutrition you need everyday from just the regular foods you intake.

Vitamins and minerals are naturally occurring substances necessary for many processes in the body. Vitamins and minerals are substances your body needs in small but steady amounts for normal growth, function and health. They are necessary for virtually all reactions to occur in the body.

Vitamins and minerals are in many foods you eat, but you can also take a supplement to make sure you get all the nutrients you need. Vitamins and minerals are not present in typical diet we eat at the level they were a couple of generations ago.

Vitamins and minerals are used by our bodies and if we do not get enough of the right ones it can affect us mentally and physically. Vitamins and minerals are two completely different things: minerals help the vitamins work. Vitamins and minerals are considered necessary because they may partake in the chemical reactions within the body that allow humans to actually burn the fuels or build new tissues.

Supplements

Dietary supplements aren't meant to be food substitutes, as they can't replicate all of the nutrients and benefits of whole foods, such as fruits and vegetables. But dietary supplements can still play a role in your health by complementing your regular diet if you have trouble getting enough nutrients. If you depend on dietary supplements rather than eating a variety of whole foods, you miss the benefits of these substances. Although for some people, including those on restrictive diets, dietary supplements can provide vitamins and minerals that their diets often don't.

Dietary supplements can lose potency over time, especially in hot and humid climates. Store dietary supplements in a dry, cool place. Also, store supplements out of sight and away from children.

Health

Your body needs larger amounts of some minerals, such as calcium, to grow and stay healthy. Vitamin C is used to keep many different types of tissue healthy. Calcium along with vitamin D helps to keep your bones healthy. Vitamin E : its usefulness in health and in curing diseases. Even for those who eat a healthy diet, there appears to be difficulty in obtain enough folic acid.

Scientists and researchers know the roles the following vitamins and minerals play in our bodies, and this group may have heart–healthy effects:Three of the B–vitamins: vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and folic acid. Calcium Magnesium Another group of supplements, the antioxidants are still being tested at this time for their benefits in heart disease and cancer prevention.

Nutrients

Your body can't make most micronutrients, so you must get them from the foods you eat or, in some cases, from dietary supplements. A lack of any of the essential micronutrients from the diet may lead to deficiencies, compromising the ability to function and impairing health. These nutrients are needed for a variety of biological processes, among them growth, digestion and nerve function. These nutrients are the main components in your teeth and bones, and they serve as building blocks for other cells and enzymes. Many people don't receive all of the nutrients they need from their diet because they either can't or don't eat enough, or they can't or don't eat a variety of healthy foods.

Supplements can be an inexpensive way to make sure you get all the vitamins and minerals you need, even if you get most of them from the foods you eat. It may be important for you to take certain amounts of some vitamins and minerals in the form of supplements. Vitamins and minerals are vital for human function, each one playing a different role. Vitamins and minerals are essential to our survival. They are generally considered to be the most important aspect of maintaining optimal health. Read more...

Balanced Weight Loss Diets

Composition of energy value and preparation of food ration is called a diet. A balanced diet is necessary. More fruits and vegetables and a variety of diet should be taken. The best method is to follow a diet plan. Diet plan should be followed strictly for weight loss. Otherwise, health problems like tension, heart attack, cholesterol and diabetes may occur. Diet planning should be followed regularly otherwise it will lead back to obesity. . A balanced weight loss diet is one that provides all nutrients necessary for the body.

While on weight loss program, soup is a supplement and vegetables can be substituted according to taste. Vegetables like asparagus, peas, corn, turnips, cauliflower etc. can be added but beans should be avoided because they are high in calories.

Food containing low calories and low saturated fats should be taken. This makes the body healthier and wards off diseases. Proteins, carbohydrates and vitamins should be taken in regular quantity. Carbohydrates should be less in quantity. Dairy products rich in fat should be avoided. All these measures help people live longer.

A balanced weight loss diet is the diet that gives all the necessary nutrients. Weight loss diet does not ask you to starve. We should take food to gain energy and keep ourselves active. Weight loss diet replaces damaged tissues and cells through proteins, vitamins and minerals that we take in. The more active we are the more energy we need. So it is essential to eat a well balanced diet. A right combination of cereals, vegetables, fruits, milk, yogurt etc should be taken. Enough food provides energy for the body but more food stores it as fat to put on weight.

DAY1: Lots of melons is recommended the first day. Chances are that you lose 3lbs.
DAY 2: Stuff yourselves with all vegetables-unlimited amount or type.
DAY3: Mix fruits and vegetables-except bananas and potatoes.
DAY4: Eat as much as eight bananas and three glasses of milk.
DAY5: Eat 10 oz of lean beef and six tomatoes. Increase water intake to clean the body of uric acid.
DAY6: Eat unlimited amount of beef and vegetables.
DAY7: Take brown rice, all vegetables and fruit juice.

High protein and low carbohydrates food should be taken. Dairy products and fat products should be avoided. Cholesterol leads to heart problems and carbohydrates change into fats. Vegetables, chicken, grains, fish and nuts, which are protein rich and low in calcium, add to diet plans. Regular exercises and walking is a must. This helps in burning excess fat. A balanced weight loss diet provides the nutrients necessary for your body.

Quality as well as quantity of food should be taken close care of. Some tips are:- Milk can be used in place of cream in coffee and eat vegetable salads and drink fruit flavored water.

Advantages of weight loss diet foods:

A diet full of fresh fruits and vegetables not only gives vitamins, nutrition and minerals but also acts as a good antioxidant which wipes out free radicals and plays an imperative role in making us healthy and younger thus enabling us to lose weight in a natural way. Read more...

Know about the best liquid vitamin suppliers

On a daily basis, we require a proportionate amount of vitamins along with the other nutrients such as the proteins, carbohydrates and other minerals for a healthy body. A minute decrease in the level of these nutrients in our body can simply cause certain types of diseases and illnesses. Thus to enjoy a healthy living, it gets important that we have vitamin supplements regularly to maintain their level in our body. In the market today, there are various types of vitamin supplements available in the various forms containing nearly all the vital types of vitamins that help us to maintain a good and well balanced body. They take part in the various body metabolic pathways to ensure you a better health. You will find these vitamin supplements in the various forms as manufactured by their various manufacturers. Amongst the various forms, the liquid vitamins and the vitamin capsules are a few of the most common forms. Also, they are available in the various tastes based on their manufacturers and the ingredients it comprises. People usually select the vitamin syrups with a good suitable taste rather than the other terrible tasting ones which might be better in quality than the previous. We don't give much of our thoughts on reading the contents of the liquid vitamin we consume which otherwise is the most essential aspect in selecting the vitamin liquid supplement. But today, people have become aware on how to select the better liquid vitamin supplements by not just selecting them through their taste, but also by their contents. The liquid vitamin supplements contain mostly the water soluble vitamins which are extremely important and essential for our health. However, in the production of these liquid vitamin supplements there are a few facts that many of us hardly know. For instance, for making supplements that suit the taste of people, most of the manufacturers produce the vitamin supplements that are better to taste but have low nutrition values. Where as they should stress more on providing the better and high nutrition level vitamins rather than stressing on the taste of the liquid supplements. Also one of the other facts about vitamins is that people simply buy the vitamin supplements without the concern of an expert doctor or a nutritionist. They simply go by the view of some other person taking the supplement for their body which thus might lead you into certain unnecessary health problems. Thus, it is said, that if you wish to enjoy a better health, then you should take the consultation of a good doctor along with the best vitamin supplements that consist of all the necessary vitamin complexes in them Read more...

Nutrition- best source of energy

Various types of vitamins and nutrition are highly essential to maintain good health. Nutrition offers the great support to the life of body cells. Vitamin is also being an important part of the nutrition and providing great contribution in physical functioning. Nutrition helps to promote growth and improves the immune system. It also maintains the mental alertness and physical strength. The nutritious diet works like a miracle to maintain the wellbeing in the health and that provides the required source of energy. Normally the daily intake of food should be such that provide all the required vitamins, minerals and nutrition. The routine functioning of the body is not possible without all these important elements. The main requirement of the body is carbohydrates, protein, fat and water. Carbohydrate is one of the most important sources of energy and that is largely required by our muscle and liver for their smooth functioning. Carbohydrates could easily be found from natural sweetening like glucose, fructose, sucrose etc. Another popular source of finding carbohydrate is corn, brown rice, wheat etc. Fat also has its own contribution in the wellbeing of the body. It is very important to maintain the metabolism system and safeguards the vital organs. Excessive intake of fat causes great damages and discomfort to the body. The normal sources to obtain natural fat are seafood, meat and dairy products. Other types of fats are known as triglycerides such as saturated and mono-saturated fats having drastic effects on your body weight and the function of heart.

It is not possible to maintain body growth and its in-built repair system without protein. Body produces the non-essential amino-acids where as the right and essential amino-acid has to be provided to the body by the suitable food. Any life is not possible without water. Our body requires lot of water. It helps to eliminate the poisonous toxins from the body and maintains the blood circulation properly. Water also helps greatly in operating the metabolism system to digest the food. It helps in maintaining the body temperature and moisture in the skin. Any human can stay away from the food but it would be too difficult to live without water. Water provides a great source of oxygen and oxygen helps in keeping fresh the cells and tissues in the body. Nutrition helps to offer an important support to the life of our body cells. Lack of proper nutrition, vitamins and minerals could cause serious consequences to the body. The growth of the body would sustain, the mental state would be unstable and other normal body functions would not be possible

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