Resting easy is hard work!

We hear it over and over again. From family, friends, and co-workers alike, “I couldn’t fall asleep last night”. Without fail, every morning in line at the coffee shop bleary eyed folks order huge, fully-sugared, high-octane coffees, hoping to make it through a long morning after a short night.

We understand, everyone is tired. Our lives all move at a fast pace. But is that it? Are we stuck in this endless cycle of too much work, late nights, restlessness and tired mornings? Not at all! Here are some of our favorite healthy sleeping tips that you can try tonight!

Benefits of Sleep

Sleep has many different benefits, from helping our brains to retain more information to restoring our bodies. Sleep is crucial for optimal health. Getting the restorative benefits of sleep means getting quality sleep.

Quality sleep consists of, first and foremost, getting enough sleep. This means getting 7-9 hours per night. Secondly, quality sleep means getting deep, uninterrupted sleep. When your body is in the deepest stages of sleep (REM sleep), this is when your brain is refreshed and renewed. Getting enough deep sleep is crucial for having high energy output when you’re awake.

Ways To Sleep Better

Since sleep is so important, you should consider taking special precautions to ensure that you get the sleep you need. Poor sleep is usually the result of poor sleep habits. Check out these natural ways to sleep better.

• Create An Evening Routine To Help You Unwind

Here’s the scenario: You work in front of a computer screen all day. After a hectic day, you maybe hit the gym or grab a quick bite to eat. When you finally arrive home, you plop down on the couch and catch up on the news or your favorite shows while endlessly scrolling through your phone to see what everyone’s up to.

Then you realize it’s after 11pm and you should probably go to bed. So you brush your teeth, find some PJ’s and crawl into bed, only to find that you’re wide awake. And the clock is taunting you. There are a million things on your mind.

Try this instead. Be intentional; make it your goal to power off by 10pm (or earlier!) every night. Turn off your electronics and focus on relaxing. Take a hot shower or bath, read a magazine or favorite book (paper, not digital!), spend time with your family, or journal about your day. Not only are these wonderful daily habits, but you may just find yourself nodding off.

• Fuel Your Body For Deep Sleep

Some foods are naturally relaxing, some are even naturally high in melatonin (a hormone that aids your body in falling asleep). Choosing your evening snack wisely may be more beneficial than you realize.

Tart Cherry Juice is delicious and naturally contains melatonin. Try drinking a small glass before bed. Combine it with good fats by blending tart cherry juice into a smoothie or drizzle it over organic yogurt. If you’re not much of a snacker, you can sip a hot cup of herbal chamomile tea. Going to bed with a full belly ensures you won’t be up in the middle of the night looking for a snack when you should be sleeping!

• Take A Natural Sleep Aid

Sometimes, despite our best efforts, it’s difficult to get good sleep. Whether it’s worried thoughts that keep us from falling asleep, or anxiety that constantly wakes us up throughout the night, sometimes you need something a little extra to get your body into deep sleep. For those times, use a natural sleep aid to give your body the relaxing nudge that it needs.

Sleep supplements can go a long way towards helping you fall asleep, and stay asleep, at night.

Now that more and more people have recognized that the country is currently experiencing a health crisis, consciousness of the need to pursue a lifestyle predicated on holistic well-being is widespread. If you’ve recently realized that you don’t want to experience the physical and mental impairments that result from poor health, now is the time to implement health solutions that will facilitate holistic well-being. Here are two techniques that can help you realize this goal:

1. Identify Strategies That Will Limit Your Stress Levels.

People who want to feel whole in their minds and bodies should focus on implementing anxiety reduction techniques. These techniques are powerful because they help fight the ongoing stress that the mental and physical components of the self are subject to as a result of things like environmental factors, deaths in the family, anxiety about an upcoming presentation, etc. By regularly implementing strategies that help limit the experience of stress that results from these types of situations, you can avoid unwanted outcomes such as constipation, insomnia, weight gain, and poor concentration. Some of the anxiety reduction techniques that people have found useful include journaling or engaging in a form of physical activity they find fun. Note that this last strategy is distinct from doing a specific exercise to get results because the focus and attention is placed on enjoying oneself.

Keep in mind that problem-solving is oftentimes one of the most effective techniques you can deploy to reduce anxiety. Specifically, it is sometimes possible to identify an issue that is causing stress and then eliminate it. For example, if you run a business and find the process of writing contracts to be ridiculously complicated, figuring out how to simplify this work can significantly reduce your experience of stress. Companies such as Cobblestone Systems are pleased to provide clients with the contract management system products and services that will empower them to shorten and simplify this aspect of their business operations.

2. Tap Into The Power Of Meditation.

If you’re really serious about getting healthy, make sure you jump on the meditation bandwagon as quickly as possible. There are numerous incredible wellness benefits that you’ll attain from meditating regularly, and some of them include lower blood pressure and sounder sleep. Note that there are hundreds of different meditation modalities, and this means that you’ll likely be able to find one that you enjoy. One type of meditation you may want to consider is focused attention meditation. This modality involves focusing your attention on one object throughout the session. The object could be anything from a part of your body to the breath. It could also be a mantra, flowers, or a piece of fruit you really enjoy eating. One of the big benefits of this meditation modality is that it makes the flow of attention steady as the mind continually focused on one object, thereby developing the participant’s capacity for concentration!

Start Optimizing Your Level Of Vitality Right Now!

If you’re interested in leading a life marked by profound vitality, it’s important to know that you can. Two simple solutions that you can use to attain holistic well-being are outlined above. Start making behavioral shifts now so you can attain the level of health necessary to come alive in your mind and body!

When it comes to the care and health of your teeth, there are dental emergencies that can occur from time to time. Dental emergencies can often be painful and need to be treated immediately by a professional. Here are a few different types of dental emergencies that can occur and will require you to visit a dental office as soon as possible.

Tooth Fractures

Both children and adults can suffer from tooth fractures, which are prone to occur due to falls or when participating in sports. Cracks that extend down into the root of the tooth can cause a significant amount of pain. Rinse any tooth fragments that are present in lukewarm water and apply pressure to the area where bleeding may be present. A dental professional will determine the most effective form of treatment, which may include dental bonding or getting a veneer.

Lost Filling or Crown

Fillings or crowns are considered to be permanent solutions to tooth decay but are prone to falling out at times. You’ll need to call an emergency dentist Quincy and keep it in a cool and dry place. Waiting too long to have the crown reinserted can result in further damage if the teeth begin to shift.

Knocked Out Tooth

Teeth that are knocked out need immediate treatment because they may be connected back to the gums. Pick the tooth up by the crown and run it under warm water. Avoid touching the root and try to place it back in the socket. If you’re unable to put it back in the mouth, allow it to soak in a glass of milk, water, or saliva to prevent it from drying out.

Loose Tooth

Dislodged teeth that are loose are common if they are knocked out of their sockets or if decay is present. A dental professional can provide root canal therapy if the blood vessels and nerves are no longer attached to the tooth. A cold press and medication can be used to alleviate the discomfort until visiting a dentist to secure the tooth back into the socket.

When you want to care for your teeth, there are a few emergencies that you will need to see a professional as soon as possible. By understanding when your teeth need to be treated immediately, you can be prepared for when an accident occurs to preserve the quality of your oral health.

Addiction is very difficult to overcome without support. But what if you aren’t sure where to go to find that support? What if the dozens of rehab facilities in your state leave you wondering which is the right choice for you? If you’re not sure where to find help for your drug or alcohol addiction, here are just four ways to narrow down your options.

1. Know Your Price Range

It’s not uncommon for addicts to use the price of rehab as an excuse not to go. Do yourself a favor and look at your finances before you start browsing clinics, recovery programs and detox centers. What’s the highest amount that you can spend on getting clean? Don’t even bother looking at organizations that exceed that amount.

2. Review Their Itinerary

If you’re an outdoors person, you might like an airy, open facility in the middle of the mountains that offers activities like camping and horseback riding. If you’re a painter, you might get more out of urban art therapy. The sky is the limit when it comes to classes, events and seminars that are offered by rehab facilities, so look for a place that has activities you’ll enjoy.

3. Look for Specialists

Many rehab facilities offer a combination of drug and alcohol recovery programs, but they aren’t the only kinds out there. There are also specialty clinics that focus on particular kinds of substance abuse. For example, there might be a heroin addiction rehab center in your area or a detox program specifically for meth. These rehabs can be a good choice for you if you think that you can benefit from focused treatment.

4. Plan Your Schedule

Rehab programs can range from weekend getaways to long-term sober living. If you have a family or career that makes demands on your time, you’ll need to figure out how to work rehab into your schedule. Maybe this means taking a leave of absence from your job; maybe it means scheduling group therapy on the days when you don’t have the kids. It’s up to you to figure out where and how rehab can fit into your life.

These are just a few things to keep in mind as you search for a rehab facility. The right choice is out there; you just have to find it and seize it. A sober future is waiting for you.

When you are a teenager, you start wondering about your life. There are some choices you have to make, and one of those choices is what sort of career you want to follow in your life. This can be sometimes an easy choice, but some of us find it to be a daunting task.

For all of you who have not chosen yet, or for all of you who think about switching to another career path, I have good news: veterinary courses. It doesn’t even matter how old you are as long as you are willing to learn a new profession. Here are only some of the reasons one might want to choose a career as a vet:
1. You get to work with all sorts of animals: domestic pets, farm animals, exotics, the choice is completely yours. It gives you an opportunity to spend some time with animals you wouldn’t normally have a chance to come across.
2. You get to work with many like-minded people like you who also love animals and who have a passion for them. Why would anybody choose this career? Love of animals is probably number one reason here, although the money is not bad either. On average vets earn a decent living with many extras that can allow them to live good lives.
3. You get to choose your own specialisation: you can opt to become a vet surgeon, or you can assist female animals in having their young ones. As usual, the choices here are very wide and everybody should be able to find something for themselves.
4. Being a vet can add you a purpose in life, something that some of us are lacking. Being able to help and save the animals is one of the best career choices one can pursue.

Whatever your reason for becoming a vet, know that there are many career paths you can follow and many vet courses you can attend that usually don’t take that much time meaning that you can become a vet quickly and without any problems.

Some people want to be surrounded by space. Some people want to be surrounded by beautiful things. Some people want to be surrounded by familiarity. But when you focus on those kinds of things, you may lose track of the core essence behind what kind of a living space you want. And that is, you want a living space that is healthy!

So, you can take all of the other things that you like and wrap them in the concept of health. A few ways to do that with respect to your home or apartment would be to start with the overall area, fix up the outside as possible, create a calm room inside, and pay special attention to noise and light. By following that general pattern, you can create an amazing, healthy living space for yourself, and potentially other people living with you as well.

Start With the Area

Inside of your own definition of what is practical or intentional, you want to aim for living in an area that promotes health as you see fit. To do that, you can contact a property manager, you can talk to a real estate agent, or you can just drive around in a few different neighborhoods. The idea is that your healthy space ideally should be the centerpiece of a larger area that you feel comfortable in.

Fix Up the Outside

After you found an area that you’re good in, the next step will be to fix the exterior of this place is much as possible to create a healthy atmosphere. If you have purchased or are renting a house, this means doing things like landscaping, creating a nice curb appeal, and even cleaning up sidewalks and driveways to promote health. If you consider that emotional health is a part of your living environment, you will have a good target to aim for while you do this work.

Create a Calm Room

Inside of your healthy house, what you want to do is create a calm room or a calm space. This means getting rid of electronics, eliminating clutter, and creating comfortable places to sit, stand, or lie down. Sometimes your calm room can be a bedroom, whereas other times it might be some type of an office, as long as you make sure to hide the computer when you need to. Sometimes the healthiest thing for a person to do when they’re feeling stressed is just find a place to go and breathe. Creating this room is a great way to institute that theory.

Pay Special Attention To Noise and Light

One thing to pay close attention to is the amount of noise and light that comes into a particular environment. Studies have shown that too much noise or too much or too little light can cause frustration and anxiety. If you want to create healthy living space for yourself, noise and light have to be two of the primary things that you are attempting to control. Window shades and basic sound insulation go a long way to help you with this goal.

Two major topics of concern these days include health matters and the legal system. And, to make matters occasionally more complicated, those two topics often combine in ways that may be difficult to understand. Knowing that, it’s important that you occasionally review the health and legal industries, especially where it may be a focal point in your current standard of living.

For instance, if you think about things like malpractice suits, insurance costs, patient privacy, and your need to understand the health and legal industries, you’ll find that there are many blanks in your knowledge base. In order to fill in those blanks, you should do a combination of research online and in person with different people in order to get a broader view of some of your life options.

Malpractice Suits

No one ever wants to end up dealing with a medical malpractice suit. However, accidents happen even in the most controlled environments. We all hope that it never happens to us personally, but in the event that it does, it’s important that we understand how to protect ourselves and our family. If there’s ever any instance where there may be medical malpractice in play, you need to know who to contact in what type of legal department in order to ensure the results of your complaint are handled accurately and appropriately.

Understanding Insurance Costs

Another topic where health and legality combine is when it comes to insurance costs. Especially these days, figuring out how insurance works is like walking through a battlefield. You have to understand many different technical elements of premiums, co-pays, minimum payments, and a dozen other factors, and if you get any of them wrong, you can technically be penalized legally from certain institutions. The more that you learn about insurance costs first, the less you will be frustrated with them later.

Patient Privacy Concerns

Within the last generation, electronic medical records have become the norm. While this is great in terms of doctors being able to access all of your records easily, there are some privacy concerns that can happen. If your medical information gets out because of the lack of security as referenced from a medical facility, there are a great number of legal implications. With that in mind, you should understand where patient privacy starts and ends, and where your legal rights with respect to this privacy are as well.

Asking Questions of Lawyers and Doctors

You should never be shy to ask questions of both lawyers and doctors. If there’s anything you are concerned about, if there’s anything you are unsure about, or if there is anything that you want to explain, talk to them until you get the answers that you want. Especially when doctors and lawyers combine in any sort of a situation, it’s more important than ever that you understand where you fit and what your rights are with respect to those industries.

In order to live a happy and healthy life, you will need to make sure that you have a strong body.  The best way to do so is to take the proper precautions in order to avoid aging at a fast rate.  Health isn’t something that should be taken for granted.  After all, you can have all the money in the world, but without your health, you have nothing.

Making the decision to live a healthier lifestyle is something that many people do when they realize that they aren’t immortal and that making changes is something that will benefit them long term.  Try to start making healthy changes today and watch the quality of your life improve.  Try following these steps in order to have the healthiest body possible.

Don’t Let Injuries Go Untreated

When you sustain an injury don’t let it go untreated by pretending that it will just heal itself.  Many times even if you think something isn’t serious enough to require seeing a specialist, the injury can flare up at a later point in your life and become something much more intense.

Often, people leave small injuries untreated and, in turn, end up with long term injuries which cause them a lot of pain and stress later.  Try to always put your injuries as a top priority and see a doctor as soon as something is causing you discomfort.  This includes dental emergencies as well.

Avoid Processed Foods

One of the worst things that you can do for your body is to eat processed foods which have very little nutritional content.  When you put junk into your body the results will be that you feel sluggish and can be more prone to obesity related diseases.

Try to eat a diet rich in raw fruits and vegetables and a fair amount of protein.  When your diet is well balanced rather than extreme, your body is much better nourished and your performance is far better.

Get Exercise Regularly

By getting in exercise every day you are making sure that you keep up with the needs of your caloric burn.  Every time that you eat you are putting more calories into your system.  Therefore, if you eat more calories than you burn, you will end up gaining excess weight.

Exercising not only makes you feel more well rounded and healthy, but it makes you look great too.  Try to get in at least 30 minutes of mild to moderate exercise a day and you will find the results will be something you like very much.

Get Plenty of Sleep

Doctors recommend getting at least 8 hours of sleep a night in order to have a fully restored body.  When you don’t restore your body then you are letting your system run on empty which in turn leads to fatigue and burnout.

Oftentimes, people think about their quality of life and find that it is lacking in some significant way. In many if not most cases, one of the problems that contributes to the mediocrity of an individual’s life is poor health. Unfortunately, America is a land replete with a wide variety of values and behaviors that create a culture conducive to illness. For example, most U.S. citizens are on a diet lacking in the nutrients necessary to optimize the metabolism for weight management and/or weight loss purposes. Despite the various health challenges that can surface and become ingrained due to lifestyle, people who are ready to change can do so. Make change happen now so you can lead an incredible life by using the following strategies:

1. Acknowledge And Overcome Addictions.

In many cases, the factor precluding an individual from attaining and maintaining great health is an addiction. Luckily, acknowledging the reality of addiction and taking steps towards ending it can empower you to step into a greater dimension of physical and mental health. If you have a substance abuse issue and need to find the right drug rehab Sacramento facility, the professionals of New Start Recovery Solutions can assist you.

2. Embrace Self-Acceptance.

Oftentimes, feelings of insecurity and low self-esteem preclude an individual from getting healthy. For example, people who feel that they lack value and innate worth may not engage in self-care activities that promote health and wellness like exercise, bathing regularly, or massages. To ensure that you attain the level of self-esteem to promote the mental and physical health that result from these activities, embrace self-acceptance. Because most people at least periodically feel that they are not enough due to things like child abuse or an unhealthy relationship, it’s important to continually remind yourself that you are good enough. One great way to promote a feeling of “enoughness” is through regular meditation. There are numerous mantras that you can repeatedly recite within yourself to promote an intense, sustained feeling of self-worth. Some of them include:

• “I am enough”
• “I love myself”
• “I am loved”

Start Using These Health Strategies Today!

Two health techniques that can take your life from average to amazing include acknowledging and overcoming addiction and embracing self-acceptance. Start using these techniques now so that you can become a more lively, vibrant person!

Many people suffer from shallow breathing or general discomfort when it comes to their respiratory health.  Perhaps they are frequently sick, suffer from asthma, or are simply surrounded by conditions which are negatively impacting their lungs.

Sometimes people become so accustomed to breathing poorly that they don’t even remember what it is like to breathe clearly and deeply.  Breathing well isn’t something that you have to live without.  When it comes to improving your respiratory health and taking control of your lungs, here are some tips.

Use Essential Oils

Using oils is something that will not only smell pleasant and calm you down, but it also will clear your lungs and help you feel more cleared out when you breathe.

Try applying essential oils to your chest rubbing in circular motions.  You can do this before or during a steamy bath.  If you are feeling particularly congested you can get a steamer created for essential oils which will release a gentle steam into the room and help the air get to a pleasant state.

Get Your Heartrate Up

Your lungs are the happiest when they are being used. When you are getting an aerobic workout in, your lungs are reaching their full potential and being filled with lots of healthy air.  Try getting in at least 30 minutes of exercise daily during which you feel shortness of breath and this will significantly improve your respiratory health.

Don’t Smoke

Studies show that smoking is one of the worst things that you can do for your respiratory health.  Smoking not only destroys your lungs but there are many other health risks associated with this addiction.

If you are a smoker and would like to quit but aren’t sure how to do it, consider asking your doctor about the various options there are out there.  Some people are able to quit cold turkey, while others try more creative approaches like hypnosis.  Find a solution that works for you and give it a try.

Practice Deep Breathing Exercises

When you practice yoga or other deep breathing activities which fully inflate and deflate the lungs, you are giving your lungs a full workout.  If you do this every day in the morning you will find that your lungs function with much more capacity.

Not only will you find that you breathe better, but activities like yoga will make you feel stronger and much more relaxed afterward.

Sit up Straight

If you are constantly slouching then your lungs are not in a position to get in a satisfactory amount of air.  Try sitting up straight while sitting down and breathing from your stomach.  You’ll find that this small change in posture makes a huge difference in the way that you breathe.

It is estimated that 620,000 Americans used heroin in a single year (according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2010). But what is the drug? What does it do and how does it affect those who use it?

Here are our top 5 facts on heroin addiction.

Heroin is an opiate drug.

An opiate drug comes from the seed pod of the poppy plant which contains morphine. Unlike some drugs, heroin can be in many forms; a white powder, a brown powder or a black substance known as black-tar heroin due to its resemblance but Heroin indeed is an opiate.

Heroin users describe feelings of euphoria when taking the drug but what are the other, darker effects?

Strong feelings of happiness are often reported to be combined with a dry mouth, their hands and feet feeling heavy, difficulty moving and a difficulty thinking straight and making decisions.

These reactions are caused by the morphine in the heroin entering the brain quickly. It grabs onto the opioid receptors in the brain, many of which are linked to feeling pain, experiencing pleasure or controlling processes like breathing, arousal and blood pressure.

Heroin users are at a very high risk of life threatening illness and infection.

Over time heroin can cause many long-term health issues. These include collapsed veins, abscesses, stomach cramping and infection in the lining and valves of the heart. Blood vessels leading to the lungs, liver, kidneys, or brain can also become clogged. Heroin use also comes with other issues. Sharing injection needles can increase the risk or diseases like HIV and hepatitis. Users are also at risk of physical injury from impaired judgement.
23% of people who try heroin will become addicted (according the National Institute on Drug Abuse).

Heroin is a very addictive drug. Regular users of heroin often develop a tolerance. To experience the desired effect, these users take higher or more frequent doses. A substance use disorder (SUD) develops when continued drug use causes issues in the user’s life, such as health problems or failure to meet responsibilities. A heroin addict who stops using heroin may develop withdrawal symptoms such as muscle pain, cold flushes, sleep problems and cravings for more of the drug, read this heroin withdrawal timeline here.
Heroin users are at risk of overdosing; taking too much or having a toxic reaction which results in severe health issues or death. Breathing slows, decreasing the amount of oxygen reaching the brain which can cause brain damage or breakdown of the nervous system.

There are 2 widely used and effective treatments for heroin addiction; medication or behavioural therapies.

The medical treatment of heroin abuse uses buprenorphine and methadone. Both of these work by grabbing onto the same opioid receptors in the brain as the heroin but with less force. This reduces the cravings and withdrawal symptoms in the patient. A different form of medical treatment is naltrexone. This simply blocks opioid receptors and completely prevents opioid drugs from influencing the patient.
There are typically two types of behavioural therapies for heroin addiction; contingency management and cognitive-behavioural therapy.
Contingency management is a way of rewarding a user with vouchers or small cash rewards for positive steps, for example staying drug-free for a week or a month.
Cognitive-behavioural therapy helps modify the expectations of the patient’s drug-use. It works to manage triggers and stress related to taking heroin or the drug in question. This form of therapy is typically very effective and can be used alongside medicines.

When it comes to taking on all of the different things that you have to balance in life it can be an overwhelming load to balance on your shoulders.  Sometimes so many things start to add up that we can start wonder how we are possibly going to be able to do everything that we need to do.  Our minds start to become like a cluttered drawer with no organization or order.  Before you know it, we can have so much crammed in there that we start to lose sight of how we will even get it all done.

However, catching ourselves before we get to this point is important.  Make sure that you recognize the signs that you are starting to become overstressed to avoid burning yourself out.  If you let yourself get to empty, then it is even more difficult to make a recovery.  Here are the biggest warning signs that you are starting to become overstressed.

Frequent Mood Swings

One of the biggest telltale signs that you are starting to become overwhelmed and stressed is that you have frequent mood swings.  One moment you are feeling fine and the next minute something that wouldn’t normally be a trigger sends you into an angry dip.  You are easily irritated and can feel frustrated by circumstances that would normally just slide right by you.

The best way to recognize whether you are being just moody or if you are having genuine frustration with a situation is monitoring how you feel about it at a later time.  If you feel extremely irritated by something in the moment, take a break emotionally before you react, and revisit how you feel later that day.  If you are able, to be honest with yourself and recognize whether what you were feeling several hours before was genuinely irritating or simply a symptom of stress, then you can deal with your feelings with a much clearer head.

Difficulty Sleeping

Stress can affect sleep because your mind is on overdrive.  You can stay up all night thinking about all of your pressing to-do’s and wonder how on earth you are going to complete them.

When your mind doesn’t shut off then your body follows.  It is important to get a good night’s sleep so that you can do your best work.

Loss Of Interest In Activities You Once Enjoyed

When your mind is fixated on everything that you have on your plate then you start to become incapable of taking a break to enjoy things that give you pleasure.  Your mind is stuck on overdrive mode without being able to shut down.

If you find yourself making excuses to go out with friends or find yourself not wanting to do things that once were your favorite thing to do, then you may be overstressed.