Category: Health and Wellness

Importance of sleep to mental health

Sleep is one of the most vital things in life. How many people actually know the benefits of a good amount and quality of sleep? Most people just get back from work and go to bed immediately, feeling refreshed the next morning. Although, some still wake up feeling sloppy or irritated. Sleep is part of our daily lives and also very essential to our health. It’s not just about sleeping but getting the right amount and quality of sleep.

Today we will be focusing on the benefits of sleep to our mental health and a list of natural healthy ways to get better sleep – giving you a full package. Alright, let’s go!

Before I tell you the benefits of sleep to your mental health, you should first know that sleep has different stages. A good quality sleep is having spent adequate amount of time in each level of sleep. There are basically 5 stages of sleep which could be divided into two namely, non-REM and REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. A sleep cycle can last up to 120mins, so a person can have an average of 4 to 5 sleep cycles a night. Each stage lasting from 5-15mins.

• Stage 1

You experience eye and muscle relaxation. You drift in and out of sleep frequently. In this stage you can be awakened easily.

• Stage 2

Your body is relaxed. Your heart rate and brain waves slows, eye movement stops, and body temperature decreases as you transcend into deep sleep.

• Stage 3

Also called deep sleep. Your brain releases Delta waves (very slow brain waves). In this transition, sleep walking, sleep talking and bed wetting occur.

• Stage 4

This is just the continuation of deep sleep. There’s a more exclusive production of Delta waves.

• Stage 5

Also called REM sleep. At this stage, brain waves imitate activity related to an awakened state. Although the eyes are closed, it moves rapidly from side to side.

For you to have a good quality sleep, you must have passed through all cycles and spent adequate time in each. Good, now that you know that let’s go see the benefits of sleep.

Benefits of sleep to mental health

• It makes you learn faster

It helps in all stages of life, from children to adults. When you try a task maybe for some time and you have a good night sleep and try it again, there’ll be improvement. It’s been found that sleep deprivation reduces learning ability. Even in school, schools that resume at later hours of 8:30am recorded improvement in test scores by 3% in math and reading, improved attendance, and reduces the rate of depression cases.

• Gives you a better mood with less chances of depression and anxiety

Sleep is highly related to mood, depression and anxiety. Sleep loss has a strong negative effect on mood. People who don’t get enough sleep wake up feeling sluggish, weak and sometimes slurred speech may occur. People who have insufficient sleep have more symptoms of depression and anxiety.

• It makes you happy

A good night sleep leaves you feeling refreshed and energized, giving you a feeling of happiness.

• Prevents slurred speech

Long deprivation of sleep can affect your speech, how? It can cause slurred speech, repeating of words, and a slow, recurrent tone.

• Prevents headache and migraine

People who don’t sleep well are prone to experience migraine. Even poor sleep is related to episodic migraine and about 36% – 58% of people who suffer from sleep apnea wake up with headache.

• Helps you feel less upset and irritated

When you lack sufficient sleep there’s tendency for you to get easily irritated at small interruption. Sleep deprivation can intensify negative emotions.

• It makes you focus better

Insufficient sleep makes it harder for you to concentrate, creating chances for easy distraction which can be fatal to your work or personal life. Getting sufficient sleep helps you stay focused.

Also, people on medication who maintain a good quality of sleep, hydration and nutrition are less likely to experience many side effects.

Haven’t been getting enough sleep? Don’t worry, I have natural remedies for you.

Natural ways to improve sleep

• Set a routine sleep pattern

Going to bed and waking up at the same time helps you sleep well because your body adapts to the sleep pattern.

• Cross-check your medication

Some drugs contain substances that could affect sleep. Know what you’re putting into your system. Drugs like beta-blockers, SSRIs (like Prozac and Zoloft) are likely to cause insomnia.

• Quit smoking

Smoking affects sleep because cigarettes contains a stimulant known as nicotine which prevents sleep. Smokers are also related to sleep apnea and respiratory issues which contribute to poor sleep.

• Stop coffee intake after 2pm

You can’t keep taking coffee which contains caffeine, a stimulant after 2pm in the afternoon and expect a good night sleep. You might end up not reaching deep sleep or probably not sleeping at all due to the fact that it lasts 8 hours after consumption.

• Exercise/workout often

To attain sleepiness, the body has to relax and cool down. Engaging in aerobic workout like cardio, improve the quality of your sleep.

• Take deep breaths

Taking deep breaths helps lower your heart rate and blood pressure, thereby relaxing your body and preparing it for sleep.

• Ensure proper ventilation

Our body loses the ability to regulate temperature during REM sleep and cooling is very vital in sleep. For people who suffer hot flashes, especially women in menopause, proper ventilation is advised.

• Avoid alcohol before bedtime

Your body takes an hour to metabolize just one drink of alcohol. Note that after consuming alcohol, the level of alcohol in your body starts to drop, signaling your body to wake up. So it’s best to avoid it at least 2 hours before bedtime.

• Remove light emitting gadgets too close to you

Gadgets like phones and laptops can emit light into eyes which tells your brain to stay awake. Avoid keeping them too close to you when sleeping.

• Pillow position

Sounds funny but pillow position matters because you have to keep your neck and spine straight when sleeping to avoid tension and aches.

With everything being said, you now know the importance of sleep to your mental health. I you’ve been having poor sleep, try out those remedies listed above and beyond consistent.

Sleep is very important, start getting sufficient sleep from today.

Written By Kalu Faith

Most people know what martial arts is due to famous movie stars who brought it to spot light, like the legendary Bruce Lee. But still, most don’t. You think everything you see in the movies apply to martial arts in reality. Well, I disagree and I’ll tell you why as we progress. For those who don’t know what martial art is, let me tell you.

What is martial art? Martial arts is a broad field, not just a fighting technique as most think. It comprises of fighting techniques, physical exercises and mental discipline, among other skills. Originating from ancient culture in Asia, though some other martial arts originated from other places. They are used today around the world for self defense, exercise, health, spiritual growth and athletic competition.

Now that you know what martial arts means, I want to tell you about all it entails in matters of commitment.

Most people who want to learn martial arts expect to see Kungfu skills on their first day. It’s not that way. A babe doesn’t become a man in a day. Patience is the first lesson and key to become a good martial artist. If it was so easy to learn the art people wouldn’t spend 4 years trying to get a black belt. You have to be patient to learn everything. There will be pain, reshaping, injuries, you will even be beaten once in a while. But all these are part of our gradual grooming. So if you’re not patient, then don’t bother.

Pain and endurance

Now, this is the part people tend to run away from. I agree that no one loves pain but you can’t see gold in it’s true beauty except it’s passed through fire. You must accept the fact that you have to be broken, transformed, remodeled. To attain a good level of flexibility and durability during a fight you have to pass through extensive and core training. In a fight, you might take a few punches. Your level of endurance determines how much you can take and how long you’ll last. So you see, it’s for your benefit. In a fight, your opponent doesn’t care if you’re hurt, he actually wants to inflict more damage. So, you have to be well guarded.

Another important quality you need in martial arts is perseverance. It’s not for quitters. You have to keep training no matter what. Even though you fail or miss a step, you just have to keep moving. We in martial arts put away any discouragement or opposition, because considering these won’t get you anywhere.

Training and constant practice

Without these two you can’t be a martial artist. Constant training is required on a daily basis. All these help improve your fighting qualities such as stance, stamina, endurance and speed. Constant training and practice is essential to achieve maximum efficiency. We engage in training until it becomes part of us, a habit and lifestyle.

Many martial artists focus on just aggression and speed. They leave behind a very essential factor which is composure. Whatever challenge you encounter, your composure matters. You don’t want to show your opponent you’re scared or tired. In fact, a well composed person hides his/her weak points well. If you are not composed and relaxed, you give your opponent information he can use against you. It’s not all about speed and aggression, extreme cases might not require much of those.

Lastly, a good martial artist must learn to accept correction. Your mistakes in a fight shouldn’t depress you. Instead, it should give you time to correct it, change your style and move on. Nobody’s perfect, we learn everyday. See your loss as a chance to improve your skills. This makes you a better martial artist.

So, if you think it’s easy what we do, it’s not. Why we are able to impress you in competitions or movies is because we’ve gone through all these process of brewing, to give the fine quality you admire and love to watch. It’s our commitment.

Martial arts isn’t just fighting. It’s a lifestyle.

Cryo-therapy is a relatively newer form of personal training which is gradually making its name in the world of physical health and fitness training. There always exists a room for advancements in the ever-evolving world of health & fitness and therapies like cryo-therapy are certainly enhancing the rate of these advancements. Cryo-therapy has been the center of several different studies and most if not all produced alarming results which are supposedly beneficial for the clients and patients.

The procedure is mildly amusing and could probably be considered as somewhat shocking in the beginning. Cryotherapy is basically nothing but a cold therapy where the body is induced to cold temperatures up to -264 degrees Fahrenheit. The deep-freezer like chambers drops the body temperature to around 30 – 50 degrees in a matter of two to three minutes. The sudden drop transitions the body into the survival mood as a result of which the blood flow increases to its maximum. The controlled environment ensures the greatest efficiency of the therapy and ensures no harm of any sort is done to the client’s health. The cold temperature also produces a burst of endorphins which assist in lifting up the mood and energy to much higher levels resulting in enhancing overall productivity.

At first read, a cold therapy for reduction of pain and enhancement of health doesn’t sound a lot appealing but experiencing it once changes the perceptions of client completely from negative to positive. There sure are no doubts that cryotherapy holds countless short-term health and fitness benefits and it is scientifically proven that cryotherapy is certainly one of the most productive means of pain reduction and muscle relaxation. It surely does also change the mood of the client for better and certainly makes him more positive and energetic for a short span of time. The real question is does these beneficial effects of cryotherapy prolongs for a greater length of time or do they fade away with the span of time?

Well, in order to answer these questions experimentally one needs to adopt and evaluate this relatively newer form of therapy for a greater span of time. But until it is experimentally verified all we have is mathematical data accumulated through studies and researches of the past on the basis of which we can propose hypothesis and assumptions for the future. It is certain that on practicing the therapy regularly for the greater length of time its positive effects would continue too. In order to provide a better understanding of the life-changing effects of cryotherapy, let’s consider the benefits of cryotherapy first.

• Reduction of Inflammation:

Cryotherapy was proposed initially for this sole purpose as it was believed that exposure to extremely cold temperature would lead to a reduction of inflammation. To date, cryotherapy greatest use is still for treating inflammation caused by injuries, wounds, or gashes. Cryotherapy treats inflammations at different areas all at once and helps greatly for the sudden lessening of pain. The given treatment ensures that the problem or wound in focus is treated completely for the greatest length of time as the cryotherapy only speeds up the rate of the natural healing process.

• Performance Enhancement:

Quite a few athletes are beginning to adopt to this newer method of personal health and fitness training because of its certain beneficial results. The production of endorphins ensures greater performance levels because of enhancement of muscle and internal strength. The given effect of cryotherapy in focus is merely temporary but the goals acquired because of it are certain to last forever.

• Chronic Pain & Fatigue Reduction:

Cryotherapy is gradually becoming the optimum solution for treating problems related to chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, or general body pain. The period of relief varies with the person and the issue in focus and in some cases it lasts for a greater span of time.

 

In addition to these, cryotherapy has countless more benefits too which include the likes of metabolism increase, happiness, and collagen boost. Despite some of the benefits last for a given span of time, its positive effects are certain to last a lifetime. Cryotherapy is just another form of personal health and fitness training and despite being greatly beneficial it is certainly no magic. These effects of cryotherapy could last for longer and probably lifetime if the sessions are done regularity in a proper scheduled manner.

 

If you live in or around Denver Colorado/Castle Rock Colorado you should go visit

http://castlerockcryotherapy.com/

303-663-6990

 info@castlerockcryotherapy.com 

Michael, at Castle Rock Cryo-Therapy is a unique provider as he deeply cares about your recovery process and will make sure you leave with less pain and more happiness.  for 5 years I struggled with pain and each session I limp into the office and leave skipping away!  I absolutely love my treatments and recommend them for anyone in the recovery process!

 

People workout for different reasons. When it comes to guys, most just do it out of influence or because they want to get really big, intimidating and sexy. Ladies on the other hand, mostly workout to loose body weight to attain a slim and sexy shape. Loosing body weight or looking sexy isn’t bad, it’s part of it, but not all of it. Many people workout for wrong reasons. Most, not knowing the benefits or maybe just knowing so little. Today I’ll be telling you not just the benefits of working out, but the benefits of working out regularly.

I’ll be giving you all the benefits pertaining to this 4 aspects, quality of life, mental health, work life and sex life.

Benefits to the quality of life

• Increases your life span

You want to live long, enjoy beautiful moments, raise your kids and watch theirs grow? Sure, working out helps boost your life span. Research shows that people who workout for 30 minutes, 5 days in a week increase their life span by 3.4 years. Wow! But in case you can’t get up to 30 minutes, no worries. For 10mins/5days you get 1.8 years. If you want more than that, then go for 300mins/7days which gives you 4.2 years. So you get to be in shape and live longer. Isn’t that wonderful?

• Less prone to disease

Just a 30 minutes workout can boost your immune system up to 24 hours. It fortifies your immune system against diseases, reducing the risk of cancer. As you workout, each sweat session flushes out bacteria from your system thereby preventing illness.

• Reduces risk of diabetes

As you workout, you become more sensitive to insulin, which in turn lower your blood sugar levels. This could prevent type 2 diabetes.

Let’s talk about how it can improve your mental health.

• It boosts your memory, brain power and reduces cognitive decline

Regular workout boost your memory capacity and ability to learn new stuff. It boosts the production of cells in the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory and learning.

• Cardio workouts increase the formation of new brain cells known as neurogenesis thereby increasing the brains performance. Studies also show that intensive workout increases the level of a brain-derived protein (BDNF) which aids higher thinking, decision making and learning.

Also as you get older, your brain starts to shrink, this therefore be leads to the loss of some brain functions. Working out boosts chemicals in the brain that prevents degeneration of the hippocampus.

• Helps to reduce stress

Whether it’s mental or physical stress, working out helps relieve stress. How? You may be asking. Working out increases the concentration of norepinephrine in the brain, which helps reduce the brains response to stress.

• Makes you happy

During workouts the body releases endorphins which create the feeling of happiness and euphoria. Even study shows that working out alleviate the symptoms of people experiencing depression and anxiety.

Benefits of regular workouts to work life

Most people who have office jobs tends to overlook working out. Reason being that they don’t see the need. They feel work done in the office is enough, but I’m here to tell you that working out can boost your work performance. Here’s how…

• Develop the ability to set and achieve goals

When you begin working out, you start small usually with the basics and gradually you begin to rise. You set goals, the amount of weights you lift or covering a particular distance and you work to get there. The same applies to your job. You have become inclined to setting and achieving your goal. So at work, tougher task become easy due to your constant desire to meet your target.

• Self confidence

You’ve done a good job, now you like the way you look naturally, this builds your self confidence. This helps you at work because now you always feel in control of yourself and also energized.

• If you have a blue-collar job, this is an advantage. Working out increases your muscle mass and flexibility. Making you strong, durable and flexible, which in turn makes you work for more hours with less stress.

Benefits of regular workouts are so numerous that it’s hard to see any part of your body of life in general it doesn’t benefit. Even when it comes to sex, it can give you an edge. Let me tell you how…

• Working out gives a better shape and sense of sexuality. You begin to feel more comfortable and relaxed during sex. Without having to bother about how you look, well of course you know you look good and desirable. In most cases, people who workout at least 3 times a week have higher sexual desirability.
• For women, studies have shown that women who worked out regularly were able to get easily aroused and reach orgasm at a faster and intense rate.
• Increases your sexual performance

You’ve gained more physical strength and endurance, which in fact is needed during sex for longevity. You also develop stability for sexual positions that require more physical control. No worries, now you and your partner can enjoy more sex.

Now, you’ve known a few benefits of regular workout. Well in case you’re kind of lazy or don’t know how to start working out and wish to enjoy these benefits. Let me give you a few tips to get you off that couch.

How to beat a ‘couch to workout challenge’

• First of all, choose a workout plan. Start with the basics, don’t rush it.
• Set a goal you want to achieve, like lifting 30kg in 4 weeks or running 800m.
• Get a partner – people who find it hard to workout mostly lack good motivation. A good partner motivates you and makes working out more fun.
• Don’t rush it – start slow, easy and consistently. From 10 reps for 2 sessions to 15 reps for 4 sessions.
• Increase your pace – you’re getting used to it, it’s time for you to increase the number of reps and sessions.
• After achieving a goal, do well to reward yourself.

With all these, determination and consistency you’ll find life more easy and better. Hope I’ve given you enough reason to start working out.

Get up and work out.

 

Article Written by Kalu Faith