If you are staying up all night watching television or playing computer games, then you aren’t getting enough sleep, and this is detrimental for your health in a variety of ways. Here are some of the ways that lack of sleep can affect your mind and body along with why you should make sleep a priority.

Way 1: Having a Poor Immune System

When you are experiencing frequent illnesses, it is often caused by having a poor immune system. While you are sleeping, your body’s glands produce hormones that strengthen your immunity levels. If you are sick, then your physician will tell you to sleep so that your body’s immune system heals you naturally. Begin to sleep the appropriate number of hours each night so that you aren’t sick as often.

Way 2: Becoming Grumpy

If you are grumpy with your spouse and children, then this behavior is frequently caused by lack of sleep. When you aren’t sleeping enough, it can affect the emotional center of your brain, making you unable to tolerate annoying behavior from others. Make sure to go to bed at the same time each night to regulate your body’s circadian rhythms so that you sleep better.

Way 3: Low Energy Levels

You shouldn’t need to drink several cups of coffee or tea in the morning while you try to wake-up. If you are sleeping for seven to nine hours each night, then you will have a higher level of physical energy so that you can eat a nutritious breakfast before beginning your day at work, home or school.

Way 4: Inability to Learn

You already know children must have enough sleep to learn new concepts in school, but you also must have enough sleep to understand how to perform your job. If you can’t learn new information at work, then you should begin sleeping more each night in a quiet and dark bedroom.

Way 5: Gaining Weight

If you are gaining weight, then check your nightly sleeping schedule. New studies reveal that lack of sleep can change your body’s metabolism, leading to excess weight. Make sure to go to bed earlier each night so that you can begin to lose weight.

Way 6: Developing High Blood Pressure

When you have high blood pressure, in addition to eating a healthy low-sodium diet and exercising, you should sleep at least eight hours each night. Sleeping helps your body overcome the effects of the stress hormones that your body’s glands produce throughout the day. One of these hormones is cortisol, and it is a chemical that leads to gaining weight.

Way 7: Developing Chronic Depression

If you aren’t sleeping enough on a routine basis, then you are more likely to develop depression. When you suspect that you have a sleep problem such as sleep apnea or a circadian rhythm disorder, you should visit a specialist who can help you overcome the conditions so that you can sleep more each night.

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In order to enter into the world of stretching and exercising, one must first perfect basic stretches for beginners in order to get their body into the shape it needs to be in to conduct these moves. If not done properly, stretching and exercising could cause serious damage and injury to the body. It is extremely important to understand the limits when it comes to our own bodies and to not push past our boundary of endurance. To ensure your safety when it comes to performing harder stretches and exercises, you should first master these basic moves for beginners to create flexibility in your body.

1. The first stretch to take a closer look at is called “The Runner’s Stretch.” This exercise utilizes a lunging position that helps to stretch out your leg and core stomach muscles. Taking turns alternating between your rights and left legs, the bent leg stretches out in front of you while your fingertips are placed on the floor. Don’t forget to breathe in and exhale slowly while performing this exercise.
2. The second stretch that will help with your flexibility in the beginning of your exercising journey is called “The Standing Side Stretch.” This exercise starts you off by standing as straight as a tree, with your legs locked together and your arms above your head. Take turns slowly bending your body to the right side and to the left. It is most effective if you take five long, slow, deep breaths each time you are leaning to either side.
3. The third stretch that will help you in the long run is called “The Forward Hang.” This exercise starts you off by placing your arms behind your back and interlocking your fingers together. Then you simply bend at your waist, keeping your arms behind your back and extending them towards your head. Again, don’t forget to take deep breaths to keep your heartbeat steady.
4. The fourth stretch that will increase your ability to perform harder exercises further down the road is called “The Low Lunge Arch”. Similar to that of “The Runner’s Stretch”, you start out in a lunging position, with one leg bent and the other extended behind you. You then proceed to sweep your arms above your head while keeping your leg extending as far back as possible (keeping your comfort and safety in mind).
5. The fifth exercise to take a look at is called “The Seated Back Twist.” Sitting on the floor with your legs held straight out in front of you; bend over knee over the other leg. Twist your body away from your bent knee. Alternate sides, remembering to take deep breaths for five seconds.
6. The last exercise to examine is called “The Bound Angle.” Sitting cross-legged on the floor, carefully touch the soles of your feet to one another. Your knees should be as close to the ground as possible. Lean forward to place your palms on the ground and hold this pose for five seconds as you take deep breaths.

While these stretches may seem simple enough at the time, they will definitely help you in the long run to prepare you for harder circumstances. Without gaining flexibility and strength in the beginning stages, it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to be able to challenge yourself to harder exercises down the road.

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Wellness Secrets of the Past

Modern medical science has made great strides in improving our health and well-being. It seems like we learn something new every day. But for all the benefits of life in the twenty-first century, there are some things that our grandparents knew better than we do about living a healthy, happy life.

A Home cooked Meal

Today, speed and convenience often rule our food choices. We pick up breakfast at Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts, heat a prepared microwave meal for lunch, and go through a fast-food drive-thru for dinner. Our grandparents didn’t have those options—and they were better off for it. They prepared their meals at home with whole foods and then sat together at the table to eat, without the distractions of the television or a computer. The result: They ate less and ate more real, whole foods.

Early to Bed, Early to Rise

Ben Franklin was on to something. Getting enough sleep—about seven hours a night for adults—is essential to our health. Poor sleep habits can weaken your immune system and contribute to obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Moreover, studies have found that early risers tend to be more successful. They are more proactive and persistent, and they procrastinate less. An early rise can also reduce stress by giving you time to prepare for the day, including having a healthy, sit-down breakfast.

Community IRL

With the Internet, social media, and 24/7 news channels, it can seem like we’re more connected than ever. Yet, in real life, many of us are more isolated and lonelier than ever. Researchers are sounding the alarm of the health effects of social isolation, including greater risk of an early death. Robert Putnam, in his book Bowling Alone, noted that our grandparents were much more likely to be involved in the community through church, social clubs, and civic organizations. These real-life connections can reduce stress, guard against depression, and increase physical activity.

As the Garden Grows

Whether tending a victory garden during World War II or managing a whole farm, our grandparents were much more likely to grow at least some of their own food than we are today. As a result, they had access to fresh, usually organic, food. Gardening also kept them physically active and got them out into the fresh air and sunshine. The health benefits of gardening include lowered stress, a strengthened immune system, reduced depression, and even a lower risk of dementia in later life.

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Mindfulness started out as something only experienced meditators were familiar with and wasn’t really a mainstream way of approaching your thoughts and cognition for a long time. Recently, however, mindfulness has reached the mainstream, for good reasons. There are a huge number of benefits of practicing mindfulness in your daily life. Here are 4 good reasons to focus on mindfulness and incorporate it into your daily life.

Mindfulness Lowers Stress Levels

Mindfulness meditation and mindfulness cognitive behavioral therapy has, in many different studies, been clinically shown to reduce stress levels in those who practice it. In one study there was a direct correlation between a subject’s level of mindfulness and a lowering of cortisol levels.

Cortisol is a hormone that is produced when you are stressed out, and this link indicates that practicing mindfulness reducing the levels of cortisol in the body due to less stress levels across the board. Part of the reason mindfulness reduces stress is due to learning to r-perceive your thoughts and develop a different relationship with them.

Mindfulness Boosts Your Working Memory

Mindfulness has been shown to boost working memory and increases the ability to learn. Mindfulness physically changes the brain by increasing the amount of grey matter in the hippocampus, the brain area that is responsible for both these things. In one study, people who went through 8-week intensive mindfulness meditation training showed significant increases in the grey matter in their hippocampi.

Mindfulness Calms Anxiety-Causing Ruminations

One way that mindfulness can improve your life is by changing how you relate to your thoughts, your ability to control your thoughts and your emotional responses. These tools help to reduce anxiety causes ruminations that lead to mental distress and spiked anxiety. Focusing on past decisions, too much on the future or just rushing thoughts in general feeds into rumination and causes high levels of anxiety. Learning to be mindful helps you better cope with thoughts that might cause anxiety. In one study, a group of medical students who underwent mindfulness training showed markedly less levels of anxiety and depression after 9 weeks in contrast to the control group, who saw increased or stable levels of the same emotions.

Mindfulness Increases Day-to-Day Focus

Mindfulness has been shown to increase a person’s ability to focus and improve their overall attention span. In one study, a group of experienced mindfulness meditators had their attention tested against those who had never practiced mindfulness before. The experienced group had much higher levels of attention and focus than the non-practicing control group. It is postulated that this is due to the fact that mindfulness mediation actually helps create and strengthen different neural networks that are involved with attention and focus.

Mindfulness is a simple habit that can radically change your life. Mindfulness has not only been shown to improve mental health but to also make helpful physical changes in the brain and different hormone levels. Give it a try and reap the benefits of this simple, effective technique.

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