8 Benefits of Sleep

An average adult typically needs 8 hours a night.  While school-age children typically run well off 9 hours. Experts like those at NYU's Sleep Disorder Center and Mayo Clinic says that a good night's sleep can have multiple benefits.  Here are the 8 most frequently cited:




1) Improved Memory

2) Curb Inflammation / Decrease Pain

3) Spur Creativity

4) Healthy Weight Management

5) Decrease Stress

6) Improve attention

7) Decrease irritability

8) Strengthen Immune System


If you are struggling with sleep, Mayo Clinic offers these tips:

• Stick to a regular sleep schedule
• Create a bedtime routine that cues your body that it is time to rest
• Limit naps to 10-30 minutes so they do not interfere with nighttime sleep
• Avoid alcohol, nicotine and caffeine close to bedtime
• Increase physical activity during the day
• If you don't feel sleepy after 15 minutes in bed, get up, do something and try again

For people who are experiencing pain, illness, or high levels of stress, sometimes settling in and falling asleep becomes more complicated.  If this is the case, you may consider consulting with your physician, therapist or other professional for resources available to you.  There are many options in terms of helping you get the sleep you need.

Sleep is essential to how our health - both mentally and physically.   If it is a problem for you, make it a priority.  Check in with your habits around sleep and consult with a professional if you need more assistance.  Your well-being is worth it.

Sweet dreams,

Rebecca

Riding the waves of life

“You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.”  ― Jon Kabat-Zinn

Job loss.  Chronic pain.  Death of spouse.  Illness.  Cancer.  Fibromyalgia.  Traffic jam when you are trying to get home.

So much of life is out of our control.  Life is going to go about its business whether we like it or not.  We have choices around how we want to live it.  This does not mean what is troubling us isn't important.  It is important.  This does not mean it cannot impact us.  Life often does impact us.

Sometimes it is a matter of how we want to view our circumstances.  Sometimes it is not so simple as changing our viewpoint and we need to go to a trusted friend, therapist, pastor, spouse.  Sometimes it takes a while before the sting of our situation goes away.  Sometimes quite a while.

Give yourself a moment to image what life will be like when you are past whatever is difficult.  Imagine it in the fullest detail.  Nothing lasts forever, not this bad day, not this difficult moment.

Be well,

Rebecca

“To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.”

― Thich Nhat Hanh

Drink It Up

Why is water so important?

According to Mayo Clinic, "water is your body's principal chemical component and makes up about 60 percent of your body weight. Every system in your body depends on water."

Water flushes our body of toxins.  Water helps to regulate our body temperature.  It dissolves nutrients for our body to use.  It is crucial in the very first stop in our digestion: the mouth.  It carries oxygen to our cells, lubricates our joints, helps decrease pain, supports our immune systems, and on.

Not enough water and we can become tired.  Dehydration can cause us to get headaches, lightheaded, low blood pressure, more susceptible to illness.

How much water should I drink?

The answer is pretty straightforward.  Take your body weight divide it in half and translate that into ounces.  If someone weighs 200 pounds.  Then half that and he or she should be drinking 100 ounces a day.  This can include non-caffeinated herbal teas as well.

Add more water to your daily amount following exercise or yard work or high outdoor temperatures.


A good rule of thumb:

• Drink your daily amount of water before enjoying any other beverages.  This is a way to be sure you are getting all you need.

• Carry a water bottle with you everywhere.

• And as a dear friend practices, stop at the drinking fountain at work or hit your water bottle after every time you use the bathroom.

Use tomorrow as an experiment.  Keep track of how much water you are drinking in a day.  If you are not reaching your recommended amount, give it a try for a week and see how you feel.


Be well,

Rebecca

Change

The world is in flux.  We all know this.  If a day goes by when we are not experiencing it ourselves, then the grapevine is there to remind us.  Whether it be the morning news, a favorite newspaper subscription on a trusty Nook, or the man standing next in line at the grocery, we can be sure we will be kept abreast of the many changes around us.

For many, change is uncomfortable.  Change shines a spotlight on a simple truth in life: much of life is out of our control.  The anxiety of it all can be enough to keep us awake at night, feed an underlying current of tension, or flat-out scare the pants off us.

With every passing day, every passing hour, every passing minute - there is change.

So if change is going to happen regardless of our efforts, what are we to do?

Breathe.

It is simple, really.  If we can take even three seconds to follow the breath, it brings us back to the steady rhythm that is life.  When we breathe, we are nourishing our bodies.  When we breathe, can ease tension.  When we breathe, we are reminded that even the breath changes.

Life is not without a sense of humor.

By focusing on this steady companion - our breath - we are reminded that change is natural.  It is worthy of our observation.  And it has a rhythm that we all share.

Give it a try.  Before flying out of bed each morning, simply take three breaths.  Perhaps notice the temperature of the air entering your nostrils and the temperature of the air as it leaves your body.  Three small, mindful breaths in the morning.  That change, at least, isn't so bad after all.


Rebecca