Exploring The Top Five Causes Of Insomnia

Although we all have trouble drifting off to sleep from time to time, it can cause more stress for some than others. Insomnia occurs when you regularly have a problem either getting to sleep, or staying asleep long enough to feel refreshed when you wake up in the morning.

Although you might assume insomnia is just an unlucky condition in itself, it's usually a symptom of something else. This is why it's vital you understand the causes of insomnia and visit a doctor to rule out something more serious.

1) Stress

We've all probably experienced short term stress-related insomnia at some point in our lives. You just can't get to sleep as you have a thousand thoughts and worries running through your mind. For some, however, the insomnia stays even when the stress has gone. Some people learn to associate their bed or trying to get to sleep with being stressed or feeling “awake”.

2) Anxiety And Other Mental Health Issues

Anxiety disorders will often leave people staying awake at night, either due to physical or mental symptoms. Other causes of insomnia include depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and others. Treatment of the underlying condition will often help with the insomnia.

3) Medication

Believe it or not, even sleep medication can be one of the causes of insomnia once we become dependent on using it. However, there are a whole range of other prescription medications that can make a difference - from antidepressants to hormone treatments and high blood pressure medication. It's always a good idea to discuss any medication with your doctor to make sure it's not the cause of your sleepless nights.

4) Underlying Conditions

There are a whole host of physical conditions known to be causes of insomnia. This is why you shouldn't just assume it's in your head and that you can treat yourself. It could be a sign of something more serious, so take the time out to visit your doctor to rule other problems out.

5) Drugs

Lastly, we all know that stimulants such as caffeine can keep us awake. But you may not realize that alcohol also negatively effects sleep, despite the fact that we initially feel sleepy and relaxed when we drink it. You should try to avoid these drinks before bedtime if you want to have the best sleep possible.

Remember, although you may recognize one of these causes of insomnia instantly, it's still vital that you talk to your doctor before diagnosing yourself.

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Antibacterial Cleaners: Can They Do More Harm Than Good?

The chances are that you probably own antibacterial cleaners, whether they are in the form of hand soap or cleaners for your kitchen and bathroom. But are these cleaners actually doing more harm than good?

Why Do We Need to Kill Bacteria?

It’s true that some bacteria can cause disease, illness and food poisoning. Many antibacterial cleaners promise to kill around 99% of bacteria, which helps to explain why they are so popular. After all, we all want to protect ourselves and our family from getting ill.

So Why Are Antibacterial Cleaners Bad for Our Health?

Unfortunately, antibacterial cleaners aren’t as good for us as they may seem. In the short term, their ingredients are known to irritate the skin (this is more of a problem with those that have been developed for cleaning purposes).

The FDA is currently looking into one of the major ingredients of antibacterial soaps: triclosan. Although the evidence isn't yet clear, it suggests it may have a harmful effect on humans (especially children). In the past, the FDA has also stated that there are no extra health benefits to using antibacterial soaps over regular soap and water.

Another long term result of using antibacterial products is that they make bacteria more resistant. This means that, over time, these antibacterial products will no longer be able to kill the germs they set out to kill in the first place.

The truth is that you don’t need to make your home sterile to protect yourself and your family. Bacteria is all around us, and being exposed to small amounts of it is what our body needs in order to build up its defenses against stronger bacteria. Studies have shown that sterile environments in childhood can actually lead to more allergies and other problems later in life.

The American Medical Associated (AMA) has warned against extensive use of such antibacterial cleaners for these reasons. When it comes to killing germs, simple measures like washing your hands often (with traditional rather than antibacterial soap) are a good way to protect against germs. 

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Simple Five Relaxation Techniques For Anxiety

If you regularly feel anxious or stressed it can manifest itself in many different ways, including muscle tension, headaches, chest pain and more. This is why relaxation techniques for anxiety are such an important way to relieve the tension and help your mind to feel more calm. Here are five top relaxation ideas.

1) Diaphragmatic Breathing:

When we feel anxious we may start to hyperventilate, taking very shallow breaths. This is why one of the best relaxation techniques for anxiety is to breathe using the full capacity of your lungs. To do this, imagine that you're breathing into your stomach instead of your chest. Your stomach should rise and fall each time you breathe in and out.

2) Visualization: 

Visualization is a good way of taking your mind away from whatever it is that's making you feel anxious, and training it to feel more relaxed even during situations where you wouldn't normally feel relaxed. Visualize, in detail, sights, sounds, smells and feelings that you would feel if you were in a location that made you feel relaxed and comfortable, like when you're on vacation.

3) Hypnosis:

There are a number of hypnosis relaxation guides available in MP3 form. These will help to guide your mind away from thoughts that leave you feeling stressed or anxious, and can help take you through certain methods to help your body relax, such as progressive muscle relaxation. You can find many of these for free or low cost on the internet or as an app for your smartphone. Make sure you choose one related to your specific issue. For example, there are hypnosis MP3s available for social phobia if your anxiety comes up during social situations, or you could choose hypnosis designed to help you sleep better if your anxiety is increased due to a lack of sleep.

4) Timed Breathing:

If you're stressed and try to breathe deeply you may find it difficult and actually start to hyperventilate. Instead of trying to breathe deeply, for quick relaxation before or during anxious moments you can try timing your breathing. For example, try breathing in for a count of five, and out for a count of 7. Extending your out-breath is shown to help relax your body's nervous system, and the counting gives you something else to focus your mind on.

5) Improve Your Sleep: 

Although it's not a relaxation technique in the same sense as those above, getting enough sleep is important for keeping you feeling physically and mentally relaxed. When you don't get enough sleep you may start to feel anxious, and vice versa. Some tips include writing down any worries on a piece of paper before you go to sleep to help get them out of your mind. You should also avoid caffeine, and take exercise early on in the day.

Establishing a routine helps to make sleep a lot easier. Make sure you go to bed at roughly the same time each day, don't perform activities such as watching TV or using your laptop in bed, and try to wake up at the same time each day. These tips, in conjunction with practicing the relaxation techniques for anxiety mentioned above, will help to ensure you're feeling calm and relaxed throughout the day.

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Cold Prevention - Tips to Protect Yourself From Colds

Cold and flu are the most commonly occurring illnesses in the entire world, with more than 1 billion colds per year reported in the United States alone. The common cold is a self-limited illness caused by any 1 of more than 200 viruses. You usually do not need to call your doctor if you catch a cold. For more severe symptoms or a prolonged duration of symptoms, you should visit your doctor. An office visit will usually be fine.

A. How to protect yourself from cold and flu

1. Stop stress - Pushing yourself too hard depresses the immune system. When your defenses are down, you are vulnerable to a cold or flu virus.

2. Healthy diet - A healthy diet is important to keep your immune system strong. Avoid junk food and consume more fruits, vegetables and plenty of non-caffeinated liquids.

3. Taking vitamin C daily - During cold season, taking extra vitamin C helps to strengthen your defenses against cold viruses. This helps to reduce the severity of cold symptoms. Be sure to wash your hand after using any office equipment, especially when one of your co-workers have colds.

B. If you have a cold

1. Drink a lot of hot fluids Traditionally, a family member who has cold or flu is only allowed to take hot chicken soup and chicken congee, avoiding all the hard to digest and cold foods. No one knows why but it works more effectively. Hot tea also keep the nasal passages open.

2. Take an antihistamine to relieve stuffy nose.

3. Treat coughs with the right cough medicine Coughs that produce phlegm can be treated by the ingredient guaifenesin which loosens the mucus that causes you to cough. If you have a dry and irritating cough, dextromethorphan might be used to suppress it during the night so you can sleep. Unless absolutely necessary do not use antibiotics. Overuse of antibiotics do more harm than good to your body.

I hope that this article will help, if you need more information please visit my home page at:

Kyle J. Norton

http://bestexpertarticles.blogspot.com/

[http://healthylivingover100yearolds.blogspot.com/]

I have been studying natural remedies for disease prevention for over 20 years and working as a financial consultant since 1990

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Protect Yourself Against Winter Colds With Powerful Health

Winter is on its way and with it comes cold and flu season. While most people are aware that Vitamin C is crucial to your good health, there are many other steps you can take to avoid getting a cold this winter by creating powerful health for yourself with warm clothing, a healthy diet, adequate hydration, and organic herbs and superfoods.

The human body is able to defend itself against a wide variety of attackers when it is healthy. A tired, overly stressed and poorly fed and hydrated body is subject to many more illnesses and diseases. The human body simply cannot fight off infection without the proper food, sufficient water, adequate sleep, and a reasonable amount of exercise.

Virulent Viruses Need A Host But It Doesn't Have To Be You

Viruses, such as those that cause the common cold, need a host body within which to survive. Viruses are the ultimate Trojan Horse and they can be deadly. The H1N1 virus is a prime example of how fast and how far viruses can spread if not contained quickly and effectively. While no one can control the actions of others, we can protect ourselves from viruses and bacteria that make us ill by keeping our bodies in the best health possible.

Good health is the direct result of consuming healthy, natural foods, drinking plenty of fresh, clean water and staying physically active. The modern American diet, however, is packed full of preservatives, pesticides, and additives that have been shown to compromise our good health. Humans have survived for countless millennium eating wild harvested organic herbs, fruits and vegetables, and meat from animals that eat those same natural foods.

Toxins Take A Toll

The food additives in the modern diet can result in toxins building up in the liver, colon and kidneys, reducing their ability to function effectively. Each of these organ systems work to remove toxins and to get important nutrients into the blood supply. Cells that are well fed and well hydrated are better able to fight off infection and attack than unhealthy cells. You can greatly reduce the likelihood of getting sick this winter by providing your body with the superfoods necessary for powerful health.

Drinking abundant amounts of fresh, clean water is a major step toward powerful health. Eating organic herbs, grains, fruits and vegetables is another. If meat is eaten, it should be organically produced to avoid the hormones, antibiotics and other toxins that can harm your powerful health.

Alternative Healing Moves Front And Center

Until recently, alternative healing methods were scoffed at and natural cures were denied and criticized. Modern research, however, has proven the effectiveness of alternative healing methods such as chiropractic, acupuncture, vitamin and mineral therapy, and other natural healing methods. Aside from the need for surgery or other major medical conditions, there are many cases in which we can give our bodies the materials needed for self-healing without going to the doctor. Eating organic herbs, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, staying well hydrated and maintaining a positive attitude can go a long way to reducing your need for any type of health or medical insurance.

Author is a freelance writer. For more information on Powerful Health please visit http://www.herbdoc.com/.

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How To Get Sexy And Healthy Skin In Just One Week!

You don't need to adorn your body with fancy jewels to look sexy and beautiful. All you need is healthy and blemish-free skin to feel sexy. You will look good no matter what clothes and jewels you wear.

It is time to focus on improving the health of your skin. Dedicate more of your time to pampering your dermis using the following tips:

Tip 1: Scrub it away!

You can't imagine the amount of impurities locked in the pores of your skin. Most impurities cannot be removed by facial washes or soap. You need to scrub your dermis two times a week to get rid of accumulated gunk. This will immediately make your skin softer, smoother and more vibrant.

While there are a lot of exfoliating scrubs sold in the skin care market, you can actually create your own. It is cheaper and far more effective. Try using brown sugar. Mix a splash of lemon and honey.

Lemon juice can lessen pigmentation spots on your skin. It can also tighten pores to make your skin look firm and refines. Use honey to deeply nourish your dermis. It contains several vitamins and minerals beneficial to the dermis.

Tip 2: Moisturize your body three times a day

Moisturizing two times a day is already enough. However, if you want to have soft and healthy skin fast, you should apply your body moisturizer three times a day. This will keep your skin hydrated all day long.

Make sure you use a product that contains CynergyTK, Phytessence Wakame and Nano Lipobelle HEQ10. CynergyTK is an ingredient extracted from the wool of sheep. This ingredient is comprised of functional keratin. It is a kind of protein responsible for the production of collagen and elastin.

Phytessence Wakame preserves the natural moisture content of your dermis. It gets rid of the harmful enzymes that attack hyaluronic acid. This is the acid that supplies moisture to collagen. Nano Lipobelle HEQ10 is the antioxidant that can protect you from the effects of harmful free radicals. These free radicals tend to attack cells in the body.

Tip 3: Drink Vitamin E supplement daily

Vitamin E keeps your skin tissues hydrated. This also slows down the over-all aging process of the skin. It also gives a healthy glow to your dermis.

Tip 4: Get lots of sleep

Make sure you sleep early to allow your integumentary system enough time to recover. Sleep is necessary for the repair of damaged dermis tissues.

And now I would like to invite you to visit http://www.goodhealthyskin.com to find out which are the anti aging products you should use in order to achieve clearer and radiant looking skin.

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Benefits of Apples

You must have heard of "An apple a day keeps the doctors day". Indeed, this is true. Apples are great for anybody and everybody.

First of all, apple is a great constipation reliever. We all know that the more fiber you consume, the happier your colon is because fiber helps remove all the waste out of your colon. Not only does a medium apple have 4 grams of fiber, it also contains pectin, which is very effective at softening your stools and stimulate bowel movements. However, if you are going to use apples to cure your constipation problems, you would have to eat them on an empty stomach, because the their nutrients are best absorbed when you are on an empty stomach. I recommend eating two apples every morning you wake up. Simply eat them to detoxify your body!

Studies show that apples only have a small amount of vitamin C. But, it has an extremely high amount of antioxidants, which can protect your body from free radicals and other damages to your body.

If you have a high cholesterol, eating apples can lower your cholesterol level. By just eating 2 apples a day, you can reduce your cholesterol level by up to 10%!

If you think eating an apple is troublesome, you can replace apples with apple cider vinegar. It has the same benefits as apples and it is very convenient! You can just add 2 to 3 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar to a glass of purified water and drink it every morning you wake up. Apple cider vinegar is especially good for aiding digestion.

Apples are no doubt great, but you have to be cautious when eating apples. You should never eat apple seeds because it can be very toxic if you eat too many. I have a cousin who had a habit of eating fruit seeds because he thought it was too troublesome to spit them out and he ended up having diarrhea.

Also, you should never buy apples that have not been stored in the cold because apples can over-ripe in just a few days. After you buy your apples, make sure you always put them in the refrigerator to prevent them from decaying.

Make eating apples or drinking apple cider vinegar a daily habit and you will soon be able to feel all the benefits of it. I personally feel like I have gained a lot of energy by eating apples everyday. Do what I do and you will receive the same benefits!

Roy Armstrong has always liked to write articles that give people the information they want and need. Not only does he write articles, you can also check out his latest websites on arm workout and liquid vitamins and minerals [http://liquidvitaminsandmineralsshop.com/].

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4 Beauty Tips For Women To Stay Healthy And Beautiful Through The Ages

Beauty tips for women is an ongoing search, and one great temptation if you can afford it, is to use surgery to help cover up your natural aging. Sadly, there are many reports from women who feel that they now look worse after their expensive plastic surgery than they did before. Rather than taking a chance of an operation gone wrong, there are lots of tips and techniques that you can use to keep yourself looking and feeling beautiful rather than opting for an operation. In this article we will examine some beauty tips for women that will allow you to wear your age with pride and confidence.

Beauty Tips For Women #1: Diet 

Diet is perhaps one of the most important beauty tips for women towards having and maintaining a healthy look. Consuming lots of fruits, vegetables and protein-rich foods does more than just benefit your general health. A diet like this also helps to prevent weight gain and increases your energy levels to keep you active during your day. These types of foods also have the benefits of encouraging strong healthy and shiny hair, strong fingernails, and results skin that has a healthy radiance.

Beauty Tips For Women #2: Water 

 

Never underestimate the importance of drinking enough water daily which makes it one of the top beauty tips for women. There are numerous benefits of avoiding dehydration, one of them being the effect it has on the appearance of your skin tone. Many common beverages such as pop, coffee and especially alcohol actually help to dry out your skin and encourage the growth of wrinkles. To avoid these dehydrating effects that may lead to wrinkles, it is important to drink lots of water and use a daily moisturizer. A simple but effective combination to reduce the occurrence of wrinkles. Smokers and sun worshippers also run the risk of seeing premature wrinkles, so it is essential that sun screen be worn on hot summer days, even when cloudy. Giving up smoking will not only discourage wrinkles, but may allow you to live longer as well, which for some of you may be the best one of these beauty tips for women in this article

Beauty Tips For Women #3: Regular Exercise

Any listing of beauty tips for women would not be complete without mentioning the need and importance of regular exercise to maintain good health and good looks as we all age. Keeping active is the key, whether you enjoy simply walking or more strenuous activities such as jogging, swimming, cycling or sports such as soccer, hockey, baseball, tennis, skiing, and the list goes on and on. All of these activities will help to keep you healthy and feeling good about yourself so that you will not even consider any type of surgery to deal with aging. Another spin-off of regular exercise is the hidden benefit it also has on your mental state and how you feel about yourself.

Beauty Tips For Women #4: Age Acceptance

Our final point in beauty tips for women is all about age acceptance. Learning to live with their age is something that many people refuse to accept. Often this age denial results in these people making complete fools of themselves in public! As an example, women in their 50s trying to dress like 20-year olds wearing tight clothing and bleached hair, when clearly they do not have the figure or appearance to pull it off. Certainly not one of the beauty tips for women that we want to encourage!

Instead learn to dress and behave in ways that are expected for people your age. Embrace your age and looks rather than trying to be someone you obviously are not, at least not for the past 20 years. This is not to say that there is anything wrong with wearing fashionable or trendy clothes or for that matter dying your hair to cover up the grey, but don't end up looking like a clown in the process! You can look and feel young at heart without being the centre of attention for the wrong reasons.

Aging is a natural process that everyone must deal with. Sadly many people refuse to accept this fact and rather than learning to live with it and look at the positives, they spend their days, and sometimes large sums of money, trying to cheat nature. Rather than searching online and reading book after book on beauty tips for women and looking for the magic pill for eternal youth they should pay attention to the basics.

Simply eat healthy foods, drink lots of water, engage in a regular exercise routine and learn how to be beautiful by following these basic beauty tips for women. This will help you to look and feel great about your current age, whatever it is now, and will be in the future. I hope that you have found these beauty tips for women useful.

Are you feeling depressed because you do not feel as beautiful as you want to be? Looking for tips and suggestions on how you can transform your looks to become more beautiful. I've been there too and know how you must be feeling. This is what prompted me to create a website devoted to showing you how to be beautiful today. For example read my 7 Beauty Tips For Girls For Creating Natural Beauty, these tips by the way are also applicable for females of all ages. Check back often for tips on hair, make-up and much more including recommended products as well. You can be beautiful today and visiting my website is your first step!

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