Showing posts with label Habits. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Habits. Show all posts
6 Tips to Boost Your Immune System
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The Immune System is your guard against disease, it is a system of biological structures and processes that protects our body by identifying and killing pathogens. It detects a wide variety of agents and tumor cells, from viruses to parasitic worms.
To boost the immune system is to build a protective shield that will help you stay active, worry-free and happy.



Relax:
Stress is an important factor in sabotaging your immune system, remember to take time for your self, and indulge yourself in a massage, a hot bath, spend some time with friends, try to solve the problems you face and never let them come to hunt you.
Many sign of stress related that weaken the immune system may show in form of skin rash or lack of energy.
Top 5 Fat Burning Activities
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If you want to burn extra fat and calories from your body, Get in shape and be full of energy, then you must be doing one of those activities.

Swimming:
What is great about swimming is it has no impact on your joint, but what we are talking about here is serious swimming like doing some laps in a pool, when swimming, you will burn a great amount of calories and still enjoy the cooling effect of water.
Daily Habits To Reduce The Risk Of Developing Breast Cancer
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A recent study has found that maintaining some daily healthy habits can reduce the risk of developing breast cancer even in women with family history of the disease.
  • Daily exercises.
  • Maintaining a healthy weight.
  • Reduce the alcohol intake even better stop consuming alcohol, if at all.
5 Tips To Sharpen Your Memory
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By the time we reach middle age about 50% of us are having impaired memory, say the experts. As we age it is harder to recall certainly events, a study involved asking to memorize a list of 75 words that were repeated five times, the average score of an 18-year-old is 54, the average score of a 45-year-old is 47 and the 65-year old is just 37. Those are some tips to keep a sharp memory.


Keep your brain active:
By keeping your brain active you can literally make your brain grow. you are encouraging brain cells to make new connections, which allow the cells to communicate with one another increasing memory storage and preventing memory loss.
Habits That Ruins Your Skin
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If you like every one else wants that hollywood glowing skin, then you should avoid those situations to keep your skin as smooth and glowing skin as much.

Dehydrating:
Drink about 12 glasses of water per day, avoid cold weather , apply a good moisturizer.
15 General Weight loss Tips
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Those are some tips to help anyone, wants to keep a healthy weight or loss some extra weight.
    Weight loss tips
  • Eat at certain times every day, don't skip breakfast and don't eat before going to bed give your stomach the time to digest food before sleeping.

  • Eat five times every day, 3 main meals and 2 snacks in-between.

  • Stay away from junk food, fast food, pre-baked snacks ,saturated and trans. fats and high sugar drinks.

  • Don't crash start any diet but ease your self in, so you can stay active and not moody.

  • Eat more vegetables and fruits, a snack can be an apple or an orange.

  • Know that it take the brain a while to send the full signal, don't keep eating till you feel that your stomach will explode.

  • Exercise 5 times a week for about 45 mins each. 

  • Drink lots of water preferably more than 10 glasses per day.

  • Replace sugar with naturals sweeteners like honey.

  • Stop eating deep fried food.

  • Prepare your own meals and know what goes in them and how much.

  • Don't weigh your self more than once a week, and evaluate your diet based on those weekly results.

  • Eat more fish, it is a good source of protein and much healthier than red meat.

  • Know how much calories in every thing you eat.

  • Change your diet habits every once in a while so you avoid the non changing weight dilemma.

A guide to a healthy heart
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That sweet bump of life should be always in mind, how to keep it running problem free at the best performance.
Our heart that restless machine that circulate the blood all around the body beating at an average rate of  70 ~ 75 beat per minute making a total of more than 2.6 billion beat during an average person life time.

Keep a healthy heart:
Keeping  a health heart is lifestyle routine that revolve around daily activities related to eating and exercise mainly.

Don't Smoke:
It is one of the greatest factors for getting heart disease, a cigarette could contain about 5000 chemical most of them lead to heart and vascular diseases. Smoking puts a lot a pressure on the heart to circulate more blood to make up for the added carbon oxides we inhale, that effect can also happen in situations of passive smoking in public areas.
Quit smoking now and within a few months your chance of having a heart attack will be lower significantly.

Get on a healthy diet:
  • Cut back on red meat and eat more fish and beans, limit yourself to 2 ~ 3 servings of red meat per week and try to keep it lean as much.
  • Minimize trans fats and saturated fat. they are in almost every food served by the fast food outlets and most of the ready to eat or pre-packed meals that have a longer shelf life.
  • Eat more vegetables, fruits, garlic, fish, olive oil, nuts: The fibers, vitamins, good fats and minerals they contain are very useful to our body eliminating hunger and controlling the blood sugar level.
  •  Prepare your own meal: that how you control whats goes in them how much of every ingredient.
Control your weight:
Keep your weight under control, get a flat stomach, the more weight you have the more load the heart will bear to circulate blood to every cell in the body.

Every small reductions in your weight is beneficial. A reduction of just 10 percent can decrease blood pressure, lower blood cholesterol and reduce the risk of diabetes.

Exercies:
Regular cardio exercises will strengthen the heart increasing the heart rate and
reducing the risk of getting cardiovascular diseases, exercise five times a week for about 30 ~ 45 mins each time. but do not push your body too far.
 
Sleep: 
Sleep help maintain a good heart’s condition. 7 to 8 hours of sleep is a important to relax the body and the mind.
 
Stress:  
Stress is a main cause to trigger heart disease. every effort should be taken to bring down stress level. Try yoga, meditation, prayer, quality time with friends and family or sports.

    Attention: Your laptop is burning you badly
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    Skin Discoloration
    Most of us laptop owners usually use it while putting it on our laps, for hours and hours with nothing to worry about at all, but a new study shows that there is a great risk of burning our skin it is called "Toasted skin syndrome", the skin will be mottled, with sponge like discoloration and deformed due to long exposure to heat coming from the laptop.
     
    Same condition and symptoms can be caused by using heat pads and other heat source that is not hot enough to cause immediate burn but it can cause the discoloration on the long run. generally it is harmless but it the effect can be permanent.

    Major manufacturers do warns against placing laptops on laps because of the risk for burns.

    Anther medical report found that men will have one more side effect caused by raised scrotum temperatures that can lead to low sperm count.

    Although the signs are not shown with every one but that kind of skin discoloration is confirmed in some jobs that deal with heat sources like bakers.



    sources:
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8040548/Resting-laptop-on-lap-can-cause-toasted-skin-syndrome.html

    http://news.yahoo.com

    Smile and Laugh Etiquette
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    laughter
    Smile is one of of the secrets of beauty,  a wise man once said: "Smile is made of Sun rays", it is a title of optimism, hope and satisfaction and confidence and signs of friendship and love.
    Experts believe that a person who smiles a lot has a positive impact in others more than a person who always has a serious face, this is why people with a smile on their face are friendly and they give a feel of warmth. 
    A smile is a powerful weapon and can be effectively used by human to make friends and approach others.

    Smile and laugh in front of strangers and those you meet for the first time: 
    • It is recommended that you present yourself with a smile, it helps to show some of the your charisma, a compassionate smile shows kindness and Sympathy with others concerns and problems and still remains at the same time a dividing line between you and the others.
    Smile
    • After the first smile that give the first impression stay normal and natural, do not laugh loudly in front of strangers, cause it will reflect an impression that is not in your favor.

    In public places: 
    • There is nothing to prevent you from laughing, but keep it a bit down so you don't annoy others. 
    • Do not laugh openly mocking a scene or a stranger, it is totally unaccepted to laugh loudly on buses, trains, waiting areas, theaters, cinemas and cafes.

    In official meetings: 
    • a short comment with a smile could relieve some of the formal meetings tension.
    • The first impression smile is required, but laughter can be used only in personal side conversations.
    • Don't use to much laughter or tell private jokes in the job interviews or in a meeting to discuss work issues.

    During family gatherings, with friends:  
    • You can laugh in any manner you like you can laugh out loud, but a little laughter gives the atmosphere joyful effect but too much laughter will show you as a clown, remember that there is no need to grab or push anyone during moments of laughter cause this may create an atmosphere of discomfort, this means that the soft laughter is beautiful for everyone and every time.

    Bad Habits: Eating Finger Nails
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    Fingernails are made of a protein called keratin, A healthy finger nail has the function of protecting the distal phalanx, the fingertip, and the surrounding soft tissues from injuries. It also serves to enhance precise delicate movements of the distal digits through counter-pressure exerted on the pulp of the finger.The nail then acts as a counterforce when the end of the finger touches an object, thereby enhancing the sensitivity of the fingertip, even though there are no nerve endings in the nail itself. Finally, the nail functions as a tool, enabling for instance a so called "extended precision grip" (e.g. pulling out a splinter in one's finger).

    2 months of growth after an accident.
    Nails grow at an average rate of 3 mm (0.12 in) a month.Fingernails require 3 to 6 months to regrow completely, and toenails require 12 to 18 months. Actual growth rate is dependent upon age, gender, season, exercise level, diet, and hereditary factors. Nails grow faster in the summer than in any other season.


    What happens if i eat my own fingernails?
    eating your nails will not kill you but it can wear down tooth enamel and cause damage to teeth. Also, the area under the fingernails is one of the dirtiest places on your body. Putting your hands in your mouth (without washing them first) is a way to get sick and biting your nails only makes things worse.sharp nails you swallow could damage the epithelial lining of your esophagus and stomach (giving a possibility for infections), In the end you will get:

        * Split and fractured nails.
        * Bleeding around the nails.
        * Infections.
        * Pain.


    Nail biting is a habit that is not easy to quit. Nail biting is also a reflection of extreme nervousness or inability to handle stressful situations. We tend to start biting them whenever confronted with a stressful event or moment. If you are tired of the nail stubs and bleeding, try these simple remedies:


    - Confront your problem.

    - Visualize yourself with healthy nails, and how great they will look.

    - Pick at least one nail to "protect" at a time.

    • After a few days, an non-bitten nail will flourish and reward you. Do not bite it.
    • Once you have grown your non-bitten nail for a while, start protecting another one. And another. And another, until every single nail is protected.
    - Eat calcium and magnesium - rich foods so that your nails will repair and grow well.

    - Find a habit to take the place of nail biting.  Whenever you have the urge to bite, do that instead. Some people like to drum their fingers, or just stare at their hands. Just make sure it's not a bad habit; choose a helpful one or one that doesn't really matter either way.

    - Distract your mouth. Eat carrot sticks to keep you busy. Keep a stick of gum handy for those weak moments.

    - Distract your hands by taking up a hobby.
    • A hobby to distract your hands might be making models or maintaining your house, knitting or crochet, running or other outside pursuits, or even nail care and decoration! Distract your hands at times when you usually bite your nails ( car rides, sitting in class, watching TV, ect...).
    - Cover your nails. For females, fit artificial nails. They can really help.
    • Keep gloves in your back pocket and wear them when you want to bite.

    - If you have any surplus growth, cut your nails back. Keep clippers with you at all times. You can't bite if there's nothing there!

    - Speaking about your nails will help to focus your mind on your goals. Ask for help from your partner(s). Keep talking about your goals.

    • Show off your improved nails', and get much-needed encouragement and praise from your peers.

    - Be proud of your improving nails. They will shine with beauty.

    - Go for a manicure, and chat with the manicurist about having great nails.


    Tips :
    • To keep you motivated, or remind you how bad your nails used to look, you can record your progress in a notebook or photo album. Take "before and after" photos of your nails and put them in the book to keep you motivated. Recognizing that it usually takes three weeks to grow nails half a centimeter, chart out in the book how long you want your nails to be by a certain date.
    • Get to know yourself, the first step is to be conscious when you start biting your nails. Feel your anxiety or stress levels.
    • Don't start thinking there is a short term solution. To stop nail biting, one requires patience and awareness.
    • Try putting comfortable band-aids over your nails. take them off then you go to bed. When you stop subconsciously biting them, stop putting them on.
    • Try using a coating that seals moisture in the nail and repels water and dirt. Oils or even waxy lip balm can be effective at softening nails.
    • Keep going with the program, any setbacks should be confronted as quickly as possible, to prevent a complete relapse.
    • Let white spots grow out gently. They are caused by blows or stress to the nail.
    • Try keeping an "egg" of Silly Putty with you! It is fun to play with and it occupies your hands during biting-prone times like while watching movies or television or sitting in class. Or you can try keeping a quarter or other coin in your pocket, and play with it when you feel the urge to bite your nails. Plus, these don't involve eating or chewing on anything, so they will help break the habit of oral fixation.
    • Challenge yourself: how many hours can you go without taking a bite? When you break a previous record, get yourself a treat. Then see: can you go a day? Three days? a week? two weeks?
    • Clean, manicured nails will be such an improvement to your self-esteem. You'll see!
    • See if you can notice how or when you decide to start biting. There may be an underlying cause of stress, nerves or boredom perhaps. Dealing with the underlying and real issue could stop the nail biting and more.
    •  As your nails/skin grow, they will seem puffy and itchy. This is normal! This fudge-finger sensation will go away in time.
    • Think of your appearance towards others. People tend to find severely short nails as a turn off and very gross.

    Warnings :
    •  Don't be silly and replace nail-biting with a worse habit. While stubby digits are unhealthy and painful, other habits can be worse.
    • Chewing your fingernails invites infection.
    • Brittle nails can be caused by strong detergents and chemicals, sun exposure, poor diet, or prolonged use of nail hardeners. Avoid the use of hardeners containing formaldehyde, which has a drying effect on nails.
    • Remember beauty is only skin deep. As is ugly. Telling yourself you are ugly will only undermine your self esteem and keep you from being your best. Tell yourself instead that you are a special person and that you deserve to have healthy looking nails too.

    Things You'll Need :
    • A balanced diet, rich in beneficial minerals and vitamins: eggs, soy, whole grains and liver are helpful to nails. Sulfurous minerals found in apples, cucumbers, grapes, garlic, asparagus, and onions all help consistent growth. Essential fatty acids, or EFAs, are found in salmon, nuts, seeds and tuna. They all help keep nails shiny and pliable. General vitamins and minerals are also important.
    • A notebook to record your progress.
    Sources:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nail_(anatomy)
    http://www.wikihow.com/Stop-Biting-Your-Nails

    What Is Addiction?
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    Addiction has long been understood to mean an uncontrollable habit of using alcohol or other drugs. Because of the physical effects of these substances on the body, and particularly the brain, people have often thought that “real” addictions only happen when people regularly use these substances in large amounts.

    More recently, we have come to realize that people can also develop addictions to behaviors, such as gambling, sex, pornography, computers, video games, internet, idolizing, watching TV or certain types of non-pornographic videos, spiritual obsession, cutting and shopping and even quite ordinary and necessary activities such as exercise, work and eating. What these activities have in common is that the person doing them finds them pleasurable in some way.These behaviors count as 'addictions' as well and cause guilt, shame, fear, hopelessness, failure, rejection, anxiety, or humiliation symptoms associated with, among other medical conditions, depression and epilepsy.

    The American Society of Addiction Medicine has this definition for Addiction:
    Addiction is a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and related circuitry. Dysfunction in these circuits leads to characteristic biological, psychological, social and spiritual manifestations. This is reflected in the individual pursuing reward and/or relief by substance use and other behaviors. Addiction is characterized by impairment in behavioral control, craving, inability to consistently abstain, and diminished recognition of significant problems with one’s behaviors and interpersonal relationships. Like other chronic diseases, addiction involves cycles of relapse and remission. Without treatment or engagement in recovery activities, addiction is progressive and can result in disability or premature death.

    What’s the Problem If It isn’t Doing Any Harm?
    Addictions are harmful both to the person with the addiction, and to the people around them.

    The biggest problem is the addicted person’s failure to recognize the harm their addiction is doing. They may have denials about the negative aspects of their addiction, choosing to ignore the effects on their health, life patterns and relationships. Or they may blame outside circumstances or other people in their lives for their difficulties.

    The harm caused by addiction is particularly difficult to recognize when the addiction is the person’s main way of coping with the other problems they have. Sometimes other problems are directly related to the addiction, for example, health problems, and sometimes they are indirectly related to the addiction, for example, relationship problems.

    Some people who get addicted to substances or activities are very aware of their addictions, and even the harms caused by the addiction, but keep doing the addictive behavior anyway. This can be because they don’t feel they can cope without the addiction, because they are avoiding dealing with some other issue that the addiction distracts them from (such as being abused as a child), or because they do not know how to enjoy life any other way.

    The harm of addiction may only be recognized when the addicted person goes through a crisis. This can happen when the addictive substance or behavior is taken away completely, and the person goes into withdrawal and cannot cope. Or it can occur as a consequence of the addiction, such as a serious illness, a partner leaving, or loss of a job.

    Sources:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addiction
    http://addictions.about.com/od/howaddictionhappens/a/defaddiction.htm

    Sleep: Good Sleep Tips
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    Part1, Part2, Part3, Part4.
    The Conclusion: Sleep well


    • Go to bed and get up at about the same time every day, even on the weekends.
    • Don’t take sleeping pills. This includes over-the-counter pills and melatonin.
    • Pay attention to the sleep environment.

    • Using dimmer switches in living rooms and bathrooms before bed can be helpful.

    • you may want to experiment with different levels of mattress firmness and pillows that provide more support.
    • Keep the noise level down.
    • Don't eat or drink large amounts before bedtime.
    • Don't go to bed hungry. Have a light snack.
    • Avoid nicotine, caffeine and alcohol in the evening.
    • Regular day exercise can help sleep. Especially aerobic exercise, can help you fall asleep faster and make your sleep more restful.
    • Avoid exercise near bedtime.

    • Don’t go to bed until you’re sleepy. If you have trouble sleeping, try going to bed later or getting up earlier.
    • If you wake up in the middle of the night and can’t fall back to sleep, get out of bed and return only when you are sleepy.
    • Spend time outdoors. People exposed to daylight or bright light therapy sleep better.
    • Bedtime routines are helpful for good sleep. Keep routines on your normal schedule. A cup of herbal tea an hour before bed can begin a routine.
    • Avoid worrying, watching TV, reading scary books, and doing other things in bed besides sleeping and sex. If you worry, read thrillers or watch TV, do that in a chair that’s not in the bedroom.
    • If you have a sleeping partner, ask them if they notice any snoring, leg movements and/or pauses in breathing .
    Part1, Part2, Part3, Part4.

    Sleep: Do you have a sleep disorder?
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    Part1, Part2, Part3, Part4.

    Do you spend enough time in bed and still wake up feeling very tired or sleepy during the day.
    The most common sleep disorders are insomnia, sleep apnea (sleep disorder breathing), restless leg syndrome and narcolepsy. Although sleep disorders can affect your health, safety and well-being, they can be treated.

    Talk to your doctor if you have any of these signs of a sleep disorder:
    • You have been taking more than 30 minutes each night to sleep.
    • You have wake up several times each night, then have trouble falling to sleep, or you wake up too early in the morning.
    • You often feel sleepy during the day, you often take naps, or you fall asleep at inappropriate times during the day.
    • you snore loudly, do choking sounds, or stop breathing for short periods.
    • You have creeping, tingling or crawling feelings in the legs or arms
    • Your bed partner notices that the legs or arms jerk often during sleep.
    • You feel as if you can not move when you first wake up.
    • Keep in mind that children can have some of these signs even if they have a sleep disorder, but they often do not show signs of excessive daytime sleepiness. On the contrary, they seem to have difficulty concentrating or making them better in school.

    Snoring
    What is snoring?
    It is a problem of the anatomy of soft tissue at the back of the throat and cause the emission of sound from the air during sleep.
    What causes snoring?
    Snoring occurs when the soft palate tissue at the back of the throat relaxes too much at the entrance to the gorge. As air tries to pass through the soft palate vibrates and produces the snoring sound.
    The problem May worse with age, but one of the main causes is the size and shape of the body. People with short wide necks are most prone to snoring because the muscles around their windpipe can not support the fat around him when the person is asleep. In general, anyone with a collar size of 16.5 inches or more is likely to snore.
    Other Causes:
    • Poor muscle in the tongue and throat. Muscles that are too relaxed contribute to snoring.
    • Large throat tissue. Children with large tonsils often snore.
    • Nasal passage blockage. People with blocked or clogged nose often snore.
    Snoring can be treated?
    • In 99% of cases, snoring is treatable. The weight is usually the main cause of snoring so shedding excess fat around the neck will stop extra pressure on the airways. Other treatments depend on whether a diagnostic examination by a doctor will help. Also consider these self-help remedies:
    • Avoid alcohol and sedatives before bedtime. These cause the muscles to relax and cause snoring.
    • Avoid heavy meals at least four hours before bedtime.
    • Sleeping on the side rather than your back. Try sewing a tennis ball in the back of your Pajama top. This will prevent you from sleeping on your back!
    • Exercise. This will improve muscle strength and promote weight loss.

    Sleep apnea
    What is sleep apnea?
    It is a lack of breath during sleep.
    What are the causes of sleep apnea?
    Apnea is caused by the same muscles that cause snoring. It occurs when the muscles of the soft palate at the base of the tongue and the uvula (the small piece of flesh tissue suspended back of the throat) relax, partially blocking the opening of the air. However, sleep apnea is more dangerous than snoring in that it changes the normal breathing patterns.
    depleting the blood and brain of vital oxygen supplies. Then the brain suddenly sends an emergency signal, telling the person to wake up and take a big gulp of air. The frequent interruptions of deep sleep leads to excessive daytime fatigue and sleepiness.
    Sleep apnea can be treated?
    Sleep apnea is associated with potentially fatal stroke, heart attacks and high blood pressure and therefore requires medical care.
    A sleep test called polysomnography is usually done to diagnose sleep apnea. Treatment varies depending on the severity of symptoms. Mild cases can be treated effectively by changes in behavior - losing weight, reducing alcohol or sleeping on the side, for example.
    The most serious May be treated with a CPAP machine, so named because they maintain a constant positive air pressure to conduct wind to help users breathe easy at night. The benefits are better sleep and reduce the risk of heart attacks during the night.


    Insomnia
    What is insomnia?
    A long and usually abnormal inability to obtain adequate, uninterrupted sleep. Symptoms may include trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or waking up too early in the morning, feeling unrefreshed. The consequences are unpleasant, leaving sufferers feeling exhausted, irritable and unable to concentrate on simple tasks.
    What causes insomnia?
    • People aged over sixty
    • Women
    • Those with a history of depression
    • Stress is an important contribution.
    • Traumatic events such as acute illness, injury or surgery, the loss of a loved one, exams, or problems at work can all disrupt sleep. In such cases, the returns almost normal sleep when the individual recovers from the case or become acclimated to the new situation.
    • Jet lag can also cause insomnia. Traveling through time zones east is more difficult to adjust to travel west, sometimes earlier. Usually a day of adjustment is all that is needed to overcome insomnia.
    • Environmental or lifestyle factors may also come into play - too much light in the bedroom or caffeine in the body.
    Insomnia can be treated?
    The treatment is related to the case, if the cause can be determined. Patients are evaluated with the help of a medical history and sleep (sleep diary). It can be treated through cognitive behavioral therapy involving relaxation and reconditioning.

    One of the best ways to prevent insomnia is to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Do not go to bed feeling stressed and worried. If you are worried about falling asleep, will be more difficult to fall asleep. Try not to eat too close to avoid going to sleep and Caffeinated beverages and alcohol.
    Just remember, the less you worry, the more likely you achieve the perfect sleep.
    Some useful complementary medicine remedies for insomnia.

    Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)
    What is RLS?
    It is a tingling, itching sensation and unexplained aches and pains in the legs.
    Sleep is disturbed because people often have a strong urge to move the legs to relieve the discomfort by stretching, rubbing their legs or getting up and pacing around.
    What causes RLS?
    It may be inherited, People with RLS. Hormonal changes during pregnancy can worsen the symptoms. Other cases of RLS are associated with iron deficiency or nerve damage in the legs.
    RLS can be treated?
    In mild cases, it may be only a matter of cutting caffeine and alcohol, which aggravate the symptoms. Having a warm bath, massage the legs or using heat or cold pack will also help to alleviate the symptoms.
    For more serious cases, there are a number of drug treatments. Consult your doctor for further advice

    Part1, Part2, Part3, Part4.

    Sources:
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/sleep/articles/sleepdisorders.shtml
    http://www.trusleep.com/sleep-faqs/a-hard-nights-sleep.html

    Sleep: How much sleep is enough?
    | ]

    Part1, Part2, Part3, Part4
    Sleep needs vary from person to person and change throughout the life cycle. Most adults need 7-8 hours of sleep each night. Infants, on the other hand, sleep between 16 and 18 hours a day, and children 10 to 12 hours a day. School-aged children and teens need at least 9 hours of sleep a night.
    Here some facts about sleep

    Tips to get a good night's sleep

    Relax your mind
    • Breathing exercises can help. Breathe, using your abdomen not your chest, through your nose for three seconds, then breathe out for three seconds. Pause for three seconds before breathing in again. Practise this for ten minutes every night .
    • If you still find yourself tossing and turning, abandon the bedroom and find something enjoyable to do. Jigsaws are perfect. Don't go back to bed until you begin to feel sleepy again.

    Exercise
    • Regular exercise is a great way to improve your sleep. but be careful not to do it close to bed time as exercise produces stimulants that stop the brain from relaxing quickly.
    • If you are injured or disabled, you can still benefit from exercise. Check out disability exercise tips.

    Create a calm bedroom environment
    • Your bedroom should be for sleep only. Avoid turning it into an entertainment centre with televisions, computers .

    Avoid alcohol
    • Too much alcohol can make you restless. Alcohol is also a diuretic, which means it encourages you to urinate.
    • Drinking is most likely to lead to snoring, which can restrict airflow. This reduces oxygen in the blood which disturbs the sleep and contributes to a hangover.

    Avoid caffeine
    • Caffeine is a stimulant which stays in our system for many hours. So avoid sources of caffeine like coffee, chocolate, cola drinks and non-herbal teas.

    Watch what you eat
    • Eating a large heavy meal close to bedtime will make you have trouble sleeping.
    • Spicy or fatty foods may cause heartburn, leads to difficulty in falling asleep and discomfort throughout the night.
    • Foods containing tyramine (bacon, cheese, ham, aubergines, pepperoni, raspberries avocado, nuts, soy sauce, red wine) is likely keep you awake at night. Tyramine causes the release of norepinephrine, a brain stimulant.
    • If you get the munchies close to bedtime, eat something that triggers the hormone serotonin, which makes you sleepy. Carbohydrates such as bread or cereal will do the trick.

    Set a regular bedtime and wake up time
    • Create a habit of going to bed and waking up at the same time each day, even on weekends. This helps anchor your body clock to these times. Resisting the urge for a lie-in can pay dividends in alertness.
    • If you feel you haven't slept well, resist the urge to sleep in longer than; getting up on schedule keeps the body in its normal wake-up routine.
    • After only four hours, the brain has gained many of the important benefits of sleep.

    It's only natural
    • Most of us have a natural dip in alertness between 2 - 4pm.
    • A 15 minute nap when you're tired can be a very effective way of staying alert throughout the day. But avoid napping longer than 20 minutes, you will enter deep sleep and feel even worse when you wake up.


    Sleep: Why do we sleep?
    | ]

    Part1, Part2, Part3, Part4
    Sleep
    Sleep
    During sleep a number of vital functions to maintaining good health and allow people to function better. On the other hand, not enough sleep can be dangerous, for example, you are more likely in a car accident if you drive when you are sleepy.
    We need sleep to think clearly, react quickly and create memories. In fact, the ways in the brain, which remind us and learn are very active when we sleep.
    Reduction of 1 hour can make it difficult to get the next day and can slow your response time. Studies also find that if you lack of sleep, you are rather poorly to make decisions. This can lead to a decline in performance at work or at school and a greater danger to a car accident
    Sleep affects mood. Insufficient sleep can be irritable and is linked to bad behavior and problems with relationships.
    Sleep is also important for good health. Studies show that not enough sleep or poor sleep quality at regular intervals increases the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and other medical conditions.
    Moreover, during sleep, the body produces hormones, and help muscle mass and repair cells and tissues in children and adults. Another type of hormone increases during sleep that works to fight various infections. This may explain why a good sleep helps you hold to the sick and help you again if you become ill.
    Hormones released during sleep also affect how the body uses energy. Studies found that people sleep less, the more likely they are overweight or obese, to develop diabetes, and prefers to eat foods with high calories and carbohydrates.

    Part1, Part2, Part3, Part4

    Sources:
    http://www.medicinenet.com/sleep/article.htm
    http://www.helpguide.org/life/sleeping.htm
    http://www.sleep4health.com.au/sleep-and-health/how-to-sleep-while-traveling/
    http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/how-sleep-works/how-much-sleep-do-we-really-need