5 Tips to Sleep Better When You Have a Cold
Let’s face it, folks: sometimes when you’re feeling sick, a good night’s rest just isn’t forthcoming.
What’s up with that, anyway? It should be the exact opposite. Being sick should make you want to stay in bed longer, too groggy to move, sleeping as much as you can to replenish and rejuvenate your world weary soul.
But no. No, trying to sleep while you’re sick is a lot like trying to run a triathlon when you haven’t slept a wink in 48 hours. In other words, it feels impossible.
So how does one manage to get to sleep while they have the cold or the flu without being up half the night trying to figure out how to do so, rearranging their pillows over and over again?
We’ve decided to look more closely into the matter and see what vast array of helpful solutions we could find in order to help you save time and catch more precious Zs while you’re at it.
Here are 5 tips to help you sleep better when you have a cold.
Read on and rest up!
Drink something before bed (but not alcohol)
This may sound like a given, but drinking a soothing drink before you go to sleep when you’re feeling under the weather is a go-to fix for flu-related sleep disruption. You’ve heard of drinking chamomile tea, green tea, or some other flavor of tea just to help you find that precious boarding pass for the sleep train.
But have you ever heard of drinking Ovaltine?
You heard that right, folks: be sure to drink your Ovaltine. Strangely enough, this piece of advice isn’t just an ironic gag found in the classic holiday film The Christmas Story, it’s also helpful when you want to get to sleep when you’re sick. The magnesium in Ovaltine combined with its high caloric content will help you make your appointment with the Sandman sooner rather than later. If you don’t have any Ovaltine handy, you can always resort to using hot chocolate instead.
And, like the heading of this particular list entry says, don’t drink alcohol before bed if you’re sick. Not only will it dehydrate you, it’ll complicate symptoms of your cold or flu and make your sinuses all swelled up. Not worth it.
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Elevate your head when lying down
When you’re in bed, you’re horizontal, which means all of the congested ickiness that’s happening within your sinuses is going to make you even more stuffed up, causing sore throats and heavy coughing galore.
This is why you should set up plenty of pillows underneath your head and neck so you can avoid this pitfall of sleeping when influenza-ed.
Try a nasal decongestant
Speaking of which, the benefits of using a nasal spray decongestant to clear out your sinuses before you drift off to sleep are many.
Using a nasal decongestant – or a saline nasal spray made of salt water – won’t have a detrimental effect on your ability to sleep. In fact, it will irrigate your clogged up nose and make breathing through it a whole lot easier. Obviously, this means that you’ll get better sleep as a result. Why not go for it?
Take a hot shower
What better way to clear your head and relax your body than with a hot shower? Shower steam has been proven to be a great, natural way to alleviate congestion. All you have to do is walk in, stand up, let the water pour over you, and slowly inhale the vapors as they drift up into your breathing passages.
If you want an extra boost, try using essential oils, like lavender or eucalyptus, to cut through the rest of the blockages that the steam can’t get to. Plus, after you’re done with the shower, your body’s temperature will drop, which helps you relax and get into sleep mode more quickly.
Eat Chicken Soup for dinner
Yes, it’s cliche. But this tried and true piece of advice on how to minimize physical side effects of having a cold or the flu is ubiquitous and run into the ground for a darn good reason: it works.
Homemade or canned, chicken noodle soup has anti-inflammatory properties that help soothe your body and help it switch gears into healing mode. If you’re looking for something a little bit less Americanized, order takeout, like Tom Yum soup from your local Thai restaurant, or Pho from a Vietnamese place nearby. (If you have those things where you live, that is.)
We hope that these helpful tips on how to get to sleep when you’re not feeling so great have been somewhat helpful. If not, try to listen to your body and see what would make it feel more comfortable and ready to rest might be.
But whatever you do, you must keep this word of wisdom in mind at all times: be sure to drink your Ovaltine. Goodnight, folks!
Five Ways to Reduce Anxiety Naturally
Approximately 18 percent of adults report living with an anxiety disorder. If you’re part of this group but don’t want to take prescription anti-anxiety drugs (which come with a number of dangerous side effects), consider giving one of these five natural treatments a try.
1. Drink Tea
Many studies have shown that caffeine can increase anxiety symptoms. Try swapping out your morning coffee for some herbal tea.
- Chamomile tea contains chemicals like apigenin and luteolin, both of which promote relaxation. A study from the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center also found that chamomile was extremely beneficial in reducing anxiety.
- Peppermint tea is another great option. Peppermint is a natural muscle relaxant that is particularly beneficial in relieving tension and digestive issues that can accompany feelings of anxiety. However, it is not recommended for pregnant women.
2. Keep Your Hands Busy
If anxiety has you feeling fidgety, or if it causes you to do things like biting your nails, it can help to keep your hands busy with an activity like drawing or knitting.
You can also invest in an exercise putty set to give your hands something to play with. If you go this route, you also get the added bonus of strengthening your hands while relieving your anxiety!
These activities help slow down the heart rate and give you something to focus on other than your anxiety symptoms.
3. Try Aromatherapy
Breathing in essential oils can also help minimize feelings of anxiety.
Lavender oil is great for promoting relaxation. It has even been shown to lower blood pressure! Diffuse lavender oil throughout your home, put a few drops in your bath water, or give yourself a lavender-scented foot massage.
Vanilla is also relaxing. In fact, one study found that patients who inhaled vanilla-scented air prior to undergoing an MRI were 63 percent less anxious than those who inhaled unscented air.
4. Get Outside
When you’re feeling anxious, it’s common to want to stay cooped up inside. In reality, though, getting out can be the best thing for you.
Spending time outdoors decreases stress hormone levels, especially if you can get out of the city and into a greener, quieter area like a park or forest.
Take 15-20 minutes and just walk. At best, you’ll decrease your anxiety. At worst, you’ll have gotten some exercise!
Also Read : Depression Self Help Tips You may also try our Depression Activity Planner
5. Change Your Diet
Your diet can also wreak havoc on your mental health. Work on incorporating more of the following foods, which have been proven to improve mood and reduce anxiety:
Blueberries and peaches — they contain stress-relieving nutrients
Whole grains and oats — they’re rich in magnesium and tryptophan, which the body converts to serotonin
Avocados, eggs, and meat — they contain B vitamins that may prevent anxiety
Some other foods that can regulate and lower the stress hormone cortisol include:
Vitamin C-rich foods like oranges and strawberries
Magnesium-rich foods like spinach and kale
Omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon and nuts
At the same time, you should also work on decreasing your consumption of caffeine, sugar, and processed foods. They may be comforting in the moment, but all of these foods can also increase the production of stress hormones and end up leaving you feeling worse.
Four Natural Products That Can Cure Body Acne Naturally
If you’re struggling with acne on your back and chest, you may be considering visiting a dermatologist to get a prescription acne cream or cleanser.
Before you go this route though, you might want to consider taking a look through your pantry. You probably have a lot of safe, natural products on hand that have the power to treat your breakouts.
If you feel that curing Body acne using natural remedies is not your cuppa, you may buy products that will help you fight body acne. Skin on our body is not the same as your face, so always consider products that are specifically made for the body. Using a face exfoliator wont help much in exfoliating the body, you will have to buy a body exfoliator like this one.
Our back is the most ignored part of the body while we take a shower, thus it is prone to oil and dirt build up thus resulting in acne breakouts.
Listed below are four natural products that you can use today to get treat and prevent acne flare ups.
1. Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is all the rage these days. That’s because it works wonders for a variety of conditions, including acne.
Apple cider vinegar helps balance out your skin’s pH to prevent breakouts. Its malic and lactic acids soften and exfoliate the skin, and it also has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties.
Before using it on your skin, dilute a few teaspoons with ¼-½ cup of water and apply it to your skin with a cotton ball. Make sure you’re also using a raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar that contains “the mother,” as this has the most nutrients available.
Suggested Read: Benefits Of Apple Cider Vinegar
2. Green Tea For Curing Body Acne
Green tea contains a number of antioxidants that help eliminate inflammation and dryness. It also helps control your body’s production of sebum, which, in excess, can clog the pores and cause breakouts, thus helping in minimizing the occurrence of body Acne naturally .
To use green tea for skin care, simply brew a cup of hot tea, either with a tea bag or tea leaves. Once the tea has cooled completely, pour it into a spray bottle and mix it with about ½ of water.
After a shower or bath, simply spray the tea onto your the affected area and pat yourself dry with a clean towel. You can do this daily until your breakouts clear up. This is a natural cure for body acne .
3. Oatmeal
This breakfast favorite is also a great option for exfoliating the skin, cleaning the pores, and absorbing excess oil on the skin.
Simply mix one cup of cooked oatmeal with one tablespoon of honey and the juice from half of a lemon. Rub it on the areas where you’re experiencing breakouts and let it sit for 30 minutes. Then, rinse it off with warm water. You may need to use a back scrubber for the shower to get it all off. Choosing a long handled body brush if you have Back Acne will make exfoliating easy for you.
You can do this once a week to keep your skin healthy and smooth.
4. Tea Tree Oil
Last, but certainly not least, is tea tree oil.
This naturally occurring essential oil has antibacterial properties and can soothe red and inflamed acne flare-ups when applied correctly. Disinfect clogged pores and help to dry out pesky whiteheads by applying just a few drops of tea tree oil with a carrier like jojoba oil or witch hazel to a cotton ball and dabbing the affected area. Be careful though as tea tree oil is dangerous when consumed, and can lead to skin irritation if not properly diluted.
Body acne is frustrating and can even be painful.
How to Prevent Ingrown Hairs After Shaving: 5 Easy Ways
Trying to prevent ingrown hairs after shaving can be difficult. Even after trying to come up with various ways to prevent them, like shaving with a different technique, they can still happen. When these hairs appear, not only are they unsightly but they can be very irritating to your skin. Ingrown hairs can cause bumps and redness which can cause significant irritation. While it might seem like you wouldn’t be able to prevent them from happening, you can. Ingrown hairs can easily be prevented in many ways, like with using moisturizers and changing out your razor’s blade.
If you’re looking for ways to help prevent these pesky things from happening once you’re done shaving, keep reading. Below you’ll find 5 easy ways you can stop ingrown hairs and prevent unsightly skin marks and irritation from them.
5 Easy Ways to Prevent Ingrown Hairs After Shaving
Always Moisturize Your Skin
After shaving it’s always a good idea to moisturize your skin. A moisturizer will work to keep your skin smooth and free from irritation. It will go to work to smooth out any nicks or skin irritation caused by your razor’s blade. Moisturizers can also remove any dead skin cells which can build up and prevent new hair from growing. Some moisturizers that are ideal to use on your skin after shaving are ones that contain helpful oils like tea tree, coconut, and aloe vera. These oils will help to hydrate your skin to keep it healthy and free from dead skin cell buildup.
Limit Your Use of Tight Clothing
Surprisingly, tight clothing can cause ingrown hairs. This is because the clothing rubs against the skin and can irritate it which in return encourages ingrown hairs. It can not only worsen the problem but make the spot painful due to the fabric rubbing against it. So, to help prevent this, try to limit your use of tight clothing so ingrown hairs disappear.
Use Exfoliation Gloves
Another easy way you can prevent ingrown hairs is by using exfoliation gloves on your skin. These comfortable gloves usually feature a special textured fabric, like nylon, which helps to remove dead skin cells when you rub them on your skin.
After you shave, you can put some lotion on the gloves and then rub it on the area you just shaved. You can rinse the gloves off with water and use the wet gloves again to rinse the lotion off. This will help to improve blood circulation to encourage proper hair growth and prevent skin cell buildup.
Change the Razor’s Blade
This is one of the top ways you can eliminate ingrown hairs and why it’s important to check electric razors reviews before purchasing one to see if you can exchange the blades. A razor’s blade can eventually become very dull which will not only cause it to miss hairs and do partial shaving, but can irritate your skin which can lead to ingrown hairs. By changing out the blade every now and then you can prevent ingrown hairs from happening because the blade will be sharp and fully remove everything.
Use Warm Water and a Clean Cloth
Once you’re done shaving, you can splash some warm water on your face. The warm water will help to open up your pores which can prevent ingrown hairs from occurring by encouraging new skin cell growth.
You can also place a washcloth under warm water and then place it on a spot with a possible ingrown hair for a few minutes. When you remove the cloth, the warm water will have perked the hair up a bit so you can remove it with tweezers.
Conclusion
As you can see, preventing ingrown hairs after shaving can be done with these 5 easy ways. You can apply a moisturizer to your skin, use exfoliation gloves, or even change your blade to help prevent them. By doing small changes like this, you’ll start to see improvements with your skin. This is due to your skin being healthier and free from dry skin cells that often cause this problem.
It might seem like ingrown hairs are something we all have to just deal and suffer through, but by following the ways above you can limit the amount of times they occur. This will lead to less irritation and marks on your skin which can lead to it being glowing and healthy.
5 Simple Home Remedies For Knee Injuries | How To Reduce Knee Pain
When it comes to the vulnerable complexities of the human knee, one has to think responsibly before accepting any advice about the array of injuries that can occur within this body part. If your pain is severe and persistent, it is imperative that you first consult with your doctor to ensure your particular case does not require immediate medical attention, otherwise you could endure an unnecessarily lengthy rehabilitation period, or expose yourself to even more damage.
That said, many moderate knee injuries can be successfully managed without even leaving the comfort your own home. Consider the following options which are proven to combat the misfortunate elements of common ligament trauma, and hopefully you’ll be running towards a complete restoration in no time at all.
Get Some Rest, But Not Too Much
Your primary concern when it comes to any knee injury is to avoid hurting yourself any further. For this reason, whenever the stubborn throb starts to knock a bit louder, immediately stop what you are doing and take a break. Pile the pillows beneath the troubled area to elevate your knee above heart level, because this should help reduce the swelling.
But do not use this point as an excuse to laze around all day! Excessive rest can diminish muscle strength and put additional strain on your already aching joint. As you are going through your healing process, a healthy amount of physical pressure can speed up the recovery time, which is why you should locate exactly where your discomfort line is, and stick to it whilst remaining careful to not push yourself over it.
Compression and Temperature Techniques For Knee Injury
From meniscus tear treatment to caring for an ACL injury, keeping your knee compressed will restrict the movement of your joint and avoid any sudden jolts of harmful action. Investing in a brace or even wrapping the region with an elastic bandage should keep you sturdy whilst working to decrease the overall swelling too.
You should also seriously consider utilizing the wonders of alternating temperatures to reduce pain and inflammation. In the early stages of your recovery, apply an ice pack to the strained area for up to 20 minutes, three times a day. After a few days, if the swelling has faded, slowly introduce a heating pad into your resting period, which should prevent the joint from stiffening.
Hinged Knee Braces are ideal for those who have sustained knee injuries and have undergone a surgery like ACL, MCL or PCL injuries. You can choose an ideal knee brace depending on the support needed after the surgery. For mild to moderate suppory use soft knee brace and for maximum support use a rigid hinged knee brace.
Non-Impact Exercise
If you’re an avid runner, skier, or tennis player, unfortunately you will have to take a rain check on your usual favorite hobbies. However, there are plenty of other fun activities you can participate in at home to keep your joints mobile and strengthen your body’s overall support.
Look online or order videos which teach the arts of tai chi or yoga, as these will improve your flexibility and sharpen your balance, whilst encouraging a mental conditioning that trains your pain threshold into a place higher tolerance. Not to mention, the additional benefit of losing weight should alleviate any unnecessary pressure on your distressed joint.
Natural Ointments
You may experience the desperate temptation to call up your nearest pharmacy and beg for any overpriced cream to provide relief, but first you may want to try some of these ointments you can put together at home. Studies have shown that a mix of cinnamon, ginger, mastic, and sesame oil can be as effective as many over-the-counter lotions, due to their various natural anti-inflammatory and pain killing properties.
Other helpful natural solutions include massaging your knee with a lukewarm cup of coconut oil, or applying a washcloth to the inflamed region after it has been soaked in cayenne pepper powder and apple cider vinegar. Cinnamon Oil is also very useful in soothing knee pain.
You Are What You Eat
Finally, certain foods come loaded with their own brands of natural pain relievers and anti-swelling characteristics, delivered straight from the hands of Mother Earth. Carrots are reported to strengthen ligaments, onions are anti-inflammatory by design, ginger comforts pain, apple cider vinegar breaks down harmful toxins within the knee joint, seeds improve bone health, and turmeric historically accelerates your body’s normal healing process. There are literally hundreds of examples just like this, so use your research skills to discover the food you love the taste of which carries the benefits you need.
On that note, you should similarly avoid sugary and fatty foods, as their lack of any nutritional value will deprive your internal system of the proper equipment it requires to mend the damage, as well as leading to an increased body weight which your legs won’t want to carry.
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