The quality of your sleep directly affects the quality of your waking life, including your mental sharpness, productivity, emotional balance, creativity, physical vitality, and even your weight.

Scientific evidence suggests that too little or erratic sleep can be linked to longevity-shortening diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease, increased risk for weight gain, depression.
A man’s lifespan may shorten because of a lack of sleep, says a study reported in the medical journal Sleep.

However, many people have occasional difficulties falling asleep or staying asleep. As a result, they wake still tired and unrefreshed and then may feel sleepy and unable to concentrate all day. If you always have this problem and are being treated with medication for a medical condition, you should consult your physician. Many medications cause drowsiness as a side effect. This may be treatable by using a smaller dose or another medication.

To help improve the quality of your sleep, try the following:

Do not eat or drink anything containing caffeine from 6-8 hours before you go to bed. This includes coffee, tea, colas and chocolate. Caffeine can affect you up to 12 hours after ingesting it and it may be disrupting your sleep patterns.

Don’t drink alcohol in the evening. The old-fashioned “night cap” is a bad idea. Alcohol makes you feel sleepy at first, but later it will cause you to awaken during the night. The night’s sleep may appear to begin well but will end in restlessness and wakefulness.

Don’t smoke. Nicotine will make you more alert so you won’t fall asleep readily. It may also cause you to suffer from nightmares and have problems waking up. It’s a good reason to stop smoking.

Go to bed at the same time each night and rise at the same time each morning. This will allow your circadian (internal) clock to keep your sleep cycle regular.

Exercise do’s and don’t’s:
Don’t exercise just before going to bed – it will make you both warmer and more alert, both of which will prevent you falling asleep.
Do finish exercising at least three hours before bedtime.

Make your bedroom into a sleep inducing environment.

Your bedroom should be:
Cool, if your bedroom is too hot, adjust the temperature
Humid enough for breathing comfort without being damp. You may have to use a humidifier or dehumidifier to attain the best level of humidity.
Comfortable. Is your mattress giving you proper support? Or is it time to purchase a new one? Be sure that your pillows are comfortable and are the right size for you.

Distraction free. In a noisy environment, you may need ear plugs or a “white noise” generator.

Association specific. Use your bed for sleeping and sex only. Do not read or watch television in bed.

Allergy free. If you have allergies, try to avoid them.
Do not use feather pillows
Dust and vacuum regularly to keep down dust and dust mites.
Wash all bedding frequently.
Place dust mite proof covers on your mattress and pillows.

Relax before bedtime and try to establish a pattern to follow every night. This will tell your body that it is nearly time to go to sleep and make it easier to fall asleep. Avoid working or any other stressful or tension causing activity late in the evening.

Avoid eating heavily before going to bed.
Do not eat foods which may cause heartburn.
Restrict fluids as bedtime approaches to avoid middle-of-the-night bathroom visits.
Warm milk or a caffeine-free herbal tea may help some persons to sleep.

Do not nap during the day, unless you need a short nap of about 20-30 minutes to maintain alertness.

If you do not fall asleep within 15-20 minutes after going to bed, get up and do some relaxing activity until you feel sleepy.

After a few weeks you may realize that what seemed a problem may actually be nearer normal sleep patterns than you thought. Remember, not everyone needs eight hours of sleep every night; some people need fewer while others need practically none at all.

Scientists have discovered that many processes of aging in our bodies are caused by damage done by free radicals, which are short-lived but highly reactive particles capable of causing cell damage. Free radicals assist in the proper functioning of the body; but as we age, we lose the ability to keep them in check and they begin to damage the cells around them (it’s horrible to think that something so essential can turn on one so nastily). Fortunately, there is help available. By keeping your body as healthy as possible and eating a diet rich in antioxidants, you can fight these free radicals and limit the damage they cause. Research on various types of hormone supplementation continues, but it is a long-term project, at best.

Follow these tips to remain healthy in old age:

1. See your physician regularly for checkups. If you are a man, get into the habit. Women visit their physician more regularly than men and their conscientiousness seems to pay off in extra years of life. Because women see a physician regularly, serious conditions are often in the earliest, curable stage when they are found. Men, on the other hand, frequently only arrive at the physician’s office with problems already in their later, untreatable stages. Now, gentlemen, think this over and don’t be such a stranger at your doctor’s office.

See your eye doctor regularly and make sure that you are seeing as well as you can. Not seeing properly is a major cause of accidents.

2. Avoid inactivity and have regular exercise. The benefits are numerous:

Reduction of stress
Toning of muscles, increased muscle flexibility
Increase in range of joint motion
Prevention of osteoporosis
Weight control
General increase in sense of well-being
Help quit smoking

Be as active as you are able; walking, swimming, pool exercises, cycling or weight lifting are all weight-bearing possibilities. Remember, before you start a weight loss or exercise program, you should see your physician, especially if you have been inactive for a long time.

3. Eat a balanced diet. If you live alone, don’t be tempted to eat high calorie snacks and fast food instead of a proper meal. Healthy nutritional habits to improve your life

A balanced diet should include:

At least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Eat as many brightly colored fruits and vegetables as possible; they contain large quantities of flavonoids which help the body fight free radicals.
Fiber to aid digestion
Drink sufficient fluids, especially water.

4. Do not smoke. If you smoke, please stop, your health will enjoy an overall improvement. There are psychological benefits too, including the sense of pride and achievement that comes from accomplishing a difficult task and from setting a good example.

5. Take care around the house to avoid accidents, falls and other injuries. Put up hand rails and hand grips, especially in the bathroom. Remove safety hazards – like area rugs waiting to take you on an unexpected trip (to the emergency room).

6. Take care around the garden. Do not overdo your activity.

7. If you drink alcoholic beverages, drink them in moderation.

8. Remain part of the social community. Keep in touch with family and friends. Be active in your clubs and attend worship services; a strong belief and faith in God has been proven to make people healthier and happier. Be productive in your community – volunteer and help others. Take up a hobby: remember, Grandma Moses never painted before she was 80.

9. Have a pet. Bring a loving companion animal into your life. Into your home, not the remoter reaches of your backyard – pets can’t give much love and devotion out there, now, can they? Interacting with a loving and non-judgmental animal can be very rewarding. If you decide on a dog, be sure to choose a breed that suits your needs best. Others may prefer to take their choice of the many breeds of cats. Yet others may fancy birds or fish, both exotic and more everyday. All will enliven your life and some will greet you with joy when you come home. Scientific evidence shows that pet owners are healthier in general than non-pet owners.

  10. Be cheerful; it will extend your life. Try to keep a positive attitude about aging. It is as inevitable as death and taxes, but being miserable about it will not lengthen your life and may shorten it.

It is true that as we age we lose strength, stamina and muscle mass. But we do not have to encourage this to happen.

Take care of yourself, eat right, exercise, keep cheerful and retain an interest in people and the world around you. Have faith and don’t forget to see your physician regularly. It will all add up to a healthier and longer life.

Danish scientists found interdependence between thighs size and body’s resistibility to heart diseases.

The last researches of Danish scientists prove that men and women with thigh size over 60 cm are less probable to get a heart disease or prematurely die. This correlation maintains even if taking into the account the depot fat, cholesterol levels in blood and bad habits like smoking or alcohol consumption.

People with thin thighs may not have the necessary muscle bulk to convert the insulin. This fact raises the risks of getting diabetes or heart diseases.
British Medical Journal published the results of the researches on 3 thousand people. It was taken into account their height, weight, thighs circumference, hips and waist size and the percentage of body depot fat. Scientist also took into consideration physical activity of the people tested, their blood pressure, cholesterol levels and bad habits.
The research lasted over 12 years, the results proved that people with thighs circumference less than 55 cm have double chances to die prematurely or get serious health problems. It was also proved that the high risks for people with thin thighs do not depend on their abdomen depot fat nor on their general body depot fat; don’t depend on their lifestyle or blood pressure.

Risks of developing hearth diseases depend on the thighs circumference more than on waist size. Other studies linked hearth diseases with waist size; women ‘dangerous’ sizes are 89 cm and men 102 cm.
It’s very important though to understand the difference between big thighs and fat thighs. It’s essential to gain muscle not fat because the lack of muscle bulk is the cause of the improperly insulin conversion, raising the risks of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
Some skeptic scientist contests the results saying that the researches need a more serious ground; other scientists assert that the study results aren’t enough to change the existing recommendations on healthy eating and physical exercises for heart protection. However the study researchers insist that hips size should be taken into consideration at least for the reason to include a person in a group risk.

Another study proves that abdominal fat is an important risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Abdominal fat is also a risk factor for diabetes because it leads to a reduction in the body’s response to insulin which results in larger amounts of insulin needing to be secreted by the pancreas to control blood sugar levels. This eventually leads to insulin resistance and the onset of type-2 diabetes. Most physicians consider that the optimal waist size is 81 cm for women and 82 for men.
Another important study show that a 14 cm increase in waist size is correlated to about 30% increase in heart disease risk. The data was collected from over 160,000 individuals in 63 countries.

A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, found the waist to hip ratio to be a far better predictor of heart disease than BMI (body mass index). The waist to hip ratio is calculated by dividing the circumference of the waist at its smallest point by the circumference of the hips at their widest point. An optimal waist to hip ratio is less than 0.8 in women and 0.9 in men.

How to increase thighs and hips size?

-    Make physical exercises at least 3 times a week.
-    Use weigh that can be lifted up to 10 times in a row

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Scientists from Exeter University discovered the fact that physical exercises help people quit smoking.

It was considered that physical exercises and smoking are two incompatible things. Sometimes we may meet running people who stop to take a breath and smoke a cigarette. Or we may encounter musclemen getting out of gym with cigarette in their mouth. The scientists state that physical training may help people get rid of their bad habits, including smoking.

Previously a few researches led the doctors to similar conclusions. A group of European physicians stated that even a rare physical training may lead to the reducing of smoking. But a concrete mechanism in this sense was discovered recently.

In the researches participated dozens of voluntary smokers with a certain experience. Doctors asked them not to smoke for about 15 hours and then to spend 10 minutes on the treadmill on a constant and not very accelerated speed. Then every patient was submitted to MR-imaging unit in where they watched 60 different images. Some of them contained cigarettes and smoking people. Scientists considered these images should enhance the desire to smoke.

The same experiment carried a number of smokers and weren’t submitted to physical exercises.

The photographs of the patients received using MR-imaging, showed the difference between the brain activity of the first and the second group of smokers. The brain of those who didn’t carry physical exercises was more active, especially the parts responsible for the reward and visual focus. In the first group the activity of the brain in this matter was lower; the brain reacted to the images showing cigarettes in the same manner it would react, for example at apple imagery.

As the authors of the research presume, the cause of this phenomenon may be the special effect of the physical activity, which is related to the output of the pleasure hormone called dopamine. By improving our mood it decreases the need to smoke and to consume nicotine, which is also responsible for the output of certain hormones (a fact that creates dependency).

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The main author of the research stated the fact that even a short physical training may help us to get rid of smoking habit.

A few exercises per day may replace such products as nicotine plaster, chewing gum and other things that help smokers. A ten minutes running or a simple fresh air walk may be very useful for those who try to quit smoking.

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Preventing colds and flu, staying healthy during cold and flu season

Cold and flu relief, natural remedies for cold and flu

At least for the cold and flu season try to except/use less/avoid/:

1. Smoking. A cigarette smoked once in a while isn’t a decisional factor in suppressing your immune system but smoking regularly makes your body weaker when confronting with infections in general and seasonal diseases in particular.

2. Junk food. It saves a lot of time but the saved time is then spent curing the conditions junk food may favour including cold and flu. Unhealthy eating habits

3. Avoid sugar or high sugar foods. It’s a fact that sugar decreases your immune system that’s why excepting sugar from your diet is very important. Also try to avoid artificial sweeteners.

4. If you’re stuffy avoid milk because it would thicken mucous making it harder to drain.

5. Showering very often and showering with soap would make skin more sensible to bacteria and microbes.     Hot shower benefits

6. Alcohol drinking would also make your body weaker by depressing the immune system.

7. Contacting with people who manifest obvious cold and flu symptoms.

Remember things to avoid and be especially careful in this cold and flu season

If you’re exercising a lot for loosing weight and didn’t lose a pound, if you don’t exercise at all because don’t see the reasons for doing that, than this article would be something motivational for you. Have you ever noticed that every article about a healthy living, a healthy lifestyle or fighting with depression or stress contains this simple advice: Get at least 15 minutes exercises a day and you’ll feel better? But have you really asked yourself what are the ‘miraculous’ benefits of exercising regularly? Below there’s a list with the most important benefits sport can bring you.

1.    Helps fight chronic diseases. Exercising you improve your blood pressure and cholesterol levels that fact decreasing your chances of suffering from such conditions like type II diabetes, heart disease (human heart facts) and several cancer types (cancer prevention tips). It was also proved to be one of the causes of delaying onset of dementia.

2.    Helps fight seasonal illnesses. Cold and flu will stay away or would be more difficult to catch if you’re doing your exercises regularly. Cold and flu prevention tips

3.    More energy. It may look like a paradox but the more you move and use your energy, the more it feels like you have a lot of it.

4.    Improves your mood by raising your serotonin levels decreasing at the same time cortisol levels (stress associated hormone) in your blood.

5.    Improves cognitive functions (like memory and learning).

6.    Improves the quality of sleep. Exercising regularly you’ll have a good sleep. It would also help to fall asleep more quickly. Lack of sleep symptoms

7.    By exercising you’ll improve your sexual life. A great physical fit and more energy are always going side by side.

8.    Sport or simply exercising in the morning would bring a relief to those depressed or anxious. A simple walk would make difference and you’ll feel that in only 10 minutes.

9.    It’s a great appetite stimulant. Just remember to temper your appetite after exercising and at night hours.

I hope these several benefits would be motivational for you when starting or continuing exercising. Try to find your personal benefits and keep them in mind for those ‘lazy days’ when you don’t want to move a muscle.

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‘There is no sincerer love than the love of food’ so said G. B. Shaw.

If you are reading this post, it means that you are interested in good nutrition tips and keeping your body healthy.  We first need to understand how our diet influences our health.  Once we get the basics of this, we are able to find a proper balance in our diet to enable us attain proper nutrition.

Excesses, imbalances and deficiencies can negatively affect the entire body and all of its functions.  Science has proven that many diseases affecting us are related to our diet intake and exercise.

Our bodies require carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, vitamins, fats, fiber and most importantly water.  While there are numerous ways to achieve a proper nutrition on a daily basis, a summary of these tips is listed below:

* Drink water.  Our bodies comprise 70% water.  We therefore need a water intake of at least 8 glasses a day in order to balance the functioning of our body.  The temperature of your water does not really matter.  Fruits and vegetables can provide a big percentage (about 20%) of your water needs.

* Don’t skip meals. Eat breakfast lower your calorie intake over lunch and dinner.  Your body responds to skipping meals by converting the food you eat (when you eat) into energy.  It tends to go into a survival mode and this greatly affects your metabolism.  You end us storing excess glucose or food as fat.  Therefore, if you do not skip meals, your metabolism is balanced and you will be healthy naturally.

* Vegetables and fruits should also be eaten in plenty.  Five servings of vegetables and fruits each day contribute to good nutrition tips.  These foods are high in vitamins and fiber and low in calories.  Instead of feeding of sweetened snacks, take fruits in-between meals as snacks instead.  Ensure you have fruits and vegetables in your daily menu. Good vegetables to eat

* Control your protein intake.  Lean protein is recommended as it contains low cholesterol levels.  Foods to avoid when you have high cholesterol, Cholesterol healthy foods

Protein is also good for muscle build up and is an excellent source of iron.  Consider eating fish and white meat as these have little cholesterol.

* Take a daily fiber diet every day as this enhances your bowel function.  Whole grains help you achieve your fiber needs daily.

*People in longevity zones consume most food as soon as they are harvested, raw, or use low-temperature cooking methods. These factors preserve most of the micro nutrients in these foods

*Frequency of nutrition. I recommend eating Japanese-style — several light dishes in the morning and afternoon, and one major meal at the end of the day. Please note that children and young adults may eat more often and more in general, because their digestion is directed toward growth, and is several times more efficient than that of a healthy adult at ages 40-50

* Exercise.  Daily exercise is essential for a healthy body.  In fact, most doctors recommend 20 minutes a day exercise to keep you fit.  Your risks of life-changing diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases decrease with regular exercise.

A new study suggests that exercising in the morning, before eating, can significantly lessen the ill effects of a poor diet. More important, however, is the impact fasting exercise can have on your insulin regulation (insulin resistance is the root cause of most chronic disease. Making maintaining proper insulin regulation a primary factor of longevity.

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You’ve heard it before that a diet reach in vegetables and fruits can help you combat cardiovascular disease, cancer, and prevent or delay the onset of many of the effects of aging. It’s a statement that can’t be denied. About strawberries has been said a lot of things and many of you know about allergy caused by these berries. But we’ll try to focus only on positive qualities of strawberries.

Strawberries are an excellent source of vitamin C, manganese, dietary fiber, iodine, potassium, folate, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, vitamin K, riboflavin, omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium and copper.

It has been shown that strawberries significantly reduce liver cancer cells due to ellagic acid present in them. It also can be found in many red fruits and berries including raspberries, blackberries, and cranberries and of course strawberries. Ellagic acid prevents the destruction of P53 gene by cancer cells and can also bind with cancer causing molecules making them inactive.

Studies have shown that strawberry consumption can increase anti-cancer activity on cancer cells of the breast, oesophagus, skin, colon, prostate and pancreas.
An interesting study was carried out on a group of 1000 elderly people, and found that those eating the most strawberries had a risk of developing cancer that was only 33% of the risk in those eating none.
A study published by Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry shown that regardless of the cultivars, strawberries reduce significantly the rate of cancerous liver cells.

Like many other berries, strawberries contain high amounts of antioxidants; in particular anthocyanins type 2 and ellagitannins. Anthocyanins have been shown by several studies to be effective in reducing risks of developing cancer, cardiovascular disease and inflammation-related diseases. Anthocyanins have a function similar to cyclooxigenase inhibitors (such as aspirin) but without side effects being a safer version of aspirin in their anti-inflammatory proprieties. A study at Lane University suggests that the high levels of antioxidants in these berries help neutralize the destructive effects of free radicals helping repairing the tissues by giving a boost of vitamin C. Strawberry extracts have also been shown to inhibit COX enzymes in vitro, which inhibits the inflammatory process. Anthocyanins contained in strawberries greatly reduces the rate of mutation in cells, which is a direct measure for the risk of developing cancer and diseases such as atherosclerosis.

Strawberries have been linked with effecting blood vessels, platelets and lipoproteins positively, which can reduce the risk of coronary heart diseases.

Besides their beneficial effects on cancer and heart disease, the antioxidant qualities of strawberries are also good in the process of reversing the course of neuronal and behavioural aging. Due to this positive effect strawberries are helpful in slowing the beginning of Alzheimer’s disease reducing at the same time the effects of this disease. A key ingredient in strawberries is folate which is a main part in the manufacture of red blood cells and a possible aid in delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s.

You must also know that a serving of strawberries will provide you with 200 mg of potassium, that in its turn helps regulate the electrolytes in your body, lowering your risk of heart attack and stroke.
Another important health benefit of strawberries is their effect on skin; they also help clean the blood of harmful toxins. Strawberries when rubbed on teeth and gums remove tartar and strengthen and heal the gums. Data reported in a study indicates that eating 3 or more servings of fruit per day may lower your risk of age-related macular degeneration which is the primary cause of vision loss in older adults, by 36%, compared to persons who consume less than 1.5 servings of fruit daily.

Eat strawberries everyday and stay healthy!

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Know the ‘side effects’ of loneliness and of being unsociable. It’s more serious than you ever thought.

Psychologists are convinced of the fact that loneliness is not less harmful for people than smoking or overweight.

The lack of relation with other people not only makes us unhappy, but has a negative influence on the health of our body and soul. This conclusion was drawn during a scientific research.

The feeling of seizure and isolation increase the blood pressure, the stress and the general level of tiredness and increase the chances to get Alzheimer disease.

Besides, this feeling decrease the strength of will and persistence, a fact that influence the health, the capacity of body to follow a healthy way of life.

The result of the researches in this sense were presented by professor John Cacciopo from the Chicago University on the yearly conference of the American Association of Science Development.

According to professor Cacciopo loneliness not only lead to a change of mood, but is also connected with the development of resistibility of normal blood flow through cardiovascular system.

Loneliness lead to the increase of the stress hormone called cortisol which influence the immune system and lead to the increase of the arterial pressure and development of depression.

Loneliness or social isolation leads to the disturbance of deep sleep and fast progress of Alzheimer disease.

As the professor states in many cases the difference between a lonely person and a popular one is equivalent to the difference between “a smoker and a non-smoker”.

Professor said: “This discovery overwhelmed us.  My colleagues and I were surprised to find out the consequences of the social isolation. It proved how important is the communication for each of us”.

Lonely people are usually weak. They make less physical exercises, consume more calories. In order to fill their sensation of comfort these people eat much fat and sweet food.  
John Cacciopo explains that loneliness decrease the capacity of control. After a difficult day lonely people may serve one or two glasses of scotch. The third will give total relaxation.

Professor Cacciopo is one of the founders of the new science called social neurology. According to him the human need in communication with other people has deep evolutionary roots.

In the past, in order to survive people had to cooperate, besides, it cooperation it was easier to raise the children. In order to develop people had to increase their altruism and cooperation.

The physical pain serve as a prompting to change our behavior, for example, we don’t put our hands into fire as a reflex. In the same manner, during the evolution the loneliness led us to certain actions – it is a signal from our ancestors for the necessity of “building” social connections.

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Facts about a healthy, restful sleep – Easy and natural ways to beat down your insomnia.

Some popular classicist once said: Life is sleep. The opposite is also correct: Sleep is life. It is possible that sleep for a human being is more important than food or water. This is why in Middle Ages one of the most brutal forms of torture was the wakeful state to last for a few days. As a result the person became crazy and consequently died.

Sleep is life!
For most of the people even a little lack of sleep for one or two hours per day may have serious consequences.

A permanent deficit of a healthy sleep lead to damaging of the immune system, to decreasing of intellectual capacities, there are also negative consequences for the nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract organs. Even the way we look depends directly on the fact how well do we sleep. The unhealthy color of our face is a consequence of sleepless nights. A proven fact is the direct connection between the insomnia and the obesity. The scientists state the fact that the growth hormone which regulates the distribution of fat throughout the organism is synthesized mostly during our sleep and people who pay attention to a healthy night sleep have more chances to preserve their figure and shape.

For example, the statistics prove that people that sleep 4 hours per day have 74% more probability to get fat  than people that have a normal sleep of 7-9 hours per day. In case a person sleeps 5 hours per day he has 50% probability to get fat, in case of 6 hours of sleep, the percent is 23.  According to the last statistics the rate of mortality in people sleeping 6-7 hours per day is lower than for the rest.

These are average statistics, but the situation is individual for each persons: for some of us 4 hours is enough to regenerate, for other it is necessary to sleep for about 10 hours. It is important to base on your own sensations: if you woke up without alarm clock and feel rested it means you had a good night sleep. But you feel weak and tired during the whole day, you loose the sense of concentration, fell apathy, irritability, it means you had a bad, incomplete night sleep. The symptoms of insomnia are unique.

Make your own sleeping process
The most effective solution for insomnia is the hypnosis. This is not the only method, and not at all the most effective. If the problem has not yet became a chronic imbalance of the sleep function you may use a simpler therapy.

Regime
The easier method to solve this problem is to make a stable regime: to go to sleep and to wake up at the same hour everyday. Due to this banal regime you’ll help your organism to create a certain reflex. You will have to respect this sleeping regime even in weekends when the temptation to lie in bed in the morning is much stronger.

What is the optimal time to go to sleep? There’re different opinions in this matter. Some scientists advice to follow the inner instincts: when you feel a sleepiness state you should go to bed. But the most of the opinions are that better sleep is between 23.00 in the evening until 05.00 in the morning, and especially the interval between 02.00 and 04.00.

Tranquility
Before sleep is not recommended to make fitness and to watch horror or action movies – all these factors excite our organism, which is not recommended before sleep.  The only types of physical exercises that are recommended before sleep are (muscle) stretch exercises, a slow walk and sex.

Hot shower
A good hot shower, or better bath, is very relaxing for our body. For a stronger effect you may add in bath volatile oils (for example geranium, lavender, etc.) or aromatic salt with relaxing effect.

Hot shower benefits

A good dinner
Eating much before sleep is a taboo! Try to eat at least with 3 hours before sleep; in this case the feeling of heaviness in your stomach will not divert your organism from relaxation. It is also not recommended to totally avoid dinner because a howling stomach is also harmful for a normal sleep. If you didn’t manage to have your dinner with 3-4 hours before sleep, you may consume some fruits or vegetables except citruses and grape.

Traditional remedies
In order to combat the insomnia you may also use several popular recipes.  It is useful to serve a little relaxing infusion or chamomile, mint, hop, Melissa or valerian tea. A classic method is to drink a glass of hot milk with a spoon of honey. Regarding to valerian, the dry root of this plant may be put into a little bag close to your pillow. The same effect has the volatile oil of lavender. It will fill your room with a nice relaxing aroma.

A comfortable bed
A large attention should be paid to your bed. It is more comfortable to sleep on a hard mattress. It is also more useful, because in this case we avoid getting osteochondrosis. It is better to forget about feather bed and soft pillows. A good pillow shouldn’t be very high; your neck should be in the same line with body.
Such a trifle as the color of furnishing may be also very important for your sleep. It is considered that dark colors, or blue and green nuances guarantee a good sleep, while red furniture may have an opposite effect.

Medical assistance
If you have a permanent insomnia it is recommended to consult your physician. Somnifacients in sale are in most cases effective and harmless. But a chronic insomnia may lead you to such problems as heart attack, stroke, hypertension, diabetes and other serious diseases.

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Knock out your insomnia!

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