Isn't it wonderful to wake up feeling well rested and pain-free?  Sleeping in the right position has a lot to do with that. The advice from the Mayo Clinic is to use pillows or rolled up towels in crucial spots to keep the body aligned.

If you sleep on your side, it is recommended to:
Place a pillow between your knees and possibly a small towel rolled under your waist if it is more comfortable.  This will relieve pressure on lumbar joints and your spine will be more in alignment.

If you sleep on your back, it is recommended to:
Place a pillow under your knees (this feels so good) and a small pillow or rolled towel under your back.  This causes your knees to be slightly bent so your spine will stay naturally curved.

If you sleep on your stomach, it is recommended to:
Place a pillow under your hips and under your ankles. Placing the pillows in those areas will help those who have bulging disk problems in the lumbar region of the spine.  Consider not using a pillow under the head when laying on the stomach to minimize stress on your spine.

Using pillows as suggested, assist in taking the pressure off your spine and allows the disks to recuperate overnight.  It is also suggested to use only one pillow under the head so that there is little chance of causing misalignment and pain in the neck area.

 

Do You Get Enough Sleep?

What happens when we are able to get enough sleep? Research shows there is a link between sleep and weight gain.

Most women only get about 6 hours of sleep a night on average. This causes weight gain by a person trying to add more energy to the body during the day. By not getting the proper amount of sleep for your body, you will crave more carbs and fats during the day.

What exactly is the sleep-weight connection?  Science shows that sleep deprivation wreaks havoc on hormones that control appetite, cravings and the metabolism of fat.

Studies show if you can get seven and a half hours of sleep every night, you will have more energy and focus during the day. By having more energy, you will be more inclined to make better choices for your health, such as exercising. Your body will reset itself to find what is a "normal weight" for you.

The body repairs itself while we sleep. So, it is just as important to get the proper amount of sleep as it is to make healthy choices in the foods we eat.

A few tips:

1 - Try to get 7.5 hours of sleep
2 - No caffeine after 2:30pm
3 - No alcohol less than 3 hours before bedtime
4 -Try to go to bed at the same time every night
5- Make sure the room is as dark as possible so the body will get the benefits of melatonin.

 

In this economy, stress is already at an all time high. People are just trying to deal with the usual daily ups and downs and now what?  People we know losing jobs, or not being able to find one, life savings disappearing, losing a home, etc.

When you catch a cold, what is your body trying to tell you?

A new study came out at the Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.  They used 153 healthy volunteers. Their sleep patterns were studied for two weeks prior to being locked into a hotel room for five days.  Then they infected each one with a cold virus.

What they found is that the people who spent time in bed tossing and turning, getting less than 7 hours of sleep, were three times more likely to develop sneezing, sore throat and other cold symptoms.

It is already known that sleep is important to our immune function.

Until now, there hasn't been any evidence that minor sleep disburbances can influence the body's reaction to cold viruses.

Do you know how much sleep do you require nightly to maintain your health?  I am sure you don't need any added stress of catching a cold or worse, the flu!
Make sure you get the sleep you require to stay healthy.