One More Reason to Get a Good Night’s Sleep | Jeff Iliff

The brain uses a quarter of the body's entire energy supply, yet only accounts for about two percent of the body's mass. So how does this unique organ receive and, perhaps more importantly, rid itself of vital nutrients? New research suggests it has to do with sleep.

Why Relaxation Is So Important

It’s Not Lazy — It’s Healthy

While billions of dollars are spent annually in the pursuit of happiness and relaxation, most people fail to obtain those elusive goals. Knowing about the necessity of relaxation fails to convince many of us to take time out and simply be.

In fact, most people pride themselves on being “unable to simply sit still.” Unfortunately the frantic pursuit of happiness often leads to disappointment, fatigue and ill health. Many responsible adults would not consider taking a day off from work simply so they could relax, yet they would consider it irresponsible not to take necessary medication.

Relaxation is critical for personal well-being, health maintenance, and for life itself. If you are among the majority of individuals who do not make relaxation a priority, it may be time to reevaluate your perspective on this critical subject. Your happiness, health and very life depend on it.

Relaxation Can Keep You Well

Many minor and life-threatening illnesses are stress-related. Stress and the lack of regular relaxation harms your immune system. As a result, you catch colds, get cold sores, and contract common illnesses more readily.

If you are a person who feels you are doing your co-workers a favor by going to work when you are not completely well, you are actually harming yourself and fellow workers. When you are sick, stay home and rest.

Unfortunately, employees are sometimes looked upon favorably when they struggle through the day, coming to work when ill. The health care industry is a particularly bad example of this practice.

Health care providers, like those in other industries, are often encouraged to go to work whenever possible, regardless of how they feel, because otherwise facilities will be short staffed. It is up to you to look out for your own well-being.

Take Care of Yourself

Burn-out is rampant among caregivers, partially as a result of a relaxation deficit. Many caregivers burn out because they feel guilty taking care of themselves when they “should” be caring for others.

Job satisfaction, relationships, and the ability to care for others suffer when caregivers are not provided with regular relaxation times. Caregivers must learn how to balance responsibilities with self-care.

I know this may seem impossible, but it can be done. Self-care requires dedication and commitment.

Support groups can be very beneficial as other members understand what you are going through. You may pick up helpful tips, feel less isolated, and no longer feel guilty for looking out for yourself.

Replenish the Sourdough

We are each responsible for taking time out every day so we can relax. A wise friend once told me we each must learn to “replenish the sourdough.”

Sourdough bread is made with a yeast starter. Every time a loaf of bread is made, a little bit of the starter is reserved. The reserved starter is then replenished with flour so there will be enough starter to make the next batch of bread.

If all of the starter is used up and not replenished, there will be no bread in the future. In human terms, this means we must each take responsibility for keeping a bit of ourselves back when we care for others. We need to nourish ourselves so we will be able to help others.

If we do not replenish ourselves, we will be exhausted and have nothing left to give. Self-care and relaxation are not selfish; they are responsible and essential actions that benefit you and those who you encounter.

Learn to Relax

A lack of relaxation leads to multiple emotional and stress-related illnesses. Panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and depression are rampant. Stress depletes the body of endorphins and can lead to insomnia, and fatigue contributes to mood and relationship disorders.

Anxiety and mood disorders don’t just make you feel bad, they are harmful for your health. For example, people who suffer from panic disorder are twice as likely as the general public to suffer from potentially fatal coronary artery disease.

Seemingly unrelated illnesses may arise or worsen when you cannot relax. Migraine headaches, heart attacks, stroke, COPD, and irritable bowel syndrome are all negatively impacted by stress.

Lack of Relaxation Impacts Relationships

Living with high levels of stress can be difficult for you and those you come in contact with. Your ability to work and support yourself financially may be impacted; you may feel irritable and helpless; and family members may experience similar issues. If you have children, it is essential you model behaviors that teach them how to relax in healthy ways.

Relax and Live Well

As you can see, if you do not take time out for relaxing, your health may be impaired. Fortunately the decision to make sure you stay well and get relaxation time is entirely yours.

Relaxing may not only save your life, it can make it more enjoyable and help you create the life you want to live.

Establish a routine for relaxing. When you first begin to relax, it may be as simple as taking a few deep breaths several times per day. You might enjoy a sitting for 10 minutes after work while you put your feet up and sip on herbal tea.

While watching a favorite television program or reading a book can be enjoyable, take time to relax by doing “nothing.” Doing nothing for a few minutes each day allows you time to notice how you feel physically , mentally and spiritually. You will begin to recognize aspects of your life that bring you pleasure and areas that need changing.

Article Source: http://healthliving.today/why-relaxation-is-so-important/

He Hears Music in the Quietest Place on Earth—Can You? | Short Film Showcase

Acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton has spent the past 35 years recording natural soundscapes. His work has taken him around the world and into some of the least densely populated places.

June 2021 Birthday Specials!

June 2021 Birthdays

Wishing you health, well being and happiness.

Take some time for some birthday pampering - relax - unwind and rejuvenate. We look forward to seeing you soon!

A Gift For You!

$15.00 off any package OR $10.00 off an hour massage PLUS 25% off an additional service

*Valid the whole month of your birthday in 2021.

(Special prices above not good with any other offers)

What Happens If You Cut Down All of a City's Trees? - Stefan Al

Explore what makes trees a vital part of cities, and how urban spaces throughout history have embraced the importance of trees.

By 2050, it’s estimated that over 65% of the world will be living in cities. We may think of nature as being unconnected to our urban spaces, but trees have always been an essential part of successful cities. Humanity has been uncovering these arboreal benefits since the creation of our first cities thousands of years ago. So what makes trees so important to a city’s survival? Stefan Al explains.

Lesson by Stefan Al, directed by Mette Ilene Holmriis.

The Health Benefits of Going Outside

As people spend more time indoors, ecotherapy is emerging as a way to help rebuild our relationships with nature—and improve mental and physical health. James Hamblin visits San Francisco to learn more.

What Are Muscle Knots?

Muscle knots: more mysterious than you think!

Ten Reasons Why We Need More Contact with Nature

 Heron Island on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Photograph: Graeme Robertson

By:Richard Louv 

It improves your memory, helps you recuperate and even makes your sense of smell more acute. So turn off your computer and get outside

• The more high-tech our lives become, the more nature we need

We have a human right to a meaningful connection to nature, and we have the responsibilities that come with that right. Many people today support the notion that every person, especially every young person, has a right to access the internet. How much more should every person have a right to access the natural world, because that connection is part of our humanity?

• Humans are hard-wired to love – and need – exposure to the natural world

Researchers have found that regardless of culture people gravitate to images of nature, especially the savannah. Our inborn affiliation for nature may explain why we prefer to live in houses with particular views of the natural world.

• We suffer when we withdraw from nature

Australian professor Glenn Albrecht, director of the Institute of Sustainability and Technology Policy at Murdoch University, has coined the term solastalgia. He combined the Latin word solacium (comfort — as in solace) and the Greek root – algia (pain) to form solastalgia, which he defines as “the pain experienced when there is recognition that the place where one resides and that one loves is under immediate assault.”

• Nature brings our senses alive

Scientists recently found that humans have the ability to track by scent alone. Some humans rival bats in echolocation or biosonar abilities. Military studies show that some soldiers in war zones see nuances others miss, and can spot hidden bombs; by and large, these individuals tend to be rural or inner city soldiers, who grew up more conscious of their surroundings.

• Individuals and businesses can become nature smart

Spending more time outdoors nurtures our “nature neurons” and our natural creativity. For example, at the University of Michigan, researchers demonstrated that, after just an hour interacting with nature, memory performance and attention spans improved by 20%. In workplaces designed with nature in mind, employees are more productive and take less sick time.

• Nature Heals

Pennsylvania researchers found that patients in rooms with tree views had shorter hospitalizations, less need for pain medications and fewer negative comments in the nurses’ notes, compared to patients with views of brick.

• Nature can reduce depression and improve psychological wellbeing

Researchers in Sweden have found joggers who exercise in a natural green setting feel more restored and less anxious, angry, or depressed than people who burn the same amount of calories jogging in a built urban setting.

• Nature builds community bonds

Levels of neurochemicals and hormones associated with social bonding are elevated during animal-human interactions. Researchers at the University of Rochester report that exposure to the natural environment leads people to nurture close relationships with fellow human beings, value community, and to be more generous with money.

• Nature bonds families and friends

New ways are emerging to make that bond, such as family nature clubs, through which multiple families go hiking, gardening or engage in other outdoor activities together. In the UK, families are forming “green gyms” to bring people of all ages together to do green exercise.

• The future is at stake

The natural world’s benefits to our cognition and health will be irrelevant if we continue to destroy the nature around us, but that destruction is assured without a human reconnection to nature.

Article Source: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/feb/13/10-reasons-why-we-need-more-contact-with-nature

June 2021 Birthday Specials!

June 2021 Birthdays

Wishing you health, well being and happiness.

Take some time for some birthday pampering - relax - unwind and rejuvenate. We look forward to seeing you soon!

A Gift For You!

$15.00 off any package OR $10.00 off an hour massage PLUS 25% off an additional service

*Valid the whole month of your birthday in 2021.

(Special prices above not good with any other offers)