The Art of Sleeping - 8 Tips for Getting a Good Night's Sleep

 Tossing and turning. Clock watching. Drifting off to sleep then waking up? counting sheep? Thinking I need to sleep but thoughts are like the M25 on a Friday evening, - jammed packed with thought traffic.

Sound familiar?

We all know the body needs to sleep to rest, to rejuvenate, to tune up heal itself and to repair what needs repairing.

Lack of sleep impacts our thinking process, makes us tired, grumpy and irritated at times, it's very difficult to function when the body and the mind are both exhausted.

Good sleeping patterns are essential to our emotional and physical well-being and is often an overlooked factor in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

The Art of Sleeping Tip 1 - Cut out caffeine

Caffeine is an enemy of sleep - it is not your friend! If you need coffee don't have it after 12. Caffeine dehydrates your body and increases anxiety and stress because of the rush of adrenaline in the body.

Do you know that caffeine still impacts your body up to 10 to 12 hours after you have consumed it?

The Art of Sleeping Tip 2 - Keep rehydrated

Ensure you drink enough water during the day, the recommended amount is between 1.5 and 2 litres a day (and that doesn't include coffee!). Being dehydrated can impact sleeping as it disrupts your body's natural rhythm, so you don't feel tired when you should. It also causes fatigue but not the type of tiredness to help you sleep.

Being dehydrated also decreases the melatonin in the body which is needed for sleep.

The Art of Sleeping Tip 3 - Ensure you have sufficient natural light during the day

Natural day light is essential to sleep as it increases melatonin in the body. Open curtains, go for a walk outside, and ensure your work space has sufficient natural light, perhaps angle your desk so that you are facing a window.

The Art of Sleeping Tip 4 - Stay away from lights at night

Lights at night decreases the levels of melatonin in the body. Lights from TV, even computers decreases the melatonin at night. Even the light from an iPad can suppress the melatonin.

Stop using your laptop, TV and iPads late at night. Read, listen to some relaxing music or do some relaxation exercises to help you prepare for sleep.

Change lights bulbs in your bedroom is it is a soft and gentle light.

The Art of Sleeping Tip 5 - The importance of healthy eating and exercise

A healthy balanced diet is essential to a healthy sleeping pattern. Don't eat a heavy meal late at night, especially meat as the body takes a while to digest it.

Bananas are good for helping sleep - but don't eat them too late at night.

The Art of Sleeping Tip 6 - Quit smoking

Many smokers think that smoking helps relax them. Wrong! Nicotine is a stimulant and disrupts the sleeping patterns.

The Art of Sleeping Tip 7 - Cut out alcohol

Alcohol reduces your quality of sleep. Although you may go to sleep quickly it also wakes you during the night. Don't drink alcohol a few hours before going to bed.

The Art of Sleeping Tip 8 - Try alternative safe methods

Perhaps experiment with soothing and calming background noise (sounds of nature or the ocean) which can be played when you go to be bed. These can be purchased inexpensively online. You can also try seeking the advice or counsel of an experienced and registered professional such as a sleep therapist or hypnotherapist.

Happy sleeping!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7231134

Natural Remedies for Acne - Answers Are Right Here

Acne is the worst thing a person can have. Well, not as worse as cancer, a heart attack, or any other life threatening situation, but you get the picture. People are constantly searching for ways to cure acne but more and more people are searching for natural remedies for acne. Basically they search for methods that don't involve prescriptions, or over-the-counter medication for acne. These are some of the most effective proven methods for getting rid of acne naturally.

Drinking plenty of water is one of the most natural ways of getting rid of acne. It's common sense that water works because first it hydrates your body when you drink it. When your skin gets dehydrated it becomes more dry. Dry skin can lead to acne. Most people would think to avoid having oily skin, but dry skin is even a bigger problem. Water is more than just rehydrating your skin. If you're taking certain vitamins you typically have one or two glasses of water. When you take the vitamins, the water you drink makes sure that they get to where they need to go in your body. The vitamins make their way to the skin cells, which in turn flush out unwanted toxins. Health Experts recommend you to drink at least 8 glasses a day.

One of the other natural remedies for acne is nutrition. Now there has been speculation that eating certain foods that are high in fat or that are oily are what causes acne. That is false. Eating the right foods however, can lower acne. Of course, eating anything that is high in fat or oil are not the way to go. Eating those types of foods will cause more oil buildup in your pores, and you pretty much know what happens afterwards. Vegetables are a good start, especially those that are leafy and green. Veggies are high in antioxidant vitamins and minerals. Those types of nutrients detoxify your body to have clear skin. Fruit is also a good source of nutrition, but do not eat fruits high in sugar.

More natural remedies for acne include natural items, like honey, lemon juice, olive oil, and many more items that you can find in your grocery store. To apply these items to your skin you use the same technique as a topical cream, like a facial mask. Some of these items might be a little unpleasant when applying to your skin like lemon juice. You need to really be careful when putting on these ingredients to your acne, and be very careful around an open acne scar or cyst.

If you do these methods everyday and make it part of your routine your acne will disappear eventually. Make sure you don't overdo these methods by doing them more than once. More importantly don't be stressed out a lot. Being relaxed and having confidence is also one of the keys to reducing your acne. There are many natural remedies for acne but these methods mentioned above are proven to get rid of your acne.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7189906

The Number One Reason Why You Fail To Gain Muscle

In this article. I would like to share with you the number one reason why you are struggling to add more lean muscle mass to your frame. I think we can safely assume that you are already training and you are lifting weights at least three times per week, but no matter what you do in the gym you still fail to see any gains. Am I right?

You see, the number one reason why guys fail to gain muscle is not because they don't follow the right training plan or because they don't do the right exercises. It's not because of bad genes or because they are so called 'hardgainers'. It's simply because of bad eating habits.

The number one reason why skinny guys fail to gain muscle is simply because their diets are bad. You see, if you weigh 160 pounds and if you want to get to up to 190 pounds then the first thing you need to start doing is eating like a person who weighs 190 pounds.

The first thing that you need to focus on is making sure that you supply your body with enough energy. I am talking about calories. To make your body grow, to start gaining muscle you need to supply your body with more than enough energy and this energy has to come from calories.

The point I want to make here is that to gain muscle you are going to have to eat a lot and by eating a lot I don't suggest to start eating ice cream and burgers everything single day.

No way.

You need to gather your calories from high quality foods. You need to gather enough proteins to make sure that your body gets enough building materials for your muscles to grow, you need to eat enough complex carbohydrates to have plenty of energy and you need to eat plenty of healthy fats to make sure that your joint and hormonal production runs smoothly and efficiently.

When trying to gain muscle you need to focus on the basics. When training you want to focus on the basic training principles and you want to focus on proven and tested exercises. The same rules apply to your diet. There's no need to reinvent the wheel and start following some complicated bodybuilding diet when all you need to do to start gaining muscle is to simply increase your daily caloric intake and make sure that your daily calories come from high quality foods.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7177930

What OCD Personality Disorder Is

OCD personality disorder is extremely common and can affect people of all ages. Although it's mostly seen in adults, a lot of children show signs of it as they are growing up. This is a disorder that is characterized by an individual who likes to keep order and neatness in things. 

On top of this, they are also going to be obsessed with perfectionism. A person that suffers from this disorder will need to have full control over their environment so they can make sure all the details are how they want them to be. Without this control the sufferer will endure a lot of stress that chronically bothers them until the situation is fixed. There are a lot of different symptoms of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder depending on each person.

Four million people in the United States currently have obsessive-compulsive disorder. If you want to look at this in a different way, that's one out of every fifty people. OCD affects all types of people, from children to adults and both men and women. This isn't something that affects just one race, either. It can affect all different types of people and is more severe in some than others. Some of the most common compulsions for people include: checking, arranging, collecting, hoarding, cleaning, touching, tapping or repeating things. Some of the most common obsessions include fears of: causing harm, making a mistake, being embarrassed, germs and many others.

Symptoms 

Individuals who have this disorder tend to be extremely controlling with all their relationships and with other people in general. They want to make sure their plans go as they schedule, even down to the very smallest detail or last minute of a schedule. Attention to detail, even those that most people wouldn't notice, is one of the most obvious symptoms of this disorder. Individuals will also pay attention to facts, observe rules and make lists or schedules so they can stay on track with their day.

Someone who other people would describe as a "perfectionist" is likely to have obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. Unfortunately this isn't something the sufferer can control on their own. The need to be perfect can end up causing a lot of stress and interrupt the flow of daily life. Some people have the obsessive need to clean; but this doesn't happen with all people. Most individuals just want to make sure their home is cleaned the way they want it to be so it looks perfect. This isn't the need to clean, it's the need to make it look a certain way.

Difference between OCPD and OCD 

Some people might confuse OCD personality disorder with OCD. Both of these disorders do show similar and the same symptoms, but the biggest difference is with the thoughts. People who have OCPD believe that the thoughts they have are correct. Individuals with OCD have thoughts they don't want enter in through their head all the time.

Risks of OCPD 

Most people who suffer from this tend to be difficult to get along with. This is a result on them having very little wiggle room when they are looking at the views and actions of other people. This is why most people with OCD personality disorder tend to shy away from having friends or romantic relationships. Some people can even become violent and angry when other people don't agree with them. A lot of people with OCPD are also at risk for suicide if they become depressed.

Best treatments for OCPD 

Although there isn't just one perfect treatment for this disorder, most sufferers benefit from a combination of therapy and self-help. While going to therapy each person will learn more about their disorder, although they might think that everything the therapist says is wrong and that only they are correct. In this case it's up to the therapist to try and change their thought process so the patient can better understand why they do certain things.

There are a lot of techniques therapists can teach to help their patients control their anxiety and reduce their need to make everything perfect. The self-help books and audio are also full of a lot of really good information. These will require sufferers to perform certain activities in order to overcome their disorder. This means there is a lot of will power required for people who want help.

Sometimes anti-anxiety medications are given to patients who can't seem to control their stress levels. These sometimes come in the form of antidepressants depending on which symptoms are shown. The anti-anxiety medications can make a big difference with the sufferer's ability to really take in what the therapist is saying.

Getting treatment can improve the quality of life dramatically for the person that suffers from this disorder. In time they will be able to control their thoughts and become more open with different types of people and relationships.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7172099

10 Hair Care Myths And Facts Exposed

We've heard all the old wives' tales: brush your hair one hundred strokes every night before bed to make it thick and healthy! Cut your hair regularly to make it grow faster! In this article, we'll tell you which, if any, of these tales are true, and which ones are pure myth.

Myth #1: Frequent haircuts will make your hair grow faster.

Truth: Your hair grows at a rate of about half an inch each month, and cutting it doesn't change that. What is true is that frequent trims will get rid of split ends, so your hair looks nicer and doesn't break as easily, which can give the appearance of faster growth.

Myth #2: Stress can cause baldness.

Truth: Everyone normally loses an average of about 50-120 strands of hair each day. Extremely high levels of stress from major life changes like job loss or divorce can cause an increase in hair loss, as can other body chemistry changes like pregnancy or some antibiotics. But it's not permanent - once the stress is gone, the amount of hair fall will be back to normal and definitely, all lost hair will grow back.

Myth #3: You need to frequently change the shampoo you use for a healthier hair growth.

Truth: Hair doesn't build up a resistance to shampoo; it can't tell the difference. It's a bit like saying changing your laundry detergent on a regular basis will make your clothes cleaner. However, if your hair is very oily or if you use a lot of hair products to style your hair, then you should use a clarifying shampoo every couple of weeks to remove all the buildup (caused by the use of the various hairstyling products).

Myth #4: Plucking out grey hairs only makes more of them grow back.

Truth: Heredity determines how much grey you'll have. But refrain from pulling them out, as it can cause damage to the roots.

Myth #5: Cold water rinses will make hair shinier.

Truth: Rinsing your hair with cold water has no effect on your hair shine.

Myth #6: Dyeing your hair can damage it badly.

Truth: This was true in the past, but today's home and salon products are much gentler on your hair. In fact, most of them now contain conditioning agents that leave one's hair better than before dyeing!

Myth #7: Brush your hair 100 strokes every night to make it shiny and bright.

Truth: You should only brush your hair to style it or remove tangles. But be careful not to brush your hair too vigorously or too often, as it can cause breakages, as well as damage to your hair follicles.

Myth #8: There's no way to add volume to fine, flat hair.

Truth: All you need to do is to roll it up on large hot curlers to add extra body to very straight hair.

Myth #9: Shampooing should be "lather, rinse, and repeat."

Truth: Lather and rinse, yes. But unless hair is really dirty, there's no need for you to repeat the lather and rinse again.

Myth #10: Using the correct hair care products will mend split ends.

Truth: The only cure for split ends is a haircut.

7 Tips To Look Younger Instantly Without Surgery

1. Stop Squinting 

If you require reading glasses in order to read material up close, make sure that you wear them. It could be that you do not want people to know that you need eye glasses for reading, but screwing up your eyes in order to read is both unbecoming and a dead giveaway anyway. Squinting in the long run causes fine lines to appear around the eyes. Over time, if you keep up the habit, the lines eventually become lasting wrinkles, so beware!

There may, however, be other explanations for your squinting. If your eyesight is good but you're squinting working in front of a PC, then try reducing the screen brightness and/or contrast. A lot of the time, we might not even be aware that we are adopting this facial behavior when working on a computer. Ask a friend or work colleague to check for you.

If your job requires you to use the computer all day, ensure that you take frequent breaks all through the working day. Gazing at a PC screen for several hours will just result in dry, sore, "gritty" eyes. Therefore, get into the habit of the 20:20 rule, that is, work non-stop for 20 minutes and then rest your eyes for 20 seconds and do this in an alternating fashion throughout the day. When you're resting your eyes, glance away from the computer and focus on the furthest point in an open-plan office (if you work in one). Otherwise, look out of a window (if you're near one) at something far away for 20 seconds in order to rest your eyes. Alternatively, simply close your eyes for 20 seconds and then work for 20 minutes again and so on.

2. Good Posture 

If there was ever a simple thing you could do to immediately look younger (and thinner!), it is by acquiring good posture. This tip is not the sole preserve of supermodels. So for all you goddesses out there... heads up, shoulders back and walk tall. It will knock years off you straight away.

3. Good Night's Sleep 

It's not called beauty sleep for nothing. While we sleep, our body cells are given the chance to rejuvenate and go through a process of repair. There is something to be said about going to bed the same day you wake up, so try to ensure that you are in bed and fast asleep before midnight. Somehow you just don't feel quite as revitalized after an eight hour sleep if you retire after midnight as you do prior to the bewitching hour. A good night's rest gives you lots of energy and enthusiasm the following day, as well as makes you feel on top of the world. Your sparkling eyes, glowing skin and charged-up energy inevitably makes you look instantly younger.

4. Fashion Passion 

Everybody wants to look fabulous and be in touch with current trends but let's face it, some fashions just don't look good on us. Avoid following fashion blindly. Clothes are a very important beauty aid but there is no need to dress young to look young. Be choosy when it comes to fashion. Learn which types of clothes complement your figure and which colors work best for you. If skinny jeans for example, don't work with your figure, check out what is currently on-trend that does... Look at color(s) and don't forget accessories! You will, for sure, find something out of all that that will suit you and make you look and feel youthful and gorgeous.

5. Easy With The Makeup 

If you have applied the same colors and the same amount and type of makeup on your face for the last twenty years, it's time to speak to a professional makeup artist and perhaps get rid of some of the things in your cosmetic bag. As we age, our skin tones change. Makeup colors that once looked wonderful next to our skin, now serves only to age us. If you can identify yourself here, a switch of color can there and then take years off your face. Moreover, you will generally look much younger than you really are if makeup is used to emphasize your natural assets, as opposed to try to hide flaws.

6. Down With The Frown 

Frowning is something we are all guilty of. Sadly, regular frowning will result in permanent grooves on our forehead in between our eyebrows. Like squinting, we don't always realize we are doing it until we catch ourselves in the middle of it. Be more self-aware and ask your best friend to warn you when you are.

7. Keep Positive 

Our 'inner world' creates our 'outer world'. What we think and feel on the inside is reflected in our outer physical world which includes our physical appearance. Don't be surprised if a person who has a chronic negative or cynical outlook on life looks older than someone who has selected to live life with a positive mental attitude.

Bonus Tip: Say No to Sugar 

Cut out entirely or dramatically reduce your sugar consumption. There is now new scientific evidence to show that eating sugar ages you and it could be by as much as twenty years! Ouch!

How to Take Care of Aging Skin

Aging. It is a fact of life. Some grow old gracefully while others start to see time take its toll early on. The good news is that there are daily treatment protocols, which if done consistently, can help delay, reverse and repair the effects of aging. Sometimes it is not easy to incorporate a daily routine of multiple products, but in the end, it is worth it.

You did not get aging skin overnight and there is no overnight product that will reverse the signs of aging. It takes time to repair damage so be patient. There are certain key ingredients that have been scientifically proven to work... all you have to do is be diligent and give this treatment protocol time and it will work.

The first step in correcting aging skin is to cleanse morning and night with a alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA) or beta-hydroxy acid (BHA). Choosing a hydroxy acid will depend on your skin type. Glycolic acid and Lactic acid (AHA) are a wonderful choice for almost any skin type. Super sensitive skin's may not tolerate this well at first, so an introductory period of 1 day a week and increasing the number of days as the weeks go on is a great way to acclimate the skin. Salicylic acid (BHA) is great for oily, acneic, congested and even sensitive skin types. The reason these acids work well for aging is because they break down the cement that binds dead skin cell together, going around the cell to penetrate into the epidermal layer. Choose a cleanser that has a low pH. The lower the pH the better absorption you will have. When the skin is at a low pH, it acts like a sponge soaking and pulling ingredients in. This is imperative for the absorption of other products, like serums, after the cleanse.

Glycolic Acid: derived from sugar cane; helps to exfoliate dull skin cells, rejuvenates, balances the skin and encourages collagen production. See a difference in lines, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation and refined skin texture.

Lactic Acid: derived from milk; very hydrating, exfoliates, refines and clears skin and promotes the growth of new cells and collagen. See a difference in hydration, lines, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation and refined skin texture.

Salicylic Acid: derived from willow bark (the same ingredient aspirin is made of); exfoliates, anti-inflammatory, refines skin texture, kills bacteria. Great for treating acne and inflamed skin.

The second day time step is incorporating a Vitamin C serum into your morning regimen. Vitamin C protects skin cells and skin's support structure from UV-related damage, strengthens the skin's barrier response, promotes collagen production, lessens hyperpigmentation and reduces inflammation. It is a very active ingredient so you may have to start slow, 2-3 times weekly, then build to using every day. You want to use a serum that has a low pH. The lower the pH of the skin/product, the better absorption you will receive. Make sure you use Vitamin C during the day to combat free radical damage.

Your night regimen will be a retinol. Retinol is the purest form of Vitamin A and is one ingredient that can penetrate into the cell. Dermatologists and Aestheticians use Vitamin A for many conditions including anti-aging, anti-acne, hyperpigmentation and skin refinement. Retinol is a very potent ingredient and penetrates rapidly, sometimes leading to sensitivity and solar sensitivity. You should only use Vitamin A during the night time as it is photosensitive. Again, you should allow your skin some time to acclimate to the ingredient. Start by using 2-3 times weekly, then gradually increasing to every night. If you are pregnant or nursing it is suggested that you do not use vitamin A.

Using a hyaluronic acid serum would be great to incorporate into your regimen as well. Hyaluronic acid binds a 1,000 times its weight in water. It is a humectant, so it pulls moisture from the air and deposits it into the skin. Your body naturally produces hyaluronic acid, but as your skin ages, it depletes. Dehydration, lack of water (not lack of oil), causes a multitude of problems in the skin. You can be oily and still be dehydrated. In my years as an Aesthetician, about 90% of all of my clients are dehydrated. Water intake does help, but you have to apply hydration topically in order to see a true difference in lines and wrinkles.

Finally, using a great moisturizer and a SPF UVA/UVB "broad spectrum" protection is key. A moisturizer has a large molecule and is meant to sit on top of the skin to prevent water evaporation. I strongly suggest every skin type using a moisturizer, regardless if you are oily or acneic. If you lose moisture, your skin reacts by producing more oil. So, if you are oily/acneic/combination, it will help regulate your sebum production. SPF is the most important factor of all. If you do not wear SPF of at least 15 every day on your face/neck/décolleté, you might as well not do anything to your skin at all. Sun damage contributes to 90% or more of aging. Of course, if you are out in the sun for extended periods of time, you will need a higher SPF. Try to find a SPF that has a chemical and physical block in it. Examples of a physical block are titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. Also, make sure you use the sunscreen as directed and reapply as necessary. Try to find a SPF that is specific to your skin type.

As you can see, if you were not born with beautiful skin, you will have to work at getting it and keeping it. Your skin is the first defense against all the elements, the largest organ in the body and the first thing people see when they look at you. It will be with you for a lifetime... treat it right!