I’m no doctor (so far from it, you wouldn’t believe) but after a ton of trial and error, these are some techniques that work for me. Everybody is different, and it’s worth seeing your doctor if you feel like it’s really bad. If you’re struggling to sleep, I suggest you try the basics and then give some of these alternatives a whirl, until  you find something that works for you.

The basics:

• Get yourself into a sleep pattern by going to bed and waking up at the same regular hours each night.
• Switch off your phone, and all technology for that matter, 1- 2 hours before you plan to go to sleep.
• Avoid drinking caffeine 6 hours before you plan to go to sleep. I just always drink decaf – it’s easier.

5 ways to get your to the land of nod a little quicker:

Switch to alcohol-free

If you follow my blog, you’ll know that I don’t drink. I just celebrated 500 days sober, and I can honestly say giving up drinking is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life. Personally, I could give you a hundred reasons why going booze-free is great, but thats for another post *note to self*. Notably, since cutting booze our of my diet, my quality of sleep has improved dramatically. I studied neuroscience in university and learnt a little bit of smart stuff in my sleep science class…

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Today marks 500 days sober

A post shared by Sami C (@samisealion) on Jan 15, 2019 at 3:30am PST

It’s not just stumbling in at 4am that upsets your sleeping. Drinking alcohol can interrupt your circadian rhythm so although you might pass out quicker when you’re drunk, you don’t get a better nights sleep. When you’ve had a skin-full, the production of adenosine in your brain is increased, allowing for a fast onset of sleep. But once it subsides as quickly as it came on, you’ll find yourself waking up before you’re fully rested. Alcohol blocks REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, too. REM is considered the most restorative type of sleep.

The less REM sleep you get, the more likely you are to wake up feeling groggy and unfocused. Not to mention, since I gave up drinking I don’t wake up at 5am gasping for water or needing to go to the bathroom. It’s not just from all the extra liquid your drinking… Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it encourages the body to lose extra fluid though sweat too, making you dehydrated. Yuck! So there you have it, scientifically proven to have better sleep if you don’t drink alcohol.

If you’ve had a few drinks, give your body time to process the alcohol you’ve drunk before you try to sleep. On average it takes an hour to process one unit, but this can vary widely from person to person. Alternatively, you want decrease your alcohol intake. When I quit booze I started drinking Seedlip, a non-alcoholic botanical drink.

It tastes gorgeous and I completely forget I’m not drinking alcohol but I have zero hangovers – win win. You can buy it online here (100% more a sponsored or affiliate link), personally I love 2 shots of Sweet Pea Seedlip in a large gin bowl with a splash of tonic in a large glass.

Write away your worries

Switching my brain off and not thinking about the million and one things I have to do is probably a familiar feeling for most people. I run a small business so it’s not easy to switch off from work – I’m constantly thinking about cashflow, the sales pipeline and everything else. The root of the issue is that I feel like I have so much to do the next day. I begin listing everything that I need to do and going over and over it in my mind. Instead of doing mental gymnastics that eventually amount to nothing except feeling anxious and awake, I put aside a set amount of time to work through these thoughts.

I don’t overwhelm myself by opening up Asana and looking at our business plan as a whole, that would be crazy. Instead I just reflect on some bitesize chunks that I keep in my Zelo planner in the top draw of my bed. This doesn’t take me more than a couple of seconds to do, and I try to do this as soon as I begin winding down, not just when I’m about to fall asleep. This way I can begin unwinding without feeling hindered by looming anxiety from work. The great thing about the Zelo journal is that it gives me a line of when I need to stop writing. It stops me scribbling pages of to-do lists and planning, when really I should be getting ready for sleep. It’s clear and concise, and I’ve formed a habit to write in it every single day.

Perhaps you anxieties keeping you awake at night are different to mine though. Not everybody has the stresses of running a small business but most people have something on their mind. Whatever it is, find a solution that works for you. If you find yourself getting anxious or overthinking something, try writing it down and getting it out of your system. If you haven’t tried this before, it could revolutionise the way you handle your anxiety. If I’m anxious about a specific situation, I try writing down what’s the worst that can happen. I then write down what the most likely outcome in, and how I’d deal with those scenarios.

Add a couple drops of CBD

CBD is all the rage right now, with a former Coca-Cola exec declaring it the “new avocado toast” thanks to its popularity among millennials. It’s estimated that the market for CBD products will hit $22 billion in the next four years.It took me a little while to join the CBD bandwagon. As somebody that’s near enough teetotal, the thought of having anything that was close to an illegal drug didn’t interest me. I don’t drink, smoke or take any illegal drugs, and I wasn’t planning on introducing anything like that now. I was aware that CBD oil wasn’t illegal and that it was being sold on the high street, but something about it didn’t sit right with me. All that change when I started educating myself and using it to combat anxiety and insomnia.

Conscious of my ignorance, I decided to read up more about CBD after a good friend said her mum swears by it. Here’s just a couple of (surprising) thing I learnt:

• Unlike THC, it is not psychoactive. This means that CBD does not change a person’s state of mind when they use it. A common misconception.
• CBD oil can be used to treat pain, acne, diabetes, anxiety, depression and insomnia. That’s just the half of it, there’s tons of other CBD health benefits.
• The majority of users don’t experience any negative effects, however, there are possible side effects and it could interact with common medications.

While there’s still more scientific research to be done, preliminary studies have been in favour of CBD oil as an effective natural remedy for insomnia sufferers, thanks to the way it interacts with the body’s endocannabinoid system. It promotes refreshing REM sleep (discussed earlier!) to reduce excessive daytime sleepiness. Aimée Shunney, a naturopathic doctor and medical advisor notes “people don’t sleep because they’re anxious or because they can’t get their brains to quiet down,” and it’s this particular kind of sleep problem that responds best to CBD.

Plug in and play

Dropping off to the land of nod is usually the hardest part for me. Once I’m out, I usually sleep like a log and it’s difficult to get me out of bed again. It’s not uncommon that I’ll be lying in bed starring at the ceiling at 4am though. Once I begin listening to something (usually meditation), my mind becomes distracted and I begin falling asleep. I share a bed with my better-half, so I can’t play anything through the speakers, and sleeping with headphones is crazy uncomfortable. Instead I use my beloved music pillow.

The soundasleep music pillow is the only piece of technology I actually recommend keeping in the room when you’re trying to sleep (you’ll need your phone or some kind of MP3 player at the very least for this, too). It’s really simple, yet effective. Just download a podcast or an app like Head Space to your phone and plug it in to the pillow. It’ll play through a mini speaker snuggled inside the pillow stuffing. You can’t feel the speaker, and it’s a really good quality pillow as well. I can listen to my relaxing music, or whatever else I want, without the worry of distracting my partner in the middle of the night. There’s also a pretty awesome app that goes with it!

I found this particular brand far more effective than others that I’ve used in the past because its a plug and play system, as opposed to trying to sync up an unreliable bluetooth option. There’s no need to charge it or anything like that, it’s just quick and easy to use. It’s completely affordable, too which is a real surprised based on the quality of the sound. I would undoubtably recommend this to anybody exploring meditation or relaxing music to ease insomnia. It’s best to put a sleep timer on your phone, so that once you’ve drifted off your phone will automatically stop playing the track after a set period of time.

What’s your secret to getting a better nights sleep?

The post 5 Alternative Ways To Catch More Z’s And Feel Better appeared first on Strawberry Squeeze.

We first thought about giving it a whirl earlier in the year when we visited Lanhydrock in Cornwall but we didn’t have the time when we were last there. Then, whilst we were in Switzerland earlier this year we noticed lots of people getting trains or cable cars to the top of mountains and biking there way down, which looked absolutely bonkers but also really exciting (especially when you’re slowly meandering along with a big bag!).

We bite the bullet, headed back to Lanhydrock and hired a couple of bikes. We were instantly throw into the deep end practicing jumps and tricky terrain in the ‘skills area’, then we went and worked up a sweat on the green, blue and red trails. By the end of it we were covered in mud and our cheeks hurt from laughing so much! It’s 100% something we’ll be doing again, and here’s just some of the reasons why:

Knockdown jacket in dark teal c/o West Beach*

Mental health benefits

Numerous studies show that cycling is good for your mental health. Getting out in the countryside takes you away from the stresses and strains of everyday life. If you choose a green route such as the Lodge trail, you’ll have 15 – 20 minutes to just think and sort through some of the things that are playing on your mind. Riding through nice scenery has a relaxing effect, which lasts for days after. I can totally vouch for this!

Adventure holidays galore!

Once you get your cycling legs sorted, you will be able to cycle long distances without aching. I remember this from when I used to ride regularly and when I used to run for 13 miles without stopping. People asked “how do you keep going?” well, you just do. Your legs go numb and your body drives you forward, it’s incredible.

You can go on crazy fun adventure holidays, which (believe me!) you won’t enjoy unless you’re fit enough for it. If you want to get to know a country, cycling is a great way to do it. I once met somebody that traveled across the world with his bike, inspirational! He told me all about these great cycling holidays that take you off the beaten track and let you see a side of a country that you would not normally see on a traditional holiday.

See more of your local area

It’s not just about going abroad! Going out on your bike on a regular basis gives you the option to get to know your local area better. There’s so many beautiful places in Cornwall that I haven’t explored, and jumping on a bike seems like a great way to do it! Don’t get me wrong, I love trotting through small villages and towns, but in all honesty, I’m more of a nature lover You’re far more likely to find me out on the cliffs or in the forest, than you are in a coffee shop or wandering busy shops.

**Psst** You don’t even need to go abroad to make a little trip out of it! We stayed in a cute little Airbnb just a short drive from our home and cooked up a well-deserved Waitrose steak, yum! 

Winning a life (no, seriously!)

When you start cycling, the chances are that you will begin to set yourself goals. It starts small – you see how long it takes you to cycle your favourite route, then next thing you know you are shaving minutes then seconds off your time. Setting small goals and achieving them is a good habit to get into. In time, this habit spills over into other parts of your life helping you to be more productive. I read about this ALL the time in business books!

Your joints will thank you

I’ve become a little more health conscious these days. I still order Dominos and I don’t lift weights, but I’m certainly better than I used to be. I’m tee-total and I try and use the outdoors as my gym as much as I can by going surfing, hiking or anything else that tickles my fancy. There’s a million reasons why this is important to me, but one of them being *bare I say it* I’m beginning to feel old.

My body doesn’t feel as strong or as nimble as it used to be. Things hurt when I push my body in a way they never used to. Cycling improves your circulation as well as your respiratory health. This is great for your joints because it helps your body to carry the toxins out of your body instead of settling in your joints and causing stiffness and other problems. When I heard this, I was all over the prospect of cycling like a bad rash. Yes, please!

Catch more Zzz’s

The kind of exercise you get when you cycle helps you to unwind. This makes it easier for you to fall asleep and get a good night of sleep. Often cyclists sleep better than other people do. What more can I say!?

If you want to get started and begin, it is easy to do. There’s heaps of places you can hire a bike from, and if you decide you love it there’s lots of places to order cycles online that won’t break the bank. Just make sure that you go equipped with spares should you run into any problems – see BikeParts.

The post Our Introduction Into Mountain Biking: Reasons You’ll Love It! appeared first on Strawberry Squeeze.

This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

The post Protected: 5 Easy Changes To Improve Your Health appeared first on Strawberry Squeeze.

Losing Weight

Your blood pressure can often increase alongside your weight. If you can take measures to control your diet and exercise, then it will help reduce high blood pressure. This means taking general steps to eat more healthily: avoid snacking between meals, reduce sugar intake, eat lots of protein, avoid excess carbs and processed foods, and other similar things. If you are unsure, then you can ask your doctor if he or she thinks your weight is contributing to your blood pressure. Remember that there is no one-size-fits-all solution here so consult an expert if you are unsure.

Eating a Healthy Diet

Weight loss, alongside healthy eating, can help control your blood pressure. The first step is to keep a food diary. If you can track how your diet is affecting your blood pressure, then you can identify which are problem foods. In general, though it is a good idea to try and boost your potassium intake as this can help control the effects sodium is having on you. The best sources of potassium are fruits and vegetables, both of which are key ingredients in maintaining a healthy lifestyle regardless.

Avoid Sodium

The effects of sodium on your blood pressure can vary, but reducing your intake always helps. As a rough guide, you will want to limit your sodium intake to 2,300 mg per day, though this could be lower for you depending upon other factors. To avoid it, you should consider some of the following. Double check food labels, you would be surprised just how much sodium is added to things.

Avoid processed foods; excess sodium does not just turn up naturally so if you are preparing meals with fresh ingredients then your sodium intake will naturally be lower. Do not add salt while cooking, this one is pretty obvious but most recipes do call for the addition of salt though removing it should not make a huge difference. If you are finding that everything suddenly tastes too bland, it is okay to increase your sodium to be close to what it was, then gradually decrease it. Your palette will acclimatise with time.

Limit your Alcohol Consumption

This is a bit of a strange one. In sufficiently small doses alcohol can decrease blood pressure. So having a glass of wine or two with a meal can help, but as with many things in life, an excess can cause problems. If you drink more then not only will you find an increase in your blood pressure, but it can limit the effectiveness of your medication.

Reduce Caffeine

Coffee, tea, sodas, energy drinks – they can all make us feel better and provide energy. However, they can also increase your blood pressure particularly if you are not used to them. Again the effects are not the same for everyone and people who tend towards a high caffeine intake may find that they can continue at their usual levels. The key is to avoid a sudden increase. If you are in doubt at all, talk to your doctor about what is best for you.

The post How To Fight High Blood Pressure With Food appeared first on Strawberry Squeeze.

Check your diet, eat healthily

Your diet has a big role to play in maintaining healthy, youthful skin. You should consume a lot of vegetables and fruits, especially those that are rich in antioxidants including vitamin C. Additionally, opt for foods that are low in unhealthy fats, sugars and avoid processed foods as these can negatively affect your skin.

Some of the foods that are rich in healthy fats and antioxidants include avocadoes, strawberries and red peppers. In addition to a healthy diet, I take Bimuno Immunaid is a prebiotic, that, unlike probiotics, feeds your existing ‘good’ bacteria in your gut and helps them to thrive.

Drink a lot of water

Exposing your skin to different environmental elements will leave it looking and feeling dry. Even at home or in the office where air and heat conditioning units are used, the effects can easily be seen on your skin if you do not take proper care. You should drink a lot of water to avoid skin dehydration.

Skin dehydration causes wrinkles and lines to develop and thus you can stop or reverse this kind of problem by drinking more water each day. The best thing to do is to drink 2 or 3 litres of water daily thus making your tissue more supple, reducing wrinkles and lines. Whenever you feel thirsty, consider drinking water instead of soft drinks as these are concentrated in caffeine and sugar which is bad for your skin health.

Herbal teas will also be good if sweetened with honey rather than processed sugar.

Cleanse the skin and exfoliate

Your skin is exposed to harsh climate during the day including wind, dust and sun. These together with the makeup you use on your skin normally causes dead skin cells to accumulate thus making it look old and dull. You should cleanse your skin using gentle cleansers thus removing all makeup on the skin surface before exfoliating to get rid of the dead cells.

This will help expose the fresh cells that are suffocated by the dead ones making your skin look younger and feel fresh. You can use plain yoghurt for cleansing but avoid harsh chemicals at all costs. If you don’t have time then you can do a chemical peel at CoLaz.

It’s not just about the skin on your face either. Take care of your bikini line with products such as Aloe Clear, which is one of the best UK ingrown hair treatments, for beautifully moisturised skin. Thanks to its anti-bacterial, exfoliating action and with a natural blend of moisturising Aloe Vera, soothing Mentha Piperita, Aloeclear delivers the clearest, freshest skin possible after hair removal plus quickly lifting pre-existing grows to the surface.

Embrace a healthy lifestyle

An unhealthy lifestyle such as smoking will damage your skin, making it age fast. Smoking causes an increased wrinkle formation on the face since the smoke from the cigarette narrows the blood vessels responsible for supplying nutrients and oxygen to the skin. The smoke also causes damage to elastin and collagen, two substances responsible for keeping the skin elastic and strong.

Wear sunscreen and protective clothes

Exposing your skin to too many sun rays normally leads to its damage. This is caused by free radicals and the best thing to do is to wear gentle sunscreens and protective clothes.

Avoid products that contain harsh chemicals which are likely to do more harm than good. One of the natural ways to protect your skin from harmful UV rays is by wearing a protective hat or long-sleeved blouses or shirts.

Moisturise

Applying the right moisturiser on your skin in the morning and before bedtime will help refresh your skin and maintain its suppleness. Look for moisturisers that contain Vitamin E, aloe and olive oil and avoid those containing parabens, sulphate and sodium

Avoid scrubbing your skin so hard

Your skin contains some useful oils and harsh scrubbing and washing will strip it of these. Only wash your skin gently and in circular movements to massage the veins for enhanced blood circulation. Additionally, avoid squeezing spots if you have them but instead visit a therapist or dermatologist.

As you can see, these tips are not expensive but have amazing effects on your skin. Your skin is the biggest body organ and taking care of it will be rewarding. You will not only feel good but also look young and attractive.

The post 7 Tips For a Healthier Looking Skin In 2 Weeks appeared first on Strawberry Squeeze.

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”]

Missing breakfast

It’s very easy to get up in the morning and leave the house without bothering to eat breakfast first. A lot of the time, you might opt for an extra fifteen minutes in bed or to get to work a little earlier. For many of us, eating breakfast just isn’t a priority. But that’s a bad decision in terms of your health. Skipping breakfast can confuse the body’s system of eating and fasting, and it can also lead to you snacking on unhealthy food during the morning when you get hungry at work. If you find it a real struggle to prepare food in the morning, try doing it at night, or alternatively simplify your meals. Oatmeal with a handful of berries and seeds doesn’t take long to make, and neither does a slice of wholemeal toast with peanut butter along with an orange on the side. If you really can’t handle eating before you go to work, try making a smoothie the night before to drink at your desk the next day.

Bad posture

Even if you go to the gym first thing in the morning, if you spend most of the rest of the day sedentary and sitting down, you’re still at risk for heart disease. Spending your time at work sitting down is extremely bad for your health – so if it doesn’t suit you, look for a job where you get to spend more time standing up. If your back hurts or you’re experiencing neck pain, try to ensure that you place both feet on the floor as you work, even if slumping or crossing your legs feels more comfortable in the moment. Make sure that you get up frequently to walk around. Using your computer all day long can give you eye problems like eyestrain, and you can also get dry eyes from the air conditioning system inside your office.

Smoking – yuck!

We all know that smoking is very bad for our health, and yet so many of us do it anyway. That’s because it’s often so tough to quit. Nicotine is a highly addictive substance – but it isn’t that that makes you sick. The tar and other chemicals in cigarettes are considerably more harmful for you. If you’re having a problem quitting or if you enjoy the act of smoking, try out nicolites or nicocig so you can still enjoy your hobby while cutting out the unhealthy parts. If you’d like to quit completely – it’s tough to make yourself go outside in the cold winter to the smokers’ area! – then you could try out nicotine patches or gum. If your will power isn’t quite working, hypnosis has also been highly successful in many smokers’ quests to quit. If you’re having a problem quitting or if you enjoy the act of smoking, try out nicolites or nicocig so you can still enjoy your hobby while cutting out the unhealthy parts. (After this sentence, please add the following) E-cigarette juices even come in a variety of flavours and nicotine levels. Check out some of them right here.

Self care

In general, self care is a great idea. It’s so important to treat yourself kindly and to be in tune with your emotions and gentle with yourself. If you’re emotionally exhausted, it’s a good idea to spend a night in by yourself, taking a long bath and reading your book or watching some Netflix and doing exactly what you feel you need to do. But sometimes self care can go too far. It’s important to make yourself go out when you can – even if you don’t want to, it’s important to socialize and to see other people as you’ll feel happier as a result. Likewise, even though you might think that eating what you want and not exercising feels better, it isn’t a good long term strategy as it will make you more unhappy and unhealthy in the end.

Poor shoes

No, really! It’s very easy to wear the wrong shoes. A lot of the time, heels feel more attractive to wear – the general consensus is that they make your legs look great even if they aren’t particularly comfortable, but the problem is that if you wear them long term too often then they can cause problems like back and leg pain. Foot problems like bunions, which are bony formations at the joint of the big toe, can also be caused, alongside blisters and ripped nails caused by ill-fitting shoes. Flip-flops can also be problematic due to the lack of support they give wearers – although they’re considerably less likely to be worn to the office! Using your toes to keep them in place isn’t good for your feet, and nor is the fact that they don’t bend with your feet. It can also be extremely dangerous to drive while wearing heels or flip-flops as you don’t have complete control over the pedals.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

The post Things You Do That Are Bad For Your Health (And How To Stop Doing Them) appeared first on Strawberry Squeeze.