Health

5 tricks to sleep quickly and deeply {Five Series}

Swathy · November 23, 2012 · 2 Comments

So, I have so much trouble sleeping sometimes that the regular tricks have stopped working. So, these are somethings which I have tried and not so much tried but some ideas which might really help with sleeping better. But, first let us review the regular tricks:

Drinking a glass of warm milk induces sleep.
Lavender water or Essential Oil also helps relax and soothe mind and sleep.
Reading a book.
Closing all electronic devices an hour before bed calms the mind down.
Dim the lights of the room and relax.
Meditation, yoga and light exercises can also help.
Regular exercises helps regulate the body mechanism.
Eating a light dinner two hours before bed helps too.
Avoid lot of fluids in the evenings.

These are the regular tricks which help but now I have some more to add to. So, check them out 🙂

Chanting

Hinduism has so many chants and hymns and almost all children are supposed to learn some of them. Similarly, all other religions would have their own prayers. When you are ready to go to bed, lie down and chant or say those prayers. It really helps. I have been trying this since three four days and its been helping me more or less.

Reading

Yes, I have mentioned it above. But, I have also noticed that an exciting book can in fact be a deterrent to proper sleep. So, the trick is to read really boring philosophical books or some thing which is interesting but doesn’t keep you thinking what happens next.

I am reading a book right now on thought processes and thinking mechanism of humans. Its damn interesting but I can sleep over it. Another trick which I am borrowing from Tine’s blog is listening to audio books or reading really boring subjects.

Well, listening to audio books is not high on my list coz having any electronic device at that times causes chaos in my mind. But, yes, reading a really boring book is an anti-dote. In fact, recently, I laid down my hand on a book which is very negative and pessimistic and trust me, I am hating it so much that I sleep 😀

Lights OFF

Yes, I have mentioned it. But, don’t underestimate the power of darkness to induce yourself to sleep. Sleeping with eye masks on is also a great idea as it forces you to close your eyes and drift gently. Well, I have not tried it yet so can’t really say how much it works. But, yup, its a trick which I will try soon 🙂 Btw, darkness thing works!!

Massage

Oh my gosh!!! This is so relaxing. Switch off the lights, take a bottle of oil or lotion and massage your legs or hands or whatever and you will feel sleepy. It really works like a charm. And, keeps the skin really soft and moisturized. So, added benefits 🙂

Candles

Ok, not candles exactly but a warm room really helps a person sleep. So, you might want to adjust the temperature of your room if you have a thermostat. But, I would say, instead, light a candle because it harmonizes a place. A tea light candle would also do.

So, these are my tricks which really help sleep. Btw, lavender thing doesn’t really work for me. But, you can always give it a try!! So, what are your tricks to sleep easily???

Do you sleep in a well-ventilated room? {Health}

Swathy · November 16, 2012 · 10 Comments

So, do you? This wouldn’t be obviously applicable to ones sleeping in AC but sleeping in a well-ventilated room is extremely important from the health aspect. Did you also know that you should not cover yourself in the blanket? Yup, its a bad habit.

Its always a good habit to keep the windows of your bedroom open so that there is proper air circulation. Also, whenever you are sitting at any place, it is important that the place is ventilated, not only for air but also allows sun’s rays. That ensures our well-being.

These days we are too much cooped up in the buildings as in offices and all. So, its good that we get well-ventilated houses. One of my friend’s mom used to open the windows even if he used to feel cold at night 😀 Yup, she was paranoid about his health. Not in bad sense AT ALL.

The reason she was so concerned was because if you keep the room closed for long time, your exhaled carbon dioxide gets filled in the room reducing the levels of oxygen. Same is the case when you sleep with your face covered. It interferes with the normal breathing process.

Another issue which might arise is the entrance of outside light when you open the windows. Yes, one should sleep in extreme dark because our body is sensitive to even a flicker of light when sleeping. So, its a good idea to get a sleeping mask on!!

Did you know that if you do not sleep in an entirely dark room, your ageing process gets accelerated and also results in weight gain. Vivi has already done a wonderful post on this topic which I have been meaning to post since a very long time so go and check it our right away 🙂

My beauty after baby? {Women Stuff}

Swathy · October 31, 2012 · 9 Comments

This is continuation from yesterday’s post. Ok, so, this was one of the issues which came up when discussing pregnancy. How does it affect a woman over in the physical ways?? Weight gain and stretch marks seem to be most prominent issues. Also, energy levels get reduced.

Let’s talk about Energy first!!

A couple’s age also affects their ability to keep up with children. As life expectancy lengthens, it’s easy to forget that age matters. It’s tempting to enjoy as many adventures and experiences as we can during the same years that our parents and grandparents were already diapers-deep into the parenting enterprise.

Unfortunately it’s much easier to achieve a lifestyle of endless youth than it is to keep our bodies from aging. But, having babies at the right time ensures that the biological clock of the body remains proper and that affects the energy levels in the body. As you get older, the energy levels do reduce whether we want to accept it or not.

Weighty Issues

The scale can be scary during pregnancy, but a large percentage of that weight is the baby and surrounding fluids — meaning it will be gone by the time you get home from the hospital. As for the remaining weight, a lot of it can be eliminated by calorie-burning breastfeeding and easier-than-you-think exercises.

Like walking — you’d be surprised at the ways in which taking a stroll can help you. I had normal weight till 3 months after my pregnancy. I put on when I had that heavy full of home-made butter Indian food (which sounds very yummy) that is necessary as per our mothers and ignored working out believing I haven’t put on yet then why to worry?

So weight is all in our control and regular exercise during and after pregnancy eases out the weight loss. And, regular exercise also helps in normal delivery and keeping your body fit. Also, I have a separate post outlining those benefits so watch out for that!!!

Stretchy Feeling?

Don’t worry about stretch marks because there are so many creams and lotions available in the market for them and you can improve elasticity of skin beforehand only, even before getting pregnant. I had used Bio Oil which my hubby got from Belgium which I think helped me a lot.

So, that was my experience in a nutshell 🙂 Hope this was helpful for all of you. I will be back with many other posts on pregnancy. Watch out and in the meantime, don’t forget to check out my blog as well 🙂

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