When friends or family fall ill, it can be a very upsetting time for everyone. It is important that you find out what is expected of you during this period. Some people are happy to take on the responsibility of looking after a loved one, and others take it on because it is the right thing to do. Whichever category you fall into doesn’t matter because the outcome is the same. Taking care of someone during their illness.
Usually, when someone is ill, there is more to it than just their illness to help them deal with it.
The more you know, the more you can help. Depending on the illness or infection, from an insect bite to cancer treatment, research is your best friend. It will enable you to monitor them at home, to understand what the doctors and nurses are talking about and understand what your friend or family member is going through. It might be that in the end, you can only provide mental support and no hands-on care, or it might be that there is more physical care required than you had initially realized. Research the illness and the best ways that you can help.
Comfort
Recovering from an illness, or being in the middle of something that is incredibly painful can have both a physical and mental impact. Being aware of the mental health implications of the illness will help you be able to communicate and listen to your friend or family member to the best of your ability.
Things like clean towels, bed sheets, and soft pillows are a great ideal. On from that thing like ice chips, straws, blankets and bed pads might be a consideration too. Medical staff will be able to help you make a list of the things you are likely to need.
When you have a lot of hours to fill, it pays to think about some things that your friend or family member can do during that time. In the end, there are only so many times you can play cards. Keeping their mind active is one of the most important things that you can do to help them.
Depending on the circumstances you might need to read a book to them or make their move in chess. And when you really want to, Netflix and Amazon have so many series you won’t be pushed for something to fill the hours.
Sometimes though what is most needed is to listen to your loved one. Talking can often help them process what is going on and gives you an opportunity to provide the best form of support.
More often than not, your friend and family member will feel supported simply by knowing that you are there if they need you and that they can rely on you for simple things like watching a movie, picking up some groceries or some supportive words when they are most needed.
For many of us, life is a bit of a struggle. We try to do the right thing, but invariably, wind up going off the rails with one thing or another.
There are some people you know, though, who always seem to have it together. Their breezy disposition makes you rethink how you live your life. How do they manage to be so calm and healthy all the time? It doesn’t seem possible.
While some people don’t let anything get them down, a lot of people manage the struggles of life by adopting good habits. They stick with a routine that buffers them against the stresses of the world and gives them the strength that they need to lead a productive life.
Here are some of the habits that you can use to put your life back on track in two weeks or less.
Eating Most Of Your Calories In The Morning
When it comes to being healthy, stuffing your pie-hole late at night is a massive no-no, even if you barely ate for the rest of the day.
The reason for this comes down to how our body clocks work. Research suggests that humans should get the majority of their calories in the morning, soon after waking. If you leave it until later in the day to get your daily energy fix, you risk inducing metabolic problems. Blood glucose spikes after meals are higher in the evening than in the morning, even after eating the same food!
It sounds like a cliche, but eating a big breakfast is a super healthy habit. It prevents you from binging in the afternoon and evening and takes advantage of your natural daily cycle.
Saying No To Stress Stress is a leading reason why people become substance dependent. Thus, a women’s drug rehab program will not only isolate patients but also do whatever it can to help them relax. If you adjust a person’s stress response, you change their brain chemistry.
When it comes to dealing with stress, most of us reach for something – be it food, drink, or something else. And most of the time, our palliative of choice is not healthy.
Successful people, though, just say “no” to stress. They come to realize that it is a choice, not just something that happens to them and that by refusing to let it in, they can improve their lives.
Everyone finds different methods for saying no to stress, but the knock-on effects can be considerable. When you keep yourself purposefully calm, it is much easier to say no to the unhealthy habits that cause your mind and body damage in the long run.
Getting Rid Of Your Need To Please People
A lot of us find it tough to give up the idea that we should please other people all of the time. We think that the only way to make our lives successful is to make sure that everyone is happy with us. That’s not true. It is not even close to the truth. The most successful people focus on their goals, even if that means a few lost relationships on the way.
Everyone seems to be on the lookout for the perfect health supplement. We all want some magic pill that will make us healthier, less stressed, and allow us to enjoy life to the fullest.
What if you found out that this supplement already exists and everyone has free access to it?
You’d be jumping for joy and asking me where you can get it from! Well, all you have to do is lie down, close your eyes, and sleep.
That’s right, the magic supplement is a good night’s sleep every single night! There’s no need for any fancy pill or anything like that, you will see some remarkable health benefits when you start improving your sleep cycle.
Today, I want to discuss some of these benefits, so you see the importance of getting lots of sleep. Not only that, but I’ll end the article with some actionable tips to help you get more sleep
Do you struggle with weight gain all the time? If you’ve been piling on the pounds, then the chances are it could be due to a lack of sleep. The two things seem unconnected, but there’s a strong link that involves the hormone leptin.
Leptin is one of the many hormones that control your hunger levels. It’s meant to suppress your appetite and tell you when you’re full. When you don’t get enough sleep, this hormone isn’t produced as much as it should be. The result is that you feel hungrier. From here, you start stuffing your face to calm your hunger.
If you got more sleep, then you’d produce a normal amount of leptin and suppress these feelings of hunger, maintaining a healthy weight.
Sleep can help you build muscle
That’s right, sleep can play a role in the muscle-building process. Mainly it comes down to what happens to your body after a workout. When you’ve been lifting weights, you break down the fibers in your muscles. This leads to the classic feelings of soreness you get the next day. Muscles need to get broken down in order to be built back up bigger and stronger.
Sleep is vital in all of this. When you’re asleep, your body recovers far quicker than when you’re awake. So, by getting lots of sleep each night, your body can recover from gym sessions and build your muscles back up. A lack of sleep leads to persistent soreness, meaning you can’t train again, or you can, but you risk overtraining and damaging your muscle growth.
Sleep reduces stress
Getting lots of sleep every night is proven to reduce your stress levels. This is because sleep lets your body relax and get ready for the next day. Anyone that’s woken up after a couple of hours of sleep will know what this feels like. You’re grouchy, everything annoys you, and your stress levels go through the roof.
The main problem is that feeling tired makes you feel stressed. When you have other things stressing you out, the last thing you want is to feel like you need some sleep. Then, you stress over your lack of sleep! So, sleeping more each night can help you feel more calm and relaxed.
Sleep prevents heart disease
Yep, sleep can keep your heart healthy and prevent cardiovascular diseases.
How?
It’s mainly to do with your blood pressure. High blood pressure causes heart complications, and your blood pressure will usually be high when you don’t get enough sleep. Therefore, a proper amount of sleep every night will keep your blood pressure at a regular level. Thus, the risk of heart disease decreases!
As you can see, sleep is so beneficial for your health. It impacts so many different elements of your health system:
Mental health
Cardiovascular health
Physical health
Digestive health
Naturally, many of you are reading this feeling a bit worried. You know you don’t get enough sleep every night, so you fear that all the potential health problems could be coming your way. Well, health issues don’t happen overnight, they happen after you consistently get a bad night’s sleep for months and years on end.
What’s more, if you improve your sleep schedule, then you will start to turn the tide and see all the benefits.
With that in mind, here are some ways to help you sleep better every night:
Take a sleep supplement: sleep supplements are useful for people with problems like insomnia that stop them from getting to sleep. Typically, the best supplement is melatonin. This is a hormone we produce to help us sleep, so you’re giving yourself a boost. It’s generally safe, and you shouldn’t have issues using melatonin during pregnancy – if you’re a woman – or if you have any health conditions. If you’re worried, then a simple check with your doctor will suffice. Many have also tried more alternative supplements and had great success. CBD oil has been shown to reduce anxiety, which will encourage restful sleep. There is a guide to find CBD for sleep online. But with alternative therapies, make sure you do your research and start with a low dose.
Stop drinking caffeine before bed: do you enjoy an evening coffee or tea? Stop doing this as caffeine stays in your system for hours after you drink it. Therefore, it will keep you awake for longer than usual. This results in a late bedtime and a lack of sleep.
Stick to a routine: speaking of bedtime, you need to set one for yourself every night. Get into the routine of going to bed at 10 or 11 pm, then waking up at 7 or 8 am. This gives you the 8 hours minimum you need for a nice sleep. By sticking to a routine, your body will adjust and you’ll find it easier to fall asleep at the same time every night.
Stop staring at screens: avoid watching TV or using your phone/computer before bed. The light from these screens can keep you awake, so spare half an hour or so of no screen time before going to sleep. It’ll help you sleep deeper and easier.
In conclusion, there are so many incredible health benefits of sleep. We’ve barely scratched the surface as well. The benefits listed above are some of the best and most significant, but there are loads more. If you struggle to sleep well every night, then follow the advice above to fix this and reap the rewards of a good night’s sleep.
An at-home dad on a mission to keep it real when it comes to food, fun, and raising a healthy, happy family.
