The Health Briefs TV Show Wants You to Get Some Rest

Are you tired? Not getting enough sleep? Does your mind keep you awake running thoughts through it a breakneck speed? The Health Briefs TV show wants you to get some rest.

We know how hard it can be to fall asleep and stay asleep sometimes. It is equally hard to function at your best when you are tired. Here’s what you need to know to get some needed sleep:

• A healthy meal of high protein and high fiber foods helps people get to sleep and stay asleep better than a meal with high saturated fats and less fiber. Avoid fatty foods at dinner time. Enjoy some peas, black beans, lentils, broccoli, raspberries, blueberries, avocado and other food like it. Skip caffeinated drinks several hours before bedtime.
• Avoid getting into an argument or heated discussion with someone – both in the physical sense and online.
• Take a walk after dinner to relieve stress and relax and loosen muscles and joints.
• Lower the blinds and the room temperature for a comfortable sleep.
• Get in bed, turn the TV and lights off and get comfortable.
• Think of something happy or positive. Close your eyes and relax thinking of the happy or positive thing. Replay in your mind what made it happy.
• Take conscious breaths. As you breathe slowly, imagine your breath as it enters your nose and mouth, makes its way through your body and goes back out. Focus on each breath and each step. This helps block and stop negative or repetitive thoughts which can keep you awake.
• Health Briefs TV suggests sticking to a regular schedule of when you go to bed and get up every day, even on weekends and vacations.

We admit we do not get enough sleep ourselves. 

Health Briefs TV Offers Tips for Remembering

Maybe our mind is so full of things we have to do that we momentarily forgot where we put our glasses. Or perhaps it’s just another “senior moment”. Health Briefs TV cares to share tip for remembering.

One of the best ways to remember something is to imagine it. We often have memory lapses when preparing a grocery list. We arrive home only to remember that the one ingredient we needed was forgotten. To prevent this from happening, imagine the item, what it takes to prepare it and what it looks like when done. This is committing it to memory in the first place.

Try some word association. If parked on level 5C, think of five of something that begins with the C: five chocolates, five cars, for example.

Health Briefs also suggests remembering the location of something to remember. This trick works well if we can’t recall the name of a restaurant, favorite store or meal bought at a café. Commit to memory the smells and scenery of where that favorite place or meal was. The mental image of what we want to remember will come back.

Other tips for bringing something we want to remember back to mind are:

Write it down someplace. Use the notepad or recorder in smart phones. Go old-fashioned and write it in a piece of paper and store it in a wallet.

There is so much to try and remember these days from where we left the keys to all the user names, passwords and online account information credentials we need. Find the best way to keep all the information safe.

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Health Briefs TV Explains How Sleep Prevents Strokes

People with high blood pressure are more likely to have a stroke than those who do not have high blood pressure, depending on how much sleep they get, Health Briefs TV learns.

Those who get less than five hours of sleep per night or more than eight hours of sleep are at risk of having a stroke, a new study found. Researchers found that insufficient sleepers had an 83 percents higher risk of stoke than those who got seven or eight hours of sleep. People who slept more than eight hours per night had an increases risk of 74%.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 800,000 people each year in the United States have a stroke. It is also the leading cause of disability in the United States. The most common type of stroke is caused by a blood clot in the brain. The other main cause is when a blood vessel bursts.

Health Briefs TV suggests the following to get a good night’s rest of seven to eight hours:

• Avoid alcohol or smoking or eating a heavy meal three hours before bedtime.
• Leave digital devices in another room.
• Be sure the room is cool and dark.
• Get some daily physical activity. Take a short, brisk walk after dinner to help digest food.
• Maintain the same sleep and wake schedule every day, even on weekends.

Sleep well.

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Health Briefs TV Shares How to Stay Healthy and Fit at Work

People who are stressed at work tend to overeat. Comfort food really does help relieve anxiety and tension, even when it is unhealthy. Health Briefs TV shares how to stay healthy and fit at work.

It can be really hard to focus on wellness when stress in the workplace is heavy. Snacks are visible and most of them are not all that healthy. A bag of M&Ms can really perk up a bad day. So can some chips and a hamburger with fries at lunch. But none of this is healthy. Over time, it packs on the pounds and soon we feel lethargic.  It’s time to break out of the bad habits and reduce stress in a healthier way.

Bring your own lunch and snacks to work. A lean turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread with low-fat cheese is better for us than that hamburger. Toss in a baggie of healthy veggie chips to get the crunch and salty goodness. Grapes, snack size carrots, bottled water and a small piece of dark chocolate can ease the stress of any tough workday.

Take a break. Go outside for 15 minutes and take a walk. Inhale deeply, stretch, let the sun warm the back and neck. Smile. It’s amazing how this one short break with a change of scenery can reduce tension in the body.

The Health Briefs TV show suggests taking a longer walk at lunch time. Pick up the pace and burn off some stress. Drink plenty of water when back in the office.  Stay healthy and fit during times of high stress at work with these helpful suggestions.

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Health Briefs TV Reviews Food to Reduce Stress

Food is often used as a means to make on feel better. Comfort food, like a cheeseburger or macaroni and cheese, comes to mind. However, there are better choices to make which can make one feel calm, relaxed and generally less harried. Health Briefs TV reviews which foods can help reduce stress best.

Green leafy vegetables contain folate which produces dopamine, a pleasure-inducing brain chemical that helps one keep calm. A 2012 study found that middle-aged and elderly people who ate more greens such as spinach had a lower risk of depression than those that did not.

Have a turkey breast sandwich. It’s true that the tryptophan in it can relax people. It is an amino acid which is found in protein-rich foods which helps produce the serotonin. This amino acid releases a chemical which stabilizes hunger and feelings of happiness.

Grab a cup of yogurt. The bacteria in the gut might be adding to stress, and yogurt contains probiotics, which reduces brain activity in the area that handle emotion and stress. Eat one of the flavored ones or doctor a small cup of Greek yogurt with honey and cinnamon.

Get a handful of pistachios. The rhythmic motion of getting one, cracking it open and eating it is calming and can reduce stress. It also takes longer to eat them so the little nuts are diet-friendly. The Health BriefsTV show knows they are also good for the heart.

Last but certainly not least is dark chocolate.  It contains cortisol which reduces stress hormones, and the antioxidants in cocoa can relax blood vessels.

Find a calming space to relax and let stress disappear with some of these goodies.

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Health Briefs TV Explains Why Everyone Needs a Power Nap

There is nothing like a power nap to refresh energy and boost brain power.  Health Briefs TV explains why we all need one of these.

Short naps are 30 to 45 minutes long and are most beneficial for memory retention and recall, according to researchers in Germany. The study involved two groups of people: a control group and a group of participants that took a power nap. Those who took the power nap were found to perform better than the control group when remembering work pairs during a performance test. Results such as these can be useful for college students and others who rely on information learned.

Power naps are beneficial to everyone. A short 20 to 30 minute nap refreshes a tired mind, boosts energy and increases stamina for the rest of the day and evening. The Health Briefs TV show suggests taking one on hot days when the sun is at its highest. Workers might want to use half of a one hour lunch break to grab a power rest.  Napping was once thought of for infants, small children and the very elderly. But the German study results prove that a power nap helps everyone retain more information, and endure a long day. For best results: close the office door, turn the lights off and set an alarm to go off in 20 to 30 minutes. Use a jacket or sweater for a pillow and stretch out at the desk or on the floor. Just be sure to get up when the alarm rings. 

Health Briefs TV Checks into the Sleep Business

Sleep. It can be elusive, fleeting, abundant, and is often interrupted.  And it is can also be big business. Health Briefs TV take a peek at the sleep business.

Did you get a good night’s rest? How many full hours of sleep did you get? Was your sleep interrupted by children, pets or smart phones buzzing with the arrival of incoming messages? These are all things that can interrupt and disrupt sleep every night. For insomniacs, this can be a rest killer.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control states that up to 70 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders. We spend extraordinary amounts of money on new mattresses, pillows, sleep aids, and even sleep spas to determine what’s keeping us from decent rest.  Sleep-related products are a $32 billion dollar industry, and include an incredible amount of products and remedies to help the sleep-deprived close their eyes and rest soundly.  The Health Briefs TV show counters that there are better ways to ease into sleep and rest well, and are free. Exercise, even moderate exercise such as a good after dinner walk, can be relaxing and help you distress to sleep better. Hit the sack at the same time every night. Turn the TV off and move smart phone and other digital devices away from bed side tables. A shower right before bed helps wash away stress and can ease you into a restful state.  

Sleep is big business because people spend a great deal of money to get the elusive rest they need. Always try the free ways first, though, and put that money someplace else. Like into a vacation.

Health Briefs TV and Why Increasing Activity Can Save a Life

The World Health Organization reports that physical inactivity is identified as the fourth-leading risk factor for death around the world. Health Briefs TV wants readers to know how to increase daily movement in order to save their life.

It is not too difficult to add movement into the day. Most of us commute to work sitting down in a vehicle or train, then we sit all day at a desk, sit all the way home, sit for dinner and lounge on the couch watching TV until bedtime. But it is not hard to add some movement into the day to reduce the chance of developing type 2 diabetes, obesity and heart disease. Below are some suggestions to get started easily.

Spend 30 minutes of a one hour lunch break walking. Walk around the block, around the building, or walk up and down a few flights of stairs if the weather is too cold.

Stand up every hour or two to stretch. Then walk to the break room for something to drink. Walk the long way back to the desk.

Park father away from doors when going to the supermarket or a department store.

Take a family walk after dinner.

The Health Briefs TV show urges readers to find the time during the day and evening to add some movement into lives. It all adds up in the end to a longer and healthier life. 

The Health Briefs TV Show Looks at What Stresses Americans

A good stress reliever

Stress is a prime source of health-related problems. It causes high blood pressure, poor eating and sleeping habits, and heart trouble. The Health Briefs TV show looks at what stresses Americans.

American Psychological Association reported results from a recent survey that money is the root of most stress symptoms.  Even as the economy is improving, Americans worry about their finances.  Inflation and wage stagnation are the culprits. The cost of most basic every day needs continues to rise but pay is not budging a cent. This leads people to work longer hours or take on another job to make ends meet.  Family issues are another cause of stress. Whether people are worried about elderly parents, children, and grandchildren, it causes undue stress on the body.

Fortunately, there are ways to work through stress which are healthy. Take some alone time. Go for a short walk. Listen to music. Avoid drinking alcohol or eating something unhealthy. Get a little exercise.  Find someone trusted to talk to about money or family problems. Health Briefs TV believes lack of quality sleep and wallowing in misery about the issues causing stress can only lead to more stress. Engage in a quiet online game like solitaire. Avoid games which are excessively violent.  Also, avoid spending too much time alone.  Call a friend or go visit one. Humans are social creatures and we’re not wired to go it alone.  Need more money to bring home? Search online for creative ways to earn extra income. Or post a sign in the neighborhood offering pet sitting services.  Just walking a dog for 20 minutes can not only reduce stress, but bring joy, peace and a little extra cash into your life.

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