12 Natural Tips To Stay Awake

When energy flags, many of us rely on tried and tested tips to stay awake - reaching for an energy drink or cup of strong coffee when fatigue starts to invade our waking hours. The trouble is, using caffeine to hold off sleepiness begins a vicious cycle... that jolt can take as long as 8 hours to dissipate which can reduce the time you spend sleeping, change the natural sleep stages and even impact the quality of the sleep you manage to get. Waking tired and dragging fuels the need for caffeine.

Can you combat fatigue without caffeine? You bet! Here are a dozen great, all natural tips that are sure to keep you up and functioning at your best.

1. Get moving - a well-publicized study examined if subjects felt more energized by having a sugary snack or taking a fast walk for ten minutes. The candy gave a quick boost, but participants ended up being more tired an hour later. The walkers got an energy boost for two hours, because exercising like this causes oxygen to pump throughout your whole body.

2. Take a short nap - so long as you only take one, and you don't nap too close (more than 6-7 hours) to your normal bedtime, a 5 to 25 minute nap can do wonders for your flagging energy. Even sitting quietly, keeping your eyes shut for ten minutes can be enough.

3. Rest your eyes - looking at a screen for hours on end can lead to eyestrain and make you feel sleepier. Your best bet is to avert your gaze from the screen every so often to rest your eyes and fight eyestrain.

4. Have a healthy snack - while sweet snacks provide a fast energy boost, which is followed by a crash, a healthy snack will bring you longer lasting energy. Try peanut butter and whole wheat crackers or celery, yogurt with a few nuts or a piece of fruit, baby carrots and a low fat dip are all good choices.

5. Start an engaging conversation - as this will engage your mind. Talk to someone about business, or another engaging topic, as this is a strong behavioral stimulator, particularly if the topic is one you're passionate about.

6. Keep the lights bright - places with dim lighting make feelings of fatigue more pronounced, while studies have found that bright light can cut sleepiness and improve alertness.

7. Do breathing exercises - that is practice deep breathing, as this raises the oxygen levels in your blood, slows you heart rate, reduces blood pressure and increases your circulation. Ultimately this helps your energy level and mental performance. You need to breath into the abdomen (avoiding the chest), breathing deeply though your nose and so that the breath pushes your belly out, not your chest. Breathe out though pursed lips (as though you were whistling) and repeat the exercise ten times.

8. If driving, pull over - if you operate a motor vehicle when sleepy, you are just as dangerous as driving while drunk. Opening the windows or turning up the radio doesn't work for long, so your best bet is to let your passenger drive, or pull over and nap until you don't feel so tired. Also on long drives, stop every two hours and take a walk, stretch and enjoy the fresh air.

9. Avoid monotonous tasks - researchers who studied those working long 12 hour night shifts concluded that carrying out monotonous tasks is just as harmful to alertness as not getting enough sleep. Try to reserve your most stimulating tasks for times when you're tired, or switch to something more engaging if you feel yourself flagging.

10. Drink plenty of water - dehydration can lead to fatigue, so you should ensure you're drinking lots of fluids or eating foods (fruits and veggies) that are naturally full of water.

11. Get out in daylight - the circadian rhythms, the natural regulators of the sleep-wake cycle are impacted by daylight, so you should aim to spend a minimum of 30 minutes during the daytime outside. Even just a few minutes outside in the fresh air will restore your energy, revive your senses.

12. Exercise regularly - a recent study saw that doing exercise was better at improving energy and eliminating daytime fatigue than drugs used to treat sleep issues. Regular exercise can also improve the quality of nighttime sleep. Try for 30 minutes per day, but make sure you complete your workout 2-3 hours before bed, so you're not still energized as you try to fall off to sleep.

If you're finding that you're struggling to keep your eyes open when you should be alert and the tips to stay awake aren't working, talk to a doctor or a sleep specialist. Your symptoms could be a sign of a sleep disorder that will not improve unless you take steps to help yourself.

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8 Effective Natural Home Remedies For Snoring

Snoring can affect anyone including children. However studies show that it is prevalent in men and people who are affected by some of the factors we are now going to discuss. As one ages, the chance of snoring also increases. Here are some of these factors that can cause your snoring:

Allergies - if you suffer from an allergy, know that it is possible that it could be the cause of your snoring. An allergy can clog your airways and the trachea, which then reduces the airflow. As air forces its way against the tissues in the air passage, it vibrates and it is that vibratory sound that is known as snoring.

Cold and flu - like allergies, they can also clog the airway. This is why some people will experience snoring only when they are suffering from a cold or flu.

Diet - you should be aware that certain types of diet can actually aggravate your snoring. Here is an example - dairy products. Certain types of food does produce mucus, which tends to cause congestion, restricting your air passage.

So those are just some of the factors that could be responsible for the cause of your snoring. At this stage you are probably asking yourself how you are going to stop snoring. If you looking for a solution then be assured that I am now going to show you 8 effective home remedies for snoring.

As discussed earlier, cold or flu can cause or even aggravate your snoring. One of the best remedies for getting rid of your cold or flu is by inhaling hot steam. Boil water and pour it into a bucket. Cover your head over the bucket and inhale the hot steam.
Not only is alcohol bad for your health, it is also counter- productive if you snore. The best remedy is therefore not to drink alcohol at least within the last four hours before you retire to sleep at night.
The position in which you sleep can also affect your snoring. Instead of lying on your back while you are asleep, the best advice or remedy is that you sleep on your side. Sleeping on your side will help to open up your airways, allowing good airflow and also stop your snoring.
If you are taking sleeping pills or medications that induce sleep, then you need to stop taking them now as they may be the cause of your snoring.
Do not eat or drink anything that contains dairy products nearer your bedtime. These products can cause mucus to accumulate in your throat and make you snore.
If you are overweight, then it is important to take steps that can help you to lose weight. If you are overweight, it does aggravate your snoring.
Let's look at herbal remedies. They are effective. Soak two leaves of eucalyptus in boiling water for few minutes. Then drink it as you would drink tea. Eucalyptus will clear your airways and can stop you from snoring.
Wear nasal strips before you go to bed. They are not expensive and can stop your snoring.

In conclusion, you can now understand why you snore and how these eight home remedies for snoring will be able to help you to stop snoring.

The writer of this article is also the author of the best-selling book, You Can Stop Snoring Tonight in which he reveals everything you need to know about sleep disorders including snoring and sleep apnea. If you enjoy this article and find it helpful, you can read more on sleep apnea and snoring by visiting: http://you-can-stop-snoring-tonight.com/blog/how-to-stop-snoring-at-night-without-stop-snoring-devices

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How to Get to Sleep Fast the Natural Way

In this article I will go into the subject of how to get to sleep fast the natural way. Forcing yourself to sleep by using chemical pills and potions will burn the candle at both ends if you know what I mean. And this might not help you to get the right relaxing sleep you want, so here are something to think about before you make use of that stuff.

There are a lot of ways people think that they can solve their difficulties of not catching some sleep. Here are some of them. Drink warm milk before you go to bed, exercise hard before you go to bed, read a boring book to fall asleep. And more. Those are all good suggestions but before you make use of those suggestions think about this. There is always a reason behind why you can't fall into sleep. And until you find that reason the common advices might not help you much at all.

The fact is that your brain collects the information you have gotten during your awake state and processes it during sleep. You need to sleep at least six to eight hours to function normally. This is clear as a bell. You have to find out what is bothering you, and take positive action to solve it. Is it something you fear? Then doing something active about it, will empower you to make positive changes in your life.

Before you can learn how to get to sleep fast you have to find out the why's if there are more than one. Write down your problem or problems whether it is in your thinking about your problem or if it is health problem. If you have a pressing problem with something it will get stuck in your mind under the water line so to speak.

Next...compare your thinking with a ship. What you think when you are awake, is what you see of a ship above water. You can not see what is under the water line. What is under the water line is like your unconscious mind. And if you are bothered by something that goes on in your life you will find it hard to get to sleep fast. Sometimes your problems can be exaggerated and your mind keeps on repeating the same thing over and over. This will make it difficult to go to sleep fast and to solve it you will first have to identify what is causing this and do something to correct it in the spirit of positivity.

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Top Five Natural Supplements for Better Sleep

Getting restful sleep is vitally important to your body, mind, and mood. Unfortunately, many sleep solutions make a bad problem worse by cheating you out of restful sleep. They can prevent you from achieving REM sleep and actually make you feel more tired the next day. Narcotic sleep aids can also be addictive and leave you feeling groggy the following morning. Fortunately, they are a number of safe, effective supplements that can help you sleep restfully without the potential for addiction and "sleep hangovers".

Valerian

Valerian is commonly taken as a supplement in the form of an extract. The extract is taken from the roots of the valerian plant and contains 150 compounds to help calm your nerves. This safe and effective herb has been used since at least the 1800s to help promote restful, sound sleep. In one scientific study, volunteers taking 400 mg of valerian extract before bedtime enjoyed improved sleep time and quality over those taking a placebo.

Melatonin

Melatonin is a hormone naturally produced by the body. It helps regulate the body's circadian ryhthms or time clock. Blood levels of melatonin are highest right before sleep. Studies show that it reduces the time needed to fall asleep and may increase sleep duration. With melatonin, it is important to start with a small dosage and slowly work your way up until you find an effective dosage for yourself.

Magnesium

Many people are getting insufficient magnesium in their diets, and insomnia can be one negative outcome. Magnesium is responsible for over 300 enzyme reactions and is found in all bodily tissues. It is needed for many different functions, including helping muscles relax. If you experience frequent muscle cramps along with insomnia, you might try supplementing with magnesium.

Tryptophan

Tryptophan is used by the body to produce serotonin, a mood boosting substance that plays a role in mood and sleep. Tryptophan is found in drinks like milk and foods such as eggs, turkey, and certain kinds of fish. It is also available as a supplement in the form of L-Tryptophan. Recently, pharmacies have begun selling it as a supplement, and it is also available as a prescription drug, Tryptan, which some psychiatrists prescribe.

Chamomile

Chamomile has been used throughout the ages as a safe and effective sleep aid. It is an herb that is commonly ingested in the form of a relaxing tea taken approximately a half hour to forty-five minutes before bedtime. The main ingredient in chamomile that is believed to be responsible for its sleep-inducing effects is chrysin- a chemical also found in passionflower, another plant believed to help induce sleep.

Peter Wendt is a writer and researcher located in Central Texas. He is happily no longer an insomniac, thanks in part to his research efforts, which led him to NeuroScience supplements like Kavinace.

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