How to overcome the connection between sight decay and headache
Do you feel muscle pain in the neck and shoulders? Perhaps, you are experiencing blurry vision and dry eyes or a constant headache? These are all symptoms of computer or digital eye strain, experienced by more than 65% of Americans.
Causes
The continuous use of the computer, improper viewing distance and poor seating posture are the main reasons for digital eye strain. With so many of us using computers at work, the vision problem has progressed toward becoming a major job-related complaint. But working adults are not the only ones affected by digital eye strain. Kids and teenagers who stare at tablets and computers during the day at school can have issues, too.
Viewing the computer screen often makes your eyes work harder. They react to changing images on the screen and send signals to your brain so you can process what you are seeing. PC users with minor refractive errors may not notice any visual problems. But without proper vision correction, their performance on a particular task can suffer significantly. Improving the visual status of workers is essential for greater productivity, as well as improved visual comfort.
Treatment
We live in a technology-driven world. It might be difficult to limit the use of digital devices in our daily lives. But there are some important factors in reducing and preventing the symptoms of computer eye strain.
Here are 5 easy steps:
- To limit your chances of developing dry eye when using a PC, try to blink frequently. Blinking keeps the front surface of the eyes moist.
- The proper location of the computer screen will give comfort to your eyes. It should be 15-20 degrees below eye level.
- Position the computer screen to avoid glare, particularly from windows and overhead lighting. Use drapes on windows. You should also replace the light bulbs with bulbs of lower wattage.
- Get the right seating position – chairs should be comfortably padded. Their height should be adjusted so your feet rest flat on the floor. Your wrists should not rest on the keyboard when typing.
- To reduce the risk of tiring your eyes by constantly focusing on your screen, you should look away from your PC at least every 20 minutes and gaze at a distant object for at least 20 seconds.
Consult with a local optometrist or ophthalmologist who can tell you about additional factors that may impact your eye comfort while on the computer.
Depression Treatment Without Medication
Fighting the effects of depressive disorder is hard enough, and being disappointed in the lack of treatment response can result in a deep sense of despair. Pile on top of these various side effects from the drugs and antidepressant, treatment can become unbearable. Some of the side effects include:
- Nausea and diarrhea
- Increased appetite and weight gain
- Insomnia
- Dry mouth
- Anxiety
- Constipation
- Blurred vision
- Dizziness
- Fatigue and drowsiness
- Sexual dysfunction and loss of libido
- Irritability
The latest studies have also debunked the claims of pharmaceutical companies’ efficacy of antidepressants in treating depression. That’s why you can try some alternative options in depression treatment, such as:
- Brain stimulation therapy can play a role in treating depression. Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (dTMS) is an effective and safe method for fighting depression symptoms that uses the ability of magnets to activate nerve cells in the brain.
- Some foods can boost levels of serotonin, a mood-enhancing brain chemical. Such foods are fish (high in omega-3 and proteins), nuts and seed products.
- Physical exercise and daily workout have a powerful impact on mood by the release of certain brain hormones called endorphins.
- Mind-body activities can promote overall centeredness and relaxation, which can positively impact mood. Some of them are mindfulness exercises, yoga, prayer or meditation, guided imagery, journaling and massage therapy.
- Exposure to sunlight increases vitamin D levels, which boost mood. You can try a therapeutic light box can help in areas that have little sunlight.
- Get help when you need it. Reaching out for support from family, friends and professionals is part of self-help because discussing makes you feel better.
- Avoid alcohol, which is a depressant and coffee, which reduces serotonin levels.
And remember, even if you’re doing all of the above, nothing will boost your mood like having a sense of purpose. Find your passion in life and follow it!
Eat to Lose Weight
1 food calorie equals 1 kilo-calorie, but not all calories are created equal. That’s why different types of calories affect our body differently. Calories can have vastly various effects on hormones and hunger. The things that matter when getting in shape are the food you choose and the workout you do for weight loss. The golden rule is to eat less than you burn.
Here are the 5 most weight loss-friendly foods, that will boost your metabolism and help you shed pounds.
1. Eggs
Eggs are a killer weight loss food and a nutritional powerhouse.
Researches prove that whole eggs help protect heart health in those at increased risk of disease. The egg-based breakfasts promote feelings of fullness for several hours in overweight people by reducing hunger. Studies also show that those who ate 3 eggs for breakfast consumed 400 fewer calories per day and had a 16% greater reduction in body fat, compared to those who ate a bagel breakfast.
Eating eggs increases metabolic rate by about 20–35% for several hours after consuming. Including eggs in your diet will help you burn fat.
2. Fish
Fishes like trout, salmon, tuna, cod and haddock are rich in essential nutrients and omega-3 fatty acids which are perfect for the heart and brain. Moreover, researches prove that the oily fish is the best for weight loss. You can replace your usual serving of pork, beef or poultry with fish. It will make you feel fuller and can help you decrease the number of calories you consume in your diet by reducing hunger and cravings.
Be careful, because due to pollution of the oceans, some fish may contain contaminants.
3. Honey
While you don’t ordinarily consider sweeteners as diet foods, honey is an exception. It has been well-studied for its health advantages – its antioxidants and antimicrobial properties prevent genetic mutations and protect the cells from damage. Honey also might help with weight loss, but is still high in calories, so you should eat it in moderation.
4. Nuts
Nuts are rich in healthy fats, high in protein and low in simple carbohydrates. They stimulate your body to burn excess fat, because nuts make an incredibly versatile addition to your diet.
Keep calories in mind when eating nuts for weight loss, because they are an incredibly energy dense food. Researchers found that consuming nuts is associated with better diet compliance and helps reducing the risks of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
5. Yogurt
It is a low-fat food packed with calcium as well as protein. With the yogurt’s trifecta of fat, carbs, protein it can make you full and ward off hunger by keeping blood sugar levels steady. Go for 2% with whole milk, instead of choosing the non-fat kind to wind up hungriness. Yogurt has no added fat and provides all the advantages of dairy. Because of the way it is made, yogurt contains more calcium and protein per serving than other dairy product.
Eat yogurt every day for consistent weight loss.
Whether you want to get healthier or lose weight, these 5 superfoods will help you get there.
Express Detox: 3-Day Body Cleanse
Only three days of detoxing can do wonders for your health – decrease swelling, help organs to work better and give a much-needed energy boost. Тhe cleanse is designed to free the body of waste by cleaning skin pores, eliminate accumulated waste in the intestines and clean the kidneys, lungs and liver of excess toxins.
The cleanse is the first phase in a full-body detoxification process. The process offers a couple of simple and important to perform steps. After a detoxification, most people feel better and lose weight.
Cleverhealthtips.com recommends three-day body cleanse for the ultimate detox and advises you to:
Drink More Water!
Part of the goal is to poop, pee and sweat toxins out of your body. So drinking 8 to 12 glasses of decaffeinated tea or water a day is essential. You can add the juice of ½ a lemon in the water. Lemon helps re-hydrate the system and promotes digestion. Thus, it will help the flow of waste out of your body. The cleanse is best done in the privacy, at home, where you can have access to the bathroom.
Don’t Eat Solid Foods!
For three days don’t eat any solid foods. After all, you don’t want to eat anything that contains the toxins you’re trying to get rid of. You can consume some raw fruits and vegetables such as apples or carrots, if you get really hungry. You can also drink an additional glass of prune juice to help alleviate any discomfort. The detox works best if you take 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil 3 times each day. After the 3-day body cleanse, add crude vegetables and natural products to your diet.
Exercise!
The movement encourages circulation in the blood and lymph system. Move your body to reduce tension, enhance digestion and lubricate joints. People exercising regularly have fewer total toxins in their systems.
So, exercise is an important part of any detox program. Moving the body creates the conditions for the organism to breathe, circulate, stretch and sweat. By increasing your breathing rate, your body can more effectively flush out unwanted fats, toxins and waste.
Finally, don’t worry over what you can and can’t eat, it is just as terrible for you as having that additional glass of wine or bunch of chips! Do what you can and achieve it slowly and carefully.
Ah, Honey, Honey, You Are My… Superfood
Since ancient times, honey has been used as both a nourishment and a medication. Everybody knows that honey is a thick, sweet liquid made by honey bees. To produce honey, the bees collect the sugar-rich nectar of flowers and repeatedly digest, consume and regurgitate the nectar inside the beehive. The end product is honey. Its colour, smell and taste varies depending on the types of flowers the bees visit.
What Does Honey Contain?
Depending on the type, natural honey contains approximately: 75–80% saccharine (grape – glucose, fruit – fructose and sucrose), 15–20% water as well as mineral matter, vitamins, albumen ferments, alkaloids, organic and non-organic acids, fragrance and colour.
Usually 1 tablespoon of honey (~20 grams) contains 64 calories and 17 grams of sugar. It contains no fat, fiber or protein. That’s why honey is considered a superfood.
Why I Should Consume Honey Every Day?
Many studies prove that honey prevented a type of streptococcus pyogenes from inhibiting the healing of wounds. They found that even the smallest amount of honey is enough to kill off the majority of bacterial cells of the skin which infects the wound site. The superfood could even be utilized to prevent wounds in the first place. Honey can even painlessly remove scabs, dead tissue and pus from wounds and stimulates new tissue growth.
Other studies show that honey could be a potential answer to drug resistant bacteria like MRSA. Also, it could even be more effective than antibiotics in many cases and fight serious skin infections.
Can I Use Honey for Weight Loss?
Honey can also be very useful for weight loss. It has the ability to mobilize the stored fat and provide energy for your daily activities. This superfood balances your weight and resolves the problems of obesity. Honey also increases the levels of “good” cholesterol in the body and reduces cardiovascular strain. Thus, you can lead a healthier and more active life.
Enjoy honey every day and take advantage of its benefits for your health.
How to cope with depression in 3 steps
Do you feel unwilling whatever you do?
You’re not interesting in anything around you. Just going to work and then coming back home – tired and hopeless. You don’t know what’s trendy this season, you don’t even know if you have some accessories in the wardrobe.
Are you bored or maybe you prefer to stay alone at home instead of to go out with friends?
You have no energy, you have lost your healthy tonus. Sometimes you’re wondering “Am I already old?”. After that you’re sitting down, eating something that you even don’t like…
How often you’re watching TV while your friends are in the cinema?
Yes – this is an easy way to lie to yourself that you’re doing something. There’re too many things to do which are waiting for you.
And the answer is ‘No, you aren’t too old, neither you’re a boring person.”
The only reason to behave like this, is that you have been depressed.
Depression catches people who:
- are responsible
- take care for the others
- always do what they have to
In fact you’re a good person and this is the main reason depression happened to you. You get stressed, bad-tempered and sometimes even angry.
Luckily there are easy ways to handle with this.
First you must go to the library and get a book. Reading helps to relax your mind. Go to the library and point some book with interesting title for you. You’ll see how thinking about what book to buy will make you feel better. Instead watching TV – just read. It helps improve your sleep, too.
The second step to get out from depression is the famous “shopping therapy”. But here is the catch. You must go shopping alone. You don’t need anybody else. You’ll have enough time to look at these shops which you’re fond of. Put on something you have never done before. Try what you want and enjoy the time spend with yourself. This step helps you find yourself and more importantly – to like yourself.
The third rule is to dance like no one’s watching you. Of course you have to do this alone at home. Dancing helps the body to produce endorphins, also called hormone of happiness. Moving your body will increase positive energy and makes you willing to life. We all need to move, that’s why sport helps us to have healthier life. But dancing is magical, because you calm down while listening to the music and moving your body the way you like!
Follow these simple steps for a week and comment how you feel!
3 Do’s and Don’ts When Waking Up
Mornings are the perfect time to relax, set your intentions for the day and get your body in good shape. Unfortunately, many of us cannot resist the urge to reach for the phone to check mail and social networks. Thus, our brain makes a fast switch from peace to productivity. This might be stressful and even dangerous for our health.
To keep your body and mind relaxed from the start of the day, do these simple but essential morning routine practices.
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Reach for loved one’s hand instead of reaching your phone
Expressing love is the best way to start the day and it keeps you… in good health! Specialists at the University of North Carolina have discovered that hugging may lower blood pressure and boost blood levels of oxytocin, a relaxing hormone that plays a key role in breastfeeding, labor, and orgasms.
On the contrary American Psychological Association have found out that individuals who are continually taking a gander at their computerized gadgets (so called “steady checkers”), detailed larger amounts of stress contrasted with individuals who invest less energy interfacing with their phones.
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Refresh your mind instead of refreshing your news feed
Don’t be afraid, you won’t miss anything if you don’t refresh your Facebook account after opening your eyes. Wake up and stay 5 minutes in bed just thinking of killing it at work and how many good things will happen to you during the day! Afterwards, make something that fuels your soul and makes you real happy.
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Check your body balance instead of checking the email
Checking your email in the morning might tell you what’s new in the previous 8 hours, but it will also make your stress hormones to soar. Your recently resting mind suddenly has to process all this data, sending it into panic mode in order to wake up faster. Not only does checking your mail affect your biological chemistry, but it also potentially floods your brain with irritating information.
Do some yoga instead! After 7-8 hours of shut eye, our body responds affectionately to movement, and our mind is clear and receptive to positive ideas. Yoga practice in the morning will set your mental tone for the day.
7 Easy Yoga Poses for Stress Relief
Yoga helps us to work towards becoming a calm and peaceful human beings. Even 10 minutes of yoga daily can have positive benefits on your physical and mental health. The poses combine physical controller breathing, relaxation and meditation. That is why yoga is a mind-body practice that is a proven to be calmness provider.
Yoga can give you relief from chronic back pain and lower your blood pressure. Be aware that not all asanas are particularly effective for promoting tension relief, relaxation and restfulness.
Practicing these 7 positions will give you the stress relief you deserve. So slow down for a second and take a deep breath. It is time for some asanas!
Pose #1: The Bridge
Pose #1: The BridgeNot to be mistaken for the full wheel, this asana flow gives delicate extend of the back and legs muscles while easing stress and pressure. The pose reduces fatigue, headache, anxiety and insomnia. It is also helpful to overcome high blood pressure.
Pose #2: The Child
Pose #2: The ChildA gentle stretch is felt in the back when practicing the popular child’s pose. This calming asana flow eases anxiety and stress, helps cool the mind and is also good for the nerve system. The child’s pose allows us to come inward to ourselves.
Pose #3: Standing Forward Bend
Pose #3: Standing Forward BendThis position naturally calms your muscles and nerves. It’s perfect for your legs and many other parts of your body. By reversing the blood flow you are relieving tension in the neck, spine and back. Thus, your mind is totally relaxed.
Pose #4: The Corpse
Pose #4: The CorpseThis yoga pose comforts the body completely and is considered as the most calming asana flow. Practicing “the corpse” gives you a state of deep relaxation that lowers the blood pressure and calms your nerves. The pose encourages the body to come to a restful state.
Pose #5: The Puppy
Pose #5: The PuppyThe variation of child’s pose has a heart-opening effect. Because of the mild inversion, the asana flow can help you counter your tendency to crouch and slouch the shoulders when stressed. By improving flexibility, especially in the spine, it relieves symptoms of chronic stress and insomnia.
Pose #6: The Legs-Up-The-Wall
Pose #6: The Legs-Up-The-WallThis asana flow helps renew blood and lymph drainage back into the heart area. It is one of the most approachable yoga poses because it doesn’t require much strength or flexibility. But even though it’s a passive pose, its benefits are amazing – it helps lower anxiety, stress and insomnia.
Pose #7: The Cat
Pose #7: The CatThe cat pose soothes perfectly by stretching the lower back and gently massages the spine. Since it’s a breath synchronized movement, the asana flow helps relieve stress from menstrual cramps, lower back pain and sciatica. The cat strengthens and improves flexibility of the spine, through utilization of the reciprocal relationship between the primary and secondary curves.
The 3 Most Common Sleep Disorders
Do you experience difficulty getting or staying asleep? Do you wake up in the morning feeling as if you never truly slept at all or wake in the middle of the night unable to come back to rest? Or, perhaps you feel drained and exhausted every day? If so, you may have one of the most common sleep disorders – insomnia, narcolepsy or EDS.
Insomnia
Insomnia is the most widely recognized sleep disorder. Approximately 50% of all people having experienced symptoms once in a while, and the statistics show that about 10% of Americans are suffering from chronic insomnia.
This sleeping disorder is characterized by trouble falling asleep and waking up often. Individuals with insomnia have at least one of the following symptoms:
- Trouble falling asleep
- Waking earlier in the morning
- Waking up frequently in the middle of the night and having problem going back to sleep
- Feeling tired after waking
Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is a disorder that affects the brain’s ability to control its sleep – wakefulness cycle. More than 200,000 Americans suffer from this sleeping disorder. The symptoms are:
- Cataplexy – in narcolepsy this is the term for muscles weakening when you feel strong emotions like anger, surprise or laughter.
- Daytime sleepiness
- Hypnagogic hallucinations – having nightmares or vivid, dreamlike experiences that seem real while falling asleep or waking up
- Sleep disruption
Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS)
Approximately 60% of adult drivers have driven a vehicle half asleep. More than 33% have fallen asleep during driving. Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is a side effect that can be found in several sleep disorders, including narcolepsy, obstructive sleep apnea and periodic limb movement disorder. People with EDS have one or more of the following symptoms:
- Difficulty waking in the morning.
- Dozing off during inappropriate times such as in the middle of conversations, or while driving.
- Poor school/job performance.
- Feelings of irritability or anxiety.
Sleep is a critical function and the lack of sleep can have severe consequences. Do you have any of the symptoms of the most common sleep disorder? If you suspect you have such a problem, it is important to seek the expert opinion of your physician.