Countries worldwide are in the grips of a mental health crisis. According to the World Health Organization, around 450 million people are struggling with mental illness. It is the leading cause of disability, and no one is immune. Mental illness can look very different, and each person’s experience will be unique to them. It is a health condition characterized by changes in thinking, behavior, and emotion, causing distress and problems at work, with family, or in society. The symptoms experienced depend on the disorder and factors contributing to an individual’s mental state. For example, some may abuse drugs and alcohol, feel sad or down, experience sleep troubles, have mood swings or trouble sleeping. All symptoms and experiences with...
If you have stumbled to the bathroom in the early morning, looked in the mirror and thought, “what happened to my face!?” you aren’t alone! It’s what actress Julianne Moore calls her “sushi face” - a puffy face the morning after a sushi dinner. Unfortunately, the puffy morning face (aka facial bloating) is all too common and can be quite a nuisance. You may experience an overall roundness to your face, deeper pillow lines, or a little more baggage under your eyes. There are a few things that can trigger this phenomenon that causes fluid retention in the face. Fortunately, it is often harmless, and there are at-home remedies to help the puffiness go down before your morning meeting. Before...
Tech has had an incredible impact on our lives! From eating to dating to sleeping and beyond, there are gadgets and gizmos galore. And though some may roll their eyes at yet another sleep app or smart device, these pieces of technology have the potential to make our lives better. When you have the tools to track, measure, and monitor your daily activities, you can understand how your body works and in turn, improve it. This is what is known as biohacking. Biohacking involves making incremental changes to your lifestyle to make improvements in your health and wellness. These little things add up to big things, making significant differences over time. For example, some believe you can “biohack”...
Let’s start with a trigger warning – if you are super uneasy at the thought of bugs in your bed and blood – this blog post may not be for you. But, if you want to know what you could be sleeping with and how to prevent it, keep reading! The roommates you never asked for – bed bugs, dust mites and fleas. They show up uninvited, overstay their welcome, and are a nuisance the entire time they’re there. Even though they are small, they can cause chaos and negatively affect your sleep and life! If you’ve had the displeasure of experiencing bed bugs, dust mites or fleas, you know exactly what I’m talking about. These bugs found...
“Because sleep is a beautiful thing” – this catchy ZzzQuil slogan speaks the truth but also advertises their sleep aid medication. NyQuil, which is known for its cold medication, jumped on the sleep med bandwagon after discovering many people were taking NyQuil for its sleep-inducing side effects. ZzzQuil, however, has been designed for “sleep and sleep only”. The medication is just one of several popular over-the-counter sleep aids. There are also plenty of prescription options and natural sleep aids on the market for people to choose from. It’s no surprise there are so many options as the struggle is very real. In the U.S., it is estimated that up to 70 million people experience sleep-related issues. In fact, the CDC has stated that...
There is a common misbelief that a nightcap or certain alcoholic drinks (looking at you red wine) helps you sleep. The truth is, it can make you feel tired or mentally foggy and significantly disrupt your sleep. Alcohol is a sneaky sleep disrupter that can trick you into thinking you are getting a good night's sleep but can actually reduce the quality of your sleep and leave you feeling tired the next day. Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant. In layman’s terms – it’s a downer. This causes your brain to slow down, making it difficult to think clearly, remember details, and alters your behaviors. This is why with a couple of drinks, you can start to feel...
