Guide to Your Health

Sleep problems affect a number of North Americans. The average person has an irregular sleep schedule, due to personal obligations, emergencies, crisis, poor sleep management or a sleep disorder. However, very few people understand that getting regular sleep, and enough of it, is critical to a person’s health. The average person requires eight hours of sleep per night in order to stay healthy. The total number of hours a person needs to sleep is highly dependent on their personal chemistry, but on average, a person cannot stay healthy on less than six hours of sleep. The brain loses function and can be damaged permanently by  person’s broken sleep patterns. Sleeping at irregular times of day can also be very detrimental to a person’s health and longevity. Some of the most common sleep problems are as follows:

• Stress. Nothing wrecks a sleep schedule like stress, because it throws off the body’s chemistry and hormone balance.
• Undisciplined sleep patterns. Many people have the childish problem of “just wanting to stay up another hour” for whatever reason, but this habit can vastly affect physical and mental health.
• Sleep disorder. A true sleep disorder is not the fault of the person who has it, but it is their responsibility to manage it properly.

Being unable to sleep or simply mismanaging a sleep schedule takes a heavy toll on a person’s day to day life. It is very important for people with broken sleep habits to change their ways and learn how to sleep in a healthy way. Some of the ways a person can combat sleep problems and get back onto a healthy sleep schedule is:

• Eliminate stress. Easier said than done, but coming to manage the stress in your life will result in better sleep.
• Take a sleep schedule seriously. Plan one out for yourself and follow it diligently every night.
• Consider lifestyle, diet and exercise. The food you out, your exercise regimen and how balanced your lifestyle are all affect your sleep patterns.
• Receive treatment for a sleep disorder. Do not suffer through a sleep disorder on your own. Receive help from your doctor.

Weight management can be tricky business. The average person does not have a perfect metabolism and can gain or lose weight in irregular increments. In today’s world of fast, convenient and fattening foods, keeping the pounds off is harder than ever. Especially when the foods available cause conditions that make a person less able to metabolize food correctly, therefore being even more prone to weight gain. Some of the most common reasons for weight gain are as follows:

• Poor diet. The average North American is missing the mark in their diet. They are eating foods with too much fat, sugar, salt, oil and starch, as well as eating too much processed food and unnatural food. This is causing more cases of weight gain and obesity than anything else.
• Lack of exercise. North Americans, on the whole, are not active enough. Because of office work and hobbies like TV watching, we are living lifestyles that are too sedentary to be healthy. Exercise is how calories are burned. Without exercise, we retain calories and are unable to burn off fat.
• Diseases or conditions. It is very common for people to have one or more diseases and conditions because of the toxicity levels of our environment and diet. Some of these diseases and conditions make it harder for people to lose weight. Heart disease and diabetes are just some of the conditions that prevent people from reaching their weight goals.

Once the weight is already packed on, it can feel impossible to lose. Weight gain can be a difficult thing to manage, especially when there are factors that are outside your control coming into play. There are, however, some basic things you can do to manage your weight gain and bring it back under control:

• Eat healthy. Follow the dietary guidelines set forth by your country, and do research on how to eat for your body chemistry, weight goals and personal conditions.
• Exercise. Making time for exercise is critical to weight management. It is the key to getting your metabolism functioning like it should be.
• Manage your diseases or conditions as best as possible. Follow your doctor’s specifications for your disease as well as your own personal research on the subject.

Physical health problems have historically been the center of far more focus than mental health problems. This is ironic and irrational, as mental health problems cause just as much disruption in a person’s life as physical health problems, in some ways even more. Mental health problems stem from psychological developmental issues, particularly related to a person’s upbringing. Most people form lifelong coping mechanism, thought patterns and behaviors in their adolescence and are bound to them for life. The incredible range of opportunity for adversity and poor psychological development in adolescence are endless, which results in mental health problems for many people. Other factors, such as biology, play a part in mental health problems as well.

Some of the more common mental health problems among global society are as follows:

• Depression. This mental disorder is characterized by extended feelings of sadness, lethargy and hopelessness.
• Anxiety. This mental disorder is characterized by panic attacks, fearful thoughts and extreme inhibitions.
• Bipolar disorder. This mental disorder is characterized by extreme, unregulated mood swings.
• ADHD. This mental disorder is characterized by disorganization and a rampant flow of thoughts or energy.

A mental disorder can feel very consuming at times and impossible to overcome. However, if you are having these thoughts, be advised that your mental disorder is flared up, because the truth of the matter is, mental disorders are treatable, and you can make a great deal of progress in a reasonable amount of time.

• Counseling. Make time to sit down with a counselor and create a plan of action for your mental disorder. Your counselor will give you very relevant ideas and information to help you fight the symptoms of your mental disorder and regain your life.
• Balanced lifestyle. There is a great deal of information one can collect on living a balanced lifestyle that is fulfilling, productive, therapeutic and relaxed. Expose yourself to this information and heed its advice.
• Diet. What you ingest is critical to your mental health. Follow your country’s dietary guidelines, avoid substance abuse and research how to eat for your particular mental illness. If substance abuse is inhibiting your mental health, ask yourself are there drug and alcohol detox centers that suit my needs?” If there are, sign up for one. If they are not, it could be worth your while to travel for the purpose of substance abuse treatment.
• Exercise. Be sure to make time for exercise, as it is the most beneficial way of boosting your serotonin and balancing your brain and body chemicals.

People develop mobility problems for a number of reasons. Mobility problems make a person’s life more difficult in that they have less independence and struggle to be as active as they once were. Some common reasons for mobility problems are as follows:

• Joint pain. Everyone experiences some joint pain, but some people, particularly as they age, experience it much worse due to genetics or injury. Their joints become extremely swollen or the cartilage around the joint deteriorates entirely.
• Bone deterioration / osteoporosis. Bones are subject to deterioration with age and injury. Osteoporosis is caused by bone deterioration when calcium levels are low or hormones change. Brittle or thin bones break much more easily than strong bones.
• Flexibility problems. Flexibility is one of the first things that people lose with age. Muscles, tissues and cartilage tighten and shrink over time to limit a person’s flexibility and make them less able to bend and stretch.
• Cardio problems. When a person’s heart is weakened by an unhealthy diet, heart disease, being overweight or simply age, their cardiovascular system that pumps blood becomes less able to function well.
• Weight problems. If someone’s diet or exercise regimen are unhealthy or inadequate, they may struggle severely with weight problems.

These health issues, which cause mobility problems, can prove harmful to a person and their lifestyle. There are, however, ways of preventing and correcting them:

• For joint issues, take glucosamine to keep the cartilage that protects joints healthy and intact. Eating anti-inflammatory foods reduces swelling in joints, and safe exercise builds muscle mass to take strain off joints.
• For good bone health, be sure to ingest plenty of calcium for bone tissue and vitamin D for metabolizing calcium.
• For flexibility retention, participate in stretching exercises and yoga frequently.
• For good cardio and weight management, eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly.