The Laing Lifeline
Wellness Committee Newsletter
Eat pumpkin seeds!
Pumpkin seeds are a healthy addition to your diet. They are rich in both zinc and magnesium, which are two nutrients that many people are lacking.
Pears, please!
Pears are high in fiber, which benefits the body in many ways, including regulating blood sugar. Need to ensure you are maximizing your fiber intake? Leave the skin on!
Better eat butternut squash!
Butternut squash is low in calories, and is packed with nutrients like vitamins A and C, potassium, and magnesium.
Check out this article from mayoclinic.org to learn how to channel these thoughts in healthy ways!
Seven Tips for Healthy Sleeping
- Stick to a sleep schedule of the same bedtime and wake up time, even on the weekends. This helps to regulate your body's clock and could help you fall asleep and stay asleep for the night.
- Practice a relaxing bedtime ritual. A relaxing, routine activity right before bedtime conducted away from bright lights helps separate your sleep time from activities that can cause excitement, stress or anxiety which can make it more difficult to fall asleep, get sound and deep sleep, or remain asleep.
- If you have trouble sleeping, avoid naps, especially in the afternoon. Power napping may help you get through the day, but if you find that you can't fall asleep at bedtime, eliminating even short catnaps may help.
- Exercise daily. Vigorous exercise is best, but even light exercise is better than no activity. Exercise at any time of day, but not at the expense of your sleep.
- Evaluate your room. Design your sleep environment to establish the conditions you need for sleep. Your bedroom should be cool – between 60 a 67 degrees. Your bedroom should also be free from any noise that can disturb your sleep. Finally, your bedroom should be free from any light. Check your room for noises or other distractions.
- Use bright light to help manage your circadian rhythms. Avoid bright light in the evening and expose yourself to sunlight in the morning. This will keep your circadian rhythms in check.
- Wind down. Your body needs time to shift into sleep mode, so spend the last hour before bed doing a calming activity such as reading. For some people, using an electronic device such as a laptop can make it hard to fall asleep, because the particular type of light emanating from the screens of these devices is activating to the brain. If you have trouble sleeping, avoid electronics before bed or in the middle of the night.