How to get instant relief from cough

Most of us know how disrupting, irritating and painful a cough can be. Especially if it prevents you sleeping at night or if your job involves a lot of speaking and the cough prevents you from doing it. While the reason for the onset of the cough and the process of a cough can be sometimes quite difficult to zero in on, but getting rid of it is usually number one on our list of things to do. In some cases, it may be necessary to take some cough suppressing medicines but often, simple substances in your kitchen along with OTC medication can help you find an almost instant relief from cough.

1. Gargles

As soon as you feel soreness in your throat, make it a point to gargle with salt dissolved in warm water. The salt in the water can help drain excess fluid from inflamed areas in the throat reducing the symptoms. According to the Mayo clinic book of home remedies, the gargling also removes irritants in the throat and thins the mucus.

2. Drink Warm Liquids

A cough is best not neglected (find out why). It can not only be extremly annoying but can also lead to several complications. Drinking warm water is a good way of soothing the inflammation in the throat*; but this does not have any taste and may be unappetizing for most people. A warm soup is a much better solution as is a glass of hot herbal tea.

3. Throat Lozenges

A study conducted at Wayne State University, in Detroit, showed that patients who took zinc lozenges every two to three waking hours cut the duration of a cold by almost half. The irritation caused by constant coughing can also be overcome by using throat lozenges. They are also known to prevent the progression of a sore throat to a cough. While some lozenges are medicated and contain ingredients such as dextromethorphan (a cough suppressant) or benzocaine (an anesthetic), others contain natural soothing ingredients such as honey, menthol, peppermint oil or eucalyptus oil. In many homes, it is also quite common to make small children suck on the red-colored variety of rock candy (Mishri in Hindi) to stop cough.

4. Use Vaporubs

According to a study at the Penn State College of Medicine, children above 2 years of age had symptomatic relief and could sleep better after applying vaporubs. While the exact reason how vaporubs work remains a mystery, the ingredients such as menthol, camphor and eucalyptus may have a role in relieving congestion. Read more about productive cough.

5. Sleep With the Head Elevated

In some persons, a productive cough results when mucus drips from the back of the nose into the throat. This tends to grow worse at night when the body posture is conducive for such dripping. Sleeping with the head at a higher position helps to reduce such drainage and many people find this position helps reduce coughing at night and improves sleep.

6. Turmeric Remedies

A traditional remedy that most people swear by is the use of hot milk with turmeric. According to a study**, it is shown to even have antibacterial properties. Read about the amazing health benefits of turmeric.

Heat a glass of milk, mix in half a teaspoon of turmeric powder and drink warm to find relief from cough. A turmeric gargle also gives good results. To one cup of hot water, add in half a teaspoon of turmeric powder and half a teaspoon table salt. Use this liquid as a throat gargle and you are sure to experience relief from cough.

For a dry cough, turmeric powder mixed with a teaspoon of honey taken three to four times a day is effective.  You could also try preparing turmeric tea by adding one tablespoon of turmeric powder into 4 cups of boiling water. Keep for a few minutes, strain and mix in some lemon and honey to the liquid and drink. Read more about why you have a dry cough and how you can recognise its symptoms.

According to Dr. Soumya Bhat, Ayurvedic doctor, inhaling the smoke of burning turmeric (dhooma paan) is also considered to be an effective remedy for cough and cold. Take a dried turmeric root, burn it and inhale the smoke. Another way out is to place a few pieces of red hot charcoal in a small mud pot that has been placed on a cup of water. Add a few dried leaves of turmeric over the charcoal and a spoonful of turmeric powder over the leaves. Gently blow to ignite the turmeric powder and inhale the smoke emitted.

7. Honey Remedies

Since ages, honey has been known to soothe the irritated throat linings and reduce cough. A study conducted at the Penn State School of Medicine on children above the age of 2 years showed that honey helped them cough less and sleep better.

There are different ways of using honey besides the one mentioned in combination with turmeric. A dry cough responds to a mixture of honey with juice from grapes. A glass of hot milk with some honey added just before going to bed is effective at relieving night time cough. Mix in honey and lemon juice to a glass of warm water and drink this three times per day for relief from cough. People suffering from diabetes can have honey too. Here is why. 

If you have a particularly nasty cough, try this remedy. Take about 3 tablespoons of flaxseeds in 1 cup of water and boil. When the water starts thickening, strain the liquid and mix in 3 tablespoons each of lemon juice and honey. Swallow about 1 tablespoon of this mixture when you experience a severe coughing fit. Honey also works well in combination with betel leaf (paan). Grind a few washed betel leaves and extract the juice; add 1 teaspoon of honey to 2 teaspoons of this juice, mix and consume about half an hour after meals. Repeat for about 5 days to find relief from cough.*** 

8. Ginger Remedies

Ginger has a number of amazing benefits, it is also great to treat a cough. For a dry cough, one of the easiest ways of finding relief is to cut a piece of fresh ginger, sprinkle some salt on it and chew on it for a few minutes. However, not everyone likes the strongly aromatic taste of ginger and in such cases, a tea made with ginger is equally good. Chop ginger into fine pieces, add into a vessel containing one cup of water. Keep boiling the liquid till the volume reduces to half the original quantity. Strain the liquid, add one teaspoon of honey and drink when warm to give a soothing effect against cough. How does it work? Dr Eccles, Director of Common Cold Centre at the Cardiff University, told netdoctor.co.uk that ginger seems to work by ‘promoting salivation and mucus secretion and will help relieve cough symptoms’.

Ginger in combination with tulsi is also an effective remedy for cough. Crush about 10 leaves of tulsi, mix with juice extracted from a small ginger piece. Add in an equal quantity of honey and mix; swallow about a single teaspoon of this about thrice a day to get relief from cough.

People who don’t mind the strong spicy flavour of pepper can also add in some black pepper powder and turmeric into a mixture of ginger juice with honey. When this paste is slowly licked for 10 to 15 minutes thrice a day, it helps reduce congestion in the throat and reduces cough. A simple ginger tea is easy to prepare by boiling ginger with water; then add tea leaves or tea powder, drop in some tulsi leaves and pepper powder, strain and drink for relief from cough.

9. Garlic Remedies

Garlic is an effective antimicrobial and expectorant and this makes it a valuable agent to fight cough. The University of Maryland Medical Center cites one study that suggested that garlic might help prevent colds and lessen their symptoms. People who took a garlic supplement for 12 weeks caught 63 percent fewer colds than people who took a placebo.

Lightly crush about 5 cloves of peeled garlic and sauté in a teaspoon of ghee; consume when still warm for relief from cough and cold. Include crushed garlic sautéed in ghee in other dishes where possible. Do this with rasam, and you have a medicinal soup that soothes your throat and also helps liquefy the thick mucus, making it easier to cough out the phlegm.

10. Jaggery Remedies to Get Rid of Sputum

Sputum buildup can lead to a feeling of congestion in the chest and the entire respiratory tract; expelling this sputum therefore provides relief from cough and congestion. Dr. Soumya Bhat, Ayurvedic doctor, recommends the following remedies for such relief. Make a decoction by boiling a few corns of pepper with water for about 20 minutes; mix in a little cumin and jaggery and drink. Cut a quarter part of an onion, keep a small bit of jaggery in the middle of it and chew on this for expelling sputum.

11. Over the Counter Medications

Relief from cough is even faster if you use over the counter (OTC) cough medications along with home remedies. Besides medicated lozenges, you could also try cough suppressants that contain ingredients like dextromethorphan. These are particularly useful if you have a hacking or dry cough. If you have productive cough, an OTC product with ingredients that have expectorant properties can help to clear out the mucus in the airways. Often, OTC products of both types – suppressants as well as expectorants – contain an antihistamine and this can help you sleep better at night.

Coughs are of different types, so are their solutions. Using home remedies or OTC products can help provide relief from cough. However, it is equally important to remember that if you find the cough persisting for an extended period of time, it is best to see a doctor to identify if there is any underlying serious problem that is causing the cough. 

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20 ways to gain weight fast

 

How to gain weight is as difficult as losing weight. Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration; but we all know someone who is skinny as a stick and does not shy away from food. Most of us are envious that they never put on weight, but they too wish to have a lean well toned, even curvy or muscular look.

 How to gain weight: People may be underweight due to various reasons

Inadequate feeding habits, prolonged meal time gaps, poor selection of foods, increased physical activity without increasing the food intake can lead to energy deficit, are a few of the major reasons for being underweight. Other reasons can be malabsorption due to prolonged illness, diseases such as tuberculosis, cancer, hormonal imbalances (hyperthyroidism) and eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia.

How to gain weight: Healthy weight gain

Gradual weight gain is always advisable. An increase in 500 kcal per day can result in increasing the body weight by 0.5 kgs per week. Objective should be to restore a desirable weight/ ideal body weight according to one's age, gender and height. To rebuild body tissues, to maintain a good nutritional status and to maintain ideal body weight are a few reasons why healthy weight gain is important.

How to gain weight: Exercise

If you're indulging where food's concerned, beware of the inevitable skinny person's paunch. No matter what your skinny status, as you grow older, you will develop an unsightly paunch. To avoid this, you must endeavour to maintain a toned body. For this, exercise is essential. Participate in a balanced mix of cardio, weight training, and flexibility exercises every day.

How to gain weight: Lift weights for lean mass

If you haven't figured it out already, you're going to be doing some heavy lifting in order to put on lean mass. The foundation of your routine should be the big compound lifts: Squats, deadlifts, presses (bench and overhead), pull-ups, rows, dips, snatches, power cleans, clean and jerks. These engage multiple muscles while triggering your hormonal response systems.

How to gain weight: Exercises for beginners

A

Squat 5x5

Pull-ups 5xFailure (add weight if "Failure" is becoming more than 12 reps)

Overhead Press 5x5

B

Squat 5x5

Deadlift 1/2/3x5 (your choice; deadlifts can be incredibly taxing, and with exhaustion comes poor form, so be careful; sometimes it's better to do a really heavy load for a single set)

Bench Press 5x5

C

Squat 5x5

Pull-ups 5xFailure

Overhead Press 5x5

Do this sequence every week (maybe Monday, Wednesday, Friday) and steadily increase the weight each session. Once you're making progress, feel free to add in other exercises like dips or more Olympic lifts.

How to gain weight: Healthy diet

You may take dietary supplement, but you need a balanced diet more. You need the right amount of protein, carbs and fats. Help yourself to nuts and dairy products. Protein is the key for muscle building; this will help you gain weight.

How to gain weight: Healthy heart and weight gain diet

Add pistachios or roasted channa to your diet. Make them your evening munchies, as they help you lower risk of heart disease. Other snack ideas include whole wheat or multi grain bread/ soy sticks with hummus or peanut butter. Opt for salsa dips and chutneys as they are high on fibre and very healthy. How to Gain Weight: Increase liquid intake

If you want to gain weight, you need to build an appetite; and while this might be a tad non-traditional, you can rely on wine as a hunger stimulant. A small glass of wine before your evening meal will help you appreciate your food a whole lot more. Also, avoid drinking water before meals and in between meals, you don't want to ruin your appetite.

How to gain weight: Eat less

If you eat in between meals, cut it out. They say you should eat three large meals or five to six small meals in a day. Eating less is more. Choose food with nutritional calories and increase intake of starchy foods like potatoes. Remember, the more junk food you eat, the more you deprive your body of healthy nutrients. A thin person who gorges on junk food will suffer the same unhealthy consequences as an obese person with poor eating habits.

How to gain weight: Indulge the right way

Often times, well meaning folks will tell you to eat cakes and other sugar-heavy desserts in order to help you gain weight. While normally this strategy works perfectly for some, for others it could just lead to visceral fat - a state of being skinny fat. Skinny fat essentially means that a person appears skinny on the outside, but has fat accumulated in the wrong places (around vital organs) on the inside. Besides, sugar-heavy foods deplete your body of whatever little nutrients it might be getting from other foods.

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5 Natural tips to prevent hair loss

 

It's better to use natural products to stop hairfall than to go in for expensive parlour treatments, that may not help the problem.

Try the following easy tips at home and see how effective they are in reducing hair loss!

1. Hot oil treatments: Take any natural oil - olive, coconut, canola - and heat it up so that it is warm, but not too hot. Massage it gently into your scalp. Put on a shower cap and leave it on for an hour, then shampoo your hair.

2. Natural juices: You can rub your scalp with either garlic juice, onion juice or ginger juice. Leave it on overnight and wash it thoroughly in the morning.

3. Get a head massage: Massaging your scalp for a few minutes daily will help stimulate circulation. Good circulation in the scalp keeps hair follicles active. Circulation may be improved through massage by using a few drops of lavender or bay essential oil in an almond or sesame oil base.

4. Antioxidants: Apply warm green tea (two bags brewed in one cup of water) on your scalp and leave this mixture on for an hour and then rinse. Green tea contains antioxidants which prevent hair loss and boost hair growth.

5. Practice meditation: Believe it or not, most of the times, the root cause for hair loss is stress and tension. Meditation can help in reducing that and restore hormonal balance.

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Home Remedies To Regrow Eyebrow Hair

Eyebrows if perfectly shaped can enhance the look of your face. You may often notice that when you thread your eyebrows, it looks neater and face looks brighter. This is because this line of delicate hair above the eyes gives an elaborate shape to your features. Have you ever imagined your face without eyebrows? It looks funny and alien.

Which shape of eyebrows suits which type of fe is also an interesting topic to research about. The most common shapes of faces are round, oval and long. Round faces look beautiful with high arched eyebrows. Women with oval shaped faces can choose very soft arched eyebrows, do not have sharp arch as it may make your face too long and broad. Long faces are advised to keep flat very negligible arch eyebrows. High arched on long face tends to add more length to the face which makes it look ugly. However, for some reason people lose their eyebrows or have very less growth. There can several internal and external factors that lead to loss of hair in eyebrows.

Causes of loss of eyebrow hair

Alopecia Areata

This is an autoimmune disease found very rare in people, which leads to unexplainable loss of hair in the eyebrow region. Scientists have still not be able to explain as to why this particular type of illness is found in very few people where the body reacts to the hair follicles as bacteria and tries to kill them in order to protect itself. It is an automatic reaction from the internal system to fight the hair follicles causing hair loss. The re-growing is very slow and sometimes impossible. One positive side of Alopecia Areata is that the new cells re-grow with new hair.

Lack of Iodine

Sometimes, shortage of iodine in the body leads to hair loss of the eyebrows. Iodine helps the growth of hair therefore lack of it can lead to losing of hair.

Accident

This is the most common reason why people have very thin or no hair in the eyebrows. Meeting with an accident for example in a car accident can lead to several injuries, internal and external. The external injuries could be like bruises, cuts in the eyebrows that lead to loss of hair. The mark that left behind sees no growth of hair. Fire accidents also cause wounds and burn marks sometimes in the eyebrows that cause hair loss.

Dietary imbalance

It is essential for everyone to have a healthy and nutritious diet aiding in the body’s development and re-growth. Many vital vitamins, minerals and proteins help in maintaining healthy visible parts of body such as radiant skin and long healthy hair. Failing to follow a nutritious diet can lead to hair loss.

Hormone imbalance

Women especially going through menopause, goes through various hormonal changes can lead to hair loss in the eyebrows. Over stress also releases chemicals that are harmful for the body and never know which can trigger dangerous effects like hair loss.

Thyroid or cancer

Life threatening disease can cause loss of hair especially in cancer patients who undergo strong chemotherapies causing hair loss in the head, eyelashes and eyebrows. Thyroid patients can also have adverse effects.

Over plucking of eyebrows

A simple reason for thinning of eyebrow hair is getting your eyebrows done way too much. Plucking the hair follicles too often can stop the growth of hair.

Hereditary

Sometimes people lose eyebrow hair due to hereditary. In this case, it becomes impossible to get back hair lost hair; however one can try cosmetic remedies like permanent tattooing on the eyebrows, or use an eye pencil to draw eyebrows.

Home remedies to re-grow eyebrow hair

Eyebrows are a vital part of the face and losing hair there might become embarrassing for the person. However there are various home remedies that one can follow on a daily basis for growing the eyebrow hair. Please not that the process can be slow therefore one need to patient for the remedy to work. Home remedies for eyebrow growth are:

Castor oil

Castor oil, an ayurvedic remedy, is the most trusted formula in growing hair. Rub oil on both the eyebrows gently for two minutes and leave it for thirty minutes. Wash it with warm water. This remedy if followed once in a day for about two months will show positive signs. You can also use olive oil instead of castor oil which equally effective in re-growth of eyebrow hair. Simply massage the eyebrows with oil and leave it sometime. Wash it with warm water.

Milk

Milk is very effective for growing eyebrow hair. Take milk in a small bowl. Immerse small ball of cotton in the milk for considerable time so that it soaks properly. Now dab gently on your right eyebrow for a minute. Repeat the same process for your left eyebrow. Leave the milk to dry or for 10 minutes. Wash your face with warm water. This, if done everyday shows great result.

Coconut oil with lemon peel

Infuse lemon peel with 1/4th coconut oil and leave it for ten to fourteen days. Infusing it just helps both ingredients to mix well and become a magic mixture to grow the hair of the eyebrows. To use it, dab small amount of the mixture on the eyebrows, preferably just before going to bed leaving it all night and wash it next morning. Do it everyday for best results.

Rogaine

Rogaine, also called the wonder drug because of its ability to re-grow hair, can be rubbed gently stimulating the hair follicles that helps in growing eyebrow hair. Use a toothbrush to stimulate hair follicles. It is easy and the most simple everyday home remedy.

Eyebrow Stimulators

Many reputed medical companies boast eyebrow stimulator products that guarantee in hair growth. You may try one of those and see if it really works for you or not. Good if it does and discontinue if it has any side effects on you such as irritation or burning.

Hope the above home remedies for eyebrow re-growth works well for you. Good luck!

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Homemade Treatments For Blackheads

Blackheads are one of the common skin problems that most of us face nowadays. These black dots on the skin kill the beauty and attractiveness of a person. The dots can also be yellow in color and is like a bump on the skin.

Blackheads are actually accumulation of oil and dead skin cells in the open pores that tend to make the skin dull and ugly. The black head is due to the oxidation of the oil with the air. The common body areas where we can find the formation of blackheads include nose, chest, back, forehead and neck.

However, the good news here is that there are certain natural remedies and homemade treatments that can help you get rid of blackheads temporarily as well as permanently in many cases.

Some of the common causes for the occurrence of blackheads include-

Causes for blackheads

Oily or combination skin tone

As we all know, blackheads are a result of the clogging of pores with excessive oil and dead skin cells. Therefore, it is quite natural that people with oily or combination skin tone are more prone to formation of blackheads and whiteheads.

Stimulation of oil glands

Another reason for the birth of blackheads is excessive secretion of oil from the oil glands. This can be possible due to a lot of factors like heredity, menstruation, puberty, forms of allergies, stress and tension as well as certain kinds of medication and steroids.

Unacceptable hygiene

It is very essential to keep the skin clean and toned. However, improper maintenance of the skin and below average hygiene can lead to blackheads and whiteheads as well as other skin problems.

Malfunctioning of the immune system or the digestive system

It is very significant to keep the body clean and detoxified not only from outside but also from inside. Malfunctioning of the immune system or the digestive system can very well lead to occurrence of blackheads on the skin.

Here are some of the simple ways by which you can make your life easier. These home remedies will help you in getting rid of the blackheads and also avoid its occurrence in the future-

Lemon juice and cinnamon solution

Mix few drops of fresh lemon juice to a pinch of cinnamon powder. Now apply this solution on the affected areas for a few minutes. Rinse the solution with warm water to see removal of the blackheads as well as dead skin cells. Follow the procedure at least once every week for satisfying outcomes.

Radish paste

Make a paste of radish adding some water. Use this paste for blackhead removal.

Orange peel paste

Make a smooth paste of dry orange peel with some water. This solution is great for blackhead and white head removal.

Mint and turmeric combo

Take out fresh mint juice and mix in some turmeric powder to it. Application of this combo to the blackheads for 30 minutes can work really wonders for the skin.

Toothpaste as a remedy

To remove the blackheads and whiteheads easily apply toothpaste on the areas before going off to sleep at night. It’ll come out effortlessly the next day.

Banana mask

Make a smooth batter of banana, honey, lemon juice and salt. Apply this homemade mask on face for almost 30 minutes and wash off. This will work really well on the blackheads.

Fenugreek paste
Freshly made fenugreek paste if applied on the blackheads for 15-20 minutes can work effectively.

Tea tree oil or face wash

Tea tree oil on tea tree face cleansers work awesomely well when it comes to blackheads. Use it regularly to get the best results.

Neem leaves and turmeric blend

Make a paste of neem leaves and turmeric and massage the blackhead areas at least once or twice every week.

Pure lemon juice

Wipe the skin with pure lemon juice approximately 2-3 times a day to leave it glowing, soft and free from skin troubles like blackheads.

Basil leaves tea

Make tea adding dried basil leaves and wipe off blackheads with this liquid to get rid of blackheads.

Grated potatoes

Potatoes can work miracles where blackhead troubles are concerned! Grate it or slice it, out it on the blackheads until they are completely dry and change color to deep brown. Remove and clean face with water.

Delicious orange yoghurt pack

Mix well orange peel powder with a cup of yoghurt and apply a thick coat on the blackhead areas. Keep for as long as possible, after which you can clean your face with a mild face wash.

Raw garlic

The remedy of using garlic can make you smell bad but then the results will definitely be worth it. Use garlic to rub blackheads to get some relief from the trouble.

Drumstick and lime mask

Ground well some drumstick pods and add lime juice to it. One of the most famous and effective home remedy for blackheads, this pack will give you what you truly desire.

Glycerin soap and salt

Use some salt while applying glycerin soap when taking a bath. This will help in removal of blackheads as well as white heads.

Honey and cinnamon

Mix in 3 portions of honey with one portion of cinnamon. Massage this on the face just before going off to sleep every night. Repeat the procedure for 3-4 weeks for permanent blackhead removal.

Egg white

Application of egg white to the troublesome skin for 40 minutes can also give you a reason to be happy when it comes to blackheads.

Advantage of groundnut oil

To groundnut oil add a teaspoon of lime juice. This will help in prevention of blackheads on the skin.

Process of steaming

The process of steaming with hot water will help in opening up the blocked pores and make it easy to remove the blackheads from the skin.

Almond and rose water pack

An effortless way of making a homemade pack for blackheads is by combining almond powder with rose water.

Along with all these effectual treatments make sure you maintain a healthy eating habit and consume at least 8-10 glasses of water daily to keep the skin in good condition.

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Home Remedies To Treat Insomnia

Insomnia is a disorder of sleeplessness. Many people go through sleepless nights for varied reasons like depression, financial crisis, metal trauma and depression. Getting a peaceful sleep at night is the most basic luxury (luxury for insomniacs) one can get. A sound sleep leads to have fresh morning followed by the grind at home and work stress. When this cycle of sleeping, working and sleep again is broken with sleeplessness, work and sleepless nights it leads to a mental and physical bad health.

Imagine how we feel when we cannot sleep because of cough and cold? Isn’t it bad? You curse that cold glass of water you drank after you came home from the hot sun outside. For insomniacs, it is a daily curse to problems that keep them away from getting sound sleep. They have tough time coping up with life, work and daily activities. Imagine someone waking you up from sleep? Don’t you feel like killing that person? Insomniacs cannot even do that, because more than a person troubling them, it is the mental or an internal condition in the body that leads them to such a sorry state. However, there are home remedies that could help in treating insomnia such as:

Check your mattress

Many a times, you cannot sleep comfortably because of the mattress. Some people prefer soft and some hard mattress. When you don’t feel cozy in your bed, you can never get a sound sleep. In that case, change your mattress for a while. Figure out if that’s the reason why could not sleep. A peaceful sleep comes when the room is dark, quiet and cozy. It is preferable not to use your room for any other activities like eating or playing but to sleep and physical intimacy with your spouse. Too much happening in the room fills the air with vibrations for example if you argue or fight always, it disturbs the harmony and hence negative vibrations do not let you sleep.

Cut down on coffee, tea and alcohol

Any form of caffeine intake hampers sleep. Didn’t you drink coffee at night to stay awake and study? Why do you think you were able to stay up late and finish your syllabus? It is because caffeine in coffee stimulates your brain making you feel fresh that’s why people start their mornings with a cup of tea or coffee. Therefore cut down or stop having coffee and tea till you get your sleep back. Similarly alcohol makes you feel tipsy often putting you to sleep. What about a bad headache in the morning? Feeling nausea and stomach ache after a bad hangover leading to a sleepless night following it ha always been experienced by many of us. Avoid drinking alcohol to gauge if that’s the reason you don’t get sleep.

Stick to your schedule

To avoid sleepless night, it is very important to follow your sleeping schedule every day. Wake up at your normal time to get sleep by the time its night. Getting up late in the morning fulfils the need of your body to sleep; hence you don’t feel sleepy at night. Avoid sleeping during the day. It is one of the most common factors why people do not sleep at night. Short naps trouble a peaceful long sleep at night. You come back late from a party, try to get up on the usual time. This allows the body to demand for sleep on the usual sleeping time.

Bed time Habit

How fascinating was to hear stories by your mother while you try to sleep or when a child falling asleep after a quick bath? Many people fall asleep while reading a book. Develop such habits to make you sleep in peace. A nice relaxing shower before bed time can help you to have a relaxing sleep as well. How about reading your favorite novel before bedtime? Some people sleep while listening to soothing instrumental music. You can also dip your feet in hot water mixed with salt to give feet a relaxed warm water massage making you comfortable and easy when asleep.

Sugar rush

Many researches have proven sugar to be an effective sedative that enables you to sleep. Perfect for people who have a sweet tooth, eat sugar or in the form of cookies or sweets half an hour before your bedtime and you are ready for a nice sweet dreams. Honey also has a similar affect like sugar. However sugar may not be a good idea for calorie conscious people, you may try artificial sweetener in a de caffeinated herbal tea or mix honey in Luke warm milk. It works wonders.

Bedtime snack

If a snack before bedtime does the trick then why not munch on rich in carbohydrate food items like toast or a cookie that secretes chemicals easing the brain and ordering it to sleep. A glass of warm milk mentioned above works well with many people. Some people choose to drink green tea or flavored tea like rose or jasmine that soothes the nerves making the body and mind relaxed and sleepy.

Deficiency of serotonin

Our brain works 24/7 secreting thousands of chemicals every second. One such chemical is serotonin which is responsible of causing sleep. When secreted in the required quantity, it makes a person happy. When a person is free from worries, he/she tends to sleep well at night. Low levels of serotonin can cause insomnia. One may take 5HTP supplements to enhance its secretion, thus treating insomnia.

Melatonin deficiency

Ever noticed why older people get up early in the morning or have less sleeping hours? It is because of Melatonin. Its a hormone that keeps a tab on the biological changes that take place in the body with age and time. As one grow older, you make little melatonin hence very few hours of sleep. On the other hand taking melatonin supplements can increase the level of the hormone that can help you sleep.

Valerin, an herb

It is believed that Valerin, a plant found all over Europe, has a calming effect in the body. Every part of Valerin consists of chemicals that act as a stimulant for the body to put to sleep. It is a common practice to use the roots of the plant to treat insomnia, anxiety and hypertension.

Make a Diary

Every Human body reacts to different treatments differently. Some people might be cured using the home remedies above whereas others may have to try other methods like consulting a doctor or taking sleeping pills. Home remedies do not work instantly. Therefore following for good amount of days will help you conclude whether the remedy is working for you or no. make a diary, list down things that helps you sleep as well as things that don’t. It will give a better understanding of the nature of sleep. Try out home remedies before you switch to a doctor. Sleep Well!

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7 Easy Tips To Treat Bed Sores

Bed sores are also called pressure sores, decubitus and skin ulcers. They are characterized by cuts, inflammation and sores as a result of extended pressure on a specific part of the body but is more common in areas with protruding bones. 

Bed sores are commonly seen in bed ridden patients or in people who are handicapped and disabled. Such people are unable to frequently change their position on bed and applied pressure of their weight on some parts of the body results in formation of bed sores. Hence it is important that they be turned in bed frequently to reduce the chances of occurrence of bed sores.

Bed sores are a serious medical condition because severe case of bed sores can cut of blood circulation to body parts and this can be life threatening. Early detection of bed sores is important because it is easier to treat them at the initial stage when they are still small. As the sores begin to grow larger and deeper only plastic surgery can help.

Body parts that are more likely to be affected with bed sores are skin on the buttocks, heels and the hips (especially the bony part of the hips). In people who are bed ridden the sores usually occur in shoulders, knees, head, spine and ankles.

Symptoms of Bed Sores

Medically, bed sores have been categorized into four stages and there are different symptoms for each stage.

Stage 1: During this stage the skin doesn’t break down though it begins to grow dark in color especially in people who are light skinned. In case of people with dark skin color the area where pressure is applied turns dark blue or purple in color. The skin also becomes tender and sensitive to touch and the darkened area tends to be painful.

Stage 2: The skin now breaks down into ulcers that look like open wounds. The wounds are pink in color though not very deep. The underlying skin layer, dermis and epidermis become damaged as a result liquid-filled blisters form on the surface of the skin.

Stage 3: The ulcerated skin now develops deep wound like sores. The skin becomes damaged and in severe cases the layer of adipose tissue is also exposed. There is formation of large, crater-like sores on the skin. The sores begin to spread to other healthy parts of the skin as well.

Stage 4: The body loses major part of the skin tissue where the bed sores first appeared. The underlying dead skin tissues turn scaly, crusty and dark especially at the place of the wound. Bones, muscles and tendons are clearly visible through the wounds.

Remedies for Bed Sores

Prevention is better than cure holds specifically true in case of bed sores. They are easier to prevent than be treated. But this does not mean that bed sores aren’t easy to treat or that they cannot be treated at all. It also doesn’t mean that bed sores can be avoided completely.

Bed sores can be treated in a lot of different ways and it is up to the patient to decide which method suits him best. There are plenty of home remedies as well to treat bed sores along with medical procedures. We have prepared a list of some easy and effective home remedies to prevent and treat bed sores.

1. Clean the Ulcer: An ulcer which gathers dust and grime without being cleaned is more at risk of developing infection and inflammation. The best method of cleaning a wound or an ulcer is using a medicated soap and clean water. If the wound has opened then use saline solution or salt water to clean the wound gently. Washing the wound at least three times in a day will reduce the chances of occurrence of infection.

2. Dress the Wound: The healing of the wound can be fastened by preventing it from becoming dry and covering it properly. A dressing done appropriately will save the wound from various infections and will prevent the wound from spreading further. Your doctor will be best able to advise you on the kind of dressing that your wound will require. There are a variety of options available; medical gauzes, gel foams, medicated bandages and films. Sometimes the doctor might ask you to use two or more types of dressings to treat the bed sores.

3. Exercising the body: Check with your doctor or nurse for the best exercises that will help prevent the formation of ulcers. Exercising might be a difficult task for people who are bed ridden or for those with physical disabilities but some form of exercising is important to keep bed sores away. There are plenty of exercise programs that are prepared keeping in mind the physical capabilities of a person.

4. Protecting the Skin: This is especially important of you wish to prevent the formation of bed sores. In order to fasten the healing process of the ulcers simply use a foam padding or gel padding especially on the bony parts of the body. The padding should be placed underneath the bony parts when lying on a bed or sitting on a chair.

5. Use herbs for treating the sores: Crushed herbs like witch hazel, turmeric root, myrrh, goldenseal and comfrey are very beneficial and effective in treating open wounds. They can be applied directly on the wounds or ulcers to expedite the process of healing.

6. Practice Healthy Habits: Quit smoking of you already haven’t given up on this unhealthy habit. When nicotine enters the blood it prevents proper circulation of blood, oxygen and essential nutrients to the skin. As a result, the skin becomes prone to developing bed sores.

7. Eat a healthy diet: A healthy diet which comprises of green vegetables, fresh seasonal fruits, milk, whole grains, eggs, fish, liver, fiber and carbohydrates is very important to keep the body and skin healthy. If you are a bed ridden patient then it becomes all the more important that you eat well-balanced meals. Include plenty of Vitamin C rich foods in your diet of you develop bed sores. Vitamin C is known to heal the wounds faster.

Photo Credit: Geninv.net

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