The Importance of a Good Night's Sleep for Kids: Tips and Tricks to Help Your Children Get the Rest They Need.
Are you tired of fighting the bedtime battle with your little ones?Do they keep on tossing and resist going to bed and keep on turning all night long? I understand how difficult and frustrating it can be,but what if I tell you that a good night sleep is not just important for your sanity but also for your child's overall health and well being.
The following are tips for and tricks to help your child get the rest they need:
1. Set an individualized bedtime
Most kids have patterns that don't change much,no matter what you do.Those who have the routine of waking up earlier even if they sleep late,they will still wake up earlier. They stay awake for some hours until their bodies are ready.
2.Set a wake up time
Setting a wake up time based on how long your kid needs time to go to bed and sleep. Create awake up time routine as early as preschool years to prevent stress in future and be consistent with the schedule.
Even if it's a weekend or a holiday , don't try to change the schedule because the kid will adjust to the current situation and when school time reaches ,they will be horrible to handle.
3.Create a consistent bedtime routine
Before dinner if the kid has come from school,they should have a light playtime,bath,do homework, bedtime story and then sleep. The routine should be accommodative and comforting.
4.Put off screens
Too much of screens affects the baby's emotional development including sleep disturbance, obesity, depression and anxiety. It promotes aggressive behaviours and hinder social and emotional competence.
Some of the parents have the tendency of giving their kids androids even at earlier age ,not knowing that they are destroying the emotional development of the kids.
Also the kids can mean to watch their favourite cartoons or movies ,until even if they are pressed for short and long call ,they ignore and they soil for themselves.
You are supposed to switch off or keep away your child from screens ,to create more time for sleeping.
5.Create a sleep-conducive environment
Make sure that the bedroom should be clean meaning you should ensure that all distractive things that make your kid not to sleep well are well organized.
Ensure that beddings are soft,the lights should be switched off to help the kid to distinguish between day and night. Also any kid of noise should be avoided to enable the kid to fall a sleep easily.
6.Keep it cool
The sleeping room should not be too cold or too hot. The temperature should be moderate and accommodating to the child. You should address the kid in a breathable cotton pyjamas and keep the room temperature at 65 to 70' F at night according to Whitney Roban,PhD, Clinical psychologist and sleep specialist.
7.Be on the look out for sleep disorders
Always try to find out what makes the kid to have sleep disorders. It could be nightmares that makes the child to be scared,maybe she could be snoring or disturbed by snores from others or breath through the mouth. Just consult your pediatrician Incase of any concerns .
8.Get exercise
Make sure your kid always plays a physical activity for 1 hour,because it makes the kid to relax her mind and accelerate the sleep. The kid falls a sleep faster inorder to recover the energy lost during the day. Alternatively, kids should avoid vigorously activities with 2 hours of bedtime.
Importance of good Night's sleep to kids
A good Night's sleep is paramount importance for children as it plays crucial role in overall development and well being.
It's a period which various physiological and psychological processes occur.
It helps children replenish their energy level,promote optimal physical growth and development.
Critical brain functions are enhanced, facilitating memory consolidation and learning retention while promoting concentration and effectiveness throughout the day.
Furthermore,deep slumber aids emotional and regulation by mitigating stress levels in children and facilitating better control over their emotions.
Promotes mood stability and reduces irritability or issues that can arise due to inadequate sleep patterns among kids.
Conclusion
In conclusion, a good night's sleep is crucial for the overall health and well-being of children. It not only helps them physically by aiding in their growth and development, but it also has a significant impact on their mental and emotional states. As parents, it is our responsibility to ensure that our children get enough quality sleep each night. By following the tips mentioned above and creating a consistent bedtime routine, we can help our kids reap the numerous benefits of a good night's rest. So let us prioritize our child's sleep and watch them thrive in all aspects of their lives.
1.He should act as a man. Let him to differentiate himself and girl child. He should know his responsibility as a man of the house.
2.He should work for his own properties. Don't ever tell him that what you have belongs to him,instead show him the ways of generating income inorder to have assets.
3.He should not have pride. Let him understand that he is not more superior or a champion over the female child. Even the female will be the most superior persons if he doesn't work hard.
4. He should protect and guard the home. Give him some hints on how he should protect his family in terms of security or against raiding. When he will become a man of the house he should always defend the family thus protecting the community.
5.He should provide. As a man his responsibility will be providing for the family in terms of basic needs that are needed. He should not always depend on the woman he has married. By doing that he will have the respect from the woman.
6. He should love and be faithful. The woman that he will marry,he is supposed to love her,respect her, cherish her and not take her for granted. Tell him to love his siblings so that he can develop the heart of loving.
7. Teach him how to save. He should learn how to save from earlier ages. If you give him pocket money ,he should not squander all the money,but he will keep some money to buy for himself even a pair of shoes.
8.Teach him not to live a life of borrowers. He should be careful and cautious not to borrow money to buy luxury things to appease the ladies. After spending the borrowed money ,he will be unable to return or pay back.
9.He should be careful with ladies or woman. He should not have an earlier man woman intimacy relationship,because it will make him go astray. Woman sometimes,take an opportunity of young men and they waste their life and when his time reaches for marrying,he ends up dealing with sugar mummy.
10. He should make sure not to offend the woman that love him. Women are like rose flowers that should be watered everyday.
11. He should always fight for his manhood. Never should he allow ladies to mock her. But instead come out and protect his manhood. He should not be crying like female child.
12.Give him education. He should or must go to school and work hard,so that he can prosper in life. He should restrain from drug trafficking, smoking, robbery with violence. Education is the key for life.
13. He should know that being educated is not getting a good job,rather he should be a job creator and not a job seeker.
14.He should be able to learn some skills and knowledge. He ought to have experience skills in certain fields that can accommodate him.Let him mingle with good people or friends. He should choose his friends wisely. Not all friends are good some will be misleading.
15. Tell him the idea of choosing friends, moreso who are rich. The rich guys no longer associate with the poor. So he should carefully know the best friends to hang up with.
16. He should not be fast to get riches. He should avoid unnecessary groups that would register him in cult activities inorder to get wealth.
17. Let him hang out with people whose their source of wealth are known. He should know Children of nowdays they want to get rich without investment.
18.He should avoid too much love on football. He shouldn't dedicate all his life,time and energy to watching games all day long without focussing on his life development.
19. A man should have two things in life. The wisdom and knowledge. Without wisdom you will not make it life.
20. Inform him that his handsomeness can attract women to him. But he should know that it's love and his hard work that could keep them together.
21. He should avoid night clubs or night parties ,because they are not good. They make young people to indulge in bad behaviours.
22. He should know that getting a rich woman doesn't mean that she will provide for him. Women who are rich ,and you don't provide for them,are the worst ghost in the world.
23. He should choose women who are respectful. Women who respect their parents ,elders and even their siblings.
24. He should know that wiser man don't fight to kill their fellow men inorder to gain prosperity either in power or life ,but they should fight to protect what's is good for them and other people.
25. Lastly, he should know that what he does in life ,to other people have consequences. He should know that karma is real.
Conclusion
Let your son know that inorder to acquire and preserve his manhood,he should work extra hard and avoid all unnecessary activities that would make his life short.
If you were a parent,what advise would you have given your son?
If you know any other tips please don't forget to comment and share if you find this post useful.
Do you have children or are you intending to have them in future. How are you planning or engaging them in various activities at home or outside your home.
Do you allow them to active or passive in the house. I know most of the parents have nannies, houshelps or shamba boys and you don't allow your children to do house chores or even try to learn some skills that would help them in future.
Most of the parents , they don't even allow the kids to be associated with some activities. They say that they have hired the nanny,house helps and their is no need of kids doing the chores. They instead allow the children to watch cartoons, movies and even they tell them read, forgetting that no work makes jack fully boy.
You may force your kids to read and forgetting that they are not associated with white collar jobs. They maybe having a passion in doing odd jobs. Allowing kids to practice unskilled skills will help them to to develop mentally and physically.
The following are activities that you will engage your children at various situations.
1.Doing house chores
House chores are sometimes good for our kids. You can allow your children to do the following
.Washing utensils. Children can be involved by washing utensils. You should make rules that if he /she has finished eating or taking any food ,they are supposed to take the utensils back to the sink and each and every one should wash it. Sometimes you may find the sink is too high for them to reach but you shouldn't worry. Do this, look for basins let them put water and they start cleaning the utensils. Make sure they place the duster or moppers ready because they can pour water all over. Instruct them to clean the floor after they have finished. Doing this they will become responsible and they can easily develop positive impressions on cleanliness.
2. Cleaning the compound. You can make your children to clean the compound by doing the following: collecting litter, sweeping,uprooting the weeds.
3.Feeding the poultry. If you have poultry in your farm you can engage children in feeding them. They can give the feeds and give them water or they can also clean the chicken house or collecting the eggs.
4.Reading. You can keep busy your kids by involving them by reading story books and they tell each what they have learnt. This would lead to good memorialization and easily remember. They can also be reading the Bible verses to each other. You give out the verses to read and you assign each and everyone what to read.
5.Competition. Children can be competing each, through memory verses, reciting poems,reading the Bible verses,singing, dancing,counting,skirting , running along the compound, playing with blocks by building houses with different levels,colouring
and other activities. I am sure if you make them busy, they will enjoy and develop mentally, socially, physically and even spiritually.
6.Adventure. You can take your children to new places like museums,animal Park,archives, archaeological sites,for example in Africa you can take them to Fort Jesus,kariandusi Koobi Fora,and others. They can learn alot by seeing than reading from books. If they see wild animals like lion ,elephant, giraffe, cheetah, hyenas and other animals,they will have a know how knowledge than reading from books. They can ride on a horse ,swim, twisting tunnels, the slides, climbing nets, bowling, darts, golfing . Children like to discover new things and activities in their life and this will make them to be more active in life.
7.Going for tutions and tutorials. If children are at home for an holiday,just look for tutions sessions that can keep them busy. You may take them to practice on how to sing,play pianos, guitars, computer lessons and some creative arts. Most of the kids enjoy making or discovering new ideas in life.
Don't leave your children to be idle,just engage them in activities that can enable them to develop mentally, socially, physically and even spiritually.
Please if you have any other tips on how to engage the children , you are free to list them in the comment section and don't forget to share .
How do you normally spend your time with kids whether during the holidays, weekends,weekdays,after and before school?. I know most of you get trouble and tantrums from kids especially when they are young and you wish you find yourself a place to go and have some rest.
But there's no option to that because you're the parent,the guardian that can take care of them. Even if you quarrel, you beat them you close yourself in a room to avoid all kinds of noise from them ,at the end you are the one to who end up dressing them, bathing them cooking for them. So you have to organize yourself and give yourself hope that one day you will be settled.
The following are the ways on how to spend time with them to avoid alot of dramas in the house.
The blog contains some ads that if you click I may earn a commission .
Playing
Kids like playing moreso when they are at home. You can organize for them various playing activities like,racing around the compound,playing football,rope skipping,singing,dancing, reading books competition, memorizing Bible verses, reciting poems, playing darts, Chess, skirting and many other activities.
If you engage them with these activities, am sure you will enjoy your stay at home instead of your house becoming a boredom. I know there are kids who are chaotic even if you try to involve them in various activities,they tend to be distractive,ever destroying thing in the house. They create shambles and heck in the room.
Their way of disciplining them is to involve them in more activities, setting strict rules and giving rewards and praising them and this can help out.
Setting rules
You should set thorough rules in the house that should be adhered to by everyone child in the house. If there are teens in the house try to tell them the time they should be in the house. If it's before 5:30pm they should be at home and whoever who goes beyond that , he/she knows that what to get in terms of discipline. So if they know the rules and you adhere to them ,they will be eventually be keen and they will be in their toes not to go against them.
If it's young kids, set some boundaries that there's no fighting in the house,no scolding others,no use of a busive or offensive langauge. If one tries to do that, the discipline will follow.
Giving rewards
Whenever a kid or your child does good reward him/her,because if you praise next round the notorious one will also change their bad behaviours.
I know most of you will be against this method because it will be wastage of resources. You can buy your kids presents like good story books, writing materials, playing items that can attract other children to be good.
Be flexible
Try to be like kids. Most of the kids like parents who like to be like them. Sometimes they can start a joke and they want you to join. Or they want to play with them or help them to do their homework. Don't ever shout at them ,scold them instead join them a little bit this would give them the morale of doing whatever they were doing .In this being flexible,you can do the following :
Having daily routine activities
The children know each or they see the activities their parents do each day. If you give them a chance to practice, they can do marvellous and excellent. The following activities can be done by then:
1.Cooking together. You can show your kids if they are at certain age on how to make meals like cutting vegetables,making tea or coffee, rolling the chapatis,cooking ugali and many other meals
2. Washing clothes. Children love playing with water. Whenever when you are washing clothes, make sure you assign your kids some work like,washing their handkerchiefs,their underwear these can make them busy and they can't disturb you anymore and you will have a smooth day.
3. Mopping or cleaning the house. I know most of parents moreso mother's they don't want their kids to touch water or pass near where she is mopping, because this can make them to fall down and break their backbones. But try to engage them whereby you can squeeze the mopper and make sure it doesn't have much water that can make to fall down. If you do this am sure you will make your kids to be responsible.
4.Gardening. If you can involve them in gardening the flowers, vegetables, even watering them it can reduce stress in the house. Assign each child to plant fruits and make sure they take care of them until they bear fruits.
5.Arranging the rooms or clothes. Sometimes try to make their room untidy and assign them to make it tidy. Let each child arrange his/her clothes or spread her bed but under supervision. I mean under supervision, you direct them in a polite way and if they make a mistake and you rectify them, they will essence of your corrections and they will follow sooth.
Be attentive
Just bear attention to your kids. Most of parents nowdays are being married by phones. You find a kid has something to tell you or she wants you to show her for example homework. Instead of listening to your kid, you turn away the kid without helping him/her.
Make sure your phone should not distract you from taking care of your kids. The soap opera, Afrosinema,and zeeword should not be your first priority in the house, but instead be attentive to your kids.
Most of the parents have sorted to seek how to bring up their kids through the internet, whereby they have sorted to fast food,leaving kids to spend more time on TV's not even bothering to see what their kids are watching. You find a mother or a dad telling her kid to go and watch TV because she doesn't want disturbance they end up spoiling kids who become addictive to tv.
Make sure whatever they are watching it's educative and doesn't go against child right.
Children sometimes they are troublesome in the house but if you involve them and try helping them to discover their various talents instead of sitting and watching in educative movies.
Being in the house make sure you ensure that your kids don't get tire but they should be vigorous and curious to develop positive skills in life that can help them to apply in their whole life.
I request to live a comment and share and you are allowed to add more tips on how to spend time with your kids.
Always remember to protect the future of your family,because you are the back born to them. The moment you don't lay a good foundation for your family, either for term life insurance plan then prepare for the worst predicament for your family.
The future comprises the small, everyday that shape the kind of life you’ve envisioned for the people you love. Are you starting a family? Scrimp and save to build your dream home. Are you arriving to educate your children,unable to pay for their school fees? Struggling to pay other bills like water,hospital bills, traveling bills and even emergencies.
Just work hard for your family to have a good future for children, grandchildren even your great great grandchildren.
Put aside emergency fund.
Setting or putting money for an emergency, it helps and protects your family from unnecessary troubles.
For example emergencies like sicknesses, accidents and other emerging issues, they don't necessarily knock at your door for preparations. Be always have the mind of setting a side small coins to Carter for emergencies.
Pay your debts.
Avoid debt at all costs! But if you have to have debt, prioritize paying them. If you know you are fond of borrowing and you don't have any source of returning back, please avoid debt in all manners.
If you really necessary you have to borrow,just commit yourself to return back. This would help you in time of needy, an emergency or an accident. Surely ,If you borrow money or something from me and you don't return back, do you expect an assistant from me? A big No.
Paying back it gives the creditors a morale of giving to you next round.
Preserve what you built.
Don’t let uncertainties take away the things you worked hard for. For example if you had built an house or bought a car for a loan which you took either from a bank or a sacco ,make sure you protect them.
Ensure you are well protected and sorrounded by insurance companies. Because if you safeguard yourself with an insurance,it helps you to cater for what you have lost.
This term life insurance plan has three affordable variants: Short Term Cover for your loans and financial obligations; Income Protector for your family’s living expenses and your children’s education; and for smooth transfer of wealth to your heirs.
Always be optimistic to take insurance that can be your saviour in time of difficulties.
Develop new skills.
Always try to shape your future and that of your family, by ensuring that you yearn to learn new skills of development. This can be done by volunteering, to manage a project ,to finding a mentor and attending seminars, developing new skills add value to your career and is crucial for your growth (and promotions)!
Don’t be afraid to swerve from your sweet comfort zone. Turning on and upgrading hobbies like branding,singing, baking, photography, blogging, et cetera. could mean new streams of income for you and your family. The possibilities are endless when you don’t stop learning!
Diversify your investments
Remember the saying “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket”? That’s investment diversification in a nutshell. Diversification is investing in different funds from different companies and industries so you don’t run the risk of losing all your money when one of your investments suffers. That way, the money you intend to grow for your family’s future needs is secure.
Putting your money in various sectors of investment,can help you if one sector fails the other one gives a back up.
Safeguard your health.
Health is wealth. You live in a world where, more often than not, your income directly affects your health. With money, you can opt for healthier options, and you can afford medicine or hospital expenses. You can take medical cover insurance, physical, and financial wealth. Its advisable toato have Nhif,and other health-related medical covers ,to cover for any sickness,an emergency or chronic diseases. Ensure you adhere to Covid19-related confinement.
Securing your finances is an important aspect of your total wellbeing. Along with mental and emotional , social, and physical, managing your finances well allows you to live the joy of wellbeing. When all aspects of your finances are covered,
Habits that damage your brain. When it comes to our health, we don't always think about taking care of our brains the way we take care of our bodies. We tend to focus on other parts of the body and overlook the brain which is responsible for all bodily functions.
Take a look at some of these daily habits that are doing serious damage to your brain.
1. Consuming too much sugar
Include brain damage to the things we already associate with a high sugar intake like type 2 diabetes, dental cavities and obesity.
So you may be asking; How does taking too much candy affect your brain?
Taking sugar in excessive amounts for a long period of time messes with the body’s ability to absorb proteins and nutrients. This might consequently lead to malnutrition which deters brain development.
This happens because the body lacks enough nutrients in the bloodstream and therefore is unable to deliver sufficient nutrients to the brain, which then deters its growth and development.
Eating too many sweets can damage your memory and ability to think, so sticking to alternatives like anti-oxidant-rich sweets like dark chocolate and raspberries would be a much better choice for both your brain and your waistline.
2. Not getting enough sleep
Insufficient sleep is a huge problem for many busy professionals. Depriving oneself of sleep can result in several issues such as extreme daytime drowsiness, depression and impaired memory.
Recent studies reveal that not getting enough sleep can actually decrease the size of your brain. The hippocampus is the part of the brain that suffers when you don’t get enough sleep. Even a single night of inadequate sleep can interfere with the brain’s ability to recall new information.
A number of studies have shown that the brain cleanses itself of toxics only during the sleep cycle. Lack of sleep can also cause the:
death of brain cells which slows down your thinking,
impairs your memory,
concentration,
judgement and decision making
hinders learning.
3. Playing loud music with earphones or headphones
People naturally tend to crank up the volume. It makes the music sound more fun and immersive. If you constantly listen to music at a very high volume with your earphones or headphones you should stop doing it because it can damage your hearing.
But it’s not just your ears that are affected. Hearing loss in older people is connected to brain problems such as loss of brain tissue and Alzheimer’s.
When your brain has to make an extra effort to understand what someone’s saying it can’t store what you’ve heard into memory. So protect your hearing by adjusting the volume of your earphones for it’s a great way to preserve your hearing and permits your brain to function better.
Headphonesty.com suggested one to test to ensure your volume is not too loud. The digital headphone magazine recommends that one should take off their headphones, keeping them at your preferred volume and then hold them out in front of you at arm’s length. If you can hear the music clearly then you should try turning it down and repeating the process.
They also said that you should aim to take regular breaks throughout the day to give your ears enough time to relax.
4. Skipping breakfast
Many people choose to skip breakfast probably because they’re on a diet or to save time. Not many people know that missing breakfast could damage your brain.
The body needs enough nutrients after a good night’s sleep and so skipping breakfast denies the brain of these essential nutrient. Frequent skipping of breakfast increased the chances of having a stroke and high blood pressure. It lowers blood glucose levels thus affecting functioning of the brain.
5. Eating too much food
Overindulging in food makes us gain weight, feel boated and increases our chances of having life threatening diseases. But one fact that you might be unaware of is that it can also do serious damage to your brain. It hardens the brain arteries hence harming our mental capabilities.
Studies have shown that a prolonged high-calorie diet can in fact increase a person’s risk of developing memory loss or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) later in life.
A study published in the journal Neurology in 2012 examined 6,000 people who were 50 years old on average. The same participants were examined a decade later, and the ones who were overweight had a 22% higher deterioration of their cognitive functions as compared to their slimmer counterparts.
6. Sleeping with your head under the cover Oxygen is very essential for normal brain functioning. The less air you inhale, the poorer your brain functions.
A situation you create where you breathe in less than 20.95% of oxygen is when you sleep with a blanket or comforter over your head. Is it all warm and cosy when you bury yourself under the covers? Certainly.
Does it help to decrease the annoying effects of too much light or sound first thing in the morning? Of course it does. But it will result in an elevated intake of carbon dioxide which means you’re increasing the risk of damaging your brain cells.
7. Multitasking
You’ve probably heard that multitasking has a negative effect on your productivity. It turns out that doing this also scrambles your brain and makes you less effective.
A neurologist at MIT and one the world’s experts when it comes to divided attention, Earl Miller said that our brains are not wired to multitask well. When people think they’re multitasking they’re actually switching from one activity to the other real quick. And every time they do there’s a cognitive cost. The habit of multitasking also increases the stress hormone cortisol as well as the fight or flight hormone adrenaline which can overstimulate your brain and can cause mental fog or scrambled thinking.
Researchers at Stanford University have discovered that people who are bombarded with multiple streams of digital information regularly have more pronounced problems recalling information and paying attention when compared to people who complete one activity at a time.
8. Inadequate water intake
The body is made up of approximately 70% of water, so it’s vital to every bodily function including brain function. When your brain is functioning on a full reserve of water, you will be able to think faster, be more focused, and experience greater clarity and creativity.
Water is also essential for delivering nutrients to the brain and for eliminating toxins. When the brain is fully hydrated, the exchange of nutrients and toxins will be more efficient—thus ensuring better concentration and mental alertness.
The effect dehydration has on the brain is almost immediate with researchers saying that even two hours of intense exercise without water can cause a cognitive decline. Studies also show that dehydration had the most impact on functions like complex problem-solving, coordination and attention.
The brain needs sufficient water to think faster and focus better. So it’s very important that you stay hydrated all the time. Drinking water benefits both your body and brain enabling them to function better.
9. Smoking
This is most likely the most harmful habit that indulging in it has on your brain. Smoking not only causes lung diseases or even heart disease, but it also has a lot of negative effects on your brain.
Smoking damages cell membranes and neural viability in certain areas of the brain that manage balance, coordination and both fine and gross motor skills. Not only that, but it also thins the cortex where processes such as language, memory and perception occur. It can also lead to problems like dementia, Alzheimer’s and maybe even death.
Smoking excessively causes neuroinflammation indirectly, which can cause an autoimmune disorder known as Multiple Sclerosis or MS.
10. Consuming alcohol
Alcohol begins affecting a person’s brain the moment it enters the bloodstream. For someone who is healthy, the liver quickly filters the alcohol, helping the body get rid of it.
However, when someone drinks excessively, the liver cannot filter the alcohol fast enough, and this triggers immediate changes in the brain; often known as getting drunk.
Alcohol causes chemical imbalances when consumed for longer periods of time and larger quantities.
Brain volume also decreases due to chronic alcohol intake.
There are some subtle differences in how brain damage occurs in men and women, but regardless of gender, loss of brain matter increases with age and amount of alcohol consumed.
More than two units a day for men and one unit a day for ladies is considered excess alcohol.
11. Working when sick
If ever need an excuse to get out of work, well here's one. We often fall sick when we’re overworked.
If you continue working during an illness, it’s bound to take a toll on the brain’s efficiency and this only adds to the stress.
A certain study showed that participants who had developed a cold reported less alertness, more negative moods and sluggish thinking. A second round of tests also revealed that they reacted slowly and were slower at learning new information and completing tasks dealing with verbal reasoning and semantic processing.
When we’re sick the body and the brain are already working overtime to cope with the infection. Working while sick only adds to the burden so take a break, relax and get better.
12. Not exercising
Exercise affects the brain immensely. It increases your heart rate, which pumps more oxygen to the brain.
It also helps in the bodily release of a number of hormones, all of which participate in aiding and providing a conducive environment for the growth of brain cells.
Exercising is also known to decrease stress levels in the body and
Also increases mobility and makes you more flexible. If you don’t exercise enough, your mobility and motor skills begin to decline in one way or another.
helps to keep us younger by releasing endorphins which are happy hormones. All in all, exercise strengthens your heart and your lungs, not just the brain.
If you’re concerned with the well-being of your brain and the quality of your thinking either now or in the future you need to learn to take care of your brain.
A few changes to the way you’re living your life could go a long way in boosting your memory, learning, mental resilience and the health of your brain overall.
Thank you guys so much for your time, if you liked or found value in the article do give it a thumbs up and don't forget to comment.With that said, have a great day you guy’s .
Habits that will positively improve your life forever.What makes successful people, successful you may ask?
All I can say is, it takes focus, personal discipline, and the will to make things happen frequently.
One thing they have in common is the good habits and daily rituals they foster to improve the quality of their life.
The truth is, old habits can be difficult to change, but some new essential habits you can adapt can positively improve your life forever!
Since we are what we repeatedly do, these habits (if adopted) will improve your mental and physical health.
Your overall feeling of well-being will also increase, improving your quality of life substantially.In return, you get to enjoy a happier, less stressed life with fewer health complications.
Not such a bad outcome for such little compromise, don't you think?
1.Create a morning ritual.
Waking up early isn’t the only thing that can change your life for the better.It’s also about setting up a morning routine and doing similar things orderly.
Having a to-do list as the first thing in the morning will give you the motivation and enthusiasm to take you throughout the day.
This will kick out procrastination that sometimes leaves you overwhelmed and paralyzed on what to do as the next step.
Aside from a to-do list, some morning exercises such as a run or a healthy breakfast can leave you supercharged.
If the great outdoors isn’t for you, then maybe some morning meditation and yoga would do.Maybe read an inspiring book for 30 minutes?You could also take your refreshing shower, read, or listen to the news as you drink your morning cup of coffee.
Establishing a meaningful morning ritual helps you kickstart your day on a proactive note that impacts it positively.After all, we are all creatures of habit, why not do them often if they give us pleasure?
2.Follow the 80/20 rule.
As simple as it sounds, this principle suggests that in any situation, 20% of the tasks yield 80% of the results.
This means that your to-do list is important, but the tasks that create the biggest impact deserve most of your time and energy.
If you focus on this 20%, you’d have maximized productivity and have the freedom to focus on other activities on the same to-do list.
This will help people who are easily distracted or rather very overwhelmed with a huge workload.
3.Learn to single-task.
Although you may assume because we live in a busy, bustling city so the art of multi-family comes naturally, hate to break it to you, but only 2% of people in the world can multitask successfully.
There’s no harm in multitasking occasionally, however, constant juggling between tasks limits your focus.
This in return contributes to mental clutter by making it difficult for your brain to filter out irrelevant information making your brain jump from one task to another without being able to focus properly on neither one.
A Stanford University study concluded that multitasking lowers efficiency and may impair your cognitive control.Instead of multitasking, choose one thing on your to-do list and give it your full and undivided attention until you are done.
One of the immediate visible results is that you’ll feel less stressed and restless decreasing the probability of making mistakes.
This in return makes you become more productive.
Single-tasking will make you realize you feel less stressed, make fewer mistakes, and become more productive.
4.Appreciate more.
Are you grateful for what you already have?You may be riding a bicycle to work and not that BMW you have been dreaming about, but are you grateful that you have the means to get you to work?Legs to peddle, a job, despite the high rate of unemployment?
If you feel bad about complaining about your current quality of life, remember, someone is having it worse than you, and they are equally grateful.Consciously practising gratitude should be the motto.
Tony Robbins said, “When you are grateful, fear disappears, and abundance appears.”Practising gratitude is a great way to create positivity in your life.It will help reduce stress and improve your mental health.
So, how can you cultivate this healthy habit?For a start, you could take ten minutes every day to focus on what you are grateful for—writing down at least three things daily, dwelling in their magnificence, and celebrating their gift.
Your existence is a miracle in itself, what are the odds of you being born over 400 quadrillion options?
5.Go for a social media detox.
The digital world comprises over 90% of our planet, and every time something new is trending on social media.
Maybe you are catching up on a trip that someone went or someone just bought a new house, some of the information shared can either impact you positively or negatively.
It doesn’t matter how positive it is though, sometimes you can get so consumed in social media you lose touch with reality.Not forgetting how time-consuming it is!
Research says the average person has five social media accounts and spends almost 2hours every day checking their social media feed.This has also been linked to increased depression cases due to mental clutter.
A social media detox seems to be the only reasonable remedy in such a situation to reduce stress levels.
Just switch off your phone or any other device you may use to access social media for a few hours every day to improve your mood and reconnect with the world around you.
6.Exercise often.
One should set aside at least 15 to 30 minutes within a day for exercises.I mean, countless benefits come with exercising.
Other than the physical improvement, regular workouts regularly pump up creativity and enhance your cognitive skills.
Exercise also helps decrease the risk of developing some serious health issues such as type 2 diabetes.
Exercising doesn’t have to be boring, nor does it have to involve lifting heavy equipment at the gym.
It could involve fun activities that you do for fun such as dancing around the house,playing with your pet, or even taking a walk with a friend.
Even for the greatest of fitness gurus, they can attest that starting was the hardest task.
The first month of creating a new fitness habit may seem demanding but committing yourself will help in the long run.
Your social behaviour will improve, appetite will be normal, digestion will be seamless,better sleep, improved memory, the list of benefits goes on and on!
If you are not currently in the habit of exercising, you can start gradually with minor achievable exercises.
Imagine if you only did 10 jumping jacks before you shower every day?What happens if you did this for a year, where would you be?Here’s a tip, exercising outside will not only bring you extra benefits for the bodybut also the mind and soul.
7.Invest in self-care.
Sometimes we get absorbed with work that we forget to simply take a break.It could be school, looking after the family, running our business, or even a job keeping you preoccupied.
However, sometimes it is a good idea to just sit back and relax.Taking some time off to unwind can do wonders for your mood and mental health but also self-esteem.
This can be doing at least one thing that makes you feel good daily.Watch some vlogs, listen to music, learn a new skill online, take a long bubble bath,DIY something cool, or even prepare a nice meal!Just take some time off and have fun.
8.Read Books .
There are great benefits to stimulating your brain daily, though some aren’t instantly obvious, science is proving that our brain changes as we learn.
Without exercising the brain, our brains tend to slow down and become less responsive and more prone to disease over time.
Reading books is an amazing way to gain knowledge and stimulate creativity.Just like meditation, reading books gives a calming effect and also improves focus.
Not all books have the same effect, non-fiction books are excellent for broadening the horizon by motivating you and helping you develop new ideas.
Since they are based on real-life experiences, they offer actionable advice on how to overcome all kinds of challenging situations.
It has been proven that people who continuously learn have faster responses, better social skills, and have greater overall wellbeing.
It can help to fight dementia, improve memory skills, make it easier to process new information,and makes you more productive.
Also, the idea of learning something new gives you a sense of purpose and makes you a more interesting person.
To help you ease into this habit, opt to read a book rather than social media or tv.You can even set a reminder on your phone twenty minutes before you plan to sleep and make time for this habit.
Turn off your devices, take a real book, and hold it in your hands.B0ecome absorbed into its wonder!
9.Create social connections with positive people.
As much as you may enjoy some alone time, did you know that if you want to add more days into your life, you should add some strong social ties and community support?
Social connections not only give us pleasure, but they also influence our long-term health.It’s as important as nutrition, sleep, and exercise.
Relationships are as important to us as food to our bodies or sunlight on our souls.As you do this, be mindful of the individuals you are associating yourself with.
They should also have a positive approach towards life or on the journey towards one.You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with so you shouldn't pick up some bad habits in the name of socializing.
The ones you love and care for should be somewhere on top of that list since they are the ones we lean on when stress arrives or life becomes hectic.
It doesn’t matter what you are working on or focusing on in life, as long as you organize priorities.
Think of it this way, do you remember to say “I love you” and “I appreciate you”?
Do you have a bad habit of pushing your loved ones away when more ‘important’ things come up?
Time set aside for your loved ones must be treasured.You don’t have to wait until a problem arises.
Most new relationships and friendships start with fun, excitement, and the desire to show love and enjoy life.That’s not all, being mindful to make every human interaction positive is key.
When your time on earth comes to an end, how will you be remembered?Be in the habit of leaving people in a more joyous state than when you found them instead of lowering them.
10.Practice Minimalism.
Don’t worry, I am not saying clear out all your stuff and live a hippie lifestyle.Not that there’s anything wrong with that.All I’m saying is that you may have a lot of stuff and that can negatively impact our lives.
We have a habit of collecting, displaying, moving, cleaning, and finally storing stuff.You will come to know that this stuff does not necessarily make us happy but instead just wastes our time sorting them out.
Minimalism is a health and wealth thing.As you get rid of things you do not use or need,you are left with an uncluttered simple environment and life.
It’s the art of using simple tools, keeping a simple wardrobe, carrying less, and living lightly.
Life is short and it can be hectic with sensory overload.Imagine all the distractions of “stuff”, relationships, work, and the stress of bills all at once!
Minimalism offers you the opportunity to move the focus from possessions and tasks to family and enjoyment.
It’s not a get happy quick scam, minimalism does declutter your life giving you more room for more important things that make you happy.
As you spend less on buying and replacing things, you are in return saving more.Your wealth will increase but in the same vein, so will your time.
A minimalist lifestyle will make your home easier to clean, your time easier to manage,and essentially your life easier to live!
The bonus takeaway is to determine your priorities.Getting your priorities straight will help you live a life you love.
It’s not always easy to figure things out but if you stop trying to solve many issues simultaneously, you can have a starting point and improve gradually.
Now, how about you pull up your socks, it's time to win at life!
Thank you guys so much for your time
I hope you enjoyed and found value in the , if you did go ahead and give us a thumbs up!
With that said, have a great day you guys, and I'll see you all in the next one.
Today i'm going to walk you through 15steps on how to have an easy delivery.This is especially helpful if you're hoping to have an unmedicated vaginal birth .However ,if you're going to have an epidural these tips are also helpful.
The first five steps are things that you can do it during pregnancy to prepare and the next 10 are things you're gonna do during labor.
Step number one, is we want to stop sitting in slouched or reclining positions, instead use sort of a forward leaning position. So for example ,you could sit backwards over a kitchen chair leaning forward on hands and knees. Spending lots of time here or sitting on a birthing ball ,is going to create space in your belly for your baby to get into the optimal fetal position which is going to have an easy delivery and create less pain.
So if your baby is in a posterior position, sunny side up and it's coming through, this is going to make it more difficult increasing the pain and making a more difficult delivery.
Step number two. Is working on your strength and stamina during your pregnancy. One of the most difficult parts of labor is not the pain, it is how long labor is especially for first-time moms and how exhausting it can be. So we want to be strong we want to have stamina for that um for your birth.
Number three .You want to release and relax through your pelvic floor, your pelvic floor is not gonna push your baby out your uterus is gonna push your baby out and so you don't need lots of kegels and strength for your birth. That's for your recovery after so still an important part of pregnancy but for an easy delivery we really want to learn to relax and open up. So this may look like doing lots of stretches like, yogi squat and butterfly pose ,you can also take a tennis ball and sit on it and help release through your pelvic floor. You may also want to do perineal massage.
Step number four . Is to practice, being in the now or being in the present duringy pregnancy. At any one point, there is not too much pain during your labor.
However, if you think you might have another 12 hours of this sensation that can get overwhelming. So you really want to be able to focus your mind and stay on focusing on your current contraction just like anything this can take practice .
One of the things that you can do is to practice breathing, at the same time as visualizing something .So for example you could practice a box breath,where you inhale as you go up one side exhale ,inhale, exhale and then you keep going around in your box. You could also take your hand and inhale as you go up one side.Exhale as you go down your thumb, inhale up your finger, exhale down your finger and so on. And this is going to keep you in the now, on your current contraction, not thinking about what is coming ahead.
Step number five. Is really being confident around your capabilities,listening to lots of positive birth stories, talking to other mothers, learning about what they did to have a positive birth. Story can really increase your confidence. I think it's also really important to be really clear about why you want to have an unmedicated um or vaginal delivery .
step number one for during labor is to set up a calm safe and as uninterrupted as possible but the hormones we really need to let your body know that you are safe you are calm you're in a safe place to deliver your baby.
It is so common that things are going to be going well at home ,and then when someone gets to the hospital labor tends to slow down or stall so birthing. At-home as long as possible is ideal but even when you get to the hospital, you can bring eye masks ,bring headphones or earplugs.
Let people know not to interrupt you,limit any unnecessary checks or interruptions. Limit who is coming in to your birth for example, you may want to put it in your birth preferences that you don't want students watching your birth.
Number two. It is so helpful to use movement and relaxation ,listening to your body when you need both so you can be doing it.
-Slowly dancing
-you can be walking the halls ,
-you can be sitting on the toilet
-you could be bouncing on the ball
-you can be doing lunges stay at that asymmetrical movement but when your body is tired laying down and resting ,this is
actually when you move into transition your body knows that it needs to rest and it is progressing very quickly at that point.
Number three you want to have your positive birth affirmations and your confidence. You want to have your partner encouraging you and you also want to know that when you get to the part of labor where you are questioning whether you can keep going but that is actually a good thing. It probably means that you are reaching transition and you're getting so close to meeting your baby.
Number four, using pelvis biomechanics to help your baby move through your pelvis.So in early labor when you're waiting for your baby to drop down ,you want to have external rotation and open hips to help the top part come up and then as your baby is moving through . You may want to do some asymmetrical poses to help wiggle your baby through and then when you are in the pushing phase.
When your baby is crowning, you want to open the outlet of your pelvis ,so you want to have your knees together and use internal rotation for the pushing phase.
Number five .Is to choose a birthing position that uses gravity ,as well as a position that allows you to have movement of your pelvis this is going to allow for a less painful birth.
Ashorter birth and a birth that is less likely to have any interventions like forceps or vacuums or c-sections, it's really mind-blowing to me. Why so many women are still birthing on their backs,it is not using gravity and the pressure on the sacrum, is actually pushing the tailbone into where the baby is coming out and closing the outlet for the baby to come out.
Even if you have an epidural you can beon your sides supported by a person or a peanut ball,and then you still have movement of your pelvis as needed .
Number six .Is to use tools that are going to help you cope through your delivery. So forexample, you could use :
-Atens machine on your lower back
-squeeze a comb
-use water in a shower or in a bath
-use a rebozo
Number seven. Is to visualize what is happening in your body and to not fight your contractions and sort of. Just relaxin to the strong sensations rather than pushing them away . You have to go through that and meeting your baby is on the other side of that but it's helpful to know that the sensation that you're feeling isn't dangerous. It's's not pain scary ,it is simply your cervix opening up so that your baby can come out and through. And really your job is just to relax and to open and let your body do your work .
Number eight. Is to fully relax between a contraction,your uterus is working really hard during a contraction to help move your baby down and out. When you get a break it is so important to fully relax.
Imagine you are lifting a weight and it's starting to burn. you can feel how hard your muscle is working and you don't take the opportunity to break. When you have the break and then you have to pick it u,p again it is just going to be that much more painful . But if you are fully relaxing between, it is going to be that much more bearable when you go for your next contraction.
Number nine . Is to labor down and not just to push because you are 10 centimeters . So sometimes your provider will check you and say you're 10 centimeters ,it's time to push However, if you don't feel the urge to push you could be doing a whole lot of work and frustration and it taking too long thanif you relaxed and labored down until you felt the urge to push. so with my
first baby i didn't know about laboring
down and when i got to 10 centimeters i
was told to push .
The strategies that you can do try to stimulate the fetal ejection reflex.It's where your body will just eject the baby out of your body and you're not doing any work at all .
So for this you need to be in a very calm and safe space it is less likely that it's going to happen at the hospital it's usually happening at a home birth.
Number 10 . Is to breathe your baby out and allow the pushing phase to go slow to allow your tissues to stretch very safely. We want to avoid closed glottis or purple pushing, where you're taking a big breath and then holding your breath and pushing for 10 seconds. You want to have a slow exhale down and you're just supporting When your body is pushing
I really believe that our bodies are designed to birth ,you are preparing your mind and body and i really believe that you can create your positive birth experience.
Thank you so much I know that you are going to do amazing in your upcoming birth if you have any questions feel free to leave them in the comments below
