Do Sheet Color Affect Your Sleep?

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• Wellness

Have you ever wondered if the sheets that you sleep on in bed ever contribute to your overall sleep health, and also your bedroom romance? I did. We all know how colors can affect us on a conscious and subconscious level. Every color has its own vibration that allows our mind and body to respond. Here are some examples.

Red
Excitement, energy, passion, desire, speed, strength, power, heat, love, aggression, danger, fire, blood

Yellow
Joy, happiness, optimism, idealism, imagination, hope, sunshine, summer, gold, philosophy, dishonesty, cowardice, betrayal, jealousy, covetousness, deceit, illness, hazard.

Blue
Peace, tranquility, calm, stability, harmony, unity, trust, truth, confidence, conservatism, security, cleanliness, order, loyalty, sky, water, cold, technology, depression, appetite suppressant.

Orange
Energy, balance, warmth, enthusiasm, vibrant, expansive, flamboyant, demanding of attention.

Green
Nature, environment, healthy, good luck, renewal, youth, vigor, spring, generosity, fertility, jealousy, inexperience, envy, misfortune.

Purple
Royalty, spirituality, nobility, spirituality, ceremony, mysterious, transformation, wisdom, enlightenment, cruelty, arrogance, mourning.

Gray
Security, reliability, intelligence, staid, modesty, dignity, maturity, solid, conservative, practical, old age, sadness, boring.

Brown
Earth, hearth, home, outdoors, reliability, comfort, endurance, stability, simplicity, and comfort.

White
Reverence, purity, simplicity, cleanliness, peace, humility, precision, innocence, youth, birth, winter, snow, good, sterility, marriage (Western cultures), death (Eastern cultures), cold, clinical, sterile.

Black
Power, sexuality, sophistication, formality, elegance, wealth, mystery, fear, evil, anonymity, unhappiness, depth, sadness, remorse, anger.

I took it upon my self to try a fun experiment to the test. For 15 days I tried four different colors; yellow, red, green, and purple. Continue Reading

Meditation May Make You More Empathic

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• Meditation

I think that the greatest part of continuing a meditation practice is the fact that it changes how to interact with people. Empathy is not something this is common in today’s society. Meditation does make you more in tune with others and your self. General it raises you awareness and this is why you may feel the emotion of empathy. This is good research!

Previous brain studies have shown that when a person witnesses someone else in an emotional state—such as disgust or pain—similar activity is seen in both people’s brains. This shows a physiological base for empathy, defined as the ability to understand and share another person’s experience. Now research at the University of Wisconsin has used advanced brain images (fMRI, functional magnetic resonance imaging) to show that compassion meditation—a specific form of Buddhist meditation—may increase the human capacity for empathy.

In the study, researchers compared brain activity in meditation experts with that of subjects just learning the technique (16 in each group). They measured brain activity, during meditation and at rest, in response to sounds—a woman in distress, a baby laughing, and a busy restaurant—designed to evoke a negative, positive, or neutral emotional response. Continue Reading

10 Reasons To Use Coconut Oil

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• Wellness

• Weight Loss: Coconut oil is very useful in reducing weight. It contains short and medium-chain fatty acids that help in taking off excessive weight. It is also easy to digest and it helps in healthy functioning of the thyroid and enzymes systems. Further, it increases the body metabolism by removing stress on pancreases, thereby burning out more energy and helping obese and overweight people reduce their weight. Hence, people living in tropical coastal areas, who eat coconut oil daily as their primary cooking oil, are normally not fat, obese or overweight.
• Digestion: Internal use of coconut oil occurs primarily as cooking oil. Coconut oil helps in improving the digestive system and thus prevents various stomach and digestion related problems including irritable bowel syndrome. The saturated fats present in coconut oil have anti microbial properties and help in dealing with various bacteria, fungi, parasites, etc., that cause indigestion. Coconut oil also helps in absorption of other nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and amino acids.
• Immunity: Coconut oil is also good for the immune system. It strengthens the immune system as it contains antimicrobial lipids, lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid which have antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral properties. The human body converts lauric acid into monolaurin which is claimed to help in dealing with viruses and bacteria causing diseases such as herpes, influenza, cytomegalovirus, and even HIV. It helps in fighting harmful bacteria such as listeria monocytogenes and heliobacter pylori, and harmful protozoa such as giardia lamblia.
• Healing: When applied on infections, it forms a chemical layer which protects the infected body part from external dust, air, fungi, bacteria and virus. Coconut oil is most effective on bruises as it speeds up the healing process by repairing damaged tissues.
• Infections: Coconut oil is very effective against a variety of infections due to its antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial properties. According to the Coconut Research Center, coconut oil kills viruses that cause influenza, measles, hepatitis, herpes, SARS, etc. It also kills bacteria that cause ulcers, throat infections, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, and gonorrhea, etc. Coconut oil is also effective on fungi and yeast that cause candidiasis, ringworm, athlete’s foot, thrush, diaper rash, etc. Continue Reading

10 Healthiest Cities For Woman

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• Wellness

According to MSN Health, these top 10 cities are rated the healthiest for woman to live.

1. Burlington–South Burlington, VT

Tucked between the Adirondack and Green mountains on the shore of Lake Champlain, our top town boasts outer and inner beauty: Women here have some of the list’s lowest rates of diabetes, cholesterol and hypertension. Possible keys to their hardy hearts? Residents exercise and walk to work in large numbers and few women smoke.

Plus: Burlington offers 40 percent more ob/gyns than our list average and has low rates of cervical and ovarian cancer deaths.

2. Bethesda-Gaithersburg-Frederick, MD

The unofficial motto of our silver-medal city: “Safety first.” In addition to boons such as low unemployment and terrific health care, the Bethesda-Gaithersburg-Frederick metro area has 46 percent less violent crime than average and 54 percent fewer rapes. Plus, residents are nearly 40 percent less likely to be in a fatal car accident.

Plus: Montgomery County’s Super Fare Share program gives local workers up to $114 to put toward their monthly commute.

3. Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, ME

“You can work downtown, hop on a bike at lunch and quickly be in a wooded area by a stream,” enthuses Heather Chandler, 38, publisher of the Sunrise Guide, a book of green-living tips for southern Maine. The area (including South Portland and Biddeford) posts primo scores for water and air quality and has nearly 70 percent more green buildings than the average.

Plus: The clean environment in the Portland metro area may contribute to below-average rates of asthma and allergies

4. Cambridge-Newton-Framingham, MA

The smart cookies in this metro area can choose from 90 percent more ob/gyns and internists than is typical. And they get some of the most Pap smears, mammograms, breast exams and checkups.

5. San Francisco-Oakland, CA

Exercise, smart eating and shunning cigarettes make Bay Area women healthy 24/7: They report sleeping well all but six days a month.

Plus: Getting plenty of shut-eye can help prevent hypertension, too. Women here have the healthiest hearts in our survey.

6. Honolulu, HI

This tropical town has more than scenery: Waikiki women have the list’s lowest chance of dying of breast cancer and the second lowest for skin cancer—despite living in a place with 271 sunny days a year. Lung, colon and ovarian cancer deaths are also relatively rare. Continue Reading

Think Your Way To Good Health

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• Inspire

This is a great list-

Get out negative emotions. Letting negative feelings and emotions build up can cause negative health effects as they stress you out and make you feel bad overall. Give yourself an outlet to think about and deal with these emotions rather than just ignoring them.

Try hypnotism. Many people report that hypnotism allows them to change their thoughts and behaviors. While it may not work for you, it doesn’t hurt to try it out to see if it can’t help you to change your thinking about bad habits and negative attitudes.

Realize change is possible. When reflecting on things you want to change in your life, don’t get discouraged by goals that seem far off. Remind yourself of things you’ve changed in the past and use that to motivate you to change things from unhealthy habits to the way you deal with stress.

Think about things that energize you. If you’re feeling run down you may be able to use your brain instead of caffeine to give yourself a jolt of energy. Try thinking about things you love to do or that you’re excited about taking on. This may wake you up enough to get you started on your day.

Imagine yourself aging more slowly. They say you’re only as old as you feel, and that can be true if you think young. Visualize yourself aging more slowly and staying healthier longer and you may have a better chance of actually doing so.

Feel in control. Don’t let things in your life override the way you feel or think. Use your thoughtto figure out a way to get control of a situation whether it’s at work, at home or your entire life.

Embrace your faith. Studies have shown that having faith can have a big impact on your recovery from illness and possibly your overall health as well. If you do have a faith that you follow, make it a part of your mental wellness routine.

Trust in yourself. You won’t be able to change much with your thinking if the first thing that comes to mind is how you’ll likely fail. Trust that you can make a difference in any aspect of your life you want to bring more happiness or well-being to and chances are you will.

Be honest. There isn’t much use in trying to think yourself healthy if what you’re thinking is a lie. Be honest with yourself about your past, good or bad, and commit yourself to thinking about making realistic, healthy choices.

Live consciously. Don’t blindly go through life eating what is put in front of you or doing things just because they may be easier even though they may harm you in the long run. Follow your own thinking and make your own decisions about everything that comes into your life.

Accept what comes your way. There are some things in life that there is no way to change, no matter how much you think about them. Learning to turn your thoughts to acceptance rather than forcing things to change is a big part in maintaining mental and physical health.

Forgive yourself. We all make mistakes, do things we regret and go back on our word sometimes. Don’t let minor setbacks destroy the positive thoughts you have for yourself. Forgive yourself for these transgressions and start over fresh the next day.

Meditate regularly. Numerous studies have shown that meditation can have a very beneficial impact on the brain and even change how your brain processes things over time. Make time in your schedule for meditation and you may learn to control your stress and your mind.

Relax and let stress go. You can use your thoughts to help rid yourself of stresses. When you’re feeling overwhelmed take a minute to relax and focus your thoughts on something else. Over time, you may be able to better handle the big and little stresses that come your way.

Think about each breath. It can help to focus your thoughts and draw stress away if you make a conscious effort to think about each breath as you take it in and out. It will help relax you and bring you more in touch with your body’s rhythms.

Control your thoughts at bedtime. For many who are stressed, getting to sleep at night can be a challenge. Use your thoughts to shove out all the worries and tasks that are floating around and to concentrate on relaxing, restful thoughts even if that means just counting sheep. Continue Reading