Thursday, September 27, 2012

Air Moisture And Your Health

Having clean air to breathe is not just a luxury and many people are learning about the various ways to improve air quality when they are indoors. One of the methods to help improve air quality is the use of humifiers and dehumidifiers to control the moisture in the air. Air moisture may not be something that you thought a lot about, but it could be a large contributing factor to the negative symptoms that you experience at times.
That means then that air moisture can be a very important factor in comfort when you are indoors and can also significantly contribute to your overall health as well. Consider the following health issues and how it relates to air moisture:
Many allergy sufferers have a severe allergic reaction to mold in the are or on surfaces and fabrics around them. This mold issue is usually directly tied to the amount of moisture that is present in the air in that space. By reducing the air moisture content the mold allergy can often be brought under manageable control. High humidity at high temperatures can also sometimes lead to heat exhaustion or heat stroke in extreme cases. And dust mites that often trigger allergy attacks begin to die off when the humidity level drops below 50%.
On the flip side, when the air is too dry people can be uncomfortable and can suffer from dry mucus membranes which can lead to nosebleeds and infections. Low humidity can also aggravate the symptoms of asthma at times.
A good way to track air moisture indoors is to get a digital hygrometer to actually monitor the humidity in the air. It's a simple gadget to read and the information it produces can be invaluable.
You see most people feel comfortable at 45-50% humidity between 68-72 degrees. That is considered the optimal comfort zone. Some variance on either side of the optimum zone is fine, but wide fluctuations can be hard on your health. If the humidity level falls below 30% you should turn on an air humidifier to help put moisture back. If the moisture level consistently rises above 60% in your home, you should employ a dehumidifier or air conditioner to reduce the moisture level.
By following the guidelines listed here you can help increase your indoors comfort level and improve your health easily and quickly.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Top 10 Tips for More Fun and Better Health

Professionals and small business/home office workers have tremendous freedom to schedule their days, arrange the furniture, choose the music and take care of themselves at work. Unfortunately, they also have all the responsibilities, make all the decisions, and carry all the burdens. The result is too often we forget to take care of ourselves. Use the advantages you have! The following tips can make the day go easier and help you work smarter, better and healthier.
1. In the morning, limit caffeine to one cup. Or better yet, switch to herbal teas! Start out calm and you're more likely to stay that way through the day.
2. Use up-beat music and humor (I love my daily Far Side calendar!) to get your morning off to a great start.
3. Make sure your first appointment of the day is a great one! Meet a friend for breakfast, greet co-workers with a big smile, schedule a favorite client first thing in the morning. Start the day with some fun!
4. At mid-morning, stand up, stretch and move around, at least for a moment. Take several deep breaths, wave your hands above your head, be silly, dance a jig, move your body!
5. Eat a light lunch of fruits, vegetables and carbohydrates. The traditional soup and salad is great, or a half-sandwich and an apple. Your body needs sustenance, not a heavy load, so lighten up!
6. Take a few minutes during your lunch break to do something totally different: read poetry, call an old friend, take a nap, go for a run. What you do is not as important as getting your mind and body away from your work. Take a real break!
7. During the afternoon, stand up and stretch at least once every hour. Gently arch your back, touch your toes, or touch the sky. Turn your head from side to side, and take some deep cleansing breaths. And while you're at it, smile!
8. When stress and work pile up, take a mini-vacation. Close the door (or go to the restroom, or a broom closet if you have to!) but get alone, close your eyes, and imagine a tropical island, or your favorite picnic spot. Life is good! Breath slowly, and relax.
9. Once a day, do something "extra" - call an old client to check in, thank a colleague for a referral, send a note to a friend. Have fun with this. Make it a game to combine business with pleasure and broaden your circle of contacts. (Hint: Send a quick 'thinking of you" email! People love 'em!)
10. At the end of the day, clean off your desk, and straighten up the office. The janitor will do the routine stuff, but take pleasure in closing down for the day. Develop a routine that signals the end of the day, it's time to quit, time to go home.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

6 Easy Techniques To Cope With Night Shift Work

People working the night shift poses a huge challenge for their sleeping system, because of the improper light exposure/ activity levels. The exposure to light sets our body temperature rhythm and controls our melatonin levels. If you work a night shift, you're remaining active while your body thinks it's time to sleep.This put a strain on your sleeping system, and it's also difficult on your emotional life as it limits your social activities with friends and family.
And because of the lack of light during work, many night shift workers feels drowsy during work, some night shift workers even doze off when driving home in their cars. Highlighted below are some recommendations for you to get quality sleep and feel less drowsy during work.
1. Routine
Maintaining a "regular sleping schedule during the weekends is important. By sleeping the same way during the weekend that you do during the weekdays, you ensure that your body temperature rhythm becomes adjusted to this setting, you'll get better sleep and higher energy levels in the long run.
2. Short nap
Due the lack of sunlight in your schedule, your body will try to sleep longer than other people. But chances are you still want to interact with your love ones during the day, so if you still feel un-rested and drowsy after your sleep, take a short 10-45 minute nap during the day. The brief period of stage 2 sleep will charge you physically -allowing you to stay more alert during the day.
3. Exercise before work
Exercise will create a rise in your body temperature rhythm, this makes you more awake and alert during work. As you experienced high temperature at work, you will get low temperature after work, that will make you easier to fall asleep and sleep deeply.
4. Bright light during work
Exposing yourself to high intensity light while working the night shift,would let you becomes more energetic as the light raises your body temperature. As you feel more energetic during your work, your would feel tired after work, thus allowing you to have quality sleep after work.
Best way to combat fatigue at work is to have an artificial bright light generator (talk to your boss about it -it is good for productivity) that can generate 5000-10000 luxes of light.
5. Avoid that Morning Sun
Try to avoid light when you leave work by wearing dark sunglasses, this will lower the chance that your body will get confused and think it's time to wake up. Also make sure that you sleep in a dark room after work, and that your sleep isn't interrupted by bright light. Bright morning light is a major cue for your body that it's rise and shine time and this will limit your sleep drastcially.
6. Do not sleep immediately
Do not sleep for the first 3 hours when you reach home (usually 6-7am in the morning) as it is interrupted by morning activity around the house. The first 3 hours of your sleep contains the largest portion of your deep sleep, so you shouldn't go to bed right after your work.But wait until everyone in your house leaves for work and the children have eaten breakfast and are in school -this way you can wind down abit after work and get to sleep.
In conclusion, shift work will always be strenunous on the sleeping system. However, by using the suggestions highlighted in this articles you should be able to increase the strength of your sleeping system, get better quality sleep and enjoy a higher level of energy.