Get More Sun!

Your body has a naturally occurring internal clock called your circadian rhythm. It helps your brain, body, hormones, and metabolism by keeping you alert and letting your body know when it’s time for bed. Natural sunlight or bright lights during the day help maintain your circadian rhythm. It helps improve daytime energy levels and nighttime restfulness and duration. People who have insomnia may benefit from exposing themselves to daylight during the day. It also reduces the length of time it takes for you to fall asleep. Another study showed that people exposed to bright light for two hours during the day increased their total sleep time by two hours and improved sleep efficiency.

Avoid Blue Light at Night

Exposure to light during the day is beneficial, but nighttime light exposure has the opposite effect. It tricks your brain into thinking it’s still daytime and therefore impacts your circadian rhythm. Blue light exposure reduces hormones like melatonin, which help you relax and get deep sleep. Electronics like smartphones and computers emit blue light at high levels, which makes them the worst offenders when it comes to this. Several popular methods you can use to reduce nighttime blue light exposure include:

• Utilising the night shift function to change the colour of the light on your devices
• Wearing blue light-blocking glasses
• Use dimmers on your lights to decrease the amount of light
• Stop using all electronics 2hrs before bed

Skip that Afternoon Coffee

Caffeine has multiple health benefits and is widely consumed by the general public. A single dose of caffeine can improve focus, energy, and athletic performance. However, drinking coffee after midday might stimulate your nervous system and prevent your body from naturally relaxing during the evening hours. In one study, consuming caffeine up to 6 hours before bed worsened sleep quality with subjects’ level of sleep disturbances being significantly higher than the placebo group. Caffeine stays elevated in your bloodstream for up to 8 hours after drinking coffee. Therefore, drinking large quantities of coffee after 3–4 p.m. is probably not advisable for most people, especially if you’re caffeine-sensitive or have trouble falling asleep at night.

Keep to a sleep schedule.

Your body’s circadian rhythm cycles through a set pattern, aligning with the sun’s rise and fall. Consistency in sleeping and waking times can help improve your overall sleep quality. A study found that people who slept irregularly and went to bed late at night experienced poorer sleep than others. Other studies have shown that irregular sleeping patterns can affect your body’s natural cycle of producing melatonin, which signals your brain to fall asleep. If you struggle with sleeping, try to get into the habit of waking up at roughly the same time every day. After several weeks, maybe you won’t even need an alarm clock!

Everyone needs enough sleep, and the correct kind of sleep, to be both happy and healthy. Many sleeping problems stem from poor sleep habits that have been ingrained for years or even decades. Over time, not sleeping enough can affect both your mental and physical health. It may take some time before you see an improvement in your sleep quality after making any changes. However, if good sleep habits are kept up, then sleep will improve in the long run.

The post Top 4 Tips to Get a Better Nights Sleep appeared first on PUML Better Health.

It’s that time of year again, the holiday decorations are going up! Holiday time can be stressful with all the planning, parties, buying gifts and personal commitments, but don’t let the stress of the holidays beat your ability to stay happy and healthy. As we look forward to a better year ahead, hopefully our 7 helpful habits will support you in nailing your 2022 goals!

1. Stay as close to your regular routine as possible.

We understand the challenges that are posed with the holidays. Amazing people, work Christmas parties and massive feasts. However, we all must try to keep on track with our personal routines. Not only will this help you stay healthy, but it will continue your personal journey and make the new year so much easier.

2. Mindful Consumption of food.

With so much food around on the holidays, it’s no wonder that we see an increase in serving sizes. The power of mindful eating is incredible, it will allow you to not only know when your body is full, but everything tastes better. If you want more, save some leftovers!

3. Don’t feel guilty – believe in yourself.

The amount of food in front of us during the holidays is excessive. I don’t know about you, but I might be indulging in more ice-cream and cold drinks to beat the Aussie heat.

It’s normal to get a little carried away during those holiday meals, but the most important thing is not to beat yourself up when you feel like you failed at your health goals. It’s the holistic idea of healthy living that’s going to lead to longer lasting success and perhaps a more fulfilling life. Holistic living and mental well-being aren’t about cutting out everything you might enjoy. It’s about implementing better habits, learning from the shortfalls, and applying yourself to enjoy what you like in moderation. Food nourishes the body and mind, but just like anything else, too much might be pushing your limits in a negative way. Just be mindful of your limits and don’t let the guilt of enjoying yourself this holiday season feel like the be-all-end-all of your health-based goals.

4. Instead of rewarding yourself with heavy meals, reward yourself with activities and other meaningful experiences.

Instead of hopping on the endless holiday food train, reward  yourself with activities instead of a chocolate treat. Use the reframing tool (Reframing: A Tool To Think Differently : The Innovation Framework) to gift yourself a trip to the beach or a day out with friends as a special moment that you earned.

5. Keep up that exercise routine.

Try your best to find opportunities to exercise, especially if you can follow your current workout regime. If you’re struggling, try one of PUML’s public challenges such as “Your steps, Our Steps 2021”, “60 Day Summer Beach Body”, or “Dust Off Your Boots”.

https://puml.io/challenges/

6. Gratitude for more than just presents.

We have a great opportunity to reflect on the things we’re grateful for, especially during the holiday season. Take a moment to be thankful for the people, weather and food is vital. We recommend keeping a gratitude or smile journal over the next few months (or even a few weeks), you’re likely to see a positive change when you look back to when you started to where you’re at. Consider it a present for yourself that keeps on giving by helping you shift from a negative state to a more positive mindset. Your heightened sense of self-awareness and positivity is only likely to keep you from taking too many steps back in your personal and professional goals.

7. CELEBRATE!

Our most important recommendation is to celebrate the year and be kind to yourself. 2021 was challenging; we’ve survived an international pandemic and are kicking goals while doing it. Take some time to celebrate your resilience, courage and opportunities you’ve had and the tough times you’ve endured.

We hope you find some of these habits helpful! If you have any other secret strategies for staying happy and healthy over the holidays leave a comment below!

The post Top 7 Healthy Holiday Habits with PUML Better Health appeared first on PUML Better Health.