Monthly Archives: January 2019

Consuming alcohol sleep

The Effects of Alcohol on Your Sleep

Have you made drinking alcohol an evening ritual that you cannot do without? Consuming alcohol can have strong adverse effects on the quality and quantity of your sleep.

Consuming alcohol sleep

Having a drink or more before bedtime can negatively impact your sleep. And not many people are aware of the effects of alcohol on the quality and quantity of sleep. In a study1 carried out in 2009, 58% of the 2,000 participants did not know that drinking alcohol had negative effects on the quality of sleep.

Alcohol stimulates the release of endorphins (feel-good chemicals) in the brain. These chemicals are responsible for increased confidence, extroversion, and more vocal behavior. But after some time alcohol begins to sedate, and a small amount can make you fall asleep. The brain absorbs the alcohol and it takes effect immediately. How long the effect lasts depends on how much you consume.

Alcohol has been used to induce sleep for many years, and a lot of people continue to use alcohol to make them fall asleep, thereby having to deal with an unfulfilling sleep. A while ago physicians recommended “nightcaps” for people suffering from difficulty or inability to sleep. Using alcohol to induce sleep is not healthy because it affects the stages of sleep, makes you sleep more lightly and wake abruptly from time to time. A chronic alcoholic who depends on alcohol to get sleep may find it difficult to achieve this with low doses. S/he may have to take alcohol in very high amounts before s/he can sleep.

Alcohol and how it affects the sleep cycle

Below are the four stages of the sleep cycle:

  • N1: This accounts for 4 to 5 percent of your sleep, and is the period of transition from being awake to being asleep.
  • N2: This is the stage where your heart rate and breathing pattern start slowing down.
  • N3: This is the deep sleep stage where your brain and body are going through restoration.
  • REM: At this stage some segments of the brain are most active. This is where you have dreams filled with action. The REM stage is where the muscles are paralyzed so that you do not act out your dreams.

All stages are important. Even sleep scientists do not put preference on any stages. Therefore you cannot place more value on one stage over another. It is important that the quality of your sleep is not compromised. You have to go through all the stages to get quality sleep.

How alcohol affects sleep

  • It affects the quality

If you take alcohol in the evening and sleep through the night, you may not get the rested and refreshed feeling that you are supposed to get when you wake up. Alcohol prevents deep sleep and suppresses REM.

  • It interferes with sleep time

Alcohol causes frequent abrupt wakening and sometimes makes it difficult to fall asleep.

  • It causes sleep disorders

Some disorders2, such as sleep apnea, worsen after consuming alcohol. Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by heavy snoring and abnormal breathing patterns (intermittent pauses) while sleeping. Alcohol consumption before sleeping can make the airway narrower which heightens the inability to breathe during sleep.

Is it possible to prevent the impact of alcohol on sleep?

Getting alcohol out of the body takes time, and if you do not want alcohol to interfere with the quality of sleep, you need to leave enough time for the alcohol to get out of your body. You can take alcohol at least three hours before bedtime. This will help reduce the effects of alcohol on your sleep. If you do not intend to let go of alcohol, you can make a conscious effort to monitor how much alcohol you consume in one drink. Try to drink drinks with low alcoholic content hours before you go to bed so that you can enjoy a drink without sacrificing sleep.

Tips for getting good sleep without alcohol

Are you used to inducing sleep with alcohol and scared that giving up alcohol will lead to difficulty sleeping? Check out some of these sleeping solutions and tips to sleep successfully without alcohol.

  • Consistent sleep/wake time

Maintaining a consistent sleep/wake time can guarantee a good sleep. Have a set time for going to bed and set an alarm to get up. Include weekends, and you will find your body adjusting to this routine.

  • Exercise

Exercise in the evenings, and you will find it easier to go to sleep. Exercising increases the temperature of your body, and by the time you are ready to sleep the temperature starts dropping which makes it easier to fall asleep.

  • Avoid caffeine

Caffeine is a very effective stimulant that keeps you awake and active. Avoid taking any foods or beverages that contain caffeine from the afternoon on. Drinking water will help you maintain a natural sleep cycle.

Conclusion

Although a lot of people see alcohol as a simple way of inducing sleep, it is not. Alcohol makes your sleep unhealthy and reduces its quality. If you want to sleep better, avoid the booze.

Referances:

1. BBC news: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8208212.stm

2. National sleep foundation: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/how-alcohol-affects-sleep

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Learning Style

3 Mistakes To Avoid When Picking A Preschool For Your Child in 2019

2019 is here already; your child is grown and ready to start schooling. Have you thought about enrolling him/her in a preschool? And if you have, have you picked the right preschool? We will be looking at the common mistakes parents make (and how to avoid them) when finding a preschool for their child. Let’s get on with it.

Mistake #1: Ignoring Your Child’s Learning Style

Learning Style

Unfortunately, some parents do not know the ideal learning style of their child. As a parent, you need to understand the best way that your child learns. Some will watch you complete a specific task and try out later on their own, while others will try it as you are doing the task. Yeah, you might have found the perfect preschool program, but it is all about knowing what your child needs.

Always study your child and understand his learning style to help you find the right preschool for him.

 Mistake #2: Not Doing Proper Research

Proper Research

When it comes to finding a good preschool for your child, you will have multiple options. First things first; you need to understand the available options. Since you already know your child and what works perfect for him, you should now do proper research.

Just because your neighbor or sister gave you a suggestion of a specific preschool doesn’t mean that it is worth picking. You need to understand the programs offered in the school, the distance from work to the school and from the school to your home. Get to know the teachers and who will be responsible for your little boy/girl. Never pick a school without understanding all the necessary factors.

Mistake #3: Not Understanding Your Priorities/Preferences

Not Understanding Your Priorities

It is risky to step out of the battlefield without focusing on your enemy or planning how to launch your attack. You can also not walk out of the house with a shopping bag and start picking whatever you find in the store.

The same applies when you are picking a preschool for your child. Before anything, you need to know what you are looking for; what you prefer. Yes, you already know what your child needs, but you also need to have your preferences. Will your child perform well in a full-time or part-time setting? When do you want the child to start? Do they offer the food that you prefer for your child? How much are you willing to spend?

Always ensure that you find the right school and do your research thoroughly. Furthermore, make sure you choose the best preschool in San Diego. Pre school San Diego is one of them that you should put in your must-go-to preschools.

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students image

Studybean.com – A middle schooler and high schooler create a website for standardized tests

It is more and more difficult to afford college, and more and more students are applying to colleges. Top U.S. Colleges, state and private, have ramped up their minimum requirements for entrance. Those looking for scholarships will have an even tougher time.

The first thing any college or university looks at is a standardized test score – the SAT or ACT. Each school sets a minimum score for entrance, and students who fall under that score are not admitted. “Apply to college is expensive by itself,” said Divyye Chawra, one of the co-founders of StudyBean, “parents are spending up to $200.00 for an application fee. This is non-refundable if the student is not accepted.”

students image

The difference for an entrance could be 100 points on the SAT. Students who are serious about getting into the college of their choice look for any edge, point, and guide to help nudge their scores up.

Enter StudyBean. The brainchild of two high school students, StudyBean provides assistance on the SAT, as well as the PSAT – a test that is used to determine National Merit Scholars – a very difficult accomplishment.

“The PSAT is given to students as early as the eighth grade. The test for the National Merit program is not until the sophomore year of high school. Our website helps those students improve their scores and try to get them to the National Merit level,” said Satwik Prakash, the other co-founder.

StudyBean focuses the majority of its help and instruction on the mathematics portion of the test, the historically most difficult portion. Test questions and practice tests are available. All are aligned as closely as possible to the actual tests.

“The goal is to find certain weaknesses. Students can then get direct help and tutoring from their teachers on these specific areas,” continued Chawra.

Several users have posted about how the site has helped them increase their scores and become assured of their mathematics abilities.

“Confidence is key when taking standardized tests. Students and school systems who report using our service have seen measurable growth on their test scores. This means more students getting into the colleges of their choice and earning scholarships,” said Prakash.

More information, including testimonials, how to sign up and practice items are available on the website. Visit StudyBean.com

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Digital Marketing

Things To Know Before Opting For Chiropractic Website Marketing

Digital Marketing

Digital Marketing is the process by which a product is sold, or services are rendered by various business organizations. The advertisement of the product or the services is done either through offline or online mode which involves the use of electronic equipment.

For instance, before you go for chiropractic websites and design, you need to understand the overall digital marketing strategy.

There are many cool chiropractic website main facilities which increase the sale of the product by using the essential digital marketing strategy. The various categories of online marketing are as follows:

 

Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization which is popularly known as SEO is a common way of advertising the product online through search engine results.

It is a method which affects the visibility of a site or a webpage in the search engine result.

Effective search engine optimization helps a website to rank higher on search engine platforms by using the desired keywords that are present in the content.

For chiropractic search engine optimization, one must make sure the relevant keywords are used in the content which must include – chiropractor (city), chiropractor in (city), and best chiropractor in (city) and best chiropractor (city).

These are the few examples of the keywords that can be used for optimizing a chiropractic website. There are three strategies to optimize your search engine results.

White Hat Strategies– This strategy offers unique titles of the page and relevant reference links. The grammar and spelling of the content also affect the optimizing strategy.

Black Hat Strategies– Unlike white hat SEO strategy, this practice leads the user to irrelevant and duplicate content. Most of the links are often dead links. The content has invisible texts and stuffed keywords.

Grey Hat Strategy– These tactics make use of Google. The materials published out from Google can make the practice of other techniques ill-defined. These tactics are not chosen by many people.

 

Social Media Marketing of Chiropractic Website

This process is used for the marketing of products or services by using the platform of social media. Social networking websites create a friendly atmosphere between businesses and build communities.

Social networking websites have got options like posting, commenting and sharing which allows the product to get promoted to a larger target audience. Thus it increases traffic for a website in the long run.

 

Email Marketing

It a process of marketing the products by sending emails to customers. The email should consist of real information about the product which creates a clear image of the product in the buyers’ mind.

Information such as a description of the product, the cost of the product and the discounted price (if any) for the customers shall be mentioned in the email.

 

Search Engine Marketing

It the method of gaining visibility in the search engine result list. This includes both paid and unpaid search results. Google AdWords is the most convenient paid search domain as several search marketers effectively use it.

 

Affiliate Marketing

This is a performance-based marketing strategy. Here, the affiliate brings visitors or customers to the website by using its marketing tactics and the organization rewards the affiliate for each customer.

 

Content Marketing

This is a process by which the website advertises its product to the customers. The advertisement is done through content which includes product description, blog posts, web page information, and other corporate information.

digital

Pay Per Click

This method is also known as PPC. This is a strong business model in the world of digital marketing. In this process, when the user clicks on the advertisement, a sum of money is paid to the host website by the company.

Other digital marketing strategies are:

Electronic Billboards– It is an effective offline method of digital marketing which increases the awareness of a product. This method can be used to advertise the product and services offered by the organization to cure a disease.

Digital Product Sampling– It is a process of giving away the sample of the product to a small number of customers for free. These samples can be given through offline or online mode. The primary objective is to get the feedback of the product from the user.

Digital Product Demonstration– This process includes the demonstration of the product on a digital platform and showing the customers how they can be benefited by using the particular product. One can show how chiropractors can cure the diseases. These kinds of demonstrations are used by the top chiropractic websites.

Phone Marketing– This kind of marketing strategies includes the marketing of a product or services by making use of smartphones. It is a simple and cost-effective way of advertising your product.

This comprises two processes, cold calling, and texting. Cold calling is a process of calling an unknown person and informing them about your products and services.

It, therefore, increases the awareness of the product in the real world. While on the other hand texting plays an important role where one has to advertise the product through SMS or MMS within 160 characters or less.

One can also opt for other electronic devices like Television or Radio for digital marketing.

Radio Marketing– Show sponsoring is a compelling idea if the show is popular, which will result in more customers. Radio commercials can also be used for advertisement of product at the beginning, middle or end of the show.

TV marketing– Television commercials are watched by millions of people every day in between shows. One can only add the web links of the product in the advertisement.

Teleshopping– It is a process by which products are ordered through television advertisement either by calling at the number provided for quick service or by clicking the website of the product.

Discounts, Gift Hampers, and Coupons- These kinds of offers are given to attract a customer who wants to buy the product at a lower price. This method creates a token of appreciation and gratitude in the mind of the customers.

These are some digital marketing strategies which one can use to create an online medical website and increase its popularity among masses.

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Quick Ways To Save

6 Quick Ways To Save In The New Year

When you are living paycheck to paycheck, the idea of ever saving any money may seem nearly impossible. However, there are a few things that you can do to save money. When it comes to saving, every little bit adds up. By saving even small amounts, you will find yourself with more money at the end of the week or month and before you know it, your savings will begin to increase.

Quick Ways To Save

Here are 6 very simple steps that you can take to start saving money quickly:

  1. Set up automatic bill payments

With busy schedules, it is very easy to forget to pay some of your bills on time. By paying your bills when they are due, you will save yourself money by not having late fees. Most companies charge anywhere from 10% to 15%. While this may seem like a very small savings, it will certainly add up quickly with minimal effort.

Setting up automatic payments can ensure that you pay your bills on time and avoid late payments altogether. A word of caution is to keep up with your bank account balance in order to avoid overdrafts and fees.

  1. Consider switching banks

All banks make their money from fees of one sort or another. Three of the top banks earned upwards of $6.4 billion in ATM and overdraft fees last year. If you are paying a monthly fee for either a checking or savings account, then you should look for a new bank. There are many banks that offer free accounts and perks just for opening a new account.

  1. Open a short-term CD

If you are in a position where you can comfortable afford to leave your money in a CD for up to a year, then a short-term CD is a good idea for you. You will want to shop around and find the highest paying yield before you invest in a short-term CD. If you think that you will need the money before the year is up, it is best to put your money into savings instead in order to avoid a penalty for early withdrawal.

  1. Sign up for loyalty programs

By signing up for rewards and loyalty programs, you can reap great rewards for the everyday things that you do such as grocery shopping and buying gas. Make sure you sign up for emails as that is often a way that they reach out to customers. Many stores also offer apps now and that is another great way to keep up with savings options.

  1. Buy with cash rather than credit

By taking cash with you when you shop, you can avoid overspending. If you are paying with a credit card, you are not limiting yourself and will end up spending more than intended on needless items.

  1. Avoid paying for convenience

America, as a whole, has gotten into the habit of paying for convenience. Rather than make things at home, such as coffee, we make the purchases while we are out resulting in spending much more than we should. Taking time to do things at home will save you a tremendous amount in the long run.

  1. Use coupons

Whenever you make a purchase, make sure you use coupons and coupon codes. Whether you’re shopping for groceries or buying things online. Use sites like https://www.yourbestdeals.com/ to get discounts on anything from socks to computer software.

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