Escaping your day-to-day life by traveling to one of the Wonders of the World or a tropical paradise is truly a gift. Jet lag just happens to be something that often accompanies a long-haul journey of this caliber. It can be quite annoying when the body crosses time zones and bypasses normal sleep patterns. Although some global travelers have their own hacks, this article aims to highlight a few helpful tips to help get over jet lag.

What Is Jet Lag?

Yes, jet lag is a real thing, but you usually don’t feel it if the time change is small (a couple hours for example). Jet lag is essentially the disruption of the body’s circadian rhythm, which occurs when you travel across three or more time zones. The symptoms often include impaired cognition, general malaise, sleeping troubles, daytime drowsiness, and gastrointestinal issues. Depending on how far you travel, jet lag can last a couple days to a couple weeks.

Researchers suggest that it takes people about one day to adjust for each one to 1.5 hours of time change. That one-hour-per-day rule isn’t concrete, though, and eastward travel tends to create more jet lag than traveling west does, but everyone experiences it differently. Trip itinerary and biological factors can also affect the severity of jet lag. The key to getting over jet lag is getting your body’s circadian rhythm back on track with the sunrise and sunset of your destination. You may find the following tips helpful. 

Adapt To Your Time Zone

Some will agree that this is easier said than done, but do your best to forget your old time zone once you land in your new one. If you continue to eat and sleep according to your old time zone, then you’ll experience great trouble. Eat meals and go to bed according to your destination’s time. If you land in the morning, don’t go to sleep right away, despite your desire to do so. 

Realign Your Circadian Rhythm

Jet lag disrupts your body’s internal clock, which you have to synchronize with the 24-hour day at your destination. This happens whether you travel east or west, although more people have a harder time traveling east. Because there are so many variables, such as flight arrival time, length of the trip, number of time zones crossed, etc., there is no single remedy to realign your circadian rhythm. Proper timing is essential to adjust your circadian rhythm, though, with proper daylight and dark exposure to quickly get over jet lag. Even with a well-oiled plan, you may still need a few days to over a week to adjust your circadian rhythm. Do your best not to overindulge with caffeine and sleep at night at your destination. 

Drink Water

During long-haul flights, most people don’t drink enough water. In fact, people tend to avoid drinking a lot of liquids to ensure fewer bathroom breaks. Proper hydration may help you manage fatigue and other jet lag symptoms. Opt for water instead of soda, sugary juices, or coffee during in-flight service. Carry a reusable water bottle with you and fill it up at your departure airport so that it is full for the flight. You may also ask the flight attendants to fill your water bottle if you run out during the flight. They may or may not say yes, though.

Manage Sleep Time

It can be tempting to sleep whenever you feel tired in your destination. If your flight arrives during the morning or daytime, try to avoid the urge to nap or sleep for a long time. That can make sleep much more difficult once nighttime arrives at your destination. A few things that can help you rest include eye masks, earplugs, comfortable blankets and pillows, portable white noise machine, and noise-canceling headphones. Do your best to get some sleep during your flight if you are in the air during your destination’s nighttime. 

Experiment With Melatonin

The body makes melatonin on its own to trigger sleepiness, but it comes as a supplement as well. Melatonin may be a valuable supplement to consider to help your body get sleepy once you arrive at your destination, depending on the time of arrival. If your body isn’t ready for bed at night, you may benefit from taking some. Just be careful to not consume too much melatonin if you want to avoid the unwanted side effects. Don’t take more than five milligrams at a time. 

Don’t Over-Schedule Your First 

Because you will most likely experience some degree of jet lag upon your arrival, don’t overbook yourself at your vacation destination the first couple days. If returning home, try to leave a day or so of rest before you resume work. Budget enough time for sleep and keep tabs on how you feel to avoid getting sick.

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About 40% of people share one flaw that cripples their emotional intelligence, creativity, and social adaptability. Can you guess what this common flaw is? It is sleep, which is necessary for optimal brain health and overall cognition. The brain operates all day long, sending signals and messages to various parts of the body.

In the same way that muscles become fatigued and reach exhaustion, so can the brain. The constant sending and receiving of signals causes a build-up of metabolites between neurons. When you sleep, however, the brain turns on the glymphatic system, a recently discovered system that clears out macroscopic waste. It utilizes various perivascular channels, formed by astroglial cells, to help eliminate soluble proteins and metabolites from the central nervous system. In simpler terms, the glymphatic system helps take out the garbage in the brain so it can function better. 

Failing to get enough high-quality sleep? Waste starts to build up over time and your cognitive function can suffer. There may be good reasoning behind why so many people struggle with sleep. 

Technology And Overstimulation

It’s safe to say that people do not know how to turn off anymore. You could be reading this right now, switch to Instagram, play Candy Crush, and then come back to reading this. Social media, technology, and incredibly low attention spans contribute to this overstimulation. Technology is a great tool, but it can also be a weapon that sabotages your life if you don’t use it intentionally.

Cultural Norms

Sometimes for the better but mostly for the worse, people operate in a hustle-and-grind culture. It’s encouraged to work yourself to the bone and grind until you can finally relax. One study from a sleep-focused journal found that too little sleep is associated with negative health outcomes. Sleep is the best productivity tool you have, so don’t be afraid to use it! 

Weak Work-Life Boundaries

There is supposed to be a healthy balance between your work and regular life, but rarely are those boundaries distinguished. If you respond to work emails well into the night when you are at home, that is not healthy. It fuels the “just a little more work” attitude and doesn’t help you wind down at night for optimal sleep. If you work a nine-to-five, be done at five. Don’t take your work responsibilities home because you won’t be able to relax and your sleep will suffer. 

What Can You Do To Change This? 

Now that we have covered the problems surrounding sleep, hopefully we can provide some solutions. That doesn’t mean that you need to do three hours of pre-bedtime meditation or two hours of restorative yoga. If you are a busy bee and want to wake up feeling more refreshed, then the following tips may be of great help to you. 

Use Light To Your Advantage

The brain relies on the eyes to discern what time of day it is. For this reason, some sleep experts recommend dimming the house lights as the sun sets. You don’t need fancy house lights that cost a fortune; rather, you need a few affordable lamps with amber-colored bulbs, which emit an orange glow. If you want to harness the power of light, you can make your screens as dim as functionally possible in the evening. Blue-light-blocking glasses may also help your brain produce more melatonin to get ready for bed. Ideally, though, you should stop looking at screens about one to two hours before bed.

Cool Things Down

The reticular activating system (RAS) controls a large part of your sleep. This system supports biological signaling, which signals the body and brain to know what time it is, coordinating hormones and neurotransmitters to help encourage sleep. The two big biological levers you can pull to support those systems are light and temperature. When you start to fall asleep, the major muscle groups settle down and the body temperature drops. In order to support the drop in temperature, turn down your bedroom thermostat or take a shower an hour before bed. Consider keeping a face roller in your freezer and rolling it on your face before bed. Believe it or not, the face contains temperature-sensitive neurons that have a strong link to circadian biology. 

Consider Supplementation

There is nothing that can magically fix your sleep, but you can consider a few sleep supplements to improve the quality of your sleep. There are millions of sleep supplements, so how do you know which one to choose? Some people recommend melatonin, but you ideally want the body to produce sufficient amounts. The last thing you want is to depend on a supplement in order to sleep. Many people benefit from magnesium supplements or powders, while others swear by GABA, which is a neurotransmitter that helps calm the brain. Before choosing a supplement, consider talking with your healthcare provider to see if they recommend something specific and support it for healthier sleep.

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According to a January 2023 U.S. Travel Association survey, 52% of Americans said they plan to travel within the next six months. Traveling is a wonderful way to open your eyes to new cultures, cuisines, spiritual practices, and unique, memorable experiences. It helps you become a more worldly person, and it can be incredibly relaxing. 

One study found that people who were able to travel more frequently reported better mental, physical, and emotional health when compared to people who remained at home. While seeing the sun greet the day from atop dormant volcano in Indonesia is an amazing experience, the journey to your destination is not always the most pleasant. From flight or train delays to travel-related upset stomach, traveling is not always easy on the body and mind. 

Changing time zones can disrupt your circadian rhythm and airport or plane food may not always sit well. Prolonged immobility, especially on a long transatlantic flight, can lead to aches and pains. Sitting for long periods of time increases the risk of blood clots, which can be a very serious medical problem. Then there is the stress of potentially losing your luggage or becoming dehydrated! You see, travel isn’t always glamor and glitz! That said, we have a few helpful hacks in this article to make your travel experience healthier and more comfortable. 

Consider A Pair Of Compression Socks

Long hours driving on a road trip or endless hours on a plane can be rough on the body. According to research, slipping on a pair of compression socks can help reduce leg swelling and decrease the risk of blood clots. If you don’t move for a long period of time, the risk of blood clots is much greater.

Pack Some High Fiber Snacks

It can be hard to find healthy snacks when you’re on the go, which is why travel experts encourage you to bring your own. Airport, gas station, and train station snacks can be limited to salty chips, candy, and sugary bars. When packing your clothes, shoes, and accessories before your trip, make sure to add some dried apricots, cashews, walnuts, or even some prunes. Prunes are naturally rich in fiber and don’t take up a ton of space in your bag. Plus, you may need them in case a traveler’s constipation strikes. 

Move When You Can

When you travel by plane, train, or bus, you don’t have a lot of opportunities to move. For this reason, make the most of your time between stops. On a layover between flights? Walk around the airport or consider doing some bodyweight exercises in an uncrowded portion of a gate area. Bypass moving walkways and take the stairs instead of cruising up escalators. Taking a break from your normal workout routine is very standard while traveling, but if you are inspired to engage in a quick workout in the hotel gym, we encourage it! That said, you tend to do a lot of walking while on vacation, and getting those steps in is great for your body, but be sure to stretch to avoid pain. 

Bring An Eye Mask And Travel Pillow

These are two essential items that you should travel with for several reasons. First off, a travel pillow during transit can help you relax more easily on planes. Additionally, it helps to prop your neck up so it doesn’t keep dropping to one side. Plus, you won’t wake up with a kink in your neck from it drooping in a weird way. An eye mask may also help you sleep on a plane, especially if the flight crew doesn’t dim the lights. It can also be beneficial to wear at your hotel, hostel, or AirBnB, especially if your room doesn’t have great curtains or shades.

Seek Out Morning Sun

There are many health experts that encourage stepping out into the sunlight every morning. This is a crucial first step for the morning after you land because staring in the sun’s general direction can help signal your brain that it is time to be awake. Within an hour of waking up, get some sunlight exposure because it helps to reset the body’s circadian rhythm. Not only does this help you feel more energized during the day, but it also signals the body to produce melatonin (the hormone necessary for sleep) about 12 hours later. 

Adjust Your Sleep Schedule

When you finally arrive at your destination, especially if the journey was long, it can be very tempting to crawl into bed and fall asleep. Travel experts warn against this if you want to establish a better circadian rhythm in your travel destination. It is best to start sleeping according to your destination’s time zone as soon as possible. This can be challenging, especially if you arrive early in the morning after a long day of traveling. You should also try to maintain your regular routines, whatever they may be. That may include reading or meditation as soon as you wake up or before you go to sleep. Try to eat your meals and snacks at the same times you do when you’re at home as well.

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It’s a common occurrence to scroll through your phone until you are ready to go to sleep. Some people enjoy a few sessions of Candy Crush, while others like to peruse the Gram. No matter the phone activity, staring at a screen until you need to go to bed can lead to an inability to fall asleep. That’s why sleep experts say that it is imperative to create a screen-free bedtime routine. 

How can you avoid screens when they are so easily accessible? It’s very easy to unconsciously stare at your phone, answering emails, liking texts, and commenting on videos or pictures. Looking at your phone seems like a harmless habit, but staring at a screen stimulates the brain, delaying REM sleep. When the brain revs up in that way, it can keep you awake way past your normal bedtime. And if you can’t fall asleep? Well, you may just start scrolling through your phone again. 

How Your Phone Impacts Your Sleep

Smartphones make your life easier and they can be incredibly useful. They entertain you when you’re bored and serve as an informational source. The one major problem is that they are hard to put down because they are so amazing. They keep your mind engaged, stimulating your brain with information and light stimulation. The act of checking your phone stimulates the brain as much as the light does. The anticipation of that text chime or notification sound also inhibits your ability to relax and fall asleep. 

Some Content Can Cause Intense Emotions

If you fall asleep in a peaceful, relaxing setting, you will enter sleep in that way. When you engage with your phone too close to bedtime, it can negatively impact those positive feelings. Scrolling through social media can spark outrage or make you feel a certain way about yourself. The stress and anxiety that tend to accompany social media scrolling can easily disrupt sleep. Seeing something right before bed that makes you excited and happy is not conducive to sleep. That response delays REM sleep and you may just end up staring at the ceiling for hours. 

You Wake Up Feeling Groggy And Tired

Research indicates that screen time before bed can make you feel tired and groggy when you wake up in the morning. It’s almost as if your brain isn’t firing on all cylinders and energy levels are low. As previously mentioned, scrolling through TikTok or Instagram at night can open your mind to a whirlwind of emotions. When you cannot fall asleep easily, you get less sleep and the quality of your sleep isn’t as good after a scroll session. Lack of sleep causes decreased mental function and irritability, so you won’t be very productive as you go about your day. 

The Light From Your Phone Disrupts Sleep

The artificial color that your screen emits is blue light, which mimics daylight. Blue light is excellent during the day, as it signals your brain to make you feel more alert. You don’t want feelings of alertness when you are falling asleep, though. Looking at your phone until bedtime can suppress melatonin production. Melatonin is a hormone responsible for controlling your sleep-wake cycle. When the body is low on melatonin, you can experience insomnia and tiredness during the day. On top of all that, studies have shown that the blue light from your phone is also bad for your vision. In fact, an animal study found that blue light can be toxic to retina photosensitive cells, which are irreplaceable. More human studies are necessary, though.

Your Phone Keeps Your Mind Engaged

Checking your phone stimulates your brain. The last thing you need when you turn off the lights is more stimulation and information. Besides the alertness you get from the light of the screen, thinking about your phone and potential notifications keeps your brain on high alert. Each notification, especially if your phone lights up and distracts you from the darkness, jolts you out of potential sleep. Face your phone down and put it away from your pillow when going to bed for that reason.

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Getting sunlight in your eyes first thing in the morning may not be what you want, but it’s something you need. Researchers note that morning sunlight exposure helps reset your body’s internal clock, helping cue the body that it’s time to wake up. By that logic, you cue the body to be more awake and help it figure out when it’s time to go to bed once the sun goes down. Sunlight exposure is not just beneficial for your sleep; rather, it can lead to benefits that we detail in this article. 

Let us be clear when we say that you should not stare directly into the sun, as that can damage your eyes. Be outside, ideally walking for about 10-30 minutes in the morning, to promote hormonal balance and metabolic wellbeing. The reason that you incorporate a walk into your morning sunlight exposure is to promote optic flow. Walking stimulates neurons in the eyes that communicate to the brain that it is daytime and time to be alert. That sets your body’s biological responses on the right path. 

How long you stay outside will ultimately depend on the brightness level. If it is very bright, two minutes per day is the minimum. Even if it is a cloudy day, you can benefit from heading outside in the morning. Note that experts do not want you to wear sunglasses because you should not shield your eyes from natural light. Seeing the light promotes a spike in healthy cortisol, which promotes wakefulness and optimal immune function. This spike will happen every 24 hours, but do your best to decide when it happens, i.e. when you first see sunlight. 

Helps Improve Sleep

When you expose yourself to sunlight in the morning, nocturnal melatonin production occurs sooner. That means that you go to sleep more easily when night time comes around. Although melatonin production has seasonal variation because of light availability, you can advance the melatonin rhythm phase via morning sunlight exposure. Studies found that this may be an effective strategy to ward off insomnia, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), and premenstrual syndrome. By making cortisol in the morning, the body avoids having a surplus at night, making it easier to go to sleep. Plus, sunlight helps the body make serotonin, which is a precursor to melatonin!

Enhances Your Mood

As previously mentioned, sunlight can help boost the production of serotonin, which is a feel good brain chemical. One of the best ways to control the release of this chemical is via morning sunlight exposure. According to research, serotonin plays an active role in the treatment of depression. By exposing the body to full spectrum sunlight in the morning, it produces serotonin, which improves mood throughout the day. Outdoor light, even on a cloudy day, delivers more lux than indoor light. For example, rainy days still produce lux levels of 1,000 or more, which is greater than any indoor light can produce. On sunny summer days, outdoor light can deliver 1,000 times brighter than any indoor light.

Immune Cell Regulation

The immune system has a complex list of different cells. If a certain cell doesn’t function or exists in imbalanced amounts, the immune system either becomes suppressed or stimulated, increasing the risk of inflammatory conditions, autoimmune disorders, or even cancer. UV exposure works to increase T-regulatory cell activity. These immune cells basically tell other immune cell types to stay calm. By supporting immune system regulation, you can protect your overall health and reduce the risk of excessive inflammation. 

Improves Metabolic Function

Metabolic syndrome relates to blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and many other health issues. Type 2 diabetes and heart disease are associated with poor glucose metabolism, which means that the body cannot break down and use glucose. Statistics show that about 20-30% of people worldwide deal with metabolic syndrome; however, sunlight exposure may aid normal metabolic function. Studies on this subject are ongoing, but past studies indicate that regular sunlight exposure helps balance circadian rhythm, which supports appetite regulation and overall metabolic markers. 

May Improve Skin Health

UVB light may improve skin health, especially in people who suffer from inflammatory skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis. One study found mast cells play a critical role in calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) mediated immune suppression. That may explain why sun exposure may effectively remedy symptoms of psoriasis. This skin condition can cause flaky, scaly patches on the skin because skin cells grow too fast. Researchers confirmed that UVB light slows this overactive growth by calming inflammation. The same anti-inflammatory effects may also help reduce eczema symptoms, potentially by correcting vitamin D deficiency on the skin.

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What do you usually do after you finish a big meal? If you’re like most people, then you probably did a whole lot of lounging or sitting. Whether you drove to work after breakfast, sat at your computer during lunch, or watched TV after dinner, sitting after you eat is quite common. 

According to health experts and studies, taking a short walk after you eat can benefit your health in myriad ways. In fact, taking a short walk after each meal is a growing trend within the health and fitness community. Research suggests that taking a short walk after eating can help manage a person’s blood glucose levels. Additionally, moderate daily exercise can help reduce gas and bloating, improve sleep, and enhance heart function.

Ideally, a post-meal walk should be quite gentle. You don’t need to run around the block five times or head to a CrossFit class after you eat. Experts say that a walk where you get about 100 steps per minute is the perfect exercise after you eat. Gently increasing the speed of your walk is great because it pulls circulation away from the digestive system toward the working muscles. That can help delay digestion and lead to some of the following benefits. 

Stabilize Blood Sugar Levels

Taking a walk after you eat may help to improve blood sugar levels. This is especially beneficial for people with type 1 and 2 diabetes, conditions that impair blood sugar processing. Exercising after a meal may help prevent blood sugar spikes, which ultimately reduces the amount of insulin or oral medications required. A 2022 review found that a few minutes of light-intensity walking after a meal significantly reduced blood sugar spikes and crashes a couple hours after eating, compared to sitting post-meal. Walking helps you burn calories and stimulates the stomach and bowels to process the foods you eat more quickly. 

Feel Less Bloated And Gassy

Do you suffer from tummy troubles after a meal? Well, sitting down or lounging on the couch is not conducive to getting rid of the pain. A 2021 study found that walking for 10-15 minutes following a meal was able to reduce gastrointestinal distress, including gas, bloating, belching, and cramping. When the body digests food, microorganisms in your bowels break down food and produce gas as a byproduct. Gas exits the body in the form of burps or farts, to put it bluntly. When you walk after a meal, you can help digest food faster, so it won’t have time to sit and marinate in your gut bacteria. Researchers say that decreasing the amount of time food spends in your bowels can help reduce gas buildup. Plus, movement helps reduce backups in your digestive tract, which can prevent bloating and bowel stretching. 

Promote Good Mood Hormones

In order to get the positive endorphins flowing, a lot of people think that you have to push your body and sweat profusely. A simple five miles per hour walk can start the production of those feel good hormones. Walking after dinner can also help release serotonin, a neurotransmitter that promotes better sleep and regulates appetite. Studies found that serotonin can enhance memory and learning, while also increasing positive feelings. 

Improve Sleep Quality

Improving the digestive process is a great benefit of taking a walk after a meal, but everyone benefits from better sleep. It’s interesting that a large meal can tempt you to curl up and fall asleep faster, but that can ultimately lead to an upset stomach and poor sleep. When you walk after you eat, you promote faster and deeper sleep because serotonin is a precursor to melatonin. Taking the time to get your steps in after a meal can make your nighttime Zzz’s a whole lot better. Research indicates that a post-meal walk can be as beneficial as insomnia medication. An older study found that long-term, regular exercise decreased the time it took for older adults to fall asleep. Going for a walk after you eat can also benefit people who don’t suffer from insomnia. Light, aerobic activity can increase the amount of slow-wave, deep sleep a person gets at night.

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Pool time and long days of sunshine near extinction as we make our way deeper into the autumn season. Kids are back in school, spooky season is in full swing, and the holidays are lurking around the corner. If you feel more anxious during fall, you aren’t alone because autumn anxiety is a real thing. Since there is no singular external trigger, autumn anxiety is unlike other forms of anxiety; rather, it tends to occur annually when fall rolls around. 

Some people don’t realize how common autumn anxiety actually is, and some don’t even recognize the symptoms. If you notice that it occurs every year, the pattern is obvious and you should take steps to prevent it. Some of the most common symptoms of autumn anxiety include: 

• Anxiety and excessive worry
• Lethargy, sleepiness, and fatigue
• Low mood and depression
• Loss of interest in everyday activities
• Irritability 

What Is The Reason For Autumn Anxiety?

Experts point out that one of the primary causes of autumn anxiety is that there is less daylight, which decreases serotonin levels. Serotonin is a hormone that affects appetite, mood, and sleep patterns. The increase in melatonin, which is attributed to the darker days, also increases feelings of sleepiness and depression. Additionally, you may experience a decrease in vitamin D levels, and studies show that low levels of this vitamin increases the risk of depression and behavioral changes. Fortunately, you can tame autumn anxiety by identifying what your personal triggers are. Put a plan in place to manage these triggers before they overwhelm you. Hopefully, the following tips help you beat anxiety this fall. 

Reframe Your Outlook

Don’t immediately view the fall season in a negative light, or you will surely start to head down an unhealthy path. Try to reframe your outlook and focus on what there is to gain versus what you lose during autumn. Instead of thinking, “Oh no it’s colder, darker, and I’ll have to be stuck inside,” try to reframe that thought to, “I’ll be warm, cozy, and with loved ones more often.” Establish a healthier environment in your home by hanging some fall decor, putting autumn-colored accent pillows on the couch, or draping a warm throw blanket on your chair. In doing so, you take what feels like a loss and reframe it in a more positive light. 

Stop Anticipating Problems

If you want to stop dealing with autumn anxiety, stop anticipating problems. Don’t worry about autumn being awful or potential problems that may occur. By anticipating that things will go wrong, you start to spin out of control into an anxious flurry, if you will. You can only manage what happens in the present, so don’t try to jump into the future to manage things that haven’t happened yet. Several health experts recommend practicing mindfulness exercises to help manage stress and remain in the present. When you direct your focus to the present moment, you only worry about what happens in the now. If anxious thoughts about the future start to creep their way into your mind, bring your awareness to something that anchors you in the present. Follow your breath and take a minute to relax. 

Get More Light

Lack of light is one of the primary reasons people experience autumn anxiety. Fall is not completely dark, though. There are many beautiful sunny days that give you the opportunity to absorb natural light, but it’s your job to get outside. Instead of a morning run, consider a walk on your lunch break. Researchers also suggest using a light box, which is a bright lamp that you use for 30 minutes a day to expose the eyes to extra light. If you suffer from seasonal affective disorder, you may also want to consider light therapy.

Talk To A Professional

There is no reason to feel shame about seeking professional help, and nobody should make you feel bad about doing so. Cognitive behavioral therapy is an effective way to help treat anxiety and seasonal affective disorder, which tends to start in autumn. This is because of the anticipatory anxiety you experience about the upcoming holiday season and the shorter days. Don’t wait until things spiral out of control and you have difficulty controlling your anxiety or depression. If you start to feel depressed or anxious, take action to improve your mood! There are so many services available and you don’t even have to leave your house to talk to someone.

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In today’s day and age, it’s often necessary to press pause on social media platforms and press play on real life. Whether it’s TikTok, Twitter, or Instagram, endless scrolling can leave you feeling jittery, stressed, and on edge. Too many people spend more time browsing social media feeds than they do engaging with people face to face. The constant scrolling is very negative, which is why taking a break from social media can benefit your health. 

You may not think that you are a social media addict, but how many times do you check your social platforms on a daily basis? Do you search memes or mindlessly scroll through reels when out at a restaurant? Is capturing the moment on your phone more important than experiencing it through your own eyes? If this describes you, it’s time to take a break from social media. 

What Is A Social Media Cleanse?

Basically, a social media cleanse is a fancy way of saying “taking a break” from social media. “Cleanse” is a buzzword, which is why a lot of health websites use it in regards to things like a social media cleanse. A hiatus from the Twitterverse, for example, can last for a week or months; it really just depends on your Internet habits. Mental health experts explain that taking a break can help reduce the risk of addictive habits or behaviors. Notifications, messages, likes, and comments are little dopamine jolts. These can feel good, but the negative attention, or lack thereof, on social media can send you into a downward spiral. When you take a break from the screen, you may experience the following benefits. 

You May Sleep Better

There are many people who sleep with their phone, clutching it like a child cuddling a stuffed animal. Some people scroll their way to sleep, while others cannot sleep because they scroll right up until bedtime. Artificial light from your phone or screen can interfere with the body’s melatonin production. This hormone is responsible for helping you fall asleep, so looking into the social media void can make this process very difficult for your body. Separating yourself from social media will not only lead to less time in front of your screen, but it may also aid your sleep. 

Curb Your FOMO

Fear of missing out (FOMO) is the daunting feeling you get when you’re plugged into your device. Psychologists say that linking up to a large social media network can make where you are in the world feel like it’s the wrong place to be. Naturally, you experience FOMO, but professors at Kent State University say that where you are in the moment is often the right place to be. That said, the absence of social media can create FOMO because you worry that you are missing a friend’s wedding announcement or baby shower celebration. Sometimes, though, you just need to unplug to appreciate that you are supposed to be exactly where you are. 

Improve Your Self-Esteem

Constantly scrolling through social media can cause many people to compare lives, bodies, and achievements with everyone else. Friends and influencers alike can make it seem like your life isn’t going the way it should, or that it doesn’t measure up in quality. According to scientists, this constant comparison leads to high rates of depression. A digital detox can help you focus on yourself and reconnect with the people, things, or places that make you happy. Freeing yourself from comparison is often one of the best things you can do for mental health and self-esteem. 

Free Up Your Time

If you stop scrolling, you can free up space in your life to complete other things, which you may avoid. Get out from behind the screen and take a walk, clean your kitchen, organize your closet, rearrange your living room, or go to the gym. You never know what possibilities exist outside of the screen if you never take a break. You may find that you want to devote more time to painting, practicing an instrument, volunteering, or hanging out with friends. The social media-free world has so much to offer, so what will you do?

You May Relax More Easily

As we mentioned earlier, excessive social media use can lead to issues with self-esteem, but it can also lead to loneliness, depression, and stress. A 2017 meta-analysis examined 61 studies that examined social media’s relation to mental health. The researchers found that social media may not affect everyone the same way, arguing that people may not experience depression or self-esteem issues. However, psychologists suggest that taking a break from social media can help reduce anxiety. It lessens the obligations to respond or comment, which can become stressful.

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If the warm summer temperatures and high humidity have been messing with your sleep, you are not alone. Record temperatures continue to sweep various parts of the United States and Europe. In the words of Glenn Frey, “The heat is on.” The surge in temperatures and changes in sunrise and sunset can affect sleep quality and sleep duration. That’s why experts encourage people to employ certain strategies that make sleeping during warmer weather easier. 

Why Is It Difficult To Sleep In The Heat?

Sleep experts say that the ideal temperature for sleep is 65º F, give or take a couple degrees. It is completely normal for body temperature to drop a little during sleep, and a cool environment promotes a better night’s sleep. It is natural for the body to produce melatonin before you go to sleep. This process causes the body’s core temperature to drop in order to experience sound sleep. Hot weather can interrupt this process and make it more difficult to fall asleep and enter deep sleep, making it harder to stay asleep at night. This is why people have an easier time sleeping during winter than they do during summer. 

Maintaining a lower body temperature during sleep in the summer can prove challenging, but there are things you can do to help this process. Beat the heat, and the humidity, and incorporate one or more of the following tips into your nighttime routine to sleep better this summer.

Invite The Air Inside

Well, this tip really only applies if the air outside is fresh enough to invite inside your home. If the breeze is beautiful and cool, open up those windows! Opening up the windows will also depend on how safe you feel with the windows open while you sleep. Additionally, if it is very noisy outside, you may not want to have the windows open. Another option is to open the windows in your bedroom before you go to sleep and put a fan near them. When you’re ready for bed, close the window, or leave it slightly ajar, and keep the fan going. 

Shower Off Before Bedtime

Want to help cool your body down before bed? A systematic review of 5,322 studies in 2019 found that taking a lukewarm shower one to two hours before bed significantly improved sleep. The body feels colder after leaving the shower and it will accelerate the cool-down process that prepares it for sleep. You don’t need a steaming hot shower; rather, a warm shower between 104 and 109 degrees F is perfect. 

Sleep In The Nude

If the nights are warm where you live, wearing clothing to go to bed will only increase body temperature. Plus, the heat will only increase if you sleep under sheets and a comforter or blanket. There isn’t a lot of scientific evidence about the effects of sleeping naked, but anecdotal reports say that people sleep better in the nude. Without clothing, the body can maintain a lower core temperature more easily. If you don’t want to sleep in your birthday suit, try sleeping in pajamas made from fibers like light wool, silk, or cotton. A 2019 study found that people who slept in natural fibers instead of synthetic fibers were able to fall asleep faster. 

Lay Low

You don’t have to dodge the sleep police or anything like that. What we mean by “lay low” in regards to sleep is that you may want to sleep lower to the ground. The Japanese futon, for example, is a bed that traditionally goes directly on the floor. The ground is always cooler, especially if you have tile or cement floors. You don’t have to lay on the floor because there are many low-to-the-ground bed options these days. 

Use A Dehumidifier And A Fan

If you do not have air conditioning, or your AC unit isn’t powerful enough, try to place a bowl of cold water and ice in your bedroom. Position the fan behind the bowl and face it toward the bed to increase the fan’s cooling effects. Now, if you live in a very humid area, do your best to keep humidity levels at or below 50-60%. The National Asthma Council Australia stated that optimal indoor humidity levels are between 30-50%. A dehumidifier in the room can help with moisture control and may create a more pleasant sleeping environment. 

Invest In The Right Mattress And Pillow

You spend one-third of your life in bed, so it pays to invest in a quality mattress and pillow. How comfortable you feel in bed can dictate how you sleep, and how easily you fall asleep. Thick foam mattresses tend to absorb and trap body heat, which can overheat the sleeper. There are new mattresses that have cooling layers or ways to release heat that your body generates. The same can be said for pillows. Do your research and try to sleep on mattresses and pillows that help keep the body cool.

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It’s very easy to feel defeated if you regularly lift weights and don’t seem to put on muscle. So what do you do to improve your gains? You increase the volume of your workouts, but still don’t see the results you desire. What’s the reason for this? Slinging all that weight around has to be doing something, or why else would you be in the gym?

Oftentimes, your ability to grow your muscles has more to do with what you do outside the gym. What you do in the gym also plays into your muscle-building goals, and this relates to how you structure your workouts. And many people forget that you don’t simply build muscle overnight. This is a lengthy process that requires a certain equation to yield your desired results. In this article, we’ll highlight the five primary reasons that you aren’t gaining muscle, even though you regularly work out. 

You Don’t Eat Enough Calories

If you want to gain muscle, you have to eat, plain and simple. The body cannot be in a caloric deficit if you want to maintain or grow your muscle size. The first thing that the body does after a workout session is repair muscle fibers and then prioritize other biological processes. If it still has resources and energy leftover, then it will put effort into building muscle. In a 2016 study, scientists monitored men who wanted to lose weight and gain muscle. The men were able to succeed with this goal by increasing their protein intake and doing more intense strength training. Protein isn’t everything; rather, you need to eat enough calories, many of which should come from complex carbohydrates and healthy fats. In order to grow muscle, you need adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which you only get by having glycogen in your cells, and that comes from eating carbohydrates. Consider increasing your caloric intake by 200 to 300 calories per day if you want to gain muscle. 

You Are Under Too Much Stress

There are many things that cause stress, including work deadlines, relationships, or not meeting your muscle growth goals. Too much stress in the body can put it in a state where anabolic processes, including muscle building and sex drive, start declining. If you live in a state of chronic stress, your hormonal levels are likely imbalanced. This hormonal imbalance decreases anabolic hormones, which promote the growth of lean mass, and increases muscle-destroying hormones, according to a 2015 study. A 2014 study also found that stress can make it more difficult for muscles to contract. If your muscles can’t contract as hard, it becomes difficult for them to grow. 

You Don’t Get Sufficient Sleep

If you do not allow the body enough time to rest, you ultimately hinder your ability to build muscle. Any personal trainer will tell you that rest is necessary. If you sleep less than seven hours per night, you decrease testosterone levels, which reduces protein synthesis. Testosterone is a hormone that the body needs to build muscle, which many workout studies confirm. Try to average seven hours of sleep each night of the week because restorative zzz’s encourage muscle growth and recovery. The different stages of sleep have effects on the release of melatonin and antioxidants. Failure to release sufficient melatonin and antioxidants can cause you to build up reactive oxygen species, which cause inflammation in the body. Too much inflammation inhibits your ability to build muscle. 

You’ve Been Training For Too Long

Spending your entire day in the gym does not cater to your gains. The gym is not your second home, meaning you need to take time to properly relax and recover. The body already has the challenge of recovering between your workouts. If you spend too much time working out in the gym, the body is unable to recover properly, which adds to your stress levels. If you don’t cheat your sets and do the proper compound movements, you can get plenty of work done in 60 minutes. Too many sets and hours in the gym can actually hinder your muscle growth process. Focus on your workouts, do the work, and then go home to rest. 

You Eat Too Fast

This sounds like a silly reason, but inhaling your food may contribute to your inability to gain muscle. When you eat too quickly, you overhaul the body’s natural hunger cues, meaning the body doesn’t know if it is hungry or full. The digestive system has six primary activities and it starts when you see food. The salivary glands activate before you even put food in your mouth. Once you eat your food, you can moisten and dissolve the food, and carbohydrates start to break down. The body releases lipase to release and break down lipids before you swallow through the process of lipolysis. After swallowing, the pharynx moves the food into the esophagus, where it moves the food to the stomach. If you don’t chew your food well enough because you eat too fast, the body skips those first steps that help break down food. You are only as good as the food you absorb, and the necessary digestive functions need to occur for proper absorption.

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