You probably know the reasons to get enough sleep; getting enough sleep has direct positive impacts on your quality of life (you feel energetic and happy) and on your overall well-being (it’s hard to be unhappy when you feel good).
According to a 2002 poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, over 80% of Americans agree that not getting enough sleep leads to difficulty getting along with others, increased risk of injury, and decreased performance at work. Lack of sleep makes it difficult to complete tasks, makes it difficult to concentrate, and increases the risk of making poor decisions and having poor reaction times (which can lead to driving accidents, for example).
Current numbers indicate that sleep deprivation is the cause of more than 100,000 vehicle crashes per year, resulting in 1500 deaths per year.
So what’s one way to make sure you get enough sleep? Plan your life so that you can sleep enough to wake up without an alarm clock. If you need your alarm clock to wake you, it means you need more sleep than you’ve gotten that night.
Our needs for sleep change and fluctuate, so what worked well one year may not follow into the next. If you’re feeling tired, irritable, and stressed out, this will reflect in your skin. Tiredness can make you look older, contributes to dark circles under your eyes, and can reduce the health and infection-fighting ability of your skin.
If you need more sleep, make a plan to get it. Your health (and skin!) will thank you.
You’ve probably heard a alot about “Omega-3″ in terms of being a “good fat”- one that you must have in order to increase your heart health, and skin health. But did you know how omega-3 fatty acids actually work?
Simply, they contibute to the health and structural integrity of the cell membrane. The cell membrane is the barrier which keeps harmful substances out, while also acting as a pathway or passageway for transfer of nutrients into the cell, and for waste products to leave the cell.
Since the structure of this membrane influences the capacity of the cells to hold water, having a healthy barrier leads to softer, more wrinkle-free skin.
According to Nicholas V. Perricone, MD, the author of The Wrinkle Cure, omega-3 foods also help the body reduce production of compounds which lead to aging of the skin.
Dr. Perricone describes these inflammatory compounds as naturally occurring and directly involved in how the skin looks and feels. The more inflammatory compunds present in the body, the less healthy the skin will look and behave.
Other information suggests that omega-3 fatty acids may also inhibit cancel cell growth.
Foods high in omega-3 fatty acids include flax seeds, walnuts, and chinook salmon.
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The August issue of the New England Journal of Medicine published reports from UCLA researchers who found that methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureas (MRSA) is being seen more and across hospitals in the nation. MRSA is resistant to those antibiotics most commonly used to treat skin infections, such as cephalexin and dicloxacillin.
MRSA was first noted in health care settings in the 1960’s, usually among those patients who had been hospitalized or were in nursing homes long term. In the past few years, however, a new type of MRSA has emerged; this type impacts people outside of health care settings.
This new strain has been reported among military recruits, correctional facility inmates, and among athletes. The infection is becoming more common in people who are not members of any particular high risk group.
Most often, this type of MRSA shows up as a boil or pimple on the skin which may be swollen, red, painful, and exhibit discharge or pus. If you find yourself with this kind of skin condition, be sure to seek medical attention and get proper treatment.
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