Couples Who Sleep in the Same Bed Sleep Better, According to New Study

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A new study determined that romantic couples that sleep in the same bed at night improve the dream stage of their rest—the rapid eye movement stage. This is one of the most important stages of sleep. The brain consolidates memories during this stage, it also regulates emotions, solves problems and is one of the reasons people dream.

The study found that romantic couples who sleep together in the same bed have longer and unbroken REM periods of sleep.

The study also determined that these couples who sleep in the same bed synchronize their sleeping patterns. The researchers believe this may be a sign of relationship satisfaction and depth. The study even noted that when participants rated their relationship as having a high significance in their life that the sleep synchronization was even stronger.

The stages of sleep are all important. Scientists generally agree there are four phases of restorative sleep.

The first stage is a light sleep. In the second and longest stage people disengage from the environment around them. The third and forth stages are the deepest and most restorative. These are the stages that contain the REM dream state. Additionally during this stage the brain waves eventually emit the slow delta waves. During this slow-wave sleep memories are further processed, the immune system restores itself, the brain makes new neurons and the muscles repaired.

So, couples, snuggle up if you want the most restorative sleep.

The Health Benefits of “Souping”

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Have you heard of souping? If not the basic principle is pretty easy—essentially you eat soup often for health benefits. It is a cousin of juicing, except you are getting more fiber since you aren’t ingesting just the liquid parts of the vegetables. It is also a good way to help get in your eight glasses of water a day.

One might eat soup only, one might always have a soup appetizer, or one might have soup for one or two meals a day. With pureed veggies it is possible to consume more vegetables in a sitting. Many American diets lack enough plant-based proteins.

The average person doesn’t have anything to worry about if they choose to eat a lot of soup. However, those with heart disease, diabetes or kidney issues may want to steer clear of souping. Restricting calories may cause shifts in blood sugar or electrolytes that could complicate these conditions. If you are unsure it is best to consult with a physician before making any kind of extreme diet change.

An extreme soup fast will help kick start weight loss and healthy eating but men and women should still consume 1,500 and 1,200 calories respectively. It isn’t recommended that anyone do this for more than five days in a row.

Adding soup as an appetizer or eating soup as a meal should be OK for most people to continue long term to aid in healthier eating.

With any kind of extreme change in diet it is always best to check with your doctor first.

Widespread Assumption That Probiotics Are Beneficial Not Well Founded, New Review Finds

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A new review from the American Gastroenterological Association says that quote-unquote good bacteria we often call probiotics don’t actually do much for anyone’s gut health. This comes amid popular usage of probiotics by many. They are available OTC or by prescription almost everywhere.

Even for folks who have Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, or ulcerative colitis won’t see any benefit to taking probiotics, according to the new review.

The review does highlight a few cases for consuming probiotics the most important aspect of the review, according to its authors, are that it highlights that the widespread assumption that probiotics are good for most people is not well-founded.

One boon of reviewing so much of the existing research and probiotic studies was that the review considered the effect of each multi-strain or single-strain forms of probiotics instead of research them as a single product.

Researchers said that selecting an effective strain of probiotic to match one of the few cases in which they are more sure probiotics are helpful is difficult because the labeling on products isn’t helpful enough. This makes it difficult to choose the right product even when warranted.

While even a review of collected studies and data isn’t conclusive if someone is spending a lot of money on probiotics they may want to reconsider if it is worth the cost.

Simple Stress Reduction Techniques

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One thing you can do to reduce stress is exercise. Scientist think that this will increase blood circulation to the brain, especially areas like the amygdala and hippocampus. These regulate motivation, mood and response to stress. One thing exercise will do is release the body’s so-called feel-good hormones. Scientists have found that it only takes exercise intensity of a moderate level to reduce depression.

Some scientists believe that high impact interval exercise can actually increase stress and inflammation. This is especially true for those who are not used to exercise.
Exercise will also improve your sleep quality which is another thing you can do to relieve stress.

But it isn’t just sleeping more. You are giving your body time to go through enough cycles of sleep to repair itself.

To promote this develop a routine. One wants to teach the body and brain to calm down and get ready for bed about an hour before bedtime. Turn off your devices and TV. A warm bath or shower, reading, listening to relaxing music, meditation, light stretches are all activities that can signal your brain its almost time for sleep. Experts even say you should keep a weekend schedule as well.

Something as simple as taking deep, slow breaths can do amazing things to our brain and therefore our stress, experts said.

Taking deep breaths can do great things for our brain and therefor our stress, scientists say. Learning breathwork gives you the ability to control your own brain to an extent.
When you are able to psychologically calm yourself, you change your brainwaves. Deep breathing realigns the sympathetic system, the source of stress in the body.

These are just a few things you can do to keep yourself stress free that don’t cost you any money and that you can start working on today.

CBD

Fitness, Health Issues, Healthy Eating,

You may see ads about CBD, or even spam emails especially if you ever search for it on the internet. What exactly is CBD and what does it do or what is it used for?

CBD is short for Cannabidiol. It is found in marijuana and hemp plants. There are various ways to use it, such as inhaling, spray, in oil form, in tablet form. You can get CBD lattes, facials, lotions, gummies.

CBD won’t give you a buzz. The part of the cannabis plant that has those properties is THC. If you have side effects from Advil or Tylenol, there is a possibility you can be part of the 5% that do experience euphoria from it.

Some people use CBD for pain management. It can be used to help combat anxiety. It does not cure any diseases. Some people use it to try to help with addictions. Some studies say it helps with schizophrenia. It can also help with epilepsy.

Athletes use CBD but it has been added to banned list for professional sports in some countries, however not in the U.S. Other cannabinoids are prohibited.

CBD is not regulated so you need to be careful of where and what brand you get.

https://www.health.com/condition/pain/what-is-cbd
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/cbd-is-a-compound-found-in-hemp-plants-heres-what-researchers-know-about-its-benefits-and-risks/ar-BB14LTMF