Nail biting in all its various forms is problematic behavior beset by peculiarity and contradiction. Technically speaking, the correct word for nail biting is ONYCHOPHAGIA.
Nail biting typically begins between the ages of 5 and 10 and is common among children as well as adults.
One of the more noteworthy and generally surprising things about nail biting is its high instance. It crosses every social and economic barrier. Prevalence figures for children are much higher than for adults.
Results of nail biting can result in short, ragged nails. It may also lead to damaged cuticles as well as bleeding around the edges of the nails. Infections can also develop if nails are not properly attended to.
Most relevant studies have found that nail biting tends to peak out around puberty. A study by Malon and Massmer studied the behavior in the Chicago school systems and reported that nail biting is prevalent in about 60 percent of children age eight to eleven.
Most people agree it is a learned habit, perhaps picked up by watching a parent or someone else biting their nails. Nail biting is an extremely tough habit to break and treatment for it varies.
One possible solution is identifying the reason for nail biting. Avoidance or modification of these situations can be beneficial to the eventual elimination of the habit.
Improving self-esteem is also helpful when attempting to break the habit. Products such as CONTROL-IT are available on the market and are designed to aid nail biters in breaking their habit. According to www.stopbitingnails.com , CONTROL-IT is a gentle and natural alternative to help prevent biting. A mild unpleasant taste helps to remind users to stop biting their nails.
A host of research efforts both in America and Europe sought to ascertain if in fact nail biting was linked to mental illness in one form or another. Most people would have anticipated they found a high prevalence of nail biting among the mentally disordered; however, they found that nail biting, in and of itself, is not systematic of any form of mental disorder or maladjustment.
Nail biting crosses all national borders, genders, and both social and economic lines and may also originate from a primal need for self-grooming. It affects both the nails and the cuticles; with greater potential harm caused via infection to the cuticle and nail biting tends to be a private affair, and is a relatively isolated form of self-indulgence.
Nail biting may be treated addressing symptom rather than cause; it is a habit, not a disease.
Thursday, 27 August 2015
Giving up Insomnia.
Self-inflicted insomnia is easily cured. What I call "real" insomnia is a beast of a much deeper hue, debilitating and much harder to defeat. Even so, it is not impossible to overcome and there is a whole range of things you can do to get the upper hand.
Here I should state that I do not pretend to have any special medical or therapeutic knowledge and I would not advise anybody to stop taking their prescribed medication. I am just sharing my experiences in the hope that they might help other people who are struggling through wakeful nights.
The following tips for getting off to sleep are pretty well known but I think they are worth repeating.
1. Keep the bedroom just for bed with no reminders of daytime activities like work or study. Decorate the room in restful colours and use soft lighting. Make sure the temperature is comfortable and the ventilation adequate. Hang curtains which are heavy enough to block out the early morning light.
2. Have a bedtime routine. This does not involve doing anything special, it is just a matter of doing the same things in the same order each night. We all have things we do regularly: empty the dishwasher, put out the cat, lock the front door, set the alarm, brush teeth etc. These routine things are our steps away from the activity of the day, towards the restful night.
3. Make a soak in a warm bath part of your nightly ritual. Adding a few drops of aromatherapy oil to the water makes it doubly relaxing, soft background music makes the experience positively decadent.
4. Don't drink alcohol late at night. A nightcap might make you feel drowsy but it will disrupt your natural sleep rhythms and exacerbate your problem.
5. A warm milky drink is the best thing to have last thing at night. (Yes, our mothers were right when they made us drink cocoa.) There are tons of instant milky drinks available and most ranges have low fat options. If you don't like this milky, chocolatey type of drink, try out herbal teas but avoid anything containing caffeine.
6. Exercise is important but should be performed several hours before bedtime otherwise the adrenaline will still be pumping around your system and keeping you awake.
What if you follow the above tips, fall peacefully asleep and then wake up three hours later, in the dark middle of the night? To me, this is the most distressing type of insomnia. I know how it feels to wake up at 2.00 am, listen to the clock chime every hour round to 7.00 am, fall asleep and be rudely awakened by the alarm at 7.30. I always feel worse after that final snatched half hour of sleep than I felt in the middle of the night and sometimes get up insanely early to avoid it. The following tips can help you get back to sleep.
1. Recognise why you are awake. If you are too hot, cold or uncomfortable in any way, fix that problem. I often wake up thirsty, so I always have a jug of water at my bedside. Sometimes a drink of water is all that's needed to get back to sleep.
2. Relax by breathing slowly and deeply and by concentrating on tensing and then relaxing every muscle in your body, one by one, starting with toes and working upwards to your head.
3. Keep a pen and paper by your bed so if you are worrying about things you have to do, you can write them down in a list. This way you can stop worrying about forgetting anything important. As you write each thing down, visualise it leaving your brain and lodging itself on paper where you will find it safely in the morning. I find this exercise helps a lot if I have things on my mind.
If all this fails, you have been awake for over half an hour and know you are in for a long wakeful night; give up, get up, go do things. You won't feel any worse and you will probably feel better. There is no point in wasting those hours just lying there worrying about insomnia. If you feel sleepy further into the night, you can always go back to bed.
"If you can't sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there and worrying. It's the worry that gets you, not the loss of sleep". -- Dale Carnegie.
If you have commitments which prevent you from using this "cure", I suggest you give it a try over a holiday, weekend or any other time you can manage to be home for three or more consecutive days. You will not find sleep if you search for it or worry about it, relax and it will come to you.
Here I should state that I do not pretend to have any special medical or therapeutic knowledge and I would not advise anybody to stop taking their prescribed medication. I am just sharing my experiences in the hope that they might help other people who are struggling through wakeful nights.
The following tips for getting off to sleep are pretty well known but I think they are worth repeating.
1. Keep the bedroom just for bed with no reminders of daytime activities like work or study. Decorate the room in restful colours and use soft lighting. Make sure the temperature is comfortable and the ventilation adequate. Hang curtains which are heavy enough to block out the early morning light.
2. Have a bedtime routine. This does not involve doing anything special, it is just a matter of doing the same things in the same order each night. We all have things we do regularly: empty the dishwasher, put out the cat, lock the front door, set the alarm, brush teeth etc. These routine things are our steps away from the activity of the day, towards the restful night.
3. Make a soak in a warm bath part of your nightly ritual. Adding a few drops of aromatherapy oil to the water makes it doubly relaxing, soft background music makes the experience positively decadent.
4. Don't drink alcohol late at night. A nightcap might make you feel drowsy but it will disrupt your natural sleep rhythms and exacerbate your problem.
5. A warm milky drink is the best thing to have last thing at night. (Yes, our mothers were right when they made us drink cocoa.) There are tons of instant milky drinks available and most ranges have low fat options. If you don't like this milky, chocolatey type of drink, try out herbal teas but avoid anything containing caffeine.
6. Exercise is important but should be performed several hours before bedtime otherwise the adrenaline will still be pumping around your system and keeping you awake.
What if you follow the above tips, fall peacefully asleep and then wake up three hours later, in the dark middle of the night? To me, this is the most distressing type of insomnia. I know how it feels to wake up at 2.00 am, listen to the clock chime every hour round to 7.00 am, fall asleep and be rudely awakened by the alarm at 7.30. I always feel worse after that final snatched half hour of sleep than I felt in the middle of the night and sometimes get up insanely early to avoid it. The following tips can help you get back to sleep.
1. Recognise why you are awake. If you are too hot, cold or uncomfortable in any way, fix that problem. I often wake up thirsty, so I always have a jug of water at my bedside. Sometimes a drink of water is all that's needed to get back to sleep.
2. Relax by breathing slowly and deeply and by concentrating on tensing and then relaxing every muscle in your body, one by one, starting with toes and working upwards to your head.
3. Keep a pen and paper by your bed so if you are worrying about things you have to do, you can write them down in a list. This way you can stop worrying about forgetting anything important. As you write each thing down, visualise it leaving your brain and lodging itself on paper where you will find it safely in the morning. I find this exercise helps a lot if I have things on my mind.
If all this fails, you have been awake for over half an hour and know you are in for a long wakeful night; give up, get up, go do things. You won't feel any worse and you will probably feel better. There is no point in wasting those hours just lying there worrying about insomnia. If you feel sleepy further into the night, you can always go back to bed.
"If you can't sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there and worrying. It's the worry that gets you, not the loss of sleep". -- Dale Carnegie.
If you have commitments which prevent you from using this "cure", I suggest you give it a try over a holiday, weekend or any other time you can manage to be home for three or more consecutive days. You will not find sleep if you search for it or worry about it, relax and it will come to you.
Bad Breath: Think You Don' t Have Bad Breath? Guess Again!
Bad breath can rule your life and what others think about you. We've all spoken to someone with bad breath. Chances are you looked away, smiled politely and tried to get away as quickly as possible from the offensive odor. More than likely you were embarrassed for that person, who seemed to be clueless about their bad breath. Even the most stunning, funny, charming person in the world can develop bad breath (halitosis) and make people within range cringe and look away. You could be delivering a speech on how to cure some of the most wide-spread and growing diseases, but if your breath smells, people will focus on that offense and not the achievement you're speaking of. This is a sad, but true, reality of bad breath.
Don't Have Bad Breath? How Sure Are You?
Do you have bad breath? If you answered no, how do you know this? Did you cup your hands, blow into them and take a big whiff? Blowing in your hands will keep them warm, but it is a myth that it predicts bad or clean breath. So many factors can lead to bad breath that just because you didn't have bad breath last week doesn't mean you haven't developed it this week. For example, perhaps you have a cold this week. Did you know that post nasal drip and excess mucous, as well as allergy/sinus medications, can all lead to bad breath?
Breath Mints Aren't That Mighty
Most people are accustomed to adding "fresheners" to anything foul smelling. If a room smells bad, we spray air freshener. To keep bathrooms smelling good all day, we use plug in fresheners. To keep old clothes smelling nice, we use fabric softeners with strong fragrances. Sometimes the freshener can be more offensive than the foul smell, or the combination of the two makes the matter even worse. This is true with breath fresheners. People think that a "mint" will dissolve their bad breath, which is completely false.
Just because you have a strong "medicated" taste in your mouth doesn't mean your bad breath is gone. You can't "taste" good or bad breath. Makes sense, right?
Bad Breath Can Strike Anyone at Anytime
If you don't suffer from this today, it can plague you tomorrow. A great way to tell if you have bad breath is to wipe a piece of gauze on your tongue and smell it. You may even find a yellowish color on the gauze. Did you know you can't smell your own bad breath? The fact is, you can't smell your own bad breath, but others can.
Don't Have Bad Breath? How Sure Are You?
Do you have bad breath? If you answered no, how do you know this? Did you cup your hands, blow into them and take a big whiff? Blowing in your hands will keep them warm, but it is a myth that it predicts bad or clean breath. So many factors can lead to bad breath that just because you didn't have bad breath last week doesn't mean you haven't developed it this week. For example, perhaps you have a cold this week. Did you know that post nasal drip and excess mucous, as well as allergy/sinus medications, can all lead to bad breath?
Breath Mints Aren't That Mighty
Most people are accustomed to adding "fresheners" to anything foul smelling. If a room smells bad, we spray air freshener. To keep bathrooms smelling good all day, we use plug in fresheners. To keep old clothes smelling nice, we use fabric softeners with strong fragrances. Sometimes the freshener can be more offensive than the foul smell, or the combination of the two makes the matter even worse. This is true with breath fresheners. People think that a "mint" will dissolve their bad breath, which is completely false.
Just because you have a strong "medicated" taste in your mouth doesn't mean your bad breath is gone. You can't "taste" good or bad breath. Makes sense, right?
Bad Breath Can Strike Anyone at Anytime
If you don't suffer from this today, it can plague you tomorrow. A great way to tell if you have bad breath is to wipe a piece of gauze on your tongue and smell it. You may even find a yellowish color on the gauze. Did you know you can't smell your own bad breath? The fact is, you can't smell your own bad breath, but others can.
Wednesday, 26 August 2015
Handy Tips for a better Sleep
A good day usually starts and ends in a refreshing and revitalizing bout of sound sleep. Not being able to sleep then is not only exhausting, but can get extremely frustrating- especially as we watch the hours tick away, desperate for some quality shut eye. But even the most regular sleepers among us can hit a road block every now and then- the exciting night before a road trip, the anxious night before a big result is to be announced, or the odd unexpected late night where we miss our window of sleep all together. But no matter what your complaints and no matter just how good you are with your sleep, here are handy tips to help you get the best sleep ever.
1. Turn off Distractions
Do you take your phone or tablet to bed with you? Chances are these are eating into the length and quality of your sleep. Turn off the distractions and leave technology outside the bedroom to improve your snoozing experience. This not only cuts out undue rings, buzzes and distractions, but also omits blue light from the bedroom- shown to interfere with sleep patterns.
2. Be Consistent with Your Sleep
Have a sleep regime and try and stick to it; a late evening snooze might help relieve the stresses of the day but might cost you dearly when it is time to sleep at night. Also, if your body decides to switch things around, see if you can adapt your schedule to your natural sleep patterns; if not- stick to the plan till your body adjusts to it.
3. Retire Before You Hit Snooze
Crashing in bed is a blessing if sleep comes easily to you, but very often we actually need to wind down before we can guarantee a fabulous sleep. Begin retiring to your bedroom at least 45 minutes before it is time for you to sleep, taking this time to switch off and unplug from the pace and demands of the day.
4. Prep a Sleep-Friendly Environment
If you are struggling to get some good sleep, you might want to review your sleeping quarters. An uncluttered environment with a few elegant touches can make all the difference to your sleep. Nice scented bed sheets, soft lighting and even perfectly positioned pillows can help you get the best sleep of your entire life.
5. Watch What You Eat
Cut out the stimulants a few hours before bedtime. Caffeine is definitely a big no-no, but so are foods high on sugar and starch. It is best to eat by 7:00 pm in the evening to ensure your digestive tract is just as relaxed and not busy struggling with the whopper you just packed away.
6. Work Yourself into a Sound Sleep
A good workout is highly conducive to good sleep, not just because it tires you out but because it improves blood circulation, oxygen levels and flow through the body, as well as tops us up on the feel good hormones that help a good night's sleep.
7. Meditate Before Sleeping
Emptying your mind is a great way to guarantee your sleep is top quality, helping keep the anxieties and pressing demands of your life and day at bay. Meditate as you wind down for the day, realigning your mental and emotional gauges to more positive settings. Best made into a pre-sleep ritual, light meditation can help your mind and body relax, prepping you for a wonderful sleep.
So, go ahead and enjoy your sleep with sweet dreams!
1. Turn off Distractions
Do you take your phone or tablet to bed with you? Chances are these are eating into the length and quality of your sleep. Turn off the distractions and leave technology outside the bedroom to improve your snoozing experience. This not only cuts out undue rings, buzzes and distractions, but also omits blue light from the bedroom- shown to interfere with sleep patterns.
2. Be Consistent with Your Sleep
Have a sleep regime and try and stick to it; a late evening snooze might help relieve the stresses of the day but might cost you dearly when it is time to sleep at night. Also, if your body decides to switch things around, see if you can adapt your schedule to your natural sleep patterns; if not- stick to the plan till your body adjusts to it.
3. Retire Before You Hit Snooze
Crashing in bed is a blessing if sleep comes easily to you, but very often we actually need to wind down before we can guarantee a fabulous sleep. Begin retiring to your bedroom at least 45 minutes before it is time for you to sleep, taking this time to switch off and unplug from the pace and demands of the day.
4. Prep a Sleep-Friendly Environment
If you are struggling to get some good sleep, you might want to review your sleeping quarters. An uncluttered environment with a few elegant touches can make all the difference to your sleep. Nice scented bed sheets, soft lighting and even perfectly positioned pillows can help you get the best sleep of your entire life.
5. Watch What You Eat
Cut out the stimulants a few hours before bedtime. Caffeine is definitely a big no-no, but so are foods high on sugar and starch. It is best to eat by 7:00 pm in the evening to ensure your digestive tract is just as relaxed and not busy struggling with the whopper you just packed away.
6. Work Yourself into a Sound Sleep
A good workout is highly conducive to good sleep, not just because it tires you out but because it improves blood circulation, oxygen levels and flow through the body, as well as tops us up on the feel good hormones that help a good night's sleep.
7. Meditate Before Sleeping
Emptying your mind is a great way to guarantee your sleep is top quality, helping keep the anxieties and pressing demands of your life and day at bay. Meditate as you wind down for the day, realigning your mental and emotional gauges to more positive settings. Best made into a pre-sleep ritual, light meditation can help your mind and body relax, prepping you for a wonderful sleep.
So, go ahead and enjoy your sleep with sweet dreams!
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