The circadian rhythm regulates your level of sleepiness or wakefulness throughout the day. When it’s working properly, you should wake up feeling energized and ready to conquer the world!

An out-of-whack body clock doesn’t just make you tired. It also disrupts your brain’s wave patterns, hormone production, and cell regulation. This disruption has been linked to depression, obesity, cancer, and cardiovascular disease.

Thankfully, it is possible to reset your circadian rhythm as long as you can figure out what is throwing it off.

Do you have a regular sleep schedule?

Do you go to bed and get up at around the same time every day? An erratic sleep schedule throws off your body clock.

If you want to wake up feeling refreshed, you need to pick a bedtime and a wake-up time. Don’t just go to bed whenever you feel like it.

Having a fixed bedtime also helps you wind down. You might not always go to bed on time, but the realization that it’s “past your bedtime” helps you to relax and get ready for bed.

Do you wind down before bed?

How do you prepare for bed? If you work or watch TV up until the minute you fall asleep, your brain doesn’t get a chance to wind down.

To sleep better, you need to find a way to let your mind know that it’s time to gear down and to set aside any anxious or worrisome thoughts before bedtime.

You need a pre-sleep ritual or routine.

It could be anything from taking a warm bath to reading a book, as long as it helps you relax.

Your body and mind need 30 to 60 minutes of pre-sleep time. During that time, you should avoid doing anything stimulating, such as working or browsing the internet.

Do you turn off the lights and electronics?

This seems obvious, but many people still go to sleep with the lights, TV, computer, or phone on.

Your body’s clock responds to light. This is why you’re most alert when the sun is shining and most tired when it’s dark outside.

Artificial light, whether from indoor lights or from the phone, confuses your body and makes it difficult for it to determine whether it’s day or night.

If you go to bed expecting to wake up feeling rested and energized but wake up feeling groggy, you may need to reset your body clock. Start by analyzing your pre-sleep and sleep habits using the above pointers, and then make any necessary changes.

The post Is your Body Clock Out of Whack? appeared first on Lifestyle.

Nearly half of all caregivers have trouble balancing work and caregiving, and 20 to 40% of them suffer from depression.

But just because you’re a caregiver doesn’t mean you’re doomed to live a life of stress and burnout. It’s possible to care for a loved one without sacrificing your physical or mental health.

Ask for and accept help

Caregiving is tough work. What makes it tougher is that many caregivers don’t ask for help or accept it when it’s offered.

Why? Caregiver’s guilt. They fear that by admitting the toll caregiving is taking on them, it’ll seem like they don’t care about their loved one’s wellbeing.

Caregivers can overcome their guilt by focusing on the primary goal: keep their loved one safe, happy, and healthy.

If you can’t achieve this goal because you’re stressed, overwhelmed, exhausted, or burned-out, then it’s time to ask loved ones in your family and circle of friends for a little help.

Start by asking for help with the mundane tasks of everyday life, like cleaning and laundry.

When you’re comfortable getting help from others, it becomes easier to ask for help with heavier tasks like administering medication

Know your limits

Caregivers tend to underestimate how long something will take; this is a recipe for stress. If you overbook and overschedule yourself to the point of feeling frazzled by noon every day, your health will suffer.

Take a good long look at your schedule and do your best to overestimate how long things will take.

If you end up with a few free minutes, you can easily fill them, which is better than scrambling to get too many things done in too little time.

Also, remember to get enough sleep. Burnout happens faster if you’re not taking good care of your health.

Even if you have a lot to do during the day, set a firm bedtime for yourself and your loved one, and do your best to stick to it. Anything that isn’t an emergency can wait until the next day.

You’ll feel more alert and less stressed when well-rested. So, get your rest because lowering your stress levels is one of the keys to avoiding caregiver burnout.

Get a pet

The elderly and ailing are at risk for loneliness, so providing them with company and companionship is part of your duties as a caregiver.

Most caregivers are so busy that they have very little time to sit down and chat.

But, a well-mannered adult cat or small dog can provide extra companionship for your loved one, lower their stress levels, and boost their mood.

If the idea of getting a pet when you’re already stressed is scary, ask another family member to take on the additional responsibilities. If you explain why the pet is necessary, they’ll likely be happy to help.

Start a conversation about assisted living facilities

If your loved one’s care becomes too much for you to manage even with all the extra help, it may be time to have a conversation about moving them to an assisted living facility.

You may feel guilty for even thinking about it, but the important thing is your loved one’s health, safety, happiness, and quality of care.

Start the conversation with the facts such as cost, quality of care, and risks. Obtaining and sharing that information makes it much easier to decide what’s best for you and your loved one.

Caring for an aging or ailing loved one is one of the most rewarding things you can do, but you also need to take care of your health and wellbeing.

Avoiding burnout allows you to be fully present for your loved one, and to be a much more caring and loving caregiver.

Photo by Micheile Henderson on Unsplash

The post 4 Ways to Avoid Caregiver Burnout appeared first on Lifestyle.

It goes without saying that your morning sets the tone for the rest of the day. The more productive your morning, the likelier you will have a more productive rest of the day.

Studies by the American Psychological Association show that morning people are healthier, happier and often more successful than night owls! Remember the saying, “early to bed, early to rise . . .”, well, it’s actually true.

Additionally, it seems that morning people are more likable too! They score higher on agreeableness, cooperativeness and conscientiousness, and they procrastinate a lot less.

It’s Biology!

Let’s clear up some misconceptions first. Evening people are not lazy. Like everyone else, they are at the mercy of their internal body clocks / circadian rhythms. This rhythm is actually ingrained into the cells while still in the mother’s womb.

Although we might feel powerless against our respective biological clock, both larks and owls are capable of being creative and productive in their “off hours”.

Your circadian rhythm also changes as you get older. Most children are larks, most young people in their 20s are owls and most people above 50 are larks.

In addition, only about 25% of people are morning people. About 50% are somewhere in the middle, and the other 25% are evening people. So, you’re not alone in your struggle to not hit the snooze button.

Override Your Biology!

Hitting the snooze button multiple times is a sign of sleep deprivation and has little to do with your body clock. So create a consistent sleep schedule that involves going to bed early and waking up early.

If you decide to go to bed earlier in the evening, start by adjusting your bedtime by 15 minutes at a time. Before you know it, you’ll be going to bed earlier than you ever thought possible. Remember to adjust your sleep pattern in small increments because your body clock will fight any drastic changes.

Light shifts your circadian rhythm, so put away your electronics at least an hour before bed. This gives your body enough time to wind down making it easier to fall asleep when you finally do go to bed. If you need a little more help falling asleep, take melatonin 30 minutes before bed.

Exposing yourself to super bright light in the morning (about 2000 lux) lets your body know that it’s time to get going. The light calibrates your body clock, boosts your energy and makes it a lot easier for you to fall asleep in the evening. The light can be natural or artificial so long as it’s really bright.

Just because you were born an evening person doesn’t mean that you have to endure it for the rest of your life. With a few well-timed changes, you can train your internal clock into making you a morning person!

The post Anyone can be a Morning Person appeared first on Lifestyle.