7 Basic rules of sleeping

How many times have you woken up more tired then you were the night before? Many people have the same issue and you must know that the main factors that cause this metabolism malfunction are the sleeping habits.

These habits are often causing more problems that they are solving. Still, this isn’t a lost cause, there are a couple of things that you could do to improve your sleeping style.

A good way to begin the change is to pay attention to a few rules and to prepare your sleep properly.

1. The pillow’s shape has a very important role for a proper resting during sleeping time, also the pillow’s filling matters a lot. You need to buy a good pillow with soft filling, and you have to position it correctly to avoid neck and back aches, chronicle fatigue and even insomnia.

2. The bed and the mattress must be comfortable. Chris Idzikowski, the manager of a research centre for sleeping problems has discovered that an uncomfortable bed can cause muscular aches and can shorten your sleep with an hour/night.

3. The clothing must be adequate, on our size, so it wouldn’t bother us during the sleep and it must be made from natural fibers, for example cotton, to allow the body to breathe.

4. Avoid eating, reading, watching television or studying in bed. You have to teach your body that the bed is for sleep and sexual activity only.

5. Choose wisely your sleeping position. You should avoid sleeping on your stomach or on your left side, because the liver, the lungs and the stomach are pressing the hearth with their weight. The most relaxing sleep can be achieved only if you sleep on your back, allowing yourself an excellent breathing process.

6. The ideal bed size is 1.80 m per 2.00 m, a smaller bed will cause an agitated sleep and you will be tired and in a bad mood all day long.

7. At last but not least, for ensuring yourselves a relaxing and peaceful sleep you must take care of your insomnia problems.

After reading and taking care of all these aspects, all you have to do is to … sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite.

What rules do you follow before sleeping ? Do you have a recipe for a better good night sleep ? Tell us how the rules above helped you have a better goodnight sleep.

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• Insomnia and the problems caused by it
• Do you feel sleepy?
• 5 Benefits of a good night sleep
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Written by: Liviu Moldovan

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5 Benefits of a good night sleep

Even though we spend a third of our life sleeping, that doesn’t mean that we lose that part and we can’t get any benefits from it. That is entirely false, because if you manage to rest during your sleep, you will improve the results of your daily activities.

So here are some benefits that you can get by sleeping “by the book”:

1. The sleep is a primary need of your body so if don’t sleep you will die. That means that the most important benefit of sleeping is the advantage to be alive.

2. All the professional bodybuilders know that the muscular mass grows during the sleep, not when you are weight lifting. If you are used to party late and you don’t let your body relax, the entire workout routine will be in vane and you won’t spot any notable results.

3. The lack of sleep destabilizes the immunity system of your body making you more exposed to diseases. A nap during the day may also increase your health condition and it can even offer you an increased protection against heart diseases.

4. According to scientist, sleep is necessary because it helps the body to regenerate certain parts, especially the brain. After prolonged periods of deprivation of sleep, neurons are affected, which is manifested by behavior problems. Each stage of sleep is necessary for the regeneration of neurons in the cortex and to enhance the memory.

5. A recent study, published in Journal of the American Medical Association by Christopher King and his colleagues from the University of Chicago, had shown that the length of the sleep can influence your heart condition. The study results revealed that every additional hour of sleep reduce heart attack menace by 33 %.

In addition, a good night sleep can improve your social life, because it is easier to communicate when you feel and you look fresh and energized.

Therefore, I have only one thing left to say: ready, set, fall asleep !

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• Insomnia and the problems caused by it
• Think positive, act positive!

Written by: Liviu Moldovan

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Insomnia and the problems caused by it

Insomnia is a symptom of sleeping disorder, and it is characterized by persistent difficulty to fall asleep. I want to underline the fact that Insomnia is not a disease or a stand-alone diagnosis as some of you might think, but instead, Insomnia is a symptom. By definition “insomnia is difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep or both”.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in year 2007, aproximatively 64 million Americans suffer from insomnia on a regular basis each year. And it’s been known also that insomnia occurs 1.5 times more often to woman than to men.

There are different degrees of insomnia, but three of them are the most common identified: transient, acute and chronic.

Though there are three types of insomnia the most common is Transient Insomnia, which can last from days to weeks. In most cases it can be caused by another disorder: here are some examples will be the changes in the sleep schedule, or environment, changing the timing of sleep, stress, depression. Having transient insomnia, can have some consequences like impaired psychomotor performance, sleepiness, tiredness, can also get the stress in scene, and that is not good at all.

I decided to write this post because last week, I was suffering from insomnia a couple of days, and it got consequences on the whole week, and messed up all my schedule.

I got insomnia by not having a normal sleep program, and by not sleeping at night, followed by days of work. The funny thing is that when you have insomnia, you’re never really awake, and never really asleep. Having insomnia feels like sleepwalking, or maybe like being drunk.

Insomnia is bad for you. So try having some sleep, try relaxing and focusing on how to sleep and rest. Not sleeping will make you tired, and tiredness can make you stressed, and all these factors cumulated can make you sick.

After some days of not being able to sleep and suffering from insomnia I managed to relax and to rest by following some methods to fight insomnia (one of them really worked for me).

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Written by: Alexandru Hategan

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Black and white photography in 5 easy steps

It is known from the past that black and white photography is not so easy to take, to look good, but when you do, it looks so classy, clean and nice. When taking black and white pictures you have to consider shades and lights, because in the end only the shade and light game will make the picture beautiful, attractive, and somehow interesting.

Taking black and white pictures can be done with most usual cameras, but you can always return to the beginning of photography and we shall not forget the film photo-camera which, if you ask me is the best device to take such pictures.

An interesting experience about this film camera was when at the photography course, that I was following, we had a, let’s say homework, on which we should take pictures with a film camera. It was very hard in the beginning to start and think how to take a manual picture, thing that my brain was not doing automatically (at that time I wasn’t used to set my camera manually). But after figuring out how it worked I tooked some great pictures.

There are some rules you have to consider before taking black and white pictures if you want your photos to look real nice.

First rule is that first of all, you need to consider the light around you, the light around the object that you want to shoot, the shade produced by the object. Open your eyes, and just as you do when you take color photography, just like that, in case of taking black and white photography, you should view, study and think before you shoot.

Second rule sais that the best moment for black and white photography is when low light moments appear. Like a rainy day, or an overcast period. Try and shoot some pictures then and see how you do. I prefer taking black and white in hight contrast as well, but those pictures are not so well-defined, shaped and clear as a low contrast one.

Third rule sais to shoot in RAW, and that is because in a RAW picture you have all the information you could possibly use from that frame, at home when processing, and deciding to correct some mistakes, like exposure, back-light, fill-light, etc

Forth rule talks about shooting color, because after all with every camera you see color on the viewfinder (except the cameras with LCD viewfinder). So try and shoot color, and then decide which pictures fit the best to a black and white conversion. This is a technique I use very often.

Fifth rule is an imperative rule, which states that you should be very careful with the ISO when shooting in Black and White, because using a high ISO will make noise present and visible, and even more visible, on black and white pictures, because of the contrast. So be careful with that, more careful than you are with usual color photography.

If you want good photos you should respect these five rules above and even make your own rules, that work best for you, and for the way you shoot, the time you shoot, etc.

Last but not least don’t forget about composition. And because there are cameras that don’t have features to view black and white as you shoot, take care about the light and shade, darkest and lightest part of the object. Try to see and realize the importance of shades in a black and white photography. As I said in the beginning, analyze, open your eyes, think before you shoot, and after doing all this you have the best chance to take some great black and white pictures.

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Try an comment about the rules above, about other techniques that you know, and you want to share with us.

Good luck with your Black and White photo shooting - relaxation session !

Written by: Alexandru Hategan

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Photography relaxation. Is it possible ?

It is commonly known that focusing your mental view on an object, picture, or on a beautiful thing that you like, or liked in the past, can make you relax, or at least it helps you relax along with other methods of relaxation.

As I said pictures can and will relax, if you use them the right way. Try and imagine for a second a sunny day on a tropical island with lots of palm trees, sand and the ocean surrounding it. Or for example try to focus on a beautiful sunset, or sunrise. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and try to mentally view a picture of a landscape scene that you liked (visualize a winter landscape, since we are still in the winter, perhaps some snowed fir wood, with the sun shining above).

As I experienced, black and white pictures also helps, because the colors are missing, and I can focus better on what happens in the picture instead of the chromatic view of it. A black and white picture is more balanced than a color picture, and it inspires calm and relaxation state.

Taking pictures is also a relaxing thing to do. Whenever I feel angry or stressed, I grab my camera, go out, and picture things that I like. Taking pictures is a very strong method to reduce the stress, and to relax, because whenever I press the shutter button, my mind also takes a mental picture. And then I can view it over and over again, anytime I feel I need to relax, or to lose the stress.

Try and take pictures also in black and white, it helps you to relax, and makes you calm down. Or if it is not possible or you to take pictures in black and white, take color pictures, and then convert them in black and white at home. You could also print them and put them in your office, or at home, in the zones where you feel stressed. And whenever you feel the stress coming in, look at the pictures, or mentally view a picture that you like, as I said in the beginning, and with time you will get used to relax just by thinking of a picture, or of a sunset.

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How well did you managed to relax with photography ? Did you succeed relaxing with photos ? Tell us your story, or what you accomplished.

Written by: Alexandru Hategan

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Stop biting your nails by identifying and eliminating the stress factor

I ran into a forum where someone asks for help about how to stop biting her finger nails. So I decided that I can help many other people, that read my blog by telling them how I stopped biting mine finger nails.

“I am a professional very well respected business woman, wife and mother. I cannot stop biting my fingernails! The only way my hands look decent is to wear acrylic nails from the nail salon. I have done this ever since I was in first grade according to my parents. I am now 40.I want to stop and just grow my own healthy nails, but I bite them without even thinking about it. My husband continually corrects me about this in public and I get embarrassed. Please help me stop this terrible habit is you can.”

“I bite mine too, probably since I was 8 or 10. Same situation, but I don't pay to have mine done, I just go to Wal-Mart and get the cheap ones. I would like to quit, but i just keep doing it even though I tell myself I'm not going to anymore. I've tried the nasty tasting stuff too. I don't know, my nails are paper thin, so even if they grew long they'd probably break right off anyway. It drives me crazy that I can't stop.”

“I think it is anxiety...I know it is hard, I am considering seeing a doctor because perhaps I need help to conquer anxiety. Well, I don't know your history and stress levels but I know that stress can make you anxious and nail biting is an induction of anxiety which can be caused by stress...”

These are only three testimonials of people that bite their finger nails and the last one even agrees that the factor causing this is the stress. So if you want to have success in losing this habit fight the stress and then try to stop biting nails, not the other way.

So here is my story and how I stopped biting my finger nails:

I began biting my fingernails long ago, when I was like 8 or 9, just after I stopped sucking my thumb. It was interesting at that age, but with time I realized that I had to stop because my nails began to hurt, bleed, and my skin began to harden and replace the nail in some way.

Later, after doing some researches, reading some psychology books and going to some doctors, I found the answer to my problem: I was biting my finger nails because I was stressed, by any small thing, a test in school, talking in front of the people, presenting my projects, etc.

At the age of 16 I had problems dating girls, and at the age of 19 I had problems when showing my artwork to others, because of how my nails looked. So I decided to lose this habit. It was harder for me, because biting my finger nails went along with smoking. And I could not stop biting my fingernails, until I stopped smoking (but that’s another story).

After solving the smoking problem it was really easy to drop this habit. But I have to admit, that any stressful situation makes me put my finger in my mouth and taste my nail, and even try to bite it with my teeth if I am stressed enough, but I can control myself, and I am not biting my finger nails any more.

I saw guides that state that you can lose this habit by placing bitter solutions on your finger, etc. I disagree, because you can never lose a bad habit if you don’t solve your brain problem first. So in this case, try to realize what you are doing, understand that it doesn’t bring any benefit to you or your health, and that it’s bad to bite fingernails. Analyze what makes you put your finger in your mouth, identify that factor, which in 90% of cases is the stress factor.

The last step is to eliminate that stress factor, by fighting it your way. I have discussed how to relax and get out of a stressful situation on many topics (more about this topic here - How to work in stress, and under pressure). You can fight it by doing something that relaxes you, by drinking the “usual glass of water”, by disconnecting your mind from the problems and try to find the solutions later, and trough different methods, you name the method regarding to the situation you’re in.

Tell us the method you used to stop biting your finger nails !
Have you succeeded identifying and eliminating the stress factor that was causing you to bite your nails ?
Tell us your story, or ask for our advice, and we’ll help you. Write or call and we’ll answer.

Written by: Alexandru Hategan

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How to relax when your boss is stressing you in 5 easy steps

Going through a stressful period made me realize that one of the most important stress-factors in my life was my boss. As a student I am stressed because I have exams in this period, and also have to go to work, but it seems that this stressful period never ends, and it even gets worse when the boss asks me to do things faster, better, finish tasks sooner, etc.

My days at work seem endless when my boss is stressing me. Working under pressure feels awful, but when my boss is also stressing me, it seems that the work I have to do, doubles.

I think that I am not the only person in this situation, and because I think that there are many in similar situations, with bosses that stresses them, I decided to write this little guide to help you all pass those hard periods at work, at school, at college.

1) STOP. Evaluate the situation. First of all, when your boss asks you to do something fast, to finish a task sooner or other stressful requests, first of all STOP ! Ok, now evaluate the situation, and try to find the best possible way to do that without freaking out, try to keep your calm, get a breath of fresh air, drink a glass of cold water (water is your best friend when you are stressed, Do we use water and it’s benefits the proper way ? ).

2) Ignore the "you have to finish this till X time" - don't get your mind trapped, thinking that you have to finish that, because that will get you stressed, and will make things even worse. Think of the task that you have to finish, find the best way to do it, break it into smaller doable parts, then start finishing those smaller tasks, and you will see the "puzzle" assembling faster than you could imagine. (this is a trick, that if you trap and block your mind on the time factor, your mind will freeze instantly and you will run out of ideas, and lose your originality, etc, so instead of gaining time, you will lose precious time, and never get that task done in time).

3) Have self confidence ! Instead of thinking that your boss is stupid, that you should quit your job, or that nothing goes well, try thinking that you are just the best person for that job, because compared to others you know how to manage stress (yes you do !), and you know how to solve all the problems, even under stress. Don't even think that you will not finish the task, or that you can't do it, because your mind works on the principle - "Your wish is my command" - which means that if you think negatively about yourself, that thing has 99% chance of happening right away.

4) Think positive. Never give up. Trust yourself and every time you will get more confidence when you'll see that you can do things that you didn't think you could do. Positive thinking is a great process that helps you fight the stress. (more on this topic here - Think positive, act positive!)

"Positive thinking can be a way to overpass all your obstacles and fulfill your hopes and dreams. It is a way of living, an attitude that can accomplish the best results.By thinking positive you can draw upon you happiness, successes, an excellent health and you can obtain whatever you are willing to."

5) Relax ! The most important thing on the list. Never freak out, never get nervous, trust yourself ! Now close your eyes, and repeat these words in your mind: "I am calm, and relaxed, and I know the answer to all my problems. I know how to solve them, and as soon as I will open my eyes I will feel more relaxed, and I will start working better and with higher efficiency. (more here - Relax, take it easy! )

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• How to work and live a healthy life
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• Think positive, act positive!
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• Do we use water and it’s benefits the proper way ?

Did this helped you ? Tell us how !
Have better suggestions of things to do when your boss is stressing you ?
Do you think that following these 5 easy steps can improve your day at work when you are getting stressed ?

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How to work in stress, and under pressure

First of all what you need to do is to deal with stress. Try to identify the thing that is stressing you – the stress factor. Then try to be aware of that factor and try to concentrate at it. After you are aware of the stress factor try to encourage yourself that you will finish your work, that you have to finish your work, and nothing bad will happen because you are on schedule.

Stress is a great factor and it will stop you from achieving your goal. If you have something to do, and you get stressed, your brain will stop being inventive, and you will work very hard, and you won’t be productive. Don’t lose your inspiration by working in stress.

I also recommend that you don’t work under pressure of not finishing your work, because that will automatically make the stress enter the scene. If you feel stressed, and under pressure of not finishing your work, try one of the seven following methods:


1. Get up and walk to the bathroom, wash your face with cold water, and repeat this in your mind: „I can do it, I will finish the work on time, nothing will stop me from doing my work, and I am not stressed anymore". Remember that fresh water actives blood flow, and so your face muscles will feel less tensioned, and you will feel less stressed and a little relaxed, just by washing your face.

2. Open your window so that you can have a good fresh breath of air, so that your brain get’s some oxygen. Of course that you will not open your window for some fresh air, if your office is in the center of the city, where the air pollution is very high.

3. Have a chewing-gum! It might sound silly, but trust me it does magic against the stress, and it helps you work under pressure without actually feeling the pressure around you.

4. Try not to eat food when you are stressed, at work. Because eating while under stress, will make your stomach hurt a lot, and that might hold you from giving the best for your project.

5. This is an exception from the above advice. Try to eat a fruit, like an apple, or other fruit with C vitamin. The vitamins contained in fruits are great for your organism, and help you pass a stressful moment, or even the entire day.

6. Try do close your eyes and count to ten. This will make your brain disconnect for a moment, and force it to relax, so that it can work better after this short break.

7. Don’t drink too much coffee at work. Too much coffee will make your muscles tremor, and your stomach shrink, it will make fatigue gone, but it will make stress to come.

Though I said that there are seven methods, I will give you the 8th method as a bonus:

8. Think positive, relax and focus on little stages of your project, so that your brain will focus only on small parts, and it will work more effective.

Have you ever worked under pressure, or being stressed by your schedule, or by your boss ? Tell us your story, and we'll discuss it together.

Related posts:

• Unleash the positive thoughts!


• Think positive, act positive!


• Do we use water and it’s benefits the proper way ?


• Relax, take it easy!


• How to work and live a healthy life


• 5 Ways to stay focused

Written by: Alexandru Hategan

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5 Ways to stay focused

Each of us lose control of our mind during the day, and sometimes we get tired quickly if we can't reach back to the focus state. Therefore, I will present several techniques to stay focused.

For me there are so many things to do, e-mails to read, articles to write, documents that have to be done at work on schedule, that I easily lose my focus. In my case, working on many things doesn't work out, because I lose my focus, and I can't do any of them right.

So, here are some techniques, I’ve learnt from a friend, not so long time ago:

1. Define your goal. Start your work by having a goal, a clear point of what goal you need to achieve. Do not hurry, and take your time, to do this, and to set your target. Without setting a goal, your focus will be lost immediately. You can help yourself doing this, by writing down your goals. Once you've done that, if you ever lose your focus, just take a look to the paper and you'll regain your focus.

2. Stay relaxed. Staying relaxed is very important, not only because stress is one of the worst enemies, but also because working on stress make your work turning into junk. Stress will not let you focus, and will not let you finish your work on time. In addition, even if you do finish on time, and have your work done, you'll be so tired. Staying relaxed is hard, I have to admit, but try to drink a glass of water when you feel you lose control and begin to feel stressed. Try to focus on your breath once in a while, and try not to stay on your chair all day.

3. Track your progress. Tracking your progress will regain your self confidence, will convince your mind that you are making progress, and that you must continue to achieve what you want. Tracking gives you a wide-angle view regarded to what you have done to that point. By tracking, you can also measure and divide your effort equally so you can reach the end.

4. Plan ahead your work. Planning ahead, is almost as important as tracking, the only difference is that by planning you will know what you have to do next, and you won't lose your focus. By doing this, I found that looking at goals and at tasks will help you understand better what you have to do, will help you do it faster and better.

5. Have a positive state of mind. Having a positive state of mind will help you get your work done well by helping your mind do good things, better things. Having good habits can consistently help you get more things done better. I found that I get very productive when I have positive thoughts and when my mind is in a positive state. Stay focused and follow these patterns.

Here is an example of how I have applied these techniques in blogging:

- write 2 articles every day
- write 50 articles a month
- plan topics for future posts
- getting up early, and start writing a post before going to work
- go to sleep at a normal hour, so I will not be tired the next day
etc.

These 5 techniques can be applied with success in any domain, and you can apply them every day in your life, with all the things that you have to do. However, what worked and works for me, might not work for you, but you can try it anyway, you might have a better day y doing this. If you have any other techniques that work better than the 5 I wrote, please leave a comment.

Written by: Alexandru Hategan

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