Relaxation Haven

Archive for the ‘Tips’ Category

I’m sure that some women having read the title, Relax During Labor, have already dismissed this this article as nonsense – but it really is possible to relax during labour and make the whole process of giving birth a lot easier. Sure, it won’t be like taking a walk on a beach on a sunny but the birthing experience will become a more positive one. In fact studies have shown that women who are more relaxed during labor are more likely to have a shorter labor and less likely to need a c-section.

The reason that relaxation is so beneficial during labor is that stress and anxiety cause your body to produce hormones such as adrenaline. These hormones reduce the blood flow to the womb which in turn makes your contractions less powerful. This is why stress leads to a longer labor.

So how exactly do you relax during labor? Well you need three things – support, preparation and the proper environment.

Support comes from your close family and friends, especially whoever you choose as your birth partner. Your support will help you in the preparation. This involves going to birthing classes, learning breathing techniques, having a bag packed for the big day, etc.

Having the right environment means different things to different people. Most people now like to have a CD or play list of relaxing music to help during the birthing process. However there are many more options. For example HypnoBirthing has become very popular recently, as has water birthing. Take your time to study the options and choose the one you think will suit you the best.

Due to the nature of contractions it will be nigh on impossible to relax in the middle of one. The time to practice your breathing techniques and relax your mind are in between contractions. Allow the tension to ease away from your muscles and relax as best you can.

To learn more about preparing for labor view the video below.

In the past I have discussed using eye relaxation exercises to reduce eye strain and naturally improve vision. In this article I would like to explain how you can improve your eyesight with pinhole glasses.

Before I do though I should explain what pinhole glasses are. Pinhole glasses are worn as eye glasses yet are actually made of plastic, the “lenses” of which are full of small holes. Typically they are also covered in a reflective surface to protect from harmful ultraviolet rays and as such make a good alternative to sunglasses.

The way pinhole glasses work is actually quite simple. Whenever you look at a blurred object your brain instructs your eye to focus on it until it is a sharp image. If this can not be achieved because the eye is damaged then the brain leaves the object unfocused. Pinholes work by improving the focus of the object which allows you to find the point of focus. During this focusing process the eye muscles become more adept at this exercise and over time this will improve your eyesight greatly.

On top of that pinhole glasses also blocks out most harmful light rays such as those put out by a TV screen or computer monitor. As mentioned earlier most makes now also provide UV protection. While exposing your eyes to natural light is good and healthy for them it is the UV rays that cause damage. So pinholes block out UV rays and allow a small amount of natural light in.

There are seven known benefits to wearing pinhole glasses:

1. Greatly improves distance of vision.
2. Eliminates everyday stress and strain on the eyes.
3. They prevent many eye conditions such as astigmatism, myopia and presbyopia.
4. They break dependence on regular eye glass lenses which merely mask the problem, not cure it.
5. Helps to improve the focus ability of the eyes.
6. Extra protection from harmful UV rays.
7. Makes viewing TV or computer screens much less harmful to the eyes.

People have actually been using pinhole glasses to improve their eyesight for quite some time despite their relative obscurity. During that time there has been no recorded negative side-effects however while you wear pinhole glasses your peripheral vision will be somewhat restricted so it is a good idea to take them off while driving or operating machinery.

There is no real time frame for how long it will take to improve your eyesight with pinhole glasses since obviously there are many factors to consider such as current levels of eyesight, time spent wearing the pinhole glasses, etc. However you will find that your eyes feel much more relaxed and less strained after only a few minutes of wearing the pinhole glasses. For most it will take a few months of persistent use to see an improvement in eyesight.

At this point you may be wondering if pinhole glasses are so great why don’t opticians sell them? Well sadly because pinhole glasses are so inexpensive (you can find pairs online for anywhere between $3 to $25) and provide a solution they would put opticians out of business. Think about it for a second, how to opticians make their money? By selling you expensive glasses that merely mask the problem and making you come back every six months to pay for a new eye test and possibly a new pair of glasses.

There is even a conspiracy theory that the FDA is suppressing this inexpensive technology in order to protect the interest of opticians. You can read more about that, if you wish, at http://www.myopia.org/conspiracy.htm

I personally use pinhole glasses and I feel they have made a lot of difference. I wear glasses but I am on the weakest lens available and I am hoping to eventually be able to stop wearing them altogether. Since I began wearing them a few weeks ago my eyes have felt very fresh despite the fact I work long hours in front of a computer. Do yourself a favor and buy yourself a pair of pinhole glasses online. They can be found easily with a simple google search. Improve your eyesight with pinhole glasses today!

One of the biggest causes of premature aging is stress. Because we live in a fast paced world it can be easy to live life at 100mph without every taking a break. When you feel stressed your mind activates its survival instincts, a throwback to our more primitive days. This survival mode directs blood to the more essential organs needed to live. The skin isn’t one of these “essential” organs and neither is the digestive system. This means that not only does your skin suffer directly but you are also failing to intake the proper nutrients required to maintain youthful looking skin.

So it’s clear that to stay looking young you need to relax and reduce your stress levels. If you follow the advice below your skin will noticeably improve and stay looking young.

1.  Sleep

Sleep helps to rejuvenate the body and mind, meaning everything functions better. This includes the health of your skin. Typically people require from six to eight hours sleep a night. If you struggle with your sleeping patterns you may want to look at another article – Ways To Sleep Better.

2.  Diet

Your skin needs the certain nutrients to keep its youthful appearance. To make sure you are getting these nutrients you should up your intake of fruit and vegetables while reducing the consumptions of salty or sugary foods. Omega fatty acids such as those found in fish are also incredibly beneficial to your skin so you should aim to try and eat at least two or three portions of oily fish a week.

3.  Exercise

Exercise is one of the cornerstones of any health regime. It even has a positive effect on your skin. Exercise has been shown to lower stress levels and is well known to give people a “healthy glow”. Just thirty minutes of walking a day will visibly improve your skin. One point of note though is that sweat contains salt, so after working up a sweat you should make sure to wash it off with warm water.

4.  Facial Massage

Treat yourself to a few bottles of massage oil. Every night you can gently massage the oil around your face (be careful around the eyes). This relaxes the facial muscles and stimulates blood flow.

5.  Relaxation Techniques

There are a number of relaxation techniques you can use to improve your skin and stay looking young. Perhaps the best of all the options is hypnotherapy. Not only does hypnotherapy relax you but you can get sessions specifically catered towards skincare. For example HypnoBusters have Sensation Skin Hypnosis and Hypnotic Botox MP3s that can work wonders. This can be listened at bedtime, they will also help you drift off to a deep, restful sleep.