News — relaxation

My family and I recently completed a whirlwind tour of Ireland. Ten nights in six different places, traveling by car all across the Emerald Isle. It was a wonderful vacation with plenty of experiences and memories, from the streets of Dublin to the Cliffs of Moher and back. There were many highlights, like having a pint at the Guinness factory, hiking the Connemara trails, marveling at the coasts of Dingle, and relaxing on Kilkenny’s medieval grounds.   Traveling with two young kids can be a daunting task, however. As we planned the trip, my spouse and I wondered how we...

  Good rest doesn’t just happen at night! As adults, we often forget that some solid shuteye during the day can do just as much good as hitting our snooze button a few extra times in the morning (if not more!). Studies show that there are many benefits to adding a nap to your schedule, even past adolescence.  Improve Your Mood Naps are a serious mood booster! According to the National Sleep Foundation, napping can improve your mood, alertness, and overall performance (“Napping”, Sleep Foundation). Just taking ten minutes a day to rest can leave you feeling more cheerful and...

Have you ever wondered why it feels so great to have a little weight on your eyelids? If you have used an eye pillow, you know the feeling! It turns out that the weight of an eye pillow has many benefits that go beyond just blocking out light when you’re trying to catch a few zzz’s.  These luxurious little pillows help with getting better sleep, ease anxiety and stress, and can even alleviate some health issues. Beyond these benefits, studies have shown that eye pillows affect certain nerves and your brain in positive ways.  1. The Vagus Nerve The Vagus...

Are you an early riser? A snooze button specialist? A midday napper? An early bedtime expert? These sleep behaviors are not just personal preferences but are actually preconditioned circadian patterns. Your sleeping patterns are classified with “chronotypes”, which define individual levels of activity, alertness, and rest rhythms throughout the day (Casper). Your chronotype is measured through your body’s biological clock and falls into one of four categories: The Bear, Wolf, Lion, or Dolphin. Understanding your personal chronotype can help you identify and accept your body’s natural rhythm and schedule, rather than forcing sleep patterns that just don’t work for you....

To say that a lot has changed since we last celebrated Sleep Awareness Week would be a major understatement. Due to the shifts in our lifestyles over the past year, sleep has become even more vital to our well being. However, a solid snooze shouldn’t be grouped into the self-care fad that seems to be circulating among online communities. Because really, sleep is a different kind of self-care that goes beyond using your new Korean sheet mask or finally trying out that nail art you saved on Pinterest. While it is important that we still treat ourselves to those little...