Ways to Check If You Have Restless Legs Syndrome and Why You Need to See a Doctor If You Do1/17/2020  1. You feel crawling and itching in your legs. Strange itching and crawling sensations occur deep within the legs. You may also feel it in your arms and even your head. Usually, it affects both sides of the body, but sometimes people have weird sensations on only one side. This symptom can also worsen with age.  2. You experience a pulling and throbbing in your legs. Besides itching, you may experience sensations like pulling, throbbing, and numbness in your legs and arms. Some people think that this may be caused by an intense training, but the annoying feeling lingers and starts making you more and more nervous by the day.  3. You feel discomfort while resting. All those strange feelings that were described above normally appear when you are resting. That is basically why the syndrome is called “restless.” For example, you might take a long walk on the way to work, then you have to sit in front of a computer and that’s when the irritating sensations start.  4. You feel an urge to move. If you have restless legs syndrome, nights can become a nightmare. You go to bed and you feel tired and ready to sleep, but the moment you lie down the discomfort starts. The urge to move just grows with all the itching and crawling. You feel this urge not just in your legs, but in your arms as well.  5. You get relief with movement. After you experience the urge to move, you try to not sit or lie down. You may want to stand up and walk a little bit. After this movement you usually feel immediate relief, but it is only temporary. People with restless legs syndrome often go work out, even after a hard work day, doing things like running, stretching, biking, or yoga.  6. You notice that the symptoms get worse in the evening. During the day, while you are at work or doing some other activity, you feel absolutely okay. But the moment you come home in the evening and try to relax, you may start feeling immediate aching. You can experience uncomfortable sensations during the day too, while sitting, but in the evening and early at night, you might start to feel that it is unbearable.  7. You can’t sleep and you toss and turn at night. Restless legs syndrome can cause insomnia, because it makes it hard to sleep and you always toss and turn in bed. Because of this disease, people can be very sleepy, have low energy, get irritated easily, and be depressed. Besides, many also experience limb twitching during sleep.  Bonus: How to ease restless leg syndrome There are some things that you can do to minimize the uncomfortable sensations associated with restless legs syndrome:
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 1. In teenage years At this stage, your body is growing and developing which is why you need a lot of nutrients. This also happens to be the time when people start missing breakfast and eating a diet mainly consisting of junk food, which is wrong. If you are in this age group, make it a habit of having breakfast every day. You don’t have to give up your favorite snacks but consider cutting down on the quantity. Include calcium, protein, and iron-rich foods in your diet.  2. In your 20s When you’re in your 20s, it’s time to make junk food healthy! Switch out your potato chips for popcorn or sweet potato wedges, milk chocolate for dark chocolate, yogurt in place of ice-cream, and consume chicken cooked on a rotisserie. Include foods rich in omega-3 fats and folic acid to your diet, like leafy greens, bread, pasta, walnuts, salmon, and chia seeds.  3. In your 30s To support the bodily changes that happen during this age, include foods that build muscle and make bones stronger in your diet. Protein-rich items like eggs, seeds, nuts, soy products, chicken breast, and quinoa are your friends. Milk and yogurt are essential for bone strengthening but if needed, consider taking calcium and protein supplements.  4. In your 40s To regulate your blood sugar level and boost your metabolism, at this stage, make sure you include fiber in your diet. Items like broccoli, whole grains, and potatoes with skin will easily give you that. Junk food should be avoided but as a treat, you can have veggie burgers! They are healthy and rich in the fiber your body needs. Instead of ordering out, try making your own healthy burgers at home. Other food items you can consume are healthy homemade sandwiches, non-fat dairy products, and tons of fruits and veggies. In every meal, make sure you include protein.  5. In your 50s With age, our metabolism rate decreases which why it’s advised to consume food items our bodies can digest easily. When you’re in your 50s, you should switch milk with almond milk and your regular cereal with kinds that are free of flavors and sugar. You can add honey to it instead. To reduce signs of aging, eat avocadoes, broccoli, blueberries, nuts, and spinach. Eating apples can help you lower cholesterol and fight diabetes.  6. When you’re 60+ When you’re at this stage, make sure to include 5 portions of vegetables and 2 portions of fruit in your diet every day. Consume items rich in iron like spinach, lentils, and beans. Soybeans and leafy greens will help you stay fit as well. In addition to these, cut down on your salt intake. Check for added salt in items before you buy them as well. Drink more water and avoid junk and sweet food as much as you can.  Are you following the right diet plan according to your age? How often do you “treat yourself” to junk food? Let us know in the comments!
 They are undermining you as a parent. For toxic grandparents, whatever you do is never enough and they always know better. They often undermine the things you do and say as the parent. As a rule, this type of grandparent doesn’t respect the rules and boundaries you set and turns the routine you’ve developed into complete chaos. They keep interfering with your decisions as a parent. If your parents or in-laws extend your kid’s screen time every once in a while, this is not a case of being a toxic grandparent. But if it happens all the time and all your rules are getting constantly broken, you are most likely dealing with this type of grandparent. Toxic grandparents doubt all of your decisions as a parent and argue with you right in front of your kids.  They make you feel guilty in order to manipulate you. Toxic grandparents often use manipulations to make you and your kids do what they want. If you or your spouse experienced these manipulations as kids, there’s a chance your parents or in-laws will follow the same pattern when communicating with your kids. The phrases manipulative grandparents say can be different: Kiss me or I will cry! Don’t bother coming to my funeral! I guess you don’t love me then! and so on.  They often play the victim. Playing a victim is often used as a way to control other people’s behavior and manipulate, whether it is intentional or not. Grandparents can make you feel guilty, selfish, and frustrated by stressing how much they did or are doing for you and your children and how you should appreciate it more than you do.  They try to buy the love and attention of their grandchildren. It’s totally OK when grandparents spoil their grandchildren with gifts every once in a while, but toxic grandparents use gifts to “buy” love and attention. As a rule, they buy way too many expensive gifts for your kid and try to outshine you as a parent on every holiday and they also buy expensive gifts without asking for your permission. They use the gifts they give as a way to manipulate you and your children. They play favorites. If grandparents choose to see one grandchild and ignore the other one, this is a warning sign of a toxic relationship. Grandparents also play favorites by comparing kids and saying things like: “You’re not as smart as your sister” or “Your brother did it better.”  They believe they are entitled to spend all their time with their grandchildren. For a toxic grandparent, other grandparents do not exist, and they want to take the #1 place in the life of their grandchildren. They don’t want to share the time they spend with their grandchildren with anyone else and insist that they spend as much time together as possible. Here’s what you can do to build healthy relationships with toxic grandparents.
Whatever choice you make, remember that cutting ties with grandparents can be harmful to your kid. So, before making a decision to limit communication, thoroughly think things over and make sure that the choice you’re making is the best for your kids.  1. The corner stretch The corner stretch helps to open the shoulder blades and chest and is something you can do at any time, almost anywhere.
 2. Lateral leg lifts Although side leg lifts are normally included in a lower body workout routine, it’s also effective for maintaining good posture. By paying attention to your back, keeping your head up, and your shoulders open while doing this exercise, you make your back muscles stronger and also get in the habit of straitening the back during everyday moves such as walking and lifting.
 3. Bent knee triangle stretch The bent knee triangle stretch opens the shoulders and the chest, and also helps with lower back pain relief.
 4. Puppy stretch The puppy pose stretch is another excellent exercise if you need to relax and open your shoulders.
 5. Cat-cow stretch The cat-cow stretch massages your spine, opens the chest and shoulders, and releases tension in your neck, torso, and shoulders.
 6. Downward facing dog stretch The downward facing dog stretch is another big shoulder and upper back opener that also strengthens and aligns the back muscles.
 7. Cobra stretch The cobra pose is a gentle stretch for your shoulders and chest and it strengthens your back.
 8. Bow The bow pose stretches and opens the shoulders and chest while strengthening every muscle in the back. This is one of the most effective exercises to improve posture.
 9. Tree The tree pose stretches and opens the shoulders and tones abs.
 The biggest effects achieved by this massage are:
 1. Side grip Pick up and hold the hair at the roots from both sides of the head, an inch above the ears, feeling the motion of the scalp and slightly pulling the hair toward the top. Hold this position. Tilt the head forward a little in order to increase the tension of the hair and the skin, and do circular motions with your hands clockwise and counter-clockwise. Duration: 30-40 seconds  2. Grip behind the ears Grip the hair from both sides behind the ears, closer to the back of the head, feel the motion of the scalp and slightly pull the hair up to the top. Hold this position and then do light circular motions with your hands clockwise and counter-clockwise. Duration: 30-40 seconds  3. Grip the forehead and the back of the head Grip the hair on the back of the head and on the forehead (at the hairline). Lightly pull the hair toward the top, hold this position, and then do the circular motions clockwise and counter-clockwise with your hands. Duration: 30-40 seconds  4. From the forehead to the top Place the fingers of both hands on the forehead, at the hairline, and move toward the top with slight pressing and circular motions. Pay more attention to the areas where you feel pain. Duration: 30-40 seconds  5. Back-of-the-head massage Place the fingers of both hands on the back of the head and move them down toward the neck, making slight pressing and circular motions. Pay extra attention to the areas where you feel pain. Duration: 30-40 seconds  6. Lymphatic drainage Make fists and place them on the bones at the sides of the back of the head. Massage the area with circular motions.
Duration: 30-40 seconds This massage can be done during the day, but the best time to do it is right after you wake up — in a sitting or standing position.  1. Sleeping with it A cell phone is basically an electromagnetic transmitter and receiver. That means it emits radio waves. Although it’s not been proven yet, research continues to show how the waves may affect your brain after being exposed for long hours. It can wake you up with notifications during your sleep cycle, to say the least. If it’s impossible for you to turn it off completely or keep it in another room while you’re asleep, try keeping it on airplane mode.  2. Being exposed to blue light for too long The light from your screen suppresses melatonin, the hormone that regulates your sleep cycle which is another reason you shouldn’t be near it while you sleep. Blue light also causes headaches and eye and sight problems. Try resetting the light levels on your phone and turning on the blue light filter.  3. Using it with a low signal When you see a weak signal on your phone, it actually means your phone is putting out a stronger signal as a transmitter, and more energy from your cell phone means more harm to your health. Dr. Devra Davis, the author of Disconnect: The Truth About Cell Phone Radiation, What the Industry Is Doing to Hide It, and How to Protect Your Family, recommends using a landline or to keeping the phone as far away from you as possible when the signal is low. It also causes your phone to heat up which is another danger.  4. Keeping it in contact with your skin There are several studies that focus on the link between cell phones and cancer, specifically their transmission signal that’s around 900 MHz, which makes your phone get hot. Your skin absorbs the heat easily in tiny bits every time you keep it close to your body. Although there are no other proven effects of radiofrequency radiation on the human body, we know for a fact that the absorption ratio decreases dramatically when you keep some distance between you and your phone. Try using a headset or speakerphone while talking on your cell, to keep it from touching you and if you’re not using it, leave it far away from you for the least amount of exposure.  5. Looking at the screen with bad posture It’s a known fact that using mobile phones causes thumb injuries like tenosynovitis. There is another cell phone health condition called “text neck.” As the name suggests, when you bend your neck forward to look at the screen, the stress on your cervical spine increases gradually.
And as time passes, the weight your neck feels may be 5 times more than your actual head weight. This causes neck pain and posture abnormalities. Hold your phone at eye level, keeping your neck as straight as possible.  Why do we have weird dreams? Perhaps each of us has a story about a dream where strange things were happening that seemed like total nonsense after we woke up. If you feel curious to know why this happens, there are several explanations. Every person has their own unique dreams because people experience a variety of emotions and occurrences every day. When you fall asleep, your brain continues to work hard, distributing moments into short-term and long-term memory. It compares events that have occurred recently with those that happened a long time ago. That’s why you can see things from your childhood like playing with an old pet in a new place like where you currently live. It all happens during the stage of rapid eye movement sleep that lasts for 10-20 minutes and repeats several times during the night. This phase is also known as “paradoxical sleep” that got its name due to physiological similarities to the waking state of a person. It’s in this phase that all parts of the brain become active except for the one responsible for logic. In addition, the concentration of serotonin and norepinephrine which are neurotransmitters responsible for logic and attention decreases during sleep. Therefore, it’s not surprising that our dreams lose any sober sense of normality. We realize that everything we have just been seeing was happening in our dreams only just after waking up.  Why do we have nightmares? What about nightmares? Why do we see apocalypses and zombies, get chased, and other not-so-pleasant scenarios in our dreams? Swiss and American scientists held an experiment where they managed to find the answer to these questions. In their opinion, it’s a kind of training of the nervous system, which helps a person cope with negative emotions in real life. In their article, the scientists write that emotions we feel in dreams help us resolve emotional pressure and get a person ready for future possible stresses. The scientists studied the activity of various parts of the brain during sleep using an electroencephalogram. 18 volunteers were woken up several times during the night and asked what dreams they were seeing and whether those dreams were nightmares. Thanks to their responses and analysis of brain activity, researchers have identified two areas of the brain that are responsible for nightmares. Those are the insula and the midcingulate cortex. As interesting as it might sound, these 2 parts of the brain activate in the same situations when a person is feeling worried or gets scared in real life. The insula is responsible for evaluating emotions and starts up automatically as soon as a person feels anxiety. The midcingulate cortex prepares a person for an adequate response during the occurrence of a threat and controls the way a person behaves when in danger. In a further study, the scientists found that those who had nightmares for longer and more often reacted less harshly to negative things in real life. So far, it’s become clear that the way our subconsciousness communicates with us and helps resolve issues is what makes us feel worried. For example, seeing a chase in your dreams is often associated with a person’s unsolved issues in real life, according to scientists. But as we mentioned above, dreams have been studied extremely insufficiently and many interesting insights are still waiting to be discovered.  Here are some more interesting facts about dreams that you were probably unaware of.
 Aging happens in 3 shifts. Scientists studied the blood of more than 4,000 people of different ages and noticed a strange pattern: the concentration and composition of the proteins in the plasma of some participants was significantly different from the rest. These differences were noticed only in people who were 34, 60, and 78 years old. Since the overall condition of the body directly depends on the blood quality, the researchers came to the conclusion that it’s at these ages when major aging changes take place. Earlier, scientists were sure that aging happened gradually and smoothly, however, it turned out that a person ages in 3 distinct shifts, while we don’t age that obviously during other periods. Thanks to these results, modern healthcare could change drastically. Now, doctors will be able to evaluate the overall body condition with the help of blood tests and compare a person’s real age with their body’s actual health. For instance, if the biological age, determined by the blood test, is much lower than a patient’s real age, it means that the patient has outstanding health. In the future, it will even be possible to find out which products or habits affect the youth of a certain person and which organs age faster than the rest. This will help to quickly identify new diseases and prolong a person’s life.  Who do “age shifts” affect more? We all have to go through these shifts, but still, age changes are more obvious after the age of 34 in some people, than in others. First of all, this mostly applies to those whose parents always looked at least their age or older. It’s connected with genetics: the body’s ability to stay young and beautiful is inherited, and vice versa, we get early signs of aging from our ancestors as well. The second risk group are people whose biological clock goes ahead of their real age. For example, 2 30-year-old people can have a totally different body condition, all because the first person is “biologically” 20 years old and the second one is “biologically” 60 years old. The reason is: the human body can get 3 years older within one calendar year and it doesn’t just apply to people with unhealthy habits. It turns out that the level of stress in childhood and even birth weight affects the inner age of each person. The situation is exacerbated for people whose body has started to age prematurely — the 34 year age shift will affect them the most. At the same time, the signs of premature aging are not limited by the sudden appearance of wrinkles or with the skin’s loss of elasticity. Some of these signs are not even connected with the beauty of the face.  How do you know that your body is getting old prematurely?
 What to do to postpone aging? “One month of healthy eating resulted in weight loss and a decrease the pressure on my spine.”
First of all, instead of working on the consequences, you can just take care of your body in advance. And you should do it regularly. Apart from the well-known methods of preserving youth, like playing, sports, eating healthy food, and drinking enough water, there are less obvious but still important things that should become a habit.
Why Parents Are Making a Huge Mistake If They Let Their Child Sneak Into Their Bed at Night1/7/2020  Co-sleeping with parents can be bad for children. One study from the Universidade Federal de Pelotas wanted to look at what effect co-sleeping could have on a child’s mental health. Looking at 3,583 children in Brazil, the researchers ultimately divided the kids into 4 groups:
Taking into account that some children share a room with their parents for socio-economic reasons or for cultural beliefs, the study found co-sleeping to be a common practice among the kids involved.  However, researchers came to the conclusion that co-sleeping could actually hurt a child’s mental health. Studying the children since birth, the “persistent bed-sharers” were found to have greater odds of developing a psychiatric disorder and internalizing their problems when compared to the 3 other groups of kids. Looking at the 4 groups, the chances of developing a psychiatric disorder actually went down the less kids shared a bed with their parents. Co-sleeping can also harm a baby’s physical health. Not only do sleeping parents risk “overlaying” on top of a baby, but a parents’ mattress can even be unsafe for them, as babies need firm bedding, which soft mattresses do not provide.  Co-sleeping can also be bad for parents. In another study from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and School of Nursing, researchers took a look at 277 low-income mothers and their children in Baltimore.
Ultimately, mothers who shared a bed with their toddlers lost an hour of sleep and reported stress, depression, and anxiety. The mothers who slept separately from their children did not lose sleep and did not encounter symptoms of depression. In the end, losing sleep was something parents needed to focus on. Added to that, the study also claimed that letting children sleep independently helped them learn to self-soothe and develop healthy sleep patterns.  1. Acne and post-acne scars Skin that is too oily triggers acne. However, most beauty products on the market dry out our skin, which as a result produces more oil in order to moisturize itself. So acne appears. On the other hand, castor oil contains fatty acids that help in the restoration of the skin’s natural moisture. Try to softly apply castor oil on your face in a circular motion, leave it on overnight, and rinse it with warm water in the morning.  2. Scars and sunburns Castor oil helps you shed damaged skin cells and it can be used for burns, scars, and even stretch marks. It also has antimicrobial properties and benefits blood flow. It is used in many sunscreens because it also has a SPF value of around 6.  3. Hair breakage and hair loss It externally nourishes our hair, increases our hair flexibility, and reduces breakage. But more than that, it makes our hair roots stronger and prevents hair loss through a compound called ricinoleic acid. It also reduces dandruff symptoms. Gently massage your scalp with castor oil a few times a week, then wash it out with your regular shampoo.  4. Wrinkles Apply a few drops of castor oil over specific areas. It helps with the production of collagen, which slows down the aging of the skin. Because of its fatty acids, it has moisturizing qualities and it also keeps the area hydrated and soft.  5. Chapped lips You can also use castor oil to relieve and heal chapped lips. Try applying a small amount of it on your lips. Because of its highly nutritious ingredients, like vitamin E, minerals, and fatty acids, it will help the area heal fast and restore its moisture balance. You can apply it directly to your lips with your finger.  6. Patchy skin, cracked heels, and calluses Castor oil, with its rich moisturizing nature, nourishes dry skin and restores the hydration in scaly areas. It can also help you rub off calluses and treat cracked heels. Mix a few tablespoons of the oil with warm water and soak your calluses in it. The mixture will act as a natural skin lubricant.  7. Cuticles and weak nails Because of its antifungal and antibacterial properties, castor oil can be used as a great nail and cuticle treatment to promote healthy and strong growth. There are many nail products that contain castor oil on the market, but you can also apply a few drops directly onto your nails or dilute it in warm water and soak your nails in it a few times per week.  8. Dry and cracked hands Castor oil is a natural moisturizer and the best remedy for dry hands with cracks and maybe eczema, mostly when it’s cold outside. It contains a fatty acid called ricinoleic acid that helps the first layer of our skin prevent water loss. You can also combine it with other oils like almond or coconut oil and create a hydrating boost for your hands and face too.  9. Eyelashes A study has shown that castor oil helps hair grow strong and the same applies to eyelashes. As said before, it is rich in ricinoleic acid, which is proven to have high levels of triglycerides and a prostaglandin D2 inhibitor that helps moisturize eyelashes and prevent hair loss.  10. Hair growth Even though the use of castor oil for hair growth is still in the anecdotal stage, there are many people who claim that the regular use of it has helped them grow strong and healthy hair. You can try to massage your scalp with castor oil and then wash as usual with your shampoo. Because of its ricinoleic acid and its omega-6 fatty acids, it boosts the blood circulation thus enhances hair growth.
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