TIPS FOR GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP

STICK TO A SCHEDULE.
Irregular bed times do not allow for your body to align to the proper circadian rhythms. Make sure you try to keep the same schedule on weekends too, otherwise the next morning, you would wake up later and feel overly tired.

SLEEP ONLY AT NIGHT
Avoid daytime sleep if possible. Daytime naps steal hours from nighttime slumber. Limit daytime sleep to 20-minute power naps.

DO EXERCISE
It helps you to sleep better. Your body uses the sleep period to recover its muscles and joints that have been exercised. Exercise in the morning or afternoon daily for about 20 to 30 minutes. Exercise stimulates the body. Aerobic activity before bedtime may make falling asleep more difficult.

TAKE A HOT SHOWER OR BATH
Shower or bath before bed helps bring on sleep because they can relax tense muscles.

AVOID EATING PRIOR TO BEDTIME
Avoid large meals or spicy foods before bedtime. Give yourself at least 2 hours from the time you eat before bedtime. This allows for digestion before you go to sleep so your body can rest well during the night, rather than churning away your food.

NO CAFFEINE
Caffeine keeps you awake and that's not what you want for a good night's sleep.

READ A BOOK
It takes you to a whole new world if you really get into it. And then take some time to ponder over the book as you fall asleep. As you read more, you get more tired at night and makes you fall asleep faster.

KEEP ROOM COOLER
Turn off the heat and allow coolness to circulate in/out of the windows. If you get cold, wear warm clothes. It also saves you heating bills.

SLEEP IN QUIET ROOM
Sleep with no music or TV is more restful and without distractions is best to rest your mind.

AVOID ALCOHOL PRIOR TO BEDTIME
Alcohol is a depressant. It may make it easier to fall asleep but it causes you to wake up during the night that cause nighttime awakenings and nightmares for some people.

Low Carb Dieting For Successful Weight Loss

Low carb dieting has become fashionable in recent years especially with the publication of the Atkins diet. Losing weight is a goal for so many people and everybody is looking for the quick and easy way to lose weight. Some people do not need to lose weight at all but still get stressed over a couple of pounds. Others need to lose for medical reasons and may have one hundred pounds or more that they want to shed.

There are many different diets out there including low carbohydrate diets and the truth is that most of them will achieve weight loss if they are followed correctly. This does not mean always doing what the diet says every moment of every day. What is more important is how you deal with the inevitable occasion when you eat too much or feast on foods that are not on the plan. If you can write this off and return to the plan without giving yourself a hard time, you are likely to succeed. Everybody has those days - the important thing is to let them go and accept them as just another step on the road to permanent weight loss.

It is also important to find a diet that you can easily follow. Low carb diets suit many people because the rules are quite simple. As the name suggests, the diet consists of avoiding or limiting foods that are high in carbohydrates. These include bread, pasta, potatoes, rice and other grains. Sugar is also a carbohydrate. Once you understand what these foods are, it is a simple matter to choose dishes that avoid them.

Most criticism of low carbohydrate dieting is based on the fact that the dieters will get most of their daily calories from meat, dairy and other high fat products. This can lead to high cholesterol and other problems related to a high intake of saturated fats. Medical advice is advised before starting this type of diet. Sometimes weight loss is good in the early stages but people cannot handle the restrictions in the longer term and start to deviate from the diet.

One of the problems that many people have with low carb dieting is the elimination of bread and pasta. No more toast, spaghetti or pizza! Many of the foods that are quickest to prepare are based around carbohydrates - burgers in their buns, fries, sandwiches, pasta and sauce. Beer and other alcoholic drinks are high in carbs too. It is true that alcohol is generally restricted on any diet, because it is high in calories and very low in nutritional value, but low carb diets put particular emphasis on this.

Still there are many foods that can be enjoyed on a low carb diet. If you are fond of meat you will relish the opportunity to consume beef, chicken and other animal products. The popularity of these diets is clear from the length of time that they stay on the bestseller lists. It is just a matter of what suits you. Low carb dieting works for many people.