A good night’s rest is crucial for good health. Many individuals invest in amazing mattresses to ensure that they sleep well. But even after purchasing the best mattresses from Tempur-Pedic, Saatva, Sleep Number, Serta Mattress, or Essentia Mattress, many struggle to sleep well. This is because there are many daily habits that affect the quality and quantity of sleep. Read on to find out what they are and why they should be avoided before bedtime: Blue light exposure One of the biggest causes of poor sleep is exposure to blue light from laptop or phone screens. Blue light is the visible light spectrum range and is emitted from all mobile and laptop devices. This light is very damaging. It can block the brain from releasing melatonin, which is responsible for maintaining the body’s natural sleep cycle. Without melatonin, the individual can have trouble falling and staying asleep. Aside from sleep, too much blue light exposure can also increase your risk of cancer, so it’s best to put your phones down for a few hours before you hit the sack. Drinking too much caffeine Beverages such as coffee and tea are great to help keep you awake and alert, thanks to the caffeine present in them.

The bladder is an organ in the urinary tract system that stores and evacuates urine. Its muscle walls expand and contract to collect and release the urine periodically. However, certain health complications can affect this function, resulting in increased urge, frequency, or urinary incontinence triggering an overactive bladder. Some common foods can also irritate the organ and trigger such symptoms. Thus, it is important to avoid these foods for better bladder control. Citrus fruits Lemons, limes, and oranges contain active citric acid that makes it difficult for the bladder to control urine output. Citric acid is a type of irritant that can worsen the symptoms among patients suffering from overactive bladder. It can lead to flare ups, triggering pain, uncontrolled urgency, increased frequency, and even urinary incontinence if the symptoms go unnoticed for prolonged periods. Even tomatoes and grapefruits are high in citric acid and should be avoided for better bladder control. Eliminate tomato products like salsa, sauce, and ketchup since they are a more concentrated form of the fruit. Salty, spicy, and processed foods Any spice used in foods to enhance the flavors can also irritate the bladder lining. It can even trigger chronic pain, so it’s best to avoid hot peppery spices that rank high on the Scoville Scale.

The joints are constantly working while we move our limbs, so, understandably, people may develop certain joint conditions that cause pain and compromise mobility, especially with age. One of the common joint conditions is arthritis, which leads to joint inflammation and mild to severe pain. While there are several types of arthritis, the two most common types are rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Stages Rheumatoid arthritis has four stages: Stage 1 : At this stage, inflammation occurs inside the joints, and swelling, stiffness, and joint pain are the common symptoms. Stage 2 : The inflammation of the joint lining, synovium, aggravates at this stage and results in cartilage damage. The affected joints’ range of motion is also compromised, causing pain and discomfort. Stage 3 : At this stage, the severity of the joint condition increases, and it leads to bone damage. This results in more pain, loss of mobility, and weakness of muscles. The bones rubbing against each other can cause bone deformity as well. Stage 4 : This is the final stage where the joints stop functioning completely. It leads to more pain, stiffness, and swelling, and the bones may even fuse, which is known as ankylosis. Osteoarthritis also has four stages of progression:

A proper family and pregnancy planning is one of the most important aspects of life. The entire pregnancy period lasts for about 40 weeks. During this time, it is very important to stay healthy and safe. Early diagnosis and proper care ensure that both the mother and the child remains in good health. It is important that you understand the different stages of pregnancy to make sure of taking proper care. Stages of pregnancy The duration of the pregnancy is generally divided into three trimesters or stages. First trimester The first 12 weeks of the pregnancy is known as the first trimester. By the end of this stage, the heart, muscles, nerves, and the sex organs of the baby starts to form. Second trimester The 13 th week to the 28 th week is known as the second trimester. This is when the baby starts to form fingerprints and footprints. Hair starts to grow on the head and the blood cells are created by bone marrow too. By the end of this trimester, the baby can become up to 12-inches long. Third trimester The remaining of the pregnancy up to the 40 th week is the third stage. By the 37 th week, the organs of the baby can function on their own.

Eye-related complications need to be taken quite seriously. According to a survey, many people are not too serious about their eye health, as only 30% of the population go for eye check-ups regularly. Apart from weak vision, various other conditions that can lead to eye-related problems. Below is a list of some of the most common ones. Different types of eye conditions Glaucoma The increased intraocular pressure (IOP) in your eyes can lead to many complications, which are known as glaucoma. It is a group of diseases of the eye. The optic nerve of the eye is affected due to the increased IOP. This can also lead to a complete loss of vision. Cataracts It is a cloudy lens that forms in your eye. Even though this condition does not cause any pain, cataracts lead to blurry vision. While aging is the most common cause of this condition, it can also be a result of diabetes, certain medications, trauma, and prolonged exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays. Retinal detachment Your eye health can be seriously affected by a detached retina. The retina is a tissue located at the back of your eyes. Sometimes, it can get separated from its underlying structures.

The joints in our bodies are constantly working while we move our limbs. Hence, it is understandable that with time we may develop certain joint conditions that lead to pain and compromised mobility. One of the very common forms of these conditions is arthritis. It leads to joint inflammation. A condition that mainly affects people over 65 years of age, it can be more commonly seen in women. Different stages of arthritis There are many different types of arthritis, but the two most commonly occurring ones are rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis has four stages. Stage 1 During this stage, inflammation occurs in the joints. Swelling, stiffness, and joint pains are common symptoms of this stage. The joint tissues swell up, too. Stage 2 During this time, the joint lining, synovium, is inflamed even more and results in cartilage damage. The joints’ motion capability is compromised due to this, leading to pain. Stage 3 In this stage, the severity of the joint condition becomes even more harmful. Rheumatoid arthritis leads to bone damages. This results in more pain, loss of mobility, and weakness of muscles. Stage 4 This is the end stage where the joints stop functioning completely. It leads to more pain, stiffness, and swelling.

Cholesterol is a substance found in the blood. It is waxy in texture and although it is required for building healthy cells, cholesterol in high quantities can increase the chances of heart diseases. This could also lead to cardiac arrest. The reason is that high cholesterol results in the formation of fatty acids in the body. When the deposits grow beyond a certain level, it gets difficult for the blood to flow easily through the arteries. The deposits can sometimes grow exponentially and break out, causing a heart attack. Progression of high cholesterol There are no defined stages of cholesterol building in the body. However, one can easily categorize the formation and increase of cholesterol in the body into different phases of progression. The first stage is when a person has high cholesterol and does not know it. At this stage, the body does not react. At the next stage, the body begins to store extra cholesterol in the arteries, and blood flow will have some problems. The buildup of cholesterol in the arteries will result in plaque. Plaque gets denser and the arteries become narrower, making it more difficult for blood to pass through. In the last stage, the plaque bursts, thereby causing a heart stroke or attack.

Cold, flu, cough, and virus are often used together. It is for a simple reason that cold, cough, and seasonal flu are commonly caused by viruses. Cough, cold, runny nose, sore throat, etc., are common symptoms of infections caused by viruses. Seasonal flu also causes similar symptoms but it can lead to soreness in the muscles, fever, and headache. Different stages Cold is caused when a virus attacks the upper respiratory tract in the body, which affects the throat, sinuses, nose, and the voice box. There are more than 200 different types of viruses that can cause cold. The condition and its symptoms progress gradually. This pattern is usually followed in most cases. However, the stages and the timing can differ a little case-to-case. The different stages are: The incubation stage Once you have been exposed to the virus, the symptoms will take about one to three days to start showing up. In some cases, the symptoms can start showing as early as 12 hours. Symptoms start to show and peak The symptoms start peaking anywhere between day one and three. Common symptoms experienced include cough, sneezing, runny nose, stuffy nose, etc. Symptoms start to fade off The symptoms of cold last for about three to ten days.

Your body requires to have a certain amount of water present in it at all times. Without it, the body cannot perform at its best. The lack of water in the body is known as dehydration, which can lead to various other problems. Dehydration can be mild, moderate, and even severe, which can lead to serious health problems. Hence, you must drink enough water throughout the day. How to diagnose dehydration The signs of dehydration can help you diagnose if you are suffering from the condition because of the lack of water in your body. The mild form can result in thirst, dry mouth, not peeing regularly, dark yellowish pee, dry skin, muscle cramps, and headache. If you continue to suffer from dehydration, the symptoms will get more serious. Your pee will get even darker and your skin can become extremely dry. You will also experience a lack of energy, sleepiness, sunken eyes, rapid breathing, faster heartbeat, irritability, dizziness, and fainting. The symptoms of dehydration in babies can include having no tears, dry mouth, dry diapers for hours, a lack of energy and, sunken cheeks, among others. Your body naturally loses water due to sweating, peeing, and the secretion of saliva.

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a condition that causes extreme tiredness and fatigue that does not go away even after resting. The causes of the condition are yet to be known. However, there are some theories indicate several factors which include: Viral infection Stress Or several factors in unison Once the symptoms are identified and the condition is diagnosed, treatment can be taken to get relief from symptoms. Understanding all aspects of the condition, including its stages, diagnosis, symptoms, and prevention can help in managing it effectively. Different stages and phases of chronic fatigue syndrome The patients of chronic fatigue syndrome undergo four phases of the condition. Their response towards the treatment can also vary greatly depending on the phase that they are going through. These phases are: Phase I: Crisis or trauma Phase II: Stabilization Phase III: Resolution Phase IV: Integration During all the phases, a chronic fatigue syndrome patient undergoes some physical, psychological, and social changes that are easily noticeable. Diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome No one test can diagnose a patient with chronic fatigue syndrome. This is because the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome resemble several other health conditions. Therefore, a lot of patience is required for the diagnosis of the condition.