HealthHacks

Here are 6 remedies to help you stop snoring:

1. Try a vapor rub.
   Some people apparently swear by this folk remedy.
2. Try nasal strips.
   These devices help by improving airflow through the nose.
3. Use heat or steam.
   By using a steam vaporizer or hot (wet) towels, you can eliminate the congestion that contributes to the problem.
4. Lose weight.
   Just dropping 10% of your body weight can significantly cut snoring by reducing excess neck tissue.
5. Start singing.
   Studies have shown that 20 minutes a day for 3 months can reduce snoring.
6. Elevate you bed.
   According to the American Academy of Otolaryngology, raising the head of your bed four inches can help. This can be done with foam blocks or even old pillows.

If your snoring is persistent, you may have a condition called sleep apnea. This is a serious condition and requires medical treatment.
[tags]sleep,tips,snoring,remedies[/tags]

The Telegraph has some good advice on how to effectively use a heart rate monitor:

By monitoring your heart rate on a regular basis, you will also be able to tell whether or not you’re up for exercise on a particular day. An increase in your normal resting heart rate - which should be taken first thing in the morning and is typically about 60-80 beats per minute (though well-trained athletes can have heart rates in the 40s to 30s) - is a strong indication that you have not recovered from previous training, or that you may be coming down with a virus. If this is the case, take a day’s rest, or use it as an opportunity to concentrate on stretching.

Read the rest here.

[tags]exercise,fitness,heart rate monitor[/tags]

As her recent Grammy Awards appearance demonstrated, Madonna is in great shape. Her alleged secret, it turns out, isn’t yoga or Pilates, but a unique fitness machine available in the UK.

The Power-Plate machine can supposedly replicate the results of 60 minutes of exercise in only 10 by utilizing vibration. These vibrations are claimed to speed muscle contractions and produce a strenuous workout without all the strain.

Color me skeptical, but the author of this article is a convert.

[tags]Madonna,Power-Plate,exercise,fitness,yoga,Pilates [/tags]

If you are sick of contacts and weary of Lasik, there may be a better option for you: implantable contacts.

Made of a collagen copolymer, the Visian ICL lenses have several advantages over conventional contact lenses and lasik surgery: they are permanent and do not require maintenance; they may be removed or upgraded if vision or other changes necessitate; they do not damage corneal tissue; and, they are invisible because they are implanted behind the iris.

The procedure, which typically takes just 15 minutes, is performed on an outpatient basis.

The best candidates for the procedure are those age 21-45.

[tags]vision,eyes,contacts,myopia,Visian ICL [/tags]

If you have ever experienced a multi-hour layover in an airport, you will appreciate the need for what one company has created — nap ‘pods’.

Looking a bit like something from Korova milk bar, the pods are a sleep oasis for the overworked. They feature a leather recliner with a helmet-like bubble dome to ensure privacy. If that isn’t enough, you can listen to ambient sounds or New Age music on the included Bose Noise Cancelling headphones.

You are gently awoken from your nap with lights and vibration. To further refresh, an array of face spritzers, breath mints, and towelettes are available.

The pods are available for $14 per 20 minute session, or less if you buy multi-packs.
MetroNaps, the pods creator, began in 2003 to address the sleep deficit of the business set. The company currently has locations in the Empire State Building and the Vancouver airport, but expects to be in the UK and Australia later this year.

More here.

[tags]sleep,naps,Empire State Building,MetroNaps,Vancouver [/tags]