Experts agree: The air we breathe today is dirtier and more dangerous than ever. A recent study from researchers at Carnegie Mellon University sent shockwaves through the medical world when it showed the decline in our air quality was associated with 9,700 additional premature deaths from 2016 to 2018 alone. Much of this air quality decline comes from the man-made toxins we breathe in every day like cigarette smoke, the gas in our cars, pesticides, cleaning chemicals, industrial plants, and more... But that’s only part of the story. In addition to those man-made toxins, our air has ALWAYS been filled with “natural threats” – such as allergens, carcinogens, bacteria, germs, and other airborne microorganisms. And every day, you inhale BILLIONS of tiny particles. Most are harmless… but others pose serious risks to your quality of life and wellbeing – and some are deadly.
Do you struggle to fall asleep, stay asleep, or are you waking up too early? Is getting deep satisfying sleep just out of the question... are you waking up tired no matter what? I do, see for most of my life, I’ve struggled with insomnia. And everyone who does knows how it can suck the life out of you. Studies show that poor sleep can have negative effects on daily physical functioning, causing chronic fatigue, exhaustion, reduced sex drive, increased pain sensitivity, and more... And if left untreated, over time chronic insomnia can increase your risk for obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other serious health problems. And while millions of people are resorting to sleeping pills every night, experts warn that’s extremely dangerous.
My headaches started in my early 40s. Of course, I’d had headaches before – but when they began happening daily, I started to freak out. I assumed it was stress at first… but the pain simply didn’t stop. In fact, it got worse. Eventually, my headaches felt like they were in control of my entire life. My work suffered. I felt less present with my family. I was completely drained of energy all the time. After a few months of mild, but constant pain every day, I went to the doctor… who gave me drugs to ease the symptoms. I accepted this solution at first – what else was I going to do? But after a few years, I got extremely tired of taking pills every day. They made me feel groggy and weak – and with each pill I popped, it became harder and harder to imagine ever getting off of them.
Do you struggle to get deep, satisfying breaths through your nose? Is the quality of your sleep lacking, effected by snoring... are you waking up tired no matter how much you slept? I do, see for most of my life, I’ve breathed through my mouth. I didn’t know this until recently, but according to medical experts, our bodies are designed to breathe through the nose… and “mouth breathing” has a lot of negative consequences, like poor sleep, dry mouth, breathing irregularities, and more. And that exhausted feeling you get is because your body is simply working twice or even ten times harder than usual to get a good deep breath and oxygen. (Yes, even while you’re sleeping.) Because the less oxygen your body has to use… the more washed out and lifeless you can feel. Can you relate?
Have you ever run out of breath trying to walk up a short flight of stairs? Or while carrying your groceries inside from your car? Or what about when you sleep? Do you always wake up tired no matter if you slept 8, 10, or 12 hours at night? If you answered yes to any of these questions, according to the medical experts, it's possible that you may have a larger-than-normal buildup of mucus inside your lungs. And that exhausted feeling you get is because your body is simply working twice or even ten times harder than usual to get a steady supply of oxygen into your blood. (Yes, even while you’re sleeping.) Because the less oxygen your body has to use… the more washed out and lifeless you can feel. Can you relate?
Nothing is more of a pain in the neck than…..well, pain in your neck. Sitting up hurts. Bending over hurts. Turning your head hurts. Sometimes you can’t even get comfortable enough to sleep at night. And to makes matters worse, the pain’s darn near impossible to get rid of by yourself – no matter how much rubbing, rolling, massaging, or pressing on sore spots you do.
