Memory Foam

Does this sound like a typical day for you…You sit in a car to drive to work 30 minutes or longer.  You arrive at your office to sit in your desk chair for the next eight hours and then drive home sitting once again in your car for another 30 minutes or longer.  You walk into your home to sit down at the dinner-table and after you’ve enjoyed the meal, you sit or lay down on the couch to watch television!

That is a recipe for disaster for our bodies.  We are increasing our risk for obesity, back pain, leg cramps and tense muscles.  Here are some easy tips and exercises you can do right at your desk. 

• Firstly, ensure the desk chair is at the proper height, reducing the strain on your back.
• Check your posture at your desk.  Your lower spine should be flat against the back of the chair.  A pillow inserted can be a tremendous aid for you to maintain proper curvature.
• First exercise tip is to cross your legs in the chair with your feet on the seat.  Placing your hands on the armrest, hold your tummy in, and raise yourself in the air and hold for 10-20 seconds.  Rest for 30 seconds and then repeat five times. This will work your core and arms.
• For lower body strength, sit in your chair with one leg extended in front of you.  Hold this position for two seconds and then raise your leg up as high as you can and hold it for another two seconds.  Do this for both legs fifteen times.
• Instead of using email to send a message to your co-worker, get up and walk to their desk and give them a personal visit.  The change in position will be good for your body.

Instead of having another doughnut from the coffee room, encourage your co-workers to join you.  That may also stop they funny looks you may receive from them!  They will be glad they did when their bodies begin to feel better!

If you have or are presently suffering from lower back pain you will find this article interesting.  A simple act may change the way you feel.  We should not overlook the importance of stretching and developing the discipline of doing it every day.  When we consider the benefits to stretching: 

• improved circulation
• reduced tension
• relieved back and shoulder pain
• reduced stress

We will no doubt want to take the few minutes each day to include some stretches!

Aging on our bodies is not always kind to us and one of those side-effects can be tighter muscles and joints which limits the ease with which we can move.  Of course, a lack of flexibility will make it harder to take part in the activities we may enjoy such as biking, hiking or walking.

Before stretching, warm up your muscles with a brisk walk and then hold a stretch for 20-30 seconds.  Avoid bouncing when stretching as that may tear a muscle.  Stretch throughout the day for a few minutes at one time.

This is a simple way to help take care of your back pain.  We also recommend our four-in-one pillow to comfort your back while reading, working at your desk or sleeping.

Try using this simple formula today!

We have included more ways to help you, we hope,  live pain-free with your back!

1. Avoid lifting heavy objects where possible.  If lifting is required, ensure proper body positioning, by bending slightly at the knees and lifting with your legs, not your back.  Keep your back as straight as possible with the object close to your body.  Don’t be afraid to ask someone for help in lifting heavier objects!
2. If a back injury has occurred, place an ice pack on the area to reduce swelling.  Once the swelling has decreased heat can be applied.
3. An active lifestyle is good as circulation to your muscles is created when participating in aerobic exercise.  Increased circulation can reduce the tightness surrounding our muscles.  One word of caution, if back pain has resulted from an injury, please check with your doctor before doing any strenuous exercise.
4. Stretching all areas of your body should be part of every day.  Our body acts as one and if one area is hurting, another part may will compensate for it. If you stretch after exercising,  your muscles will be warm and more flexible.  Do not stretch beyond what your body should so as not to cause further back injury.
5. Consider including back strengthening exercises into your exercise program.  You may want to consult a physical therapist to develop a plan best suited to your needs.

These five tips can help you during the daytime hours and a memory foam pillow can help you during the nighttime as you sleep to ensure your spine is in the best aligned position.

Stay tuned for our last five tips on strengthening your back next time.

1. Sit and stand with your back straight.  Slouching places extra pressure on your shoulders and other parts of your back.
2. Ensure your desk is a comfortable height, neither too high or too low to avoid a strain on your back.
3. Purchase a chair with good back support, one in which your back is touching the back of the chair.  If extra support is needed a lumbar support pillow can be purchased and easily inserted to correct the situation.
4. If you are sitting for a long period of time, place your feet on a stool to remove pressure on your back.  If you stand for a prolonged amount of time, change the position of your feet periodically.
5. Low heeled or athletic shoes should be worn so as your weight is distributed evenly.

We need to “wake-up” to the fact of how important sleep is to our bodies.  Here are just a few of the side effects of little to no sleep:

•  alters chemical balance
• daytime sleepiness and fatigues
• increases accidents whether at home or work
• weakens our immune system leaving us vulnerable to diseases
• causes stress
• upsets our mental processes

Scientists are looking seriously at what happens to our bodies when we live on 5-7 hours of sleep a night.  We may think that achieving those number of hours of sleep in one night is plenty of sleep for us, but discoveries are showing some negative results.

The University of Chicago tested healthy young men who slept 4 hours for 6 consecutive nights.  These men showed the same results of someone who had diabetes after they were examined on the seventh day.  Processing blood sugar was reduced by 30%, a huge drop occurred in their insulin response and elevated levels of a stress hormone leading to hypertension and memory impairment occurred.  Six hours of sleep would have the same impact, just that it would take a longer period of time to show the effects.

People who constantly sleep shorter have a hard time keeping blood sugars stable, making them prone to insulin resistance and obesity.  Brain function is slowed in the areas of attention, complex planning, complex mental operations and judgment. 

How can we combat this sleep deprivation?  Unfortunately not by sleeping longer the next day but planning in advance and sleeping extra hours the day before instead of after the fact.  You can also try napping for 20-30 minutes in the early afternoon in a comfortable position.

If we want to be healthy, it is important to get the sleep we need.  How much is that?  Do an experiment on your next holiday.  See how long you sleep for the first few days or week.  The following week you’ll be sleeping the right hours naturally and that will be the correct amount of sleep you need.

Look into memory foam pillows to help provide a good night’s rest for a healthier you.

Discomfort in pregnancy, particularly during the latter months, is common.  We want to try and help ease you through those “rougher” months so consider trying the following tips.

1.  Maternity Back Support Belt - A good night’s sleep is so important during pregnancy.  Even though you are in a horizontal position, you may falsely think that the weight is off your back.  Guess again, the weight is still there and using this belt will support your belly, thus relieving your lower back from carrying all the weight.

2.  Low-heeled or athletic shoes - Fashion must move aside for now as pain in your feet can cause pain in your back.  Even while wearing supportive shoes, you may still want to request a foot massage every so often!

3.  Daily Workout - It is okay to do some light exercises, such as walking, with some light stretching each day.

4.  No Heavy Lifting - Remember you are already carrying weight inside of you, so there is no need to carry more!

5.  Plenty of Sleep - Bed rest doesn’t mean you have to be in bed all day long but do give yourself permission to relax.  A back support pillow will be a welcome help .  It can also be placed between the legs while sleeping on your left side to provide support. 

It’s best to follow all these tips as zeroing in on just one will not bring the best results in relieving your back pain.

Whether it is food or pollen, there are lots of people who suffer from allergies. Many people seek medication to alleviate the symptoms related to allergies, but there are just as many people who simply suffer with these bothersome symptoms. If you find yourself allergic to the feathers that fill pillows, however, it can be a difficult allergy to ignore. Because your face is in direct contact with these feathers every night, it can actually impede your ability to sleep.

Repeatedly interrupting your sleep cycle in order to hack, sneeze, or cough can have serious and dire consequences if allowed to happen for extended periods of time. That’s why many people (even those most averse to using medication for allergies) are open to the idea of an anti allergen pillow. Made from a material such as foam or buckwheat, these alternative pillows can help you get your full eight hours. For the really sensitive users, however, they will want to stick with foam, which has been shown to be 100% hypoallergenic.

Finally, it’s 5:00 p.m.!  The end of another work day and bonus, it’s the weekend!  Aah, rest and relaxation, but wait…as you slide your chair away from the desk and get ready to stand up…OUCH!  Your back is hurting, you’ve strained it somehow.  I guess there will be more rest and relaxation than you thought this weekend after all!

Sitting for long periods of time without any support creates muscle tension and can result in pain in the lower portion of our back.  May we suggest a lower back support pillow to help reduce or alleviate your back pain and possibly neck pain.

A natural gap is evident between the lower spine and chair on which one sits and a back support pillow helps to fill in that space.

These back support pillows can also be used for our heads and necks while sleeping as they keep these body parts aligned, relieving pressure and tension points.

Now, doesn’t that sound like an easy way to be able to really enjoy those weekends?

No more aching back!

How many nights of sleep have you lost due to tossing and turning, trying to get comfortable?

How much have you spent on chiropractor bills because of a sore back?

How many days have you lost at work because of back ache?

Would you like to see the pain, stiffness and perhaps spasms go away?

The first place you should consider looking to end this pain is in your bedroom!  We spend 1/3 of our lives sleeping and since our backs rest and recover during that time, we need to make sure they indeed are able to rest.

One of the benefits of purchasing a memory foam pillow is that it is specifically designed to align your body, no matter what your favourite position is.  Keeping your spine in line with your head and neck is the key!

Don’t skimp on your pillows, they are one of life’s products that invests in your health.  Just maybe spending more money on your pillows, will allow you to earn more money as you arrive fresh and ready for what the day may bring at your place of employment!

Do you want a simple, yet effective way to end health problems?

Is your neck sore in the morning?  How about your back or shoulders?  Do you know that a change in pillows may be all that is required!  By doing that one simple thing you could also eliminate fatigue.

A pillow that leaves your neck sagging is going to cause poor alignment of your spine.  A memory contour pillow can work whether you sleep on your side, back or stomach.

The same holds true for your shoulders and back.  Keeping your spine correctly aligned allows for a natural positioning of your head in correlation to your spine.  If everything is aligned, you won’t have any body parts upset at you in the morning!

Waking up tired can be caused by not being comfortable during your sleep.  Is your head sinking to just the right comfort area or are you moving that pillow around all night long to find that perfect spot?

To find your perfect night’s rest, start looking at a memory contour pillow.  A pillow that keeps you perfectly aligned all night long!