Big Brother does good

UK Department of Health campaign funding
Governments, and businesses for that matter, sometimes make a mistake.  Then, though not suggesting it was a mistake, backtrack and decide to change their decision discreetly, referring to a 'temporary freeze'. In this 'thaw', news that award funding for Change4Life, Smoke free, help for older people and also targeting youth is the name of the game.  
Since the public advertising for several campaigns was pulled, there were reductions in people visiting the sites (and very expensive to the public purse they were too). Reductions to 'hits' on those sites have yet to be proven as a direct measure of increases to the number of people who are smoking, overweight, drug taking, elderly and requiring help or the young, who need someone to turn to for advice. All these online services lead to other helpful resources.
However, I've been doing my own low key 'survey' and from people I talk to, those online sites aren't fully explored or known - even with the last campaign. I've looked and think some are excellent. Change 4 Life, which also has a useful C4Life links page, has some great ideas for families who want to make changes.  
FRANK is great both for those wanting to know more about drugs and their impacts and by those affected by drug-taking or families or friends who want help.   
Smokefree website - I have a few reservations with it (those who know me well can probably guess what), though some of it is excellent. It has some useful information for anyone making that big decision to quit.
A good bit of news for a step towards the positive wellbeing of the nation. Big Brother gets a thumbs up from me today!     

Sleep and childhood weight gain

Well, sleep is of interest to me again.  This time it's because research published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) has shown that children who don't get enough sleep are shown to be more likely to be overweight by the age of 7.  I know that parents always try to do the best for their children.  Helping children to get enough sleep can increase the chances of a healthier person both in childhood and into adulthood. 

The experts who compiled the report said "Young children who sleep less have a significantly increased risk of having a higher BMI in middle childhood, even after adjustment for multiple risk factors that have been implicated in regulation of body weight." While the differences "may seem minor at an individual level, the benefits for public health, if applied at the population level are considerable", they added.

I've always found that sleep solves many problems for me. It's a chance for my brain to unwind and recharge itself.  So, off to recharge... Good night all.

Friendship

"We do not so much need the help of our friends as the confidence of their help in need." - Epicurus

'Hang on in there buddy'

Sleep Matters. Because you're worth it.

I read today that the Mental Health Foundation’s Sleep Matters report revealed that over 30% of the population currently suffers from insomnia or another sleep disorder. Now isn't that enough to make you want to snuggle under your duvet? 

Sleep is the one thing we all need. It's up there with having a healthy diet and regular exercise. 

New data revealed that sleep disorders can have a significant impact on your mood, energy levels, personal relationships and ability to concentrate, with sufferers being four times more likely to have relationship problems and three times more likely to experience low mood.

I heard a while ago that Margaret Thatcher had 5 hours sleep a night, but often had a power nap during the day to 'top up' her sleep deficit. It would take more than a 40 minute power nap to recharge most people. If you're feeling tired and waking up several times in the night, it could be 'sleep apnoea'. NHS choices explains 'the muscles and soft tissues in the throat relax and collapse sufficiently to cause a total blockage of the airway; it is called an apnoea when the airflow is blocked for 10 seconds or more'. Sometimes sleep apnoea is worsened if you're overweight. It can be a serious condition as you can stop breathing a number of times during the night - so you should get checked out by a GP.  If you're not overweight and you are still not sleeping well, it could also be a sign of another health issue. The Sleep Matters report said that sleep disorders put sufferers at 'significantly greater risk of health problems ranging from depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder to immune deficiency and heart disease'.

Other than asking for your GP to investigate, what else might help? I can only go on what people tell me who have experienced hypnotherapy. (Examples I've worked with are stress, restless leg syndrome, high blood pressure or anxiety related conditions) These clients told me they gradually learn to relax, to let go of worries and as a result got a better night's sleep.   

Perhaps you are looking to get a long awaited good night's rest and relaxation? If so, why not give hypnotherapy a go?  Angie Giles Hypnotherapy

  

Stepping onto a new platform

Thinking about train journeys today. How some people's travel plans were thrown out because of strong winds affecting power lines. 

It got me thinking about platforms, 'Stepping onto a new platform'. In a different way, that's what happens when life gives us an opportunity (or maybe it throws us something unexpected?) It might seem inconvenient, however, it creates an opportunity to learn and grow.  

It could be the platform allows us to re-evaluate who we are, where we've come from and where we could even dare to consider going. (Think 'big' as someone once said to me) We might be owning up to something about ourselves. Perhaps that we are afraid of the truth. Perhaps that we are afraid we might fail. Maybe not yet grasping we're on a journey to fundamentally change our way of being. For some that can feel quite unsettling as the ground continues to move beneath them.  For others they say, 'bring it on!' 

It’s unusual to reach a destination without having experienced at least one new thing. It might be just getting time to reflect on ourselves and our lives. As we go from one platform to another, our self-awareness can grow. We can reflect on our previous ways of thinking and behaving. Gradually we evolve into a different person from the one who started the journey.  It can seem very distant from where we started. Maybe that's the best bit? The uncertainty of the outcome. Considering the yet to be written chapters.

I like to think it's the journey itself that makes it worth stepping onto the next platform for, don't you agree?

Life is a journey

Today is the first day of my blog. I'm not going to write a huge amount. Life is a journey, that's what they say.  I look forward to writing more as the journey unfolds.