Spending time in nature is good for you..

I will start with a confession.  While I know the benefits of hydotherapy - basically you take a hot shower for 30 seconds then switch to freezing cold for 30 seconds, then go back to hot and repeat for 2 or 3 minutes - it has never appealed to me.  It may be fantastic for blood flow and good for your liver, but to me it seems brutal!  So in the past, I have only spent a few short minutes in a sauna and I have never been tempted to jump into the ice cold plunge pool afterwards - despite my finnish friends telling me how fantastic it is. So I was interested in the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study which looked at if frequent use of a sauna has reduces the risk of high BP.  The study looked at 1,621 middle-aged men living in eastern Finland.  The study found that

• Going to the sauna 4 to 7 times per week reduces your risk of develping High BP by 46%.
• Going to the sauna 2 to 3 times per week reduces your risk of develpoing High BP by 24%.

Like a trusty guard dog, your smart phone probably rests right next to you (or even under your pillow) every night when you go to sleep. You’re able to answer calls, texts and emails at a moment’s notice – even during the wee hours of the night.  And isn’t that the best part about technology? Always being connected and never truly shutting down or logging off?  Not so fast. You probably don’t even realize how your smart phone habits are affecting your sleep. 1. It keeps your mind psychologically engaged Smart phones were designed to make us more productive and our lives easier. They’re designed to entertain us and provide information. But when it’s time to turn off the lights and go to sleep, the last thing our brain needs is more information and more entertainment. (And that seems fair enough – we give our brains enough to think about during the day!) The smart phone era has forced us to feel like we can never really log off, even when we’re sleeping.   Your mind can stay active and engaged long after you’ve scrolled through Instagram or responded to a few work emails. Going to bed and falling asleep should be a peaceful, happy and relaxing experience. Engaging with your phone too close to bedtime can negatively impact those feelings. 2. The blue light from the screen suppresses melatonin Blue light from screens of laptops, tablets and smartphones supresses melatonin.  Melatonin is a hormone responsible for controlling your sleep-wake cycle. So when your body runs low on it, you can experience insomnia, tiredness during the day and irritability. 3. Alerts delay REM sleep Knowing your smartphone is at hand can mean you are aware of new email alerts or social media alerts.  These alerts or simply waiting for these alerts can delay REM sleep. So if you want to improve the quality of your sleep simply have 1 hour technology free before bed. Reference https://www.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/japplphysiol.01413.2009  

Nearly 20% of people in the UK experience symptoms of anxiey or depression in 2014 according the Mental Health Foundation. A systemic review of five medical databases has found evidence to support the effictiveness of aromatherapy for alleviating depressive symptoms.  A team of scientists at the Hong Kong Polytechnic Univeristy found 12 randomiased controlled trials involving a total of 1,226 participants - 984 were female and 224 male, with an average age of 47.  Two of the five inhalation studies and five of the eight massage trails reported improvements in subjects conditions, with the aromatherapy massage found to be more effective. So if you feel depressed why not try and aromatherapy massage. Note: Vitality Therapy do not offer aromatherapy massage. References