Tuesday, 7 July 2015

T.V. Before Bed Anyone?

How many of us end up falling asleep with the TV on? Technology has advanced faster and further in recent years, which brings us to one conclusion……technology is everywhere. Which leads to the question how does technology affect our health? This is a question we rarely ask ourselves. The smallest amount of ambient lighting can affect your sleep. Poor sleep has also been considered a factor when it comes to a poor diet and obesity, and overall energy and mood. A new study done by the neuroscience department at The Ohio State University in Columbus suggests that soaking in the glow of your TV, smart phone or living room lights late into the night may put you at risk for depression and increase brain stimulation.
Apart from ruining your sleep, the research adds to growing evidence in both animals and people, that exposure to even dim lights at night can lead to all sorts of negative health consequences. Which includes breast cancer, sleep disorders and weight gain.

With even a small amount of ambient light at night, the body might release the wrong amount of melatonin, or melatonin might get produced at the wrong time, leading to any number of problems.

Neurologist Phyllis Zee, director of the Sleep Disorders Program at Northwestern University in Chicago explains “They’re all somehow related,” “and perhaps melatonin helps explain why there is this very strong relationship between depression, sleep, and circadian rhythms, as well as obesity and metabolism.”

“Light affects so many biological systems,” she added. “Light is a very powerful drug for the brain.”
There are concerns for people falling asleep in front of the computer or TV, which may diminish your overall sleep time. In addition to lowering the actual number of hours spent sleeping, it also apparently diminishes the quality of the sleep. The flickering light from a TV inhibits relaxation.

TV relaxes us or so we think it does but it may be too stimulating for your mind to unwind. Watching TV takes even more brainpower, since it requires some interaction instead of unwinding. In order to relax, try shutting them down or off before you go to bed; it may help you sleep better in the long run.



Remember these points
  1. Exposure to dim lights when it should be dark may contribute to depression.
  2. Light exposure at the wrong times of day has been linked to all sorts of health problems.
  3. To boost your mood, it might help to give yourself some solid hours of true darkness at night. (Dark Shades, curtains)

Friday, 3 July 2015

Gym Clothes Are the New Real Clothes

When we discovered that oft-denounced sweatpants were among Google's most-searched spring 2015 trends, we realized the athleisure movement was far from fleeting. And not just for gym-goers or green juice enthusiasts, but, say, Hollywood stars, just going about their day-to-day.

With racks upon racks of designer clothing at their disposal, celebrities choose to run around town in their gym-friendly duds. No desperate scrambles to the car so as to avoid being seen, no quick-change acts, no walks of post-workout shame. Nay — yoga pants for the people, celebrities say!

So, slip into a nice pair of Capris or shorts and get about doing your daily day to days!.
www.nuteez.com

Tuesday, 12 May 2015

Five Reasons To Stay In Your Pyjamas All Day!



We live busy lives filled with jobs to do, errands to run, bills to pay, cleaning to catch up on kids to look after, the list goes on and on. Now, we're not suggesting you trade this all in on a permanent basis to become a pyjama wearing sofa dweller (aka sloth) but in the case of the busy woman the age old adage is true, a change is as good as a holiday. So get your diary out, find a day, clear your schedule and make a date with your favourite pyjamas. Treat yourself to this simple yet wonderful indulgence, a day where you don’t get dressed, don't put your makeup on, turn your phone on silent, ignore your emails and treat yourself some well earned ‘me time’. Here are our top 5 reasons to stay in your PJ's all day along with our favourite sleepwear and loungewear pieces for you to choose from. Go on, buy your favourites and book a PJ day today; you deserve this.

It’s A Rare Luxury
In this fast paced world who has the time to relax and just throw up their feet & say I will do it later!

It’s SO Comfortable

Just a day spent in your Pyjamas revive you and make you feel fresh and active for the whole week ahead! Get comfy now: www.nuteez.com

It Stops You Being Busy

We've all heard of power dressing for work, the idea that what your wear can affect your very psyche. Well the same is true of dressing for a day of relaxation. The simple act of keeping your PJs on lets your brain know it’s time to relax and lets face it, it provides a physical barrier to busyness too, I mean who’s really going to pop to the bank in their PJ's?

It Takes You Back
Remember those childhood and teenage days of the sleepover when you and your friends would stay up all night watching chick flicks then spend the next day in your PJ's munching breakfast at lunchtime and chatting till your hearts content. Wearing your PJ's all day has a strong nostalgic element sure to take you back to this wonderfully simple time. Learn this life lesson from your former self, a girly day spent in your PJs is a day well spent. Go on;spoil yourself today at www.nuteez.com

It’s Perfect For Pampering

There’s one kind of to-do list that you're allowed to tackle on a PJ day and that’s a pamper to-do list. So grab your nail polish, hair treatment, face mask and get busy in the very best way. PJs are much more conducive to relaxing pamper treatments so go ahead and treat yourself. Spoil yourself and buy today.

Friday, 1 May 2015

9 Fun Facts About Sleep




On the outside, we look relaxed, peaceful, and unaware. But what really goes on while we sleep? We spend nearly one third of our lives—approximately 25 years—in a state of sleep, yet remember little to none of it. When you hit the pillow, your body doesn’t turn off. It begins an intricate cycle of rejuvenation that is a vital to your health and well-being. Read on and learn more about the one thing that none of us can live without.

9. Hypnic Jerks

Something strange sometimes occurs between sleep stages 1 and 2; perhaps you have experienced this phenomenon. Just as you begin to drift off, your body jerks involuntarily, often in response to an abrupt sensation of falling. These jolts are known as a hypnic jerks, or sleep starts. Experts insist they are completely normal, but the reason for them is unclear. Some theorize that as one’s muscles relax, the brain mistakenly registers that the body is falling, and jolts to “catch” itself.


8. Insomnia: A Common Sleep Disorder

The most commonly reported sleep disorder, called insomnia, is experienced by approximately 10 to 15 percent of adults. Insomniacs report difficulties falling and/or staying asleep. Some turn to sleeping pills or alcohol, but a number of natural alternatives have been established to assist with sleeplessness. For those struggling with insomnia, experts recommend regular exercise, a consistent sleep schedule, and a relaxing bedtime routine.


7. Dream Content

Has a friend ever approached you excitedly and announced, “You’ll never believe what I dreamt last night!” If so, they likely followed with vivid dream story that left you laughing and/or puzzled. Perhaps you have experienced a dream like this yourself. While fantastic dreams do occur—as well as the occasional nightmare—the majority of dreams are actually quite ordinary. We tend to re-live typical day-to-day events in our dreams, and sometimes factors in our environment are incorporated into our dream story, such as a particular scent, or, in an unfortunate case, the buzz of an alarm clock.


6. The Function of Dreams

The phenomenon of REM rebound suggests that dreams serve a purpose beyond mere entertainment. A number of theories seek to explain the function of dreams. Psychologist Sigmund Freud—whose theories revolved around the concept of the “unconscious mind”—believed that dreams were a way for a person to harmlessly discharge repressed thoughts and desires. A more recent theory suggests that dreams allow us to consolidate and arrange our memories, and yet another proposes that dreams serve the physiological purpose of preserving and maintaining neural pathways. Despite these ideas, other experts maintain that dreams are nothing but random, meaningless bursts of brain activity.


5. REM Rebound

Though the precise function of REM sleep is fiercely debated, the fact that we need REM sleep is not. If frequently interrupted during sleep or deprived of it, our bodies will compensate, and naturally pass more quickly through the non-REM stages of sleep (stages 1, 2, 3, and 4) into REM sleep: a phenomenon known as REM rebound. Humans are not the only ones who need REM sleep, as REM rebound has been observed in a number of animals as well.


4. Rapid Eye Movement (REM) Sleep

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is the stage in which dreams occur. It is characterized by an accelerated heart rate, rapid and irregular breathing, and periods in which the eyes dart back and forth. Approximately 25 percent of the night is spent in REM sleep, and people will remember a dream more than 80 percent of the time if woken during a REM period. The average person spends nearly 600 hours dreaming each year during REM sleep.




3. The Sleep Cycle

The process of sleep occurs in five distinct stages that repeat about every ninety minutes. When you first lay down to rest, your breathing rate slows as you transition from consciousness to a light sleep known as Stage 1. After two minutes or so, you relax further, entering into Stage 2 sleep. Your body temperature drops and breathing becomes regular during this 20 minute stage. Stages 3 and 4—where sleep walking and talking can occur—are deep, restorative forms of sleep characterized by large, slow brain waves. Together, they last approximately 30 minutes. Before entering Stage 5 sleep—an intriguing stage known as REM (rapid eye movement) sleep—you pass back through stages 3 and 2. Most people repeat this cycle several times before morning.


2. Circadian Rhythms

To your dismay, you wake at the time your alarm normally goes off, and have trouble getting back to sleep. This happens because your body is acting in accordance with its biological clock, or circadian rhythm (from the Latin circa, “about,” and dies, “day”). A region of your brain called the hypothalamus regulates your patterns of sleep and wakefulness, matching them to the 24-hour cycle of day and night. A person typically sleeps for eight hours within this period, and is awake for sixteen. Be careful—staying up unusually late or snoozing for too long can throw off your rhythm and necessitate a period of readjustment.


1. The Necessity of Sleep

Sleep researcher William Dement (1990) once said, “The national sleep debt is larger and more important than the national debt.” Most people do not get an adequate amount of shut-eye; according to a 2009 poll, 20 percent of Americans report getting less than six hours of sleep per night. Why do we need sleep? The answer seems obvious. Without it, we become walking zombies, propelled through the day by caffeine and weary determination alone. Though no definitive answers exist concerning its precise purpose, sleep is believed to help restore body tissues and assist in the growth process.

Wednesday, 25 March 2015

Relax with Nuteez, the Quirky Way

After a tiring hectic day what do you really need? 

A relaxing night’s sleep to cast out all the tiredness in the warmth of your fluffy bed, with a soft quilt and comfortable nightwear..  However to help our body relax choosing the right nightwear is extremely essential. It is extremely important to understand that all nightwear is not suited for everyone nor is it suited for every season. 



So here are a few tips to consider before picking up the ideal nightwear for your needs… 

Weather / Season
To pick the perfect nightwear one must reflect on the weather and season. Ideally in cooler conditions it is best to opt for full sleeved tops and pajamas whereas in warmer conditions, small sleeved tops and lightweight shorts or a long tank are perfect. 

Fabric
Another very vital aspect while purchasing nightwear is the fabric that is suited as per the weather conditions. Cottons and Jerseys are light on the skin, ensuring that the material doesn’t stick to the skin allowing it to breathe freely. Thus Cottons and Jerseys are best for warmer conditions while heavier materials like Silk, Satin and Polyester are good for cooler climates. 

Size
For a comfortable night’s sleep it is important that your night wear is relaxed enough for you to move freely. A little smaller in size will restrict your movements and a bit looser will pose a lot of obstructions, both causing uneasiness and distress. So choose the ones that are comfortable and feel good at the same time. 

Length
Again the length of the nightwear is governed by the season or the weather conditions. For warmer conditions opt for shorter versions while for cooler conditions opt for the longer versions. However for special occasions something different that makes you feel glamorous works wonders too. 

Colour
Usually the colours you choose reflect your personality and the same goes with the nightwear. Having said that lighter colours are most liked for nightwear, however for children and young adults a lot of colour and print options are available to experiment with. 



With these tips I’ve over the last few years experimented with buying nightwear online and chanced upon an amazing young brand Nuteez (pronounced as New – Teez) that offers casual and lounge wear for men, women and children. The brand has moved away from the traditional concept of nightwear and ventured into a more funky – lazy approach to the concept keeping the ethos of it intact. I especially like the quirk element in the products that adds character to the dressing down time. 

Made in India the products are designed by artists and designers from different parts of the country that highlights the soft peach hand finish that makes the products difficult to get out of. The products are designed keeping comfort and simplicity in mind, yet are extremely stylish adding to the persona and lifestyle of the wearer. 

You must check their website here. They are also coming up with the summer collection very soon, will keep you updated. 
- www.icynosure.com