The Curious Mom

Teens and sleep go together like chalk and cheese. In fact, by the time your kids reach 14+, they may well start to sleep for ten or more hours a night. There’s nothing unusual about that, and it’s mostly to do with hormonal swings, circadian rhythms, and all that growing. What many parents fail to realize is that there can be such a thing as too much sleep, even where grumpy teens are concerned. 

Sadly, sleep can be as much a sign of something wrong as it is a healthy indicator of a growing child. Of course, reasons for excessive snooze times vary depending on a teen’s personality, weekly workload, and more. But, some of the more worrying reasons they might be keeping those curtains closed include - 

Believe it or not, a seeming excess of laziness can be a warning sign that your teen is taking on too much, especially if it centers around weekends. Remember that those teen years involve significant educational pressure and stress. Your teen may have taken on too many after-school clubs, or be up all hours with essays and assignments. This could lead them to levels of exhaustion you can only imagine. Luckily, this is an easy enough issue to diagnose, as you’ll likely see your teen working themselves to the bone first-hand. In this instance, encouraging them to drop unnecessary additional credits or even going over their timetable with their teachers could be best. 

Image by Kinga Cichewicz: CC0 License

Picture - CC0 Licence

We all want our kids to be better people. This means that we have to become the blueprint for our children. And when there are so many modern comforts we can realize that we are setting our children up for bad habits. The most obvious example in the modern day is using a smartphone. We think nothing of it when we are walking around the house checking social media. And when our children are at those crucial ages of development, they will see us on our phones and think that they need one. And we can either give in and provide them with a smartphone, which can have negative consequences, or we can dig our heels in. But there are many pros and cons to getting our children a smartphone? What are the main ones we should take note of?

The diet industry is massive. And for most moms, that shouldn’t come as a surprise. Practically everyone wants to lose weight, tone up, and make themselves look great.

For years, nutritionists have known that the best way to get a great body is to choose the right foods. When you eat right, you provoke biological changes that make you lean and fit.

“Diets” - as in radical changes to your regular eating pattern - promise that short-term modifications will help you get the body you want. How many women have told you that they’re “on a diet?”

Most diets, however, aren’t based on traditional foods proven to help reduce weight and keep people healthy - like the old Mediterranean diet of beans, whole grains, and vegetables. No - the majority of modern fat diets ask people to restrict entire food groups and sometimes, eat foods from categories that most should avoid.

Take the keto diet, for instance. The idea here is to shift the way your body burns fuel, away from regular glucose from carbs to ketones from burning fat. Practitioners, therefore, eliminate practically all starches and replace them with oils and meat - two food groups associated with adverse health outcomes.

Infographic by University of Southern California

Back pain is an extremely common health problem. Most people experience lower back pain, although it can occur in other parts of the back too. When you're experiencing back pain, it can be a nightmare. Finding the cause is often very difficult, which makes it hard to tackle. There are many different causes and various treatments, and you often need to try a few different things before finding something that works. It can take some time to find something that works for you, but you can explore the options available to try and find a solution. You can work with your doctor and other medical professions to discover what is best for you.

Exercise

When your back hurts, you might feel like resting is the best thing to do. However, lying still is actually one of the worst things that you can do for an aching back. In fact, you should try to be on the move if your back is hurting. Walking is excellent for your back, and you might benefit from swimming too. Resting for a day or two can be helpful, but it's important not to rest for too long. As well as walking and swimming, yoga and another stretching can be helpful. Some people also benefit from physical therapy, which helps them to improve their back pain with the help of a therapist.

Image from Pixabay - Pixabay License

Be Kinder to Your Back

Back pain can be a result of your lifestyle. Things like sleeping in a bad position or having bad posture while sitting or standing can cause your back to ache. By improving these things, you can also improve your back pain. A quality mattress is important for a good night's sleep, giving your back the support that it needs. If you can't afford a new mattress, a new mattress topper could help. A good pillow is also useful, helping you to sleep in the right position. Lying on your side is best for your back, as well as your neck, especially if you place a pillow between your knees. Good posture is also important, so ensure you're sitting well in your desk chair and not slouching.

Every parent wants the very best for their little ones. So much so, everything that you do is for them, their happiness, and their health. But, sometimes, you may find that you really don’t know if the efforts you’re making are for the best. It can be tough. So, it’s definitely nice to know that whatever you’re doing is working. When you want that to happen, here are some quick wins to get you started.

Move A Lot

To start with, it’s important for you all to move a lot. And the idea here is that you’re doing it too. Not only to set a good example but to keep yourself healthy too. This could be simple as walking to the park, running around in the garden, or playing sports together. It can be fun and good for keeping you fit.

Relax & Have Fun

Next, you should also make sure that you’re able to relax too. If your kids are going to grow up to be well balanced, they need to know how to relax and manage their minds. Having chill out time and prioritising fun can be so important to keep them happy and healthy.