Foot Palace

Foot Palace is a one-of-a kind reflexology spa where you are treated like royalty. Your feet carry you through life, do them a favor and allow us to melt the stress, aches, and pains away through reflexology massage. Come kick your feet up and relax in a state of tranquility while rebalancing your body from the inside out.

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5 Benefits of Sleeping in a Cold Room

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If you could look younger, sleep better, and save money this winter by doing this simple trick, would you?

Because a subtle temperature change can maximize your sleep while improving your bodily functions, everyone should know the impact and simple adjustments to accomplish this.

Sleep cold room benefits spa Athens Ga

yourfootpalace.com explains how the body’s core temperature is related to sleep, uncovers the most significant benefits of sleeping in a cold room, and answers frequently asked questions about sleep and room temperature.

Core Body Temperature and Sleep

Our core body temperature is regulated by the hypothalamus and kept between 96.8 and 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit during every 24-hour cycle.

Within a normal circadian rhythm, a warmer core temperature is associated with being alert and energetic. It is when the core temperature drops that drowsiness and sleep occur.

Knowing core temperature influences your sleep state is already a plus, but there are additional benefits that enhance your overall well-being.

What Sleeping in a Cold Room Can Do for You

Before you go cranking up the thermostat and jumping under all the blankets and comforters, check out these 5 benefits you get from sleeping in a room that’s kept between 60 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit:

1 – Fall Asleep Easier – A cooler room can aid the body in lowering its core temperature, naturally signaling that it is time to sleep.

2 – Fight Insomnia – According to a study by the University of South Australia, insomniacs have a higher core temperature and are kept awake while their bodies are losing the heat that is interrupting or delaying their sleep.

Sleeping temperature cold room reflexology Athens Ga

Lowering the temperature in the bedroom can help fight insomnia by dropping the body’s core temperature. Read more at http://w3.unisa.edu.au/unisanews/2004/June/insomnia.asp

3 – Uninterrupted Sleep Cycles – Sleeping in a cold room helps you stay asleep, and in turn, allows you to cycle through the critical sleep stages naturally.

When sleeping in a warmer environment, you are more likely to wake up throughout the night as your core temperature may rise.

If your core temperature rises too fast or too high, this may trigger you to sweat. Sweating is one of the body’s ways of cooling itself off, as well as a mechanism to try and maintain the sleep cycle.

When you wake up shivering, your core temperature has dropped too far. Shivering is one of the body’s mechanisms (muscle movement) to warm itself.

4 – Improved Melatonin Production – Melatonin is the body’s natural sleep hormone and a powerful antioxidant, and its production increases while sleeping in a cooler environment.

An increased melatonin level works to keep you asleep throughout the sleep stages, and aids in slowing the aging process! Ready to turn down the thermostat yet?

Sleeping in cold room benefits spa Athens Ga

5 – Increase Your Metabolism – Sleeping in a cold room works to rev up your metabolism which in itself helps to lower your risk of disease, and boosts the production of growth hormones.

These growth hormones work to mend muscle tissue, aid in the healing of bone fractures, and are used by children in their growth stages.

People Also Ask

Question: What Temperature Should Your Bedroom Be At Night?
Answer: To benefit from sleeping in a cold room, the temperature should range from 60 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit.

Question: Does Your Body Temperature Rise When You Sleep?
Answer: No. In fact, drowsiness and sleep are triggered by a lowering of your core temperature.

Question: Why Do I Sweat In My Sleep Every Night?
Answer: Your room may be too warm. Likely, by adjusting the bedroom temperature, you can reduce, if not stop the night sweats.

However, if the night sweats persist, it would be wise to seek advice from your primary care physician.

Question: Is Sweating At Night A Sign Of Cancer?
Answer 1: Not definitively. Sweating at night is the body’s primary mechanism for cooling its core temperature. It may also indicate or result from:

• A vitamin B-12 deficiency
• Hot Flashes
• Menopause
• Idiopathic hyperhidrosis (unknown cause of sweating)
A common side-effect of some types of cancer and cancer treatments is night sweats. Read more here cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/side-effects/hot-flashes-pdq

Note: For both men and women, sudden, radical, and/or persistent changes in your sleep stages should be taken seriously and evaluated by your primary care physician.

Question: How Cold Is Too Cold For Sleeping?
Answer: Temperatures in the mid 50’s and below can potentially disrupt sleep.

If the room is too cold, you are likely to curl up under a mountain of blankets which may raise your core temperature to levels which can cause night sweats and may interrupt your sleep.

Question: Does Sleeping In A Cold Room Give You Nightmares?
Answer: Dreams and nightmares are not conclusively related to room or body core temperature. That stated, a cooler room has the tendency to aid in better sleep.

Lower the Thermostat and Avoid Overheating While Sleeping

Your overall health and well-being are dependent on your ability to consistently get a good night’s sleep. Sleeping in a cold room can help you do this while saving money on your heating bill. It’s a win-win situation.

In this article, you discovered how the body’s core temperature is directly related to the quality of your sleep, the most significant benefits of sleeping in a cold room, and answers to frequently asked questions about room temperature and sleep.

Your health, looks, and well-being are directly related to your ability to rest. Your uninterrupted sleep stages are of your mind and body’s greatest necessities, and you can enhance your sleep while maintaining your circadian rhythm by sleeping in a cold room.

Sources:

https://blog.dana-farber.org/insight/2016/09/whats-the-connection-between-night-sweats-and-cancer/
http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/science/what/characteristics

Foot Palace Massage Spa Athens

196 Alps Rd Ste 31, Athens,  GA 30606
(706) 521-5290

Foot Palace Massage Spa Braselton

2095 Highway 211 NW Suite 7B, Braselton, GA 30517
(678) 963-5958

Why Proper Sleep Posture Translates to a Happier Body

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Man on left side sleep position with proper posture

Your sleeping posture may be comfortable, but it could ultimately be the cause of some health issues. Improper sleep positioning has been linked to neck/back pain, poor circulation, sleep apnea, next day fatigue and even premature wrinkles. For the appropriate amount of sleep and tips to fall asleep faster, visit yourfootpalace.com/regular-sleep-promotes-healthy-minds/. For the common sleep positions and how they compare to one another, read on.

Sleeping On Your Side

Side Sleepers (Arm’s/Leg’s straight): Over 15% of adults find this position to be most comfortable. Although relatively few people sleep this way it does show to have positive benefits, notably its help for those with sleep apnea. Because the body is on its side gravity prevents the tongue from falling back into the throat passage, restricting airflow. This position has also been shown to help with acid reflux and alleviating back pain since the spine is elongated. The only downside to this is the increased likelihood of wrinkles via face to pillow contact throughout the night.

Side Sleepers (Fetal Position): By far the most popular sleep position with 41% of people favoring this pose, the benefits are fewer but the comfortability is definitely greater. This position is ideal during pregnancy (specifically lying on the left side) because it helps improve circulation in not only your body but the baby’s as well. Lying on your left side can also help relieve pressure being placed on your liver when you sleep. Although this is the most comfortable position, sleeping with your knees too tightly tucked and your chin tucked down into your chest/pillow can tighten the diaphragm, making it harder to breathe and leaving you sore in the morning. A trick to help with posture in this position is to tuck a pillow in between your knees.

Sleeping on Your Stomach

Stomach Sleepers: A majority of people find this pose to be uncomfortable and understandably so. Because you are on your stomach your neck and spine have a hard time lying flat, especially with a pillow under head, causing serious neck and back the next morning as well as trouble breathing. The upward angle of the neck constricts air flow and this is more so the case when the head is turned to either side. This angle also puts the most stress on the lower back of any sleeping position.

Sleeping on Your Back

Back Sleepers: Without a doubt, sleeping on your back allows for the greatest amount of support along the spine and neck. This support as well as spinal elongation helps to prevent upper and lower back pain as well as keeping your neck in a neutral position throughout the night. Keeping a pillow underneath the head will prevent acid reflux occurring during the night. One of the only downsides to sleeping on your back is airway blockage from your tongue. This can be a serious threat to those with sleep apnea due to the increased lack of breath. Your snoring might increase but with no face to pillow contact your likelihood of developing wrinkles earlier in life will definitely decrease.

Posture Affects Your Sleep

Although posture plays an important role in your sleep there are other factors such as your mattress and pillow type. For side sleepers placing a pillow between your legs helps to correctly align the spine. At the end of the day everyone falls asleep in the position which is most comfortable for them, but taking your health into consideration might just help you make the switch to a better night’s sleep.

Foot Palace Massage Spa Athens

196 Alps Rd Ste 31, Athens,  GA 30606
(706) 521-5290

Foot Palace Massage Spa Braselton

2095 Highway 211 NW Suite 7B, Braselton, GA 30517
(678) 963-5958

How Regular Sleep Promotes a Healthy Mind

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active and healthy lifestyle in Athens

The cognitive skills we depend on in our daily lives are affected when we fail to get good sleep. Our abilities to focus, concentrate, reason, remember and make good judgment calls all suffer from lack of sleep. Our Foot Palace health team uncovered ongoing research that suggests our brains depend on a nightly bath, of sorts, to keep them functioning at their best. Not getting enough sleep or not sleeping deeply enough, hinders your brain’s ability to perform this nightly flush, possibly leading to a less productive day.

For the average person, a lack of sleep could translate to the inability to focus on what’s being said at a meeting, to gather information assemble it into an important report, or to engage with co-workers in a collegial and collaborative manner.

How Much Sleep is Enough Sleep

The gold standard for sleep is six to eight hours nightly, and evidence suggests the average American adult is getting at least that much. But just depriving yourself of an hour a night adds up and can have cumulative effects on your mental status throughout the week.

“Fortunately, recovery sleep works,” says A. Thomas Perkins, a sleep expert and director of the Sleep Medicine Program at Raleigh Neurology in Raleigh, North Carolina. “So you can be chronically sleep deprived for weeks in a row, and have a few long nights’ sleep and a nap and sort of boom, you’re caught up. In other words, you don’t have to make up what you miss in a 1:1 ratio.”

Going to bed early and staring at the ceiling does not make for more efficient sleep, and taking a hot bath raises your core body temperature, when your body actually requires a half-degree drop in temperature to trigger its nightly shut down.

And what about those people who say they just function better on less than the recommended hours of sleep?

“They’re full of it,” Perkins says. “It’s like saying, ‘I don’t need eyeglasses,’ but you didn’t realize you needed them until you had corrective lenses to compare what you’re currently seeing to what you ought to be seeing. They don’t have a reference point for normal sleep and refreshment.”

So the next time you’re tempted to work late and burn the midnight oil, remember: sacrificing sleep could actually put you at a disadvantage. Putting in regular hours with a clear mind is more beneficial than overtime on limited sleep, and you’ll feel healthier for it.

Natural Ways to Fall Asleep Faster

Give yourself acupressure

• Here are some acupressure techniques to alleviate sleeplessness:
Between your eyebrows, there is a small depression on the level of your brows, right above the nose. Apply gentle pressure to that point for a minute.

• Between your first and second toes, on top of the foot, there is a depression. Press that area for a few minutes until you feel a dull ache.

• Imagine that your foot has three sections, beginning at the tips of your toes and ending at the back of your heel. Find the distance one-third back from the tips of your toes and press on the sole of your foot for a few minutes.

• Massage both of your ears for a minute.

Use the “4-7-8” method

Championed by best-selling author Dr. Andrew Weil, the “4-7-8” breathing technique will help you fall asleep in under a minute. The method relaxes you by increasing the amount of oxygen in your blood stream, slowing your heart rate, and releasing more carbon dioxide from the lungs. 

Here’s how you do it:

  1. Place the tip of your tongue against the ridge of tissue just behind your upper front teeth, and keep it there through the entire exercise.
  2. Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.
  3. Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.
  4. Hold your breath for a count of seven.
  5. Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.

Repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths.

Foot Palace Massage Spa Athens

196 Alps Rd Ste 31, Athens,  GA 30606
(706) 521-5290

Foot Palace Massage Spa Braselton

2095 Highway 211 NW Suite 7B, Braselton, GA 30517
(678) 963-5958

10 Wellness Tips to a Healthier You

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active and healthy lifestyle in Athens

Much like babies, New Year’s resolutions are fun to make but hard to maintain. Here are a few tips that can help you stay on track.

1. Try wearing a pedometer. They say, “Out of sight, out of mind.” New research suggests that wearing a pedometer encourages people to walk about an extra mile each day, and in effect lose weight, and lower their blood pressure. Having a constant reminder helps, and you can get a decent one for about $20. Make your goal 30 minutes of walking a day or 10,000 steps per day.

2. Lift weights! Too many people neglect resistance exercise, especially women. Strength training is crucial for preventing muscle and bone loss with age. Lift weights for at least 20 minutes, two- to three-times per week. Don’t forget strength training, involving both the upper and lower body.

3. Eat more fish. Try eating least two fish meals per week. The evidence is strong that the oils in darker types of fish, such as tuna, salmon, tuna, mackerel and herring, are very beneficial for the brain and hart, and may even lower risk of cancer.

4. Drink water. You’ve heard it a hundred times before, because its true- drink more water! Water truly is essential and should always be the first thing you reach for when you’re thirsty.

5. Sleep 8 hours a night. Studies have confirmed that you really do need at least 8 hours of sleep a night. Some of the many benefits: You feel better, decreases risk for cardiovascular disease, and boosts memory.

6. Consider reflexology, acupressure and massage as valid therapies for chronic problems. Seeing a good massage therapist for neck strain may work better than taking extra strength Tylenol and/or Advil regularly. At the very least, these holistic options will help decrease stress and maintain overall wellness.

7. Keep sugar and caffeine to a minimum. Decreasing sugar actually increases your energy, by minimizing the highs and lows and preventing a sugar crash. People react differently to caffeine, but most of us are already overstimulated and could do without the additional boost. Drink green instead of coffee, the added bonus is weight loss.

8. Don’t pop too many vitamins, evidence for their benefits are low. Try getting your daily vitamins from foods and consider taking a multivitamin right before bed.

9. Don’t focus on dieting. Focus on eating, and WHAT you’re eating. If you’re hungry, just eat something- otherwise you’re more likely to overeat, especially in the evening. Instead, of sacrificing all day and gorging later, it’s better to eat enough during the day to avoid hunger pangs and uncontrolled eating at night. Eat every four hours or so, to keep your energy up and make you less hungry in the evening. And mix it up by eating different foods at every meal.

10. Don’t drink all your calories. It’s easy to drink calories without noticing: that eggnog latte at Starbucks has nearly as many calories as a Big Mac. It’s okay to have one as an occasional treat, but consider it a meal, not a drink.

Whether you need a spa treatment or relaxing massage therapy, Foot Palace invites you to melt away your pain and stress!

Foot Palace Massage Spa Athens

196 Alps Rd Ste 31, Athens,  GA 30606
(706) 521-5290

Foot Palace Massage Spa Braselton

2095 Highway 211 NW Suite 7B, Braselton, GA 30517
(678) 963-5958