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Insomnia in popular culture

Insomnia in popular culture

by | Jun 9, 2020 | Christian meditation

Insomnia has been a featured disorder from many factors such as books and movies. Two cult classics one is a book titled Insomnia wrote by horror novelist Stephen King and the other is the Robert DeNiro film from 1976 Taxi Driver. There have been 28 songs written and recorded about insomnia and among the artists who recorded a song were Vanessa Carlton, Green Day, Radiohead, and Tenacious D. The most popular film based on the Chuck Palahniuk novel that was a hit about 6 years ago was Fight Club with Edward Norton and Brad Pitt and the lead character was a manic insomniac. This seems to be the most common form of sleeping disorder to the point that movies and songs were made about this problem.

People aren’t aware that this is a problematic issue for those who suffer from this. It’s not healthy to go without sleep because it can affect your immune system making you prone to catching things like the flu and colds. Not getting any rest can cause severe disorientation because your body wasn’t given an opportunity to rest and recuperate.

This is what drove the designer coffee movement up like the sprawl of coffee shops from Starbucks, Gloria Jeans, Seattle’s Best, and Caribou Coffee since you had a lot of late-nighters consisting of mainly people working in hospitals and college students who had to pull late nighters and cram sessions and needed to stay awake so when coffee wasn’t working they bought this over the counter pill called Vivarin which is equal to about 2 cups of coffee when you take the prescribed dosage.

It’s usually not a good idea to take Vivarin because it can interfere with your body’s ability to sleep and rest normally. You’ll find more college students getting sick a lot because they’re forcing their bodies to do things that aren’t normal like staying up super late and not getting at least 6 hours of sleep. Rest also provides your body’s digestive system to rest which makes up about 70% of your immune system so it’s ideal to sleep when necessary and taking short naps also works as a re-energizer to give you a burst of energy that works much better than coffee or caffeine pills.

That can become resistant since a lot of coffee drinkers tend to get very tired after a certain point and that’s due in part to the fact that you build up a resistance after having a few cups of coffee or cans of Coke so meaning it won’t keep you awake it will accelerate the rate of how fast you’ll start to feel sleepy.

So seeing pop culture idolize such a disorder is unknown unless the person who wrote the book or penned the song has a problem with it and decided to write or sing about it. The reason for it is unknown, but it’s rather interesting since a song can tell a story and the same of a book, but it’s obviously influenced a slew of songs, a few movies and a series of books where the characters are suffering from some kind of sleeping disorder from mild to severe.

A healthy diet is essential for optimal energy and a night of restful sleep. Avoiding certain foods is as important as including others in your daily diet. Eating a wide variety of foods and drinking plenty of water will keep your body well- balanced and provide a more stable energy level. Avoiding food that is grown, treated, or processed with chemicals, and limiting the amount of sugar and caffeine will also help your overall physical condition. Many foods promote restful sleep and are helpful in relieving some of the symptoms of certain sleep disorders. Eating the proper snack before bedtime can increase natural serotonin levels. Serotonin acts as a natural sedative and is made in the body from the amino acid tryptophan. Foods that are rich in tryptophan include chicken, turkey, cheese, cottage cheese, fish, milk, nuts, avocados, and bananas.

Many people use herbs and natural supplements as an alternative approach to treating their sleep disorder. There are many nutritional supplements and herbal products on the market. It is important to know how a specific product acts on the body as well as on the specific sleep disorder. For example, many people with restless leg syndrome have iron or folic acid deficiency. Taking an iron supplement may alleviate some of the symptoms of RLS. Many herbs are well known for promoting natural sleep. A clamming tea of chamomile or lemon balm can be very relaxing for many people that suffer from a sleep disorder.

Exercise and relaxation techniques, whether used alone or together, can reduce stress and muscle tension. Many people that use these techniques to lessen the symptoms of a sleep disorder do these before going to bed. They not only ease physical tension but they calm the mind and prepare the body to sleep. These techniques include mindful exercise, progressive muscle relaxation, breathing exercises, and yoga.

Meditation and visualization are also used by some sufferers of sleep disorders to calm the body before sleep. Two common forms of mediation are a meditation on breath and mantra meditation. Both of these types can have a positive effect on relieving stress and calming the body. Many people focus their energy on a healing visualization as a method of alternative therapy for their sleep disorder.

Sensory techniques that people use to lessen the symptoms of their sleep disorder are hydrotherapy, and aroma therapy. The two main techniques included in hydrotherapy, which means water therapy, are relaxing in an Epsom salt bath and a lymph stimulating footbath. Aroma therapy includes the use of therapeutic essential oils in baths, massage oils, room sprays, and simple inhalants.

Alternative behavioral and cognitive strategies used to combat the symptoms of a sleep disorder include improving a person’s sleep hygiene, stimulus control therapy, and journal writing.

Alternative practices and techniques can help many types of sleep disorders. Often they are used in conjunction with traditional medication and practices.

The Trial of Faith

The Trial of Faith

by | Jun 3, 2020 | Christian meditation, gospel music news


“Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have of a mustard
seed, you can say to this mountain, Move from here to there and it will
move. Nothing will be impossible for you”
In the midst of all the confusion in the world today, God has never
changed. We have listened to everything and everybody to find an
answer to all our problems today. It seems like the world walks over
you instead of walking with you. We live in a very selfish world. It seems
like every man for himself. You have wonder where is trust.
The truth is we are looking in the wrong places, at the wrong things, and
depending on the wrong people. We have to learn to depend on God.
As we have probably heard, God is our help when we are ever in danger.
He is a shadow when we need to hide. He is the wind in our sails when
we need to move on. He is the fire in our veins when we need to be
revived. He is the fountain we drink from when we are thirsty for love.
Our faith gets drained every day when we focus on things that seems
to bring negativity into our presence. We sometimes believe that these
things will overwhelm us with no way out. We have to remember that
this battle that we are going through is not physical, it is spiritual.
The devil wants us to believe that nothing is possible through God.
He wants to very much weaken your faith God, but we have to remember
not to trust him because he is a liar. If we are a true believer then we know
that God is true. Proverbs 3:5 says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and do not lean on your own understanding. THE GOOD NEWS: if you
put your complete trust in the Lord,your life straight and lead you down the right path. Mark 9:23 tells us
“Jesus said to him” if you can believe? All things are possible for one who
believes”. THE GOOD NEWS: If you can erase your doubts and try to
believe in Christ, amazing things can happen for you. 2 Timothy 4:7 says
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the
faith.” THE GOOD NEWS: If you keep your faith close, the Lord will be
with you every step of the way throughout your life, especially when you
need him most. He will be your guide.

Romans 10:1 “So faith from coming from hearing and hearing the word of
Christ” THE GOOD NEWS: A large part of your faith comes from learning,
believing, listening, and acting out the words in the bible. The deeper you
dive into the word of the Lord the deeper your faith will grow,
Mark 10:52 tells us “ Go said Jesus “Your faith has healed you” Immediately
he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
THE GOOD NEWS: Jesus will lead you wherever you want to go in life,
and he’ll give you the path and the sight to get there.
The scriptures in the bible speak nothing but the truth, It gives us
Motivation to be strong in our faith. There is a saying “when the going gets
Tough, the tough get going”. Jesus is telling us we have to be determined
To not let the advisory to overwhelm us. If God is for you, then what can
Overwhelm you.


BRYON E. GOULD

https://www.facebook.com/bryon.gould.7
BALTIMORE—WASHINGTON CONFERENCE
UNITED METHODIST MEN
PRAYER ADVOCATE

The Bibles Solution To Stress

The Bibles Solution To Stress

by | May 12, 2020 | Christian meditation

The word “stress” is common to many and usually associated with the responsibilities that come with our daily existence. Though the level and root cause may differ at different points in time, there seems to be an atom of it visible or lurking somewhere in our daily efforts to survive, live-out or fulfil our dreams.  In other words, we all have to deal with the issue of stress, whether it is physical, emotional, financial, or otherwise. 

Briefly speaking, stress is an induced psychological effect that starts off in our minds and then takes its toll on our bodies eventually.  Some people have argued that stress can be positive and leads to higher productivity as regards putting you on the edge, but more often than not, we attest to the fact that it almost literally saps the strength out of us, the energy, the enthusiasm, the vigor and enjoyment that comes with living if you like, free. 

So, that leaves us with the question – what does the Bible say about stress and its management?  The first thing to note is that the Bible does not deny stress nor its causes.  What we find rather is that we are not to allow ourselves to get enmeshed in its negative vibes which can be safely called worry.  Many times, feeling stressed can be a result of worry: worries about unmet goals for the day, about whether the goals can even be met given the timelines.  Worry also stems from unmet desires which then drowns such individuals in thoughts and then leads to stress.

John 14:1 gives us a remedy.  Stress inducers are bound to come but we are not to allow them to overwhelm our thoughts. In essence, a solution to stress is to stay positive.  At first, that may not seem helpful, but the effect on the mind is far-reaching.  This is because our minds have a way of amplifying thoughts when we ruminate on them for long.  So, when you notice a stress pattern, do not allow it in by absorbing it into your thoughts.  Firstly, give a smile, then say a kind word.  That puts you on a better pedestal and a cooler frame of mind to tackle the source of that stress. 

Furthermore, learn to be proactive by feeding your mind with the right thoughts all the time (Phillipians 4:8). It is a terrible habit to always be on the lookout for things to go wrong, or always foreseeing ill. Rather, what works to handle stress when they eventually come is to have shielded your mind with the right thoughts. That way, your first response will not be to jump off the cliff but to calm your nerves.  It is as the saying goes, “you don’t prepare for battle on the day of battle. 

Finally, having the right friends around you offers great and quick relief from stress.  (1 Corinthians 15:33, Proverbs 15:1). You can always rely on the good company for advice when you feel really stressed and their presence, in the least, helps alleviate it. The three solutions given are tested and proven to deal with stress effectively.

Christian Meditation: Knowing About God’s Word and Obeying It

by | May 6, 2020 | Christian meditation

Christian Meditation…When you hear people say meditation, there is a great chance that you will often think of Buddhist monks humming with their hands on their large beads. You will also imagine bald people in yellow robes reaching enlightenment. You have to consider that meditation isn’t only done by bald monks in yellow robes in order to reach enlightenment and know about Buddha’s words of wisdom, you have to consider that other religions, such as the Christian religion also practices meditation but in a very different way.

The Christian bible tells Christian followers to think about God’s word. You have to consider that what you think about affects the action you take. The mind is a powerful part of your body that can control your mind. So, by thinking about God’s words about the great things you have to do in order to benefit other people and help people who can’t help themselves, you will be making a good thing on society.

Meditation has a very different meaning in the Christian religion. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to shave your head and wear yellow robes, lie down on the floor or squat in order to meditate, meditation in the Christian religion means to think. In Christian meditation, you have to think about the good words that God has commanded people to do. You have to consider that you shouldn’t break the commandments and you have to do good to your fellow human beings in order to go to heaven and have eternal life.

You should consider that meditation isn’t just about thinking about Gods word, but you have to consider that you have to focus on it in order to imprint it in your mind and have a guide to live your life free from sin. Christian meditation is very easy to do and not as complex as you might think. All you need to do is pray with your heart and think of the things God have said. There are three times during a day where you can do Christian meditation in order to guide your everyday life. First is just before you sleep in order to make sure that you think of what God’s words were as you go to sleep, upon waking up in order to have a guide to start your day, and some time in your day so that you won’t forget about God’s word.

You don’t have to lie down in order to do Christian meditation. All you need to do is think about God’s word wholeheartedly and also accept them as your daily guide in your daily life.

As you can see, you will know what your priorities in life are if you do Christian meditation. All you need is a little time to think about what God has said and in order to satisfy your soul’s needs. As you live life like this, you will see that you will be happier and be more satisfied on how you live your life.