Your Property Heading…Means More or Less Clicks..
Sometimes less is better – or even the last few words – sell the joint.
Author Archives: pfiddle
That’s Life!
The day we received the E.U. eco- flag and plaque The Green Flower Award.
—————————————————————————————————————————————–
Today being the 10th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic I thought to mention my grandfather had worked on it and I’ve presented a tool to Cobh Museum – a kind of reemer used to clean scarf from holes before the rivets went in.
There are some useful pages too;
http://www.thejournal.ie/topic/titanic100/
TOOL USED ON TITANIC.
This tool is a kind of reamer that was used by Joseph O’Connor of Dundalk Co Louth while working in Harland & Wolf approx 1905 to 1922.
It was used to clear scarf from holes punched in the metal cladding-plates during the building of boats such as the Olympic 1912, the Britannic 1914 (sunk in November 1915) and the Titanic launched and lost 1912.
He would have been at building of a few more that didn’t sink.
Scarf is the tiny remnants of steel left behind after holes were punched or (more especially) drilled in the iron-plate after they’d left the giant cutting halls (magic-lanterns were used to cast the drawings directly onto the plates to mark up with chalk and be sent for cutting and pre-stressing (bending). The sheets were hauled up to the necessary levels and manhandled into place. A section-leader (like my grandfather – Joseph O’Connor) would ensure that all holes and edges were clear of scarf and other material that might hinder the rivets going in. Rivets were white hot and swollen due to heat but cooled rapidly when in contact with the cold-plate so speed was essential – partly because men were holding up the plate and didn’t want to wait and riveters were paid per 100 rivets.
Any delay would have the whole team swearing and bickering. The holes had to be clean.
That was the section-leaders responsibility.
Joseph O’Connor was born and bred in Dundalk to a long established family of metal-workers and brass musicians. The site of the O’Connor Metalwork’s is now covered by Dunne’s Stores in Park Street, Dundalk. The main road between Dublin and Belfast ran outside the front and the lazy Ramparts River ran behind it.
Joseph had served his time as upholsterer and went up to Belfast in early 1900’s seeking work but was told that all such ‘fine work’ was done in Southampton. What was needed was metal-worker. “Sure all my family and all before them were metal workers” he’s alleged to have said and so was offered a second chance and served time on a second trade – most unusual at that time.
After some serious trouble during and after the problems associated with workers rights and (later Home Rule) Joseph was heavily involved in the unions. However at the time – before WW1 – the management at H&W held very socially-conscious views.
Joseph rose to section leader and his team was so good that he and his (Newry) wife were offered free passage to America on the Titanic as being best in section. Such tickets were seen both as a carrot to instill pride and industry among ship-yard workers and as an honour to be chosen. Elisabeth (nee McGuire) O’Connor demurred declaring prophetically “We’re not going to sea, the sea is for fishes”.
=============================================================================
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Crematoriums are spilling out noxious fumes due to obese bodies. Some arriving are over 200kg almost double the speck of the burners original design.
The issue of what will be done with the bodies of those exceeding such weight limits is very real indeed. Indeed, such measures could force people to scramble around in hearses in search of suitable cremation facilities. In France, for example, several crematoriums refused to accept the body of a 140-kilogram woman. The woman’s daughter then wrote to the newspaper Le Parisien complaining of post-mortem discrimination against her mother. From article;
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,826639,00.html
A number of crematoriums have suffered severe damage when burning fat overwhelmed their emergency measures.
———— ——————- ——————– —————-
More on death and burial; http://listverse.com/2008/12/08/top-10-bizarre-death-related-facts/
——————————————————————————————————————————
Rocket stove from wood – from my friends at Treehugger
Rocket )regular) stove; http://www.treehugger.com/corporate-responsibility/rocket-stoves-build-your-own-ultra-efficient-cook-stove-video.html
Amman, Jordan.
I arrived back Wednesday last 21st March from a very short stay in Jordan.
Myself and Colin Beggan had a great time – in spite of the cold (!!) and the costs incurred. Fortunately we clicked well and spent many’s an otherwise dull hour waiting for pick-up or sound-checks, recalling stories old and new – some of friends now gone – others we felt needed a push.
We were boomed into the Crown Plaza and very plush it was too. The beds were great – bathroom top-notch and breakfasts to feed an army. The only discord was the fact that I snore – a lot. Allegedly.
Amman from Room 413 Crown Plaza
The sky was changing every few minutes as several fronts came screaming over.
The temperature dropped from 6 C to -1C and then plummeted as snow and sleet lashed the marquee we played in at the British Club compound within the walls of the British Embassy grounds.
News from the animal world.
There is a lot of discussion about wind-mills and their perceived threat to birds – and of great concern – bats.
Here are a few discussion papers one might like to peruse.
http://www.alternativeenergyprimer.com/Do-Wind-Turbines-Kill-Birds.html
Do Wind Turbines Kill Birds?
Every time the subject of wind farms comes up, so does the question “Do wind turbines kill birds?”
Even though wind turbines provide clean energy, some environmentalists object to them on the claim that they kill an extreme number of birds, especially raptors. It’s been a real hot button issue in some areas. The situation isn’t helped any by the fact that some not-in-my-backyard folks use a concern for birds to justify their objection to wind farms.
So the question is: do wind turbines kill birds? If so, how serious a problem is it?
I hope to describe the situation and put it into some perspective on this page.
The History of Wind Farms and Bird Kill – the Altmont Pass Problem.
——————————————————————————
Bats – considering bats in Ireland eat approx 3,500 insects per evening we can scarse do without them.
http://www.fort.usgs.gov/batswindmills/
Bat Fatalities at Wind Turbines: Investigating the Causes and Consequences
Directly from FORT Science Centre FORT Science Home
Find FORT Science by
[SELECT AN OPTION] Topic State/Country Species
In the push to develop new forms of sustainable energy, the wind power industry is at the forefront. Turbines that harness the power of wind already serve as effective power sources across the globe, and this proven effectiveness has led to vast increases in the number of turbines currently under construction. The general impact of wind turbines on the environment is likely far less than that of conventional power sources. However, recent evidence shows that certain species of bats are particularly susceptible to mortality from wind turbines. Bats are beneficial consumers of harmful insect pests, and migratory species of bats cross international and interstate boundaries.
Dead bats are turning up beneath wind turbines all over the world. Bat fatalities have now been documented at nearly every wind facility in North America where adequate surveys for bats have been conducted, and several of these sites are estimated to cause the deaths of thousands of bats per year. This unanticipated and unprecedented problem for bats has moved to the forefront of conservation and management efforts directed toward this poorly understood group of mammals. The mystery of why bats die at turbine sites remains unsolved. Is it a simple case of flying in the wrong place at the wrong time? Are bats attracted to the spinning turbine blades? Why are so many bats colliding with turbines compared to their infrequent crashes with other tall, human-made structures?
One research tool that is particularly well-suited to studying the origins of bats killed at wind turbines is stable isotope analysis. USGS scientists recently pioneered the application of stable hydrogen isotope analysis to the study of migration in terrestrial mammals and proved the efficacy of the technique for studying the continental movements of bats. Coincidentally, this groundbreaking research focused on the very same species of bat (the hoary bat, Lasiurus cinereus) that is killed most frequently at wind turbine sites across North America. Efforts are now underway at USGS to expand the existing framework of stable isotope data on migratory tree bats and apply this technique toward uncovering some of the mystery surrounding bat fatalities at wind turbines.
Continuing on this prior trajectory, USGS scientists at the Fort Collins Science Center developed an active research program to investigate the causes and consequences of bat fatalities at wind turbines. Our specific focus is on (1) determining the geographic origins of killed bats and (2) assessing the potential roles of mating and feeding behaviors in the susceptibility of tree bats to deadly encounters with wind turbines. With expertise and experience studying bat migration and behavior, combined with an existing infrastructure that promotes collaboration between disciplines, the USGS is well-equipped to effectively address the problem of bat mortality at wind power facilities. Only through further research will we make progress toward minimizing the impact of this new form of sustainable energy on our Nation’s wildlife.
To learn more about this work or opportunities to collaborate, contact
Paul Cryan
USGS Fort Collins Science Center
2150 Centre Ave., Bldg. C
Fort Collins, CO 80526-8118
Tel. 970.226.9389
Fax 970.226.9230
Email cryanp@usgs.govThis is a very short cut from a longer paper follow link above to read more and find more links .
U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://www.fort.usgs.gov/batswindmills/Default.asp
Page Contact Information: AskFORT@usgs.gov
Megabunk – Glenribbeen
Free advertising for accommodation (such as Glenribbeen Eco Lodge) or EVENTS – such as Glenribbeen Archery Wednesday 28 Dec 2011 – all archery lessons half price.
Or if you’ve got an event – shout about for free on Megabunk !
Time Management Course – Rob Dawson
From Time Management Course by Rob Rawson ;
Working on a project I found this great series of papers – of course there are (paid) follow-ups to this but here’s enough to interest some folk …
| Lesson 1 |
| During this free 10 lesson course you are going to totally change your effectiveness at work or your studies. You will find yourself getting a lot more done, with less stress. And you will have more time to enjoy the things you want to enjoy. It’s not about working harder, it’s about working smarter and being more effective. Getting more done in less time.Ok, so let’s get started with the first lesson. Let’s get straight to the most effective method of getting more done. It’s really simple.All you need to do is make a list of the things you want to accomplish for the next day, a maximum of 8 things. Then each day you work starting with number 1 on the list, then move to number 2 and further down the list. You’ve probably read this technique already on the timemanagement.com website, or somewhere else, but are you doing it?Do it now. Stop. Write down the top 8 things – MAXIMUM of 8! – that you want to do today (or tomorrow if you’re reading this late at night).Finished? Great.Ok now take a look at the top item on your list. What is it? Estimate how long it will take you to complete this item. Is there anything preventing you from working on this item today? If something is preventing you from working on it today, then remove it from your list! Only include items that you can work on today.
Are you immediately clear what you need to do to accomplish this item? Yes? Great, if you’re not clear, take some time to think about it and figure out what is the next step towards your outcome in this area. Now start working on item 1 on the list! Keep writing this list down every day and working from the list. Make sure always to put the most important item first. That’s it for the first lesson. Follow the lessons in the timemanagement.com e-course and you will be on track to getting more done each day with less effort. |
| Lesson 2 | ||||
| Each day for the last few days you should have been writing down the top 8 things you want to do for the day, and working from top to the bottom on this list. Have you been doing this?If not, get started now as this is a foundation for the course. If you didn’t do it, let’s make it even more simple. Write down only the top TWO things you want to do today. Two items only. How much easier can it get!Ok, make sure you do this. If you already have your list of 8 items, then select only the top 2 most important items.How do you know if something is important? Will it affect the important outcomes that you want in life in a powerful way? Usually there are only a few things you must do to achieve an important outcome. The other stuff is busy work. So the top items on your list should be really contributing towards your future plans and dreams. Also, if there is something that you are avoiding doing, but is important to you, consider putting that as number one on your list.Now stop and think what are you doing for the rest of today (if you’re reading this email late at night think about what you will do tomorrow). Plan exactly what time you are going to spend on these top 2 items. Think what time (exactly) will you start and for how long will you work on them. Is that enough time to get them done? Now write down the start time (for example 3:40pm) and the length of time you will work on these two items (for example 2 hours). Now go to your mobile phone, watch or computer and set an alarm that will sound at 3:40 pm to remind you to start on these tasks.Ok that’s it for today! You won’t need to do this exercise of setting an alarm every day (unless you want to!) This is just to get started and make sure you have a taste of success.
Rob Rawson
|
Final Lesson |
|||||
Are you going with your task list? In this lesson we are going to take a look at your task “lists” and find out how to organize them better so that you have total clarity about what you need to take action on.There are several common mistakes that you can make with your task list. The first is to have a bunch of things on your list that you can’t really action right now. When you have those items on your list, your mind starts to go numb to the list because you look at your list and you don’t have a clear idea of what to actually do about the “task”. In fact it’s not really a task, it’s more of a thought that you wrote down and did not determine what you actually need to do about it. For example you write on your task list “Get more clients”, but you haven’t thought about how exactly you are going to do this. Instead you should think clearly about what is the actual action step for example, “Review my old business cards to see who I could contact about referrals”. Or “Brainstorm 5 ideas of how to get more clients”. These are specific actions that you know that you can take action on. You have clarity about what you actually need to do. This makes your “to do” effective as you have total clarity about what it is that you actually need to do.Another reason you might find that you can’t really take action on an item is that you are waiting for someone else. In this case the item should NOT be in your to do list. Instead, make a separate list of “waiting on” items where you are waiting for the other person to do something before you can take the next action. Then you can review this “waiting on” list and follow up with the relevant person when appropriate.So let’s review your task list right now and see if there are any items that you are not totally clear about. Review each item on your list with the following questions:
Make sure to review and update all these lists regularly, preferably weekly. Your to do list should include only items that you are able to work on this week. Anything else should go on another list. Include ONLY items that you actually can do. When you have lists of mixed items, some where you are waiting on another person, some to do later it creates stress and confusion. Every time you look at your to do list you are not quite sure what to do about all the stuff on the list. Instead it’s so much more clear and peaceful to only have “to do” items on your “to do” list. So that’s it for the TimeManagement.com time management course but you will now continue receive new time management tips twice per week in your email inbox. Please forward this course to your friends, it’s free after all! And let us know how you this material helped you in your life, and how you applied it, plus any other suggestions you have for improving time management. |
The Secret to Dealing With Difficult People.
The Secret to Dealing With Difficult People: It’s About You
Wednesday October 12, 2011 | Comments (119)
FEATURED PRODUCTS
Do you have someone at work who consistently triggers you? Doesn’t listen? Takes credit for work you’ve done? Wastes your time with trivial issues? Acts like a know-it-all? Can only talk about himself? Constantly criticizes?
Our core emotional need is to feel valued and valuable. When we don’t, it’s deeply unsettling, a challenge to our sense of equilibrium, security, and well-being. At the most primal level, it can feel like a threat to our very survival.
This is especially true when the person you’re struggling with is your boss. The problem is that being in charge of other people rarely bring out the best in us.
“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely,” Lord Acton said way back in 1887. “There is no worse heresy than the office that sanctifies the holder of it.”
The easy default when we feel devalued is to the role of victim, and it’s a seductive pull. Blaming others for how we’re feeling is a form of self-protection. Whatever is going wrong isn’t our fault. By off loading responsibility, we feel better in the short-term.
The problem with being a victim is that you cede the power to influence your circumstances. The painful truth when it comes to the people who trigger you is this: You’re not going to change them. The only person you have the possibility of changing is yourself.
Each of us has a default lens through which we see the world. We call it reality, but in fact it’s a selective filter. We have the power, to view the world through other lenses. There are three worth trying on when you find yourself defaulting to negative emotions.
The Lens of Realistic Optimism. Using this lens requires asking yourself two simple questions when you feel you’re being treated badly or unfairly. The first one is “What are the facts in this situation?” The second is, “What’s the story I’m telling myself about those facts?”
Making this distinction allows you to stand outside your experience, rather than simply reacting to it. It also opens the possibility that whatever story you’re currently telling yourself isn’t necessarily the only way to look at your situation.
Realistic optimism, a term coined by the psychologist Sandra Schneider, means telling yourself the most hopeful and empowering story about a given circumstance without subverting the facts. It’s about moving beyond your default reaction to feeling under attack, and exploring whether there is an alternative way of viewing the situation that would ultimately serve you better. Another way of discovering an alternative is to ask yourself “How would I act here at my best?”
The Reverse Lens. This lens requires viewing the world through the lens of the person who triggered you. It doesn’t mean sacrificing your own point of view but rather widening your perspective.
It’s nearly certain that the person you perceive as difficult views the situation differently than you do. With the reverse lens, you ask yourself, “What is this person feeling, and in what ways does that make sense?” Or put more starkly: “Where’s my responsibility in all this?”
Counterintuitively, one of the most powerful ways to reclaim your value, when it feels threatened, is to find a way to appreciate the perspective of the person you feel devalued by. It’s called empathy.
Just as you do, others tend to behave better when they feel seen and valued — especially since insecurity is what usually prompts them to act badly in the first place.
The Long Lens. Sometimes your worst fears about another person turn out to be true. He is someone who bullies you unreasonably and seeing it from his perspective doesn’t help. She does invariably take credit for your work.
When your current circumstances are incontrovertibly bad, the long lens provides a way of looking beyond the present to imagine a better future. Begin with this question: “Regardless of how I feel about what’s happening right now, how can I grow and learn from this experience?”
How many times has something that felt terrible to you in the moment turned out to be trivial several months later, or actually led you to an important opportunity or a positive new direction?
My last boss fired me. It felt awful at the time, but it also pushed me way out of my comfort zone, which is where it turned out I needed to go.
Looking back, the story I tell myself is that for all his deficiencies, I learned a lot from that boss, and it all serves me well today. I can understand, from his point of view, why he found me difficult as an employee, without feeling devalued. Most important, getting fired prompted me to make a decision — founding the company I now run — that has brought me more happiness than any other work I’ve ever done.
Smart Ways to Use Wind (or even micro hydro) Energy
Smart Ways to cut your bills with Wind Energy
from greenfudge.org
Posted by Murielle in green living, Science & Technology, Sustainable living, sustainable living, 5 Oct 2011
Image by phelle (source: stock.xchng)There are many types of alternative energy sources that you can use to help save money, and you will find that working with wind energy can be one of the best and most efficient ways to help you cut back on your expenses. You are able to obtain unlimited amounts of energy once your wind turbine is set up, and you will find that you can save a good deal of money thanks to the energy that you can generate through your wind power generator. There are many ways that you can cut your bills with wind energy, and these ways of saving smart can help you to save your money.
Free Energy
Rather than being dependent on the electric company for your energy, depending on wind power can be a great way to save money as you save the planet. Wind energy is completely free, and you will find that setting up your wind turbine allows you to produce free energy as long as the wind is blowing. This enables you to take your home off the electric power grid, and you will no longer need to pay an electric bill. You will be able to save a good deal of money every month by not handing it over the electric company, and you can invest that money in new ways to save energy with wind power.
Pump Water
Rather than depending on the city for your water, you may find that having your own well can be the best way to save money. Using your wind turbine to power your well’s pump not only gives you free water, but provides you with a free method of getting that water into your home. Pumping water from your well would normally take a good deal of electricity, but you will be able to save money pumping water thanks to the energy produced by your wind turbine.
Heat Water
If you don’t want to invest in digging a well, you will find that turning the power of your wind turbine into heat is as easy as installing an electric water heater. Cutting back on your monthly natural gas expenses is easy, as these electric water heaters are powered only by the electricity that is generated by your wind turbine. As long as the wind is blowing, you will have an endless supply of free hot water that will not cost you a cent to heat.
Power Lights
Outdoor security lights are a great way to keep your home safe, but they tend to consume a good deal of energy. Using your wind turbine to power your home’s safety lights is a great way to save money, as you can ensure that your home is powered all night without having to worry about electricity costs. You can easily connect your wind turbine to a battery, and all of the energy that is generated during the day can be stored to power the lights at night. In addition, your wind turbine will continue to turn during the night, and you will find that your lights can stay on all night thanks to the power of the wind you have harnessed.
Power Appliances
One of the main expenses in any household is the power consumed by the various appliances, especially washing machines, dryers, refrigerators, and freezers. Rather than depending on the electric company to provide your kitchen with power, you can simply run new wiring that is connected to your wind turbine. You can also set up your own laundry room where all of your washers and dryers are connected to your wind turbine for free energy. This will greatly reduce both your monthly costs and the amount of time you need to spend drying your clothes every week, as you can simply pop them into your dryer and have it run off the energy generated by your wind turbine.
Summary
When it comes to working and saving money with wind power, the sky is the limit. There are dozens of ways that you can save money with your wind turbine, and you would do well to look into new ways of cutting you bills with the natural source of alternative energy you have at your disposal.
This is a guest post by M.H. M.H. is writing for Alternative Energy Geek, a site where you will learn more about how different types of renewable energy sources work in practice.
Tags: renewable energy, save money with wind energy, wind energy
Insomnia – the devil’s in the details.
There have been times that I have difficulty getting to sleep and one thing I find useful is to develop a habit of a kind of recurring daydream – something where there’s an objective of something to do – some small thing. It might be a walk to a particular point a gate or porch of a house – admiring the views/plants along the way by the time I reach the end of the ‘walk’ and reach the objective I’m usually gone. Another I heard once was a person closing the open trays and boxes in a sewing box – the kind that folds open with lots of etuis or compartments. As the boxes etc were closed so the person closes down the mind.
Another thing I’ve learned is that it’s perfectly normal to awaken in the wee hours. It’s only in recent time that people have felt that they ‘should’ or must sleep 8hours straight through the night. It was normal up to we had electricity to go to bed much earlier and so wake up in the wee hours (known as the bone-hour) when sex was had and then go back to sleep. I find it reassuring to know that it is ‘normal’ to wake up – it actually helps me nod off again.
Home remedies for insomnia
Can’t fall asleep? Here are some ideas for catching some zzzz’s at night.
By Judd HandlerThu, Sep 15 2011 Mother Nature Network
Photo: Hill Street Studios/JupiterimagesDid you toss and turn in bed last night, robbed of a rejuvenating deep sleep? Counting sheep didn’t help? Here are some natural home remedies for insomnia that will hopefully help you enjoy a more restful sleep.
Though insomnia is the most common sleep disorder, it’s a symptom (usually of some form of stress) rather than a disease. Of all the people who suffer from it — more than 60 million a year, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Services — relatively few people with chronic insomnia discuss it with their doctor. For those who do, usually the only treatment suggested is sleeping pills.
Sleeping pills might help you fall asleep in the short term, but their efficacy usually wears off over time. Also, sleeping pills typically don’t induce a natural deep-sleep cycle that helps our body’s multitude of systems get a fresh start for the next day.
More natural treatments for insomnia include:
-
Controlling the sleep environment
-
Eliminating stimulants
-
Maintaining a strict sleep schedule
-
Natural herbal supplements
-
Winding down at night and meditation
-
Exercising
Watching television before bed: A no-no
Although suspenseful cable-TV shows about serial killers can be entertaining, especially after a long, monotonous day at work, watching TV right before bed can release adrenaline and cortisol (stress hormones) into your bloodstream.
Although suspenseful cable-TV shows about serial killers can be entertaining, especially after a long, monotonous day at work, watching TV right before bed can release adrenaline and cortisol (stress hormones) into your bloodstream.
If you have chronic troubles sleeping at night, try not to watch TV of any kind right before bed. You’ll also want to completely power down your computer, smart phone, iPad and all other wireless devices. Although there’s no concrete scientific evidence that WiFi devices can induce insomnia, it’s common sense that these devices won’t help you wind down at night, unless you have an app that mimics the sound of a babbling brook or migratory songs of whales.
Other environmental factors to consider include turning off all lights by 10 p.m., the hour that your cortisol levels should start dipping way down.
That cup of coffee you had at 3 p.m. could be keeping you up
The half-life of caffeine lasts for several hours. That means the effects of that big cup of coffee you had at work — which you gulped down perhaps because you didn’t eat enough throughout the day and now you’re feeling sluggish — lasts well into the night. By 9 p.m., several dozen milligrams of that cup of coffee is still active in your system. Sure, you may be able to fall asleep, but most likely you won’t enjoy a rejuvenating deep sleep.
Alcohol also can disrupt deep-sleep cycles. Although it can help you fall asleep, you’ll most likely wake up wide-eyed in the middle of the night if you have too much to drink.
Ben Franklin had it right
For those who work graveyard shifts, it might be impossible to live the motto: “Early to bed, early to rise,” but even those who have to work in the middle of the night can benefit from maintaining a strict sleep schedule, going to sleep at the same time every day. For those who work normal hours, try to be in bed by 10 p.m. with the lights out.
For those who work graveyard shifts, it might be impossible to live the motto: “Early to bed, early to rise,” but even those who have to work in the middle of the night can benefit from maintaining a strict sleep schedule, going to sleep at the same time every day. For those who work normal hours, try to be in bed by 10 p.m. with the lights out.
Try taking a hot shower or bath around 9 p.m. Add some all-natural bubble bath, Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) and light a candle in the bathroom. Lavender, for reasons that are not completely understood, has also proven in some studies to promote more restful sleep. Purchase some lavender and an essential oil diffuser and place near your bed.
Popping pills is OK, but try to take natural ones
Tryptophan is the amino acid found in turkey and is possibly the reason that millions of Americans get a restful catnap after a Thanksgiving holiday meal. Tryptophan is broken down into 5-HTP, which is then converted by the body into serotonin, which in turn is converted into melatonin, commonly known as the sleep hormone.
Tryptophan is the amino acid found in turkey and is possibly the reason that millions of Americans get a restful catnap after a Thanksgiving holiday meal. Tryptophan is broken down into 5-HTP, which is then converted by the body into serotonin, which in turn is converted into melatonin, commonly known as the sleep hormone.
Melatonin as well as 5-HTP can be purchased at most natural markets that sell supplements. Consider starting with 5-HTP as it is converted into serotonin, the pleasure chemical that many people with depression don’t have enough of. Most of melatonin production occurs in the gut. Have your doctor or someone trained in lab diagnostics to check your melatonin levels. If they are low, it’s possible you may have a chronic gastrointestinal infection that you may not be aware of, which could lead to sleep disruptions because of low melatonin.
Exercise and meditation
Try to get regular exercise most days of the week. You can split up exercise routines into smaller segments during the day. But don’t exercise at a high-intensity late in the day, as you may have trouble winding down. The more stressful your life is, the greater the need for meditation, which ideally should be done every morning and night for at least 10 minutes.
Sleep journaling and CBT
According to the National Institutes of Health, a type of counseling called cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can help relieve the anxiety linked to chronic insomnia.
According to the National Institutes of Health, a type of counseling called cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can help relieve the anxiety linked to chronic insomnia.
Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia includes regular, often weekly, visits to a clinician, who will give you a series of sleep assessments, ask you to complete a sleep diary and work with you in sessions to help you change the way you sleep.
Have any other suggestions for home remedies for insomnia? Let us know below.
Judd Handler is a health writer in Encinitas, Calif.
