Simply Sleeping Well

7 things to consider for Simply Sleeping Well

Do you wake up unrested? Or do you struggle calming yourself and getting to sleep? Do you wake up in the night? 

As a mom that has had littles and as many as 3 under 4 at once, I just assumed this to be a right of passage.  Simply sleeping well was not on the top of the list with everything else going on.

Mom: lady who gives everything she has, doesn’t sleep, doesn’t clean herself up, gets to eat half a meal, has bags under her eyes, may stay in her PJ’s all day.  This sounds awful, who would willingly want to do that!

Now there are stages and seasons where all this is true, like newborns or sick kids, but are you like me where you just get disgusted with waking up every morning, even when you’ve had 6-8 hours of sleep and still feel like you got ZERO actual restorative rest?

Even if you are out of the kids at home stage, there are times when we sleep but we don’t get any rest or restoration from that sleep.  If this goes on, over time it wears down our body so it is less likely to fight off germs, so we may get sick easier and not heal as quickly.

I’ve compiled a list of just 7 things to consider for simply sleeping well, that I have personally changed in our home or put into practice. Please take note I said practice, this means we are working on it every day and somedays that practice doesn’t go like we want it to, but don’t quit, keep going and try again. Hopefully you can grab onto a few of these and see some improvement in your sleep.

  1. Lighting

Ditch the LED bulbs in your bedroom.  Try to find incandescent, which is a softer light.  LED exposure occurs all day.  We are exposed from our phones, computers, tablets, TV’s. This light fires up your brain and they are now finding extended exposure can damage eyes.

With this knowledge it’s recommended to STOP all screens at least 1-2 hours before bed so your brain can start shutting down. This means we ditched having a TV in our bedroom years ago.

2. Bedroom set up

Is your pillow and mattress appropriate for you? Do you feel relaxed in bed? I’ve struggled to find a pillow for years.  From an alignment perspective I’ve found that no pillow or a small flatter head support is actually suppose to be better.  I’m still experimenting with this, my neck just gives me fits, but there are some other solutions for that too.

Clutter!  Ditch the unneeded and unwanted items in the bedroom. The bedroom is for 2 things, sleep and I’ll let you guess the other. We can’t rest when there is chaos, and clutter causes chaos in the brain. Is your clutter overwhelming?  Start simple with just 5-10 min a day to get it in order.

Weighted blankets can help calm nerves and get you settled in for the night, I found one at Home Goods, for a reasonable price. My husband calls it the death blanket, I feel like it’s a nice hug.

3. Food

It’s best to not eat heavily after 6, try not eating at all. Why? Because then when you are getting ready for bed your body is not still working hard to digest.  Plus our liver and detoxifying organs can’t restore themselves as well if we eat late.

Dark cherry juice can help the body naturally produce melatonin, which is a hormone needed to get into deeper sleep. Be careful that it’s JUST the juice and it might be too much sugar content for some.

To assist in the detoxing process you can have a warm glass of lemon water prior to bed.  I warm up water for about 1 min and squeeze ½ a lemon in. This is also great in the morning 1st thing to help get the bowels moving.

4. Natural or Home Remedies

Simply sleeping well starts with simply helping our body to wind down and feel better.  If your mind is racing you can also use herbs and essential oils to help calm.

Teas like chamomile, lavender, passion flower, vetiver all possess great relaxing properties.  You can find companies that have night time tea blends already made.

Essential oils along the feet or spine or shoulders or diffusing 20-30 minutes before bed have helped me many nights to relax.  I use blends from Young Living like Stress Away, Peace and Calming, Valor.  Single oils like cedarwood, lavender, and chamomile can be used too.

Magnesium lotion or salts help to relax muscles.  Salts you can combine with any of the above oils (1 cup salts and 10-15 drops essential oils) and soak in a warm bath or use ¼ cup of the mix in a small tub to just soak your feet.  Maybe enjoy your cup of tea while soaking your feet and reading a good book.

The lotion is awesome because I can combine with a drop or 2 of my oils and since I carry tension in my neck I will rub it in there and on my feet.  This method has worked great for my kids at night, plus gives them a little one on one time and foot rub before bed.

We like the Ancient Mineral brand for magnesium

5. Being aware of EMF’s (electromagnetic field)

No this isn’t asking you to put on your aluminum foil hat! We’ve learned that our increased exposure to this low radiation through our days over time is causing damage. It use to be just our microwaves and those that worked in the radiology field, but now we are around it all the time through our computers, our phones that go right next to our heads!


So simply put you need to get the cell phone out of your bedroom, turn off your wi-fi in your house at night. You can google more how this constant exposure over time can affect your DNA and contribute to chronic illnesses and some forms of cancer.

At a minimum put the phone on airplane mode if you need it for an alarm, but we just bought a regular alarm that has a sunrise light.  

6. Get some comfy pajamas

This one is easy and can be fun, get a few pairs of pajamas and only use them for sleep. Get fabrics that are soothing and feel good on your skin. Mom,  are you like me where you just felt it was easier to stay in what you slept in because why get the extra clothes dirty if you aren’t going anywhere and you are just keeping house?

I tell my kids, that getting into pajamas helps to signal your body we are getting ready for bed, it’s a mental thing. Then when we get up we get out of them to signal our body we are waking up and getting geared up for the day.

You don’t have to buy expensive stuff, I’ve found some of the comfiest ones at Wal-mart and Target.

7. Stretch

Taking a few minutes to relax our tired bodies. This can help your muscles to release and brain to wind down.

Laying with your legs straight up a wall for a few minutes. Ladies leg up the wall may help reduce varicose veins and it helps with circulation or swelling that comes on during the day.

Windshield wiper legs can help release the hips and low back. You can see how this works here.

Figure 4 stretch helps release a muscle in your buttock called the piriformis.  We sit A LOT and when that piriformis gets too tight it can possibly lead to sciatic nerve pain down the back of the leg. You can see how to do it here.

Laying face up over a towel roll along your spine with your arms at your side.  This stretches the chest muscles out that get contracted all day with hunching over things. Check out this set up.

Upper trap, neck stretching, for those of us that wear our shoulders as earrings! Check out this video.

Most of these tips don’t require you to go out and buy anything. Try the freebie options 1st and progress to some teas and oils.  Simply sleeping well will help you serve your people better.  We are just like toddlers, when we are tired or hungry we can get rather cranky with those around us and we just don’t feel good.

You need to take the time to care for your amazing body so it can work to its full potential. 

These are simple things to try, but obviously these may not work for some. You may have other issues causing sleep problems, so I would encourage you to visit with your trusted health care provider for possibly lab work or discuss other causes.

Lack of restorative sleep WILL CAUSE DIS-EASE over time.  So maybe start saying no to some evening activities if you need to and establish a good routine for yourself and your kids that trains your body and brain to get ready for rest. 

Post your routine somewhere so everyone knows what is expected or laminate it so they can mark it off as they follow through with it.

I’ve created a sample here of what I personally run through and what I ask my kids to do. You can use it if you want.

A friend told me also to start praying over myself before I go to bed specifically for the rest I need. So I pray for each of you that God will provide you the sleep you need and that it is restful and restorative. 

Stay well Mama!

Don’t Let Stress Make You A Mess!

How can we help our bodies stress less or handle it in a healthier way?

Working for over 15 years in Physical Therapy I can say with confidence that depression and anxiety seemed to be on ever 3rd chart review! Along with this I would say more than a majority of my back patients also had depression.   Let me tell you when someone is really suffering from depression it’s SUPER difficulty to get them to want to go home and do a few stretches or simple exercises to move their body and get things feeling better.  Many are just at a point they were stuck thinking this is the way they would feel the rest of their life. Why try?

We live to run and do and push and hustle, more money, more activities, get more done from our to do list.  COVID in 2020 gave us a forced moment to pause.  Some took a deep breath and realized they were going and doing too much, they have chosen to adapt and create a slower lifestyle. Some become frightened and more overwhelmed with the possibilities of the what ifs, most of which are out of our control.  Some of us that have never experienced depression or anxiety before got a dose of that and some of those that already knew they suffered, went deeper into the black hole.

My goal with this post is to take a few steps back.  We just don’t go from blessed, healthy, happy life into this black hole of feeling and wanting nothing.  It’s our body’s last resort to restore us to wellness.  As always I hope to provide some things for you to ponder for yourself and think how you can make small changes in your household or life to help your body work and function to its full potential.

Let’s back it up to stress! We all experience stress.  Good stress is having a new baby or buying a home, your wedding day, exciting and yet a little frightening. Bad stress is a pandemic, losing your job, always going from one thing to the next, not allowing your body to have proper rest and nutrition.

Endorphins are hormones released when we are stressed, we go into fight or flight mode.  A NORMAL body response would be for the endorphins to go down and the body to come out of fight or flight mode in a short period of time.  Here the body can rest, recover and prepare for the next time it will need to respond this way.

It seems we are in a constant state of fight or flight, constantly releasing hormones to help the body battle.  This constant state of stress leads to anxiety.  Anxiety leads us to what others would view as ridiculous thoughts, we just don’t seem rational in our thought process.  I can look back at times where I’ve had some overwhelm and anxiety and just feel like that was a waste of my time, why would I even let my mind go there.  Anxiety for me leads me to rage, shame, guilt other negative emotions that God does not put on me, I have put them on myself.  God tells me I’m loved and wanted NO MATTER WHAT!  He forgives more easily than I do.

All this continued pressure on our adrenals that release hormones eventually causes them to shut or slow down.  So we are fatigued, tired, not motivated to do anything, even things that previously brought us so much joy.  The body can’t fight anymore! It goes in preservation mode, just trying to keep us alive. Our bodies are amazing!  We need to give them the care and respect intended as often as we can.

So you go to the Dr. and generally they will prescribe a medication to help your body on that hormonal or chemical level to get it functioning the way it’s intended.  I don’t want to do that, so again I’m backing up the bus and finding a more natural approach and prevention! This is not shaming anyone that chooses medication! Sometimes it is a much needed boost or stepping stone, but know it’s not the only option and many times can be used with other natural methods.

Stress not only leads to a path of depression and your adrenals shutting down, but many also have intestinal issues, ulcers and heart failure.  You’re nervous system just becomes SHOT!

We are good at giving an outward appearance that we have it all together, nothing gets to us, we can handle all of it, or maybe this is just me. Our body is constantly tense, causing headaches, causing restricted blood flow and therefore arteries are more easily clogged and over long term, heart disease and failure.  Docs are finding that maybe not just cholesterol is to blame for heart disease. Maybe this is why woman are at such a high risk for silent heart attacks?  We are silently in stressed out mode all the time.

How do we keep stress from destroying us!

Find out your root causes of stress.  Is it your job you hate, your schedule, health, finances, parenting, marriage? All these are things you can modify!

6 things to consider

  1. Break down WHY this area stresses you out.  Just take a piece of paper and write with no worry about proper sentence structure or spelling. I call this a brain dump.
  2. Take a moment to brain storm and ponder what you do have control over and what couple of small changes could you make to improve that area.  Maybe involve your family or a friend.  Put the change you want to make in front of you where you can see it daily and give yourself at least 6-9 weeks to establish a habit or routine.
  3. Consider your diet.  Are you adding stimulating foods or drinks such as pop, coffee, tea, sugar products? Can you trade out for water with lemon or reduce your intake.  A fully hydrated body has more energy and is better equip to flush out toxins.
  4. Consider your physical activity.  Parents, how much time are you sitting in a vehicle hauling kids to stuff? How much time do you sit at work? Sitting is the new smoking! For every 4 hours you sit it’s the equivalent to smoking a pack of cigarettes! YIKES! Take breaks to pray or just do 60 seconds of deep breathing exercises from your diaphragm.  Yoga and pilates have been fantastic for me at 38 years old.  Take relaxing walks even in 10 min intervals, it was more than before right? Find a place to walk and enjoy creation and be grateful for it and your body and your life.  You don’t need a membership to anywhere!  YouTube has TONS of videos and just work up to it, don’t’ make yourself super sore.  Yoga and Pilates have taught me to listen to my body and appreciate what it can do. Plus they are great for posture and bone and joint health.

5. Herbs and essential oils to consider.  Herbal tea has become something I look forward to in my life. You can find caffeine free chamomile tea or Yogi tea has several mixes like Stress support.

I get tense through my shoulders with my stress so I mix Young Living essential oils Roman Chamomile and Majorum with a carrier oil and apply in that area. You can diffuse oils such as lavender, bergamot, clary sage, ylang ylang, frankincense, valerian, Melissa.  You can add 5-8 drops of a mixture or one of these to a cup of bath salts and soak in the tub.  Or 2-3 drops with some lotion and massage into your feet before bed.

Make a roller to apply during the day.

Stress Away Essential oil blend from Young Living I’ve used like a perfume and just roll on my wrists and chest/neck area.  Valor Essential oil blend is another I use.

To make a roller get a 10 ml bottle with roller top add 15-20 drops total of your essential oil and fill with a carrier oil like Young Living V6, sweet almond oil or grapeseed. Swirl to mix before you use.

6. Supplements to consider– NOW I’m only speaking from my personal experience here and what our Naturopath Dr. has recommend for us.  Please take the time to research or visit with your provider if needed. 
For me the stress over time has affected the function of my liver, which will not flush out like it is suppose to.  My main symptom is rage! So I’ve taken NAC over the last year to assist my liver while also adding in foods like Dandelion tea, beets or beet root powder in shakes.  When I feel myself overwhelmed or stressed Free and Wanderer Plus is a great Chinese herb that assists me fairly quickly.  I find Nature’s Sunshine to be a reputable company as well and they have a supplement called AnxiousLess that has a dose of magnesium and zinc, also helpful for me.

Vitamins B and C assist in helping support the adrenals of your body and since these are water soluble vitamins, your body just throws out (through the urine) what is excess you don’t need. During very stressful seasons I have been know to take high doses of vitamin C.

Stress will knock out your immune system, nervous system, digestive system! So when I know stress can’t be avoided for a season I’ve learned I have to support my body during that time with my supplements, proper nutrition, my essential oils and some form of physical activity that is relaxing.

We as a population would really benefit from taking inventory of our bodies daily! What hurts, what is tight, have I pooped today, am I overly tired, what is my body craving.  Just as it’s important to be still and listen for the voice of God during our time of worship, prayer and reflection.  To have a good relationship with our body we need to be still and listen to it. To be very frank your body is much like an uncleaned toilet in your home, if you ignore it and don’t clean it up and care for it that poop will pile up and cause a stinking mess that you will then be forced to deal with and usually at the most inconvenient time.

Click here to Download your FREE Daily Body Inventory check list

Stay well!
Hannah

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Pretty Posture

Good posture could help you look younger and thinner! So now I have your attention right? Posture is how you hold your body sitting, standing, laying down. We have been designed to line up a certain way, but unfortunately we get a little bent out of shape sometimes. Which not only could make you look like the hunch back lady in years to come but cause annoying things that just put a damper on your daily living.

Sadly we’ve seen a decline in appropriate posture with the increased use of cell phones and other techy gadgets, myself included in that!

Some side effects of poor posture

  • Headaches
  • shoulder pain or limitations
  • neck and back pain, discomfort
  • balance issues
  • numbness and tingling down arms or legs

Consistent poor posture over time may bring on structural changes that cause permanent damage to nerves. Why? Because after they remain pinched they loose that good communication line to the brain and shut down or fail to function and do their job. Similar to when someone chokes and their air is cut off, after a while they shut down because they have no oxygen, if air is returned there may still be some permanent damage or if the blockage remains there is death.

This we see frequently in people that perform jobs where the same motion is required over and over. Here is where the word ergonomics comes in!

Ergonomics????
This is where you study people’s efficiency in their work environment.
But it also applies to your at home life where you are “working”. Inefficient movement or placement when working leads to that break down of tissues, nerves, joints etc.

It’s important to look around your work place, desk, home set up, vehicle set up to make sure you are lining up your body the correct way. I’ll give some visuals below.

So what is good posture? What exactly should be lining up to make your body be awesome and work like a boss?!

Think how military people stand at attention, and you’ll have a picture in your mind what you should aim for. Up tall, shoulders back, stomach in, a real power pose! You can imagine a string coming out of the top of your head and someone pulling it to straighten you out.

Wondering how to start correcting your crooked self?

As I talked about above check out where you spend a majority of your time, maybe at a desk for example and set it up for posture success. Check this image out.

Also I just Googled ergonomics for the work place and clicked on images…. tons of great pictures and suggestions, some with measurements included.

In the car look at how you have your seat set up.
Here are some suggestions:

  • does your head rest cause your head to be too forward, I had to turn mine around
  • can your shoulder blades touch the seat, you might want to scoot closer to the wheel so you aren’t leaning forward
  • is your wheel at the height where your hands are below shoulder height and can have a small amount of bend at the elbow
  • do you keep your weight centered or tend to lean towards one side- I favor the right
  • are your hips close to 90 deg, you might have to raise the seat
  • do you have good low back support, if the seat doesn’t adjust place a small towel roll at the small of your back
  • Where does the seat hit you on the backs of your thighs, does it pinch
  • When you have your feet on the floor are your knees close to 90 deg.
  • To reach the pedal are you having to fully straighten your knee and reach, you want to have a little bend, too much isn’t great either, listen to what is comfortable for your body.
  • When you drive don’t let your foot turn out to the side try to keep both feet with toes facing forward and up as much as you can. When you have your foot rotated out all the time it also rotates at your hip and can pinch nerves and muscles that irritate you right in the buttock or knees.

Ok, so we have looked at our desk, car and other set-ups where we struggle to keep good posture and those are ready to go! Now here are some suggestions to build up a little muscle tone to assist in keeping parts in place or to gradually move things back where they need to go.

Shoulder rolls

photo from hep2go.com

Shoulder rolls are a simple exercise to throw in your entire day. I had a yoga instructor advise me once to do a shoulder roll every time you go through a doorway. Backward rolls is what you’ll be doing and this quick video shows you how.

Scap Squeezes

photo from hep2go.com

We call this a scapular clock squeeze. You are pulling your shoulders back and squeezing those scapular stabilizing muscles (the muscles in your upper back that help your shoulder blades move the way they are suppose to). The goal here is to try and pinch those shoulder blades together as close as you can! When you are squeezing at different angles, as it shows, you are going to target different muscles. When you establish some tone back there it helps keep your shoulders pulled back without you having to keep them squeezed back or think about it all the time.

For a video to observe and further explain this exercise try this.

For a little more advanced level or my peeps who like to work out. Here is a link to a great free workout from fitnessblender.com my favorite place to get my own workout videos to stay healthy and in shape.

Stretching

If your posture has been an issue for awhile you are going to notice that your chest muscles and probably the fronts of your shoulders are going to be a little tight maybe even some pinching. While the strengthening is great we must also check out some stretches to relax those muscles in the front and lengthen them back out. These are also super helpful after a long drive or if you work a desk job. Invest in your body and spend about 5 min stretching, after a shower is great because the muscles are a little more flexible from the hot water.

A few words of caution

  • START OUT GENTLE, this WILL NOT be an overnight change, think more over the next week or 2
  • DO NOT HOLD YOUR BREATH, just the opposite, you want to incorporate good deep breathing while you relax through these. The increased oxygen to the muscles helps them to give more.
  • YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE INCREASED PAIN. Discomfort YES, expect a small amount or you aren’t stretching it far enough to do much good.
  • YOU MUST HOLD THE STRETCH A MINIMUM OF 30 SECONDS. That being said I would also do several repetitions. Use a stop watch or do these where you can see a clock, because us counting isn’t accurate usually. Why hold it? Studies have shown that longer hold times means the muscle will hold that lengthened position better and stay there! What’s the point in doing it if the muscle is just going to snap back to the uncomfortable tightened position it was before?
  • DON’T COMPROMISE YOUR SAFETY. This is geared to my folks who might have balance issues or weak knees. You obviously will want to be careful with a few of these that require a little lunging.

Check these out………

picture from hep2go.com

Doorway stretch
– find a narrow doorway, put both arms out as in the picture and do a small lunge forward till you feel a nice pull across the chest and into the shoulders. You can change the height to hit you where you are the tightest.

Again a short video to help demonstrate.

Corner Stretch
– this is along the same lines as the doorway stretch just depends on your set up which one is easier, and a video for it.

Supine pec stretch on a roll

– AHHHHHH, this one provides great relief for pretty much anyone that uses a computer or phone!

– The roll is for the more advanced and at home you can roll up a towel and place it along your spine. You may need a small pillow or roll to support your neck so you are not extending your head back too far (not posture friendly!)

– This DOES NOT have to be done on the floor, for most people I would say do this on your bed! Bend your knees up if needed for comfort of your back. Simply just take both arms out to your sides and pick the angle that hits where you are the tightest, I usually will do several angles. HOLD THIS UP TO 2 MINUTES!!!! You might have to work up to that goal. In this video he does a great job explaining the technique.

Other options or add ons

Kinesio Tape
Something cool we use in rehab is Kinesio Tape. This flexible sports tape has become very popular and has so many uses, not just for athletes! You can learn more about how it works here . You will find many rehab clinics use it as well as chiropractors and other body workers.

Essential Oils
Our house uses more plant based remedies to assist us. Using essential oils and essential oil based products are what I’m going to reach for to soothe my muscles. You can see the various options I have to choose from in the picture. All get applied frequently to my neck as I tend to wear my shoulders for earrings! NOT GOOD POSTURE!

You can learn more about the benefits and details on these oils on my education group here.

If you want to order any of these you can go here or please contact me and let me help you!

Posture is something you don’t have to sweat to correct and can make a world of difference. This post is just covering the basics and is general info. Small adjustments to daily activities and just becoming AWARE of how you stand or sit will allow you to see improvements. Our bodies so easily fall into habits and patterns that we don’t even realize. Have a family member or friend help correct you too when they see you fall into those positions that you know are the reason for your discomforts.

If you have serious concerns or nerve issues involved, like numbness, tingling, loss of motion or function I would recommend getting in to a good physical therapist to help do some in depth education for your specific needs.

When you are lined up appropriately you have better circulation, better connections from your nerves to your brain, it will all run more the way it was intended to.

Please share some changes you plan to make or areas you know need evaluated to see how you could tweak them to encourage better posture.

Dang that hurts, do I use heat or ice?

Let me start with, I am not a Dr.!  I have been in the medical field as a Physical Therapist Assistant for 13 years now in various settings of care.  When in doubt about anything please contact your Dr. 1st!

Ok, here we go! You aren’t the only one asking this question. It is a frequent occurrence.  Here is the simple rule of thumb for a normal healthy person.

Acute injury or pain- cold

Chronic ( long standing more then a month) pain- heat

Acute may be…

  • a sprained ankle
  • dropping a cattle trailer on your foot (yep my husband!)
  • a pulled muscle
  • a bee sting
  • a good deep tissue massage that has moved some things around
  • an adjustment from your Chiropractor
  • a stubbed toe
  • a surgical area
  • I think you get the idea!

How to use cold safely. 

  • Gel packs are very pliable to fit any area and can be found from Amazon to your local pharmacy, but your bag of frozen peas works too.
  • Homemade packs are super easy: 1 cup rubbing alcohol, 2 cups water in a gallon freezer bag, I would double bag just in case. Let this set up overnight.
  • Put a barrier between yourself & the cold pack, such as a towel or thin piece of clothing
  • DO NOT LEAVE THE COLD PACK ON FOR MORE THEN 20 MIN
  • Check the skin after 5 min to make sure it looks ok (should just be reddened)
  • Give your skin at least 1 hour rest before applying again and I recommend not using more then 4 times a day.
  • If the injury is in a lower part of the body where it is more dependent it’s a good idea to elevate it while icing

Chronic may be…

  • History of back pain (thanks kids)
  • Arthritis or other joint degeneration
  • Achy parts that aren’t swollen up
  • An old injury

For me I know heat I usually enjoy more! In therapy we will use a hot pack to warm up a body part so it loosens it up some and makes it easier and more comfortable for the person to follow through with the exercises we are asking them to perform.

How to use heat safely

  • Only use 20 min max!!! Otherwise the body thinks there is an injury and will send MORE heat via increased blood flow to the area to rescue it. So you may end up with more pain.
  • At my house we use a bag with millet in it and heat in the microwave
  • You can make your own one with rice in a tube sock
  • In physical therapy we use what’s called a hydrocollator- this machine keeps water hot and we place packs filled with a clay substance in it to provide warm moist heat to patients.
  • Warm moist heat will penetrate deeper and last longer.
  • Like cold, use a barrier between you and the direct heat source
  • Do a skin check after about 5 min
  • If it starts to itch or get too warm- don’t tough it out TAKE IT OFF!!!
  • Like ice, allow your skin “rest time” between applications, I would only use a max of 3x’s day.
  • Keep in mind if you are laying on the heat, therefore added body weight,  you might want to decrease your time to 10 minutes.

Other Considerations:

  • If you have decreased sensation to the area you are applying or nerve damage to the area you’ll need to keep an even closer eye on it.
  • Children- sometimes they don’t give us all the information, so make sure to ask them questions frequently about how the application feels and check their skin.
  • Cognitive issues- if someone doesn’t understand or is unable to communicate effectively watch their body language or communicate the way they do best.

Using creams or other ointments or essential oils with hot or cold is not really recommended as it can magnify the item you have applied and cause severe skin irritation. You can always apply these about 1/2 an hour later.

Don’t have room in your diaper bag or purse to keep a hot or cold pack on hand?

Our household uses Essential Oils

This means I keep on hand in my purse some basics to help us out till we can get home. Lavender, and blends of oils that have Peppermint or Wintergreen as a main oil.

All I know is for me after using a cold pack, I love to roll on my Deep Relief, PanAway or  Aromaseiz when my back and neck are not happy for the day.  I feel we never go wrong applying Lavender or my DIY Aloe/Lavender Spray or Young Living’s Lavaderm Spray for immediate ouchy relief on my kiddos! You can order those products and oils here

Remember essential oils are plant based and are SUPER concentrated so it’s important to dilute them appropriately and check your skin if it’s a first time usage. 1-3 drops MAX is what I’ve used for me.  You can learn more basic essential oil usage and education from my Facebook page Grace and Wellness

With any wellness tips please know that all of us are created differently and our bodies therefore do not respond the same.  Wellness is about listening to your body, prevention, supporting the body systems and following what it needs at that moment and not what is the most popular or seemed to work for everyone else.

Again I will repeat, I am not a Dr., I recommend if you have serious medical concerns or questions to contact your personal provider that you use.

Stay well!