English
Français
Deutsch
Italiano
Rankings
How to naturally combat those nightmarish episodes of insomnia
Today, it’s difficult to find people who sleep without problems. I´m not necessarily talking about chronic insomnia, but the vast majority, especially young adults with a hectic roster of activities, whether work, studies or both, have suffered an episode of insomnia. The problem becomes more serious when we become anxious about not being able to sleep, and our nerves begin to surge when night comes. We condition ourselves and begin to live our hours of rest as eternal hours of misery. When we are desperate to sleep, we often thing we have no other option than to take some sort of sleeping medication, which produces even more anxiety: down the road we know this will cause even more trouble because these substances can be very addictive, although there are now some new sleep-inducing pills which promise excellent results. But before we take the clinical route, here are some tips to make peace with those much needed hours of rest. First, try to establish a consistent bed-time and go to bed at the same time every day. I know it might be nearly impossible with our daily routines, but eliminating intake of coffee or tea or other beverages containing caffeine after 15:00 hrs can help. Second, make your bedroom a sanctuary, and enter only when you are going to bed or have sex, as associating your bedroom with activities may generate more problems when you try to relax. Third, as I imagine you already know, try to reduce your consumption of alcohol at night and eat a light dinner at least two hours before bedtime. It is also a good...
All About Redheads
Mark Twain was a redhead and he said it best: While the rest of the species are descended from apes, redheads are descended from cats. Love ´em or hate ´em, there is nothing quite like a redhead. Sometimes adored, occasionally feared, these misunderstood creatures are a breed apart. Here´s the skinny on gingers. Everyone´s basic hair pigment is red Yep, if you are one of the crueler types who make fun of our ginger friends, the joke´s on you. From the darkest African hair to the lightest Scandinavian hair, everyone is a redhead to the core. This is why you will occasionally see a brunette man growing a ginger beard. It´s also why a blonde who wants dark hair will need to dye his or her hair red before adding the brown. Redheads handle pain differently to other people Redheads process anaesthetics very quickly. This means that they are more at risk of waking up mid-surgery, are far more quick to wake up after being under general anaesthetic, and often need a higher dosage of local anaesthetic to numb the area. Redheads possess a gene called MC1R, which gives them a much higher pain thresh-hold than others. That means that if you want to hurt a redhead (and live), you better put more force into it than you would with a blonde or a brunette. On the other hand, redheads bruise more easily, so your handiwork will show much faster. Redheads were once burnt at the stake During the witch-hunts, red hair was seen as the mark of the devil, making redheads much more prone to being condemned and...
2010 Must-Visit European Music Festivals
The sun is shining again and a traveller´s thoughts begin to turn to the open road and the fun to be had there. One of the best places to have a good time (a sweaty, dusty, drunken good time) is at a music festival and Europe is the best continent to be for the widest selection. In no particular order, here are a couple of off-the-beaten path ideas to take you out of your comfort zone for this year´s circuit plan. Exit – Serbia July 8 – 11, 2010, Tickets approx €75 A twenty-stage music festival held in an ancient fortress? Get in now, before UNESCO declare it a World Heritage Site and the fences go up. Past acts include Manu Chao, the Streets, Gogol Bordello and on and on and on. This year´s lineup includes Placebo, the Chemical Brothers and Missy Elliot. Accommodation in the area books up fast, but enterprising local Serbs will sell you a camping spot in their back yard (if you´re not camping on the Danube) for about ten Euros per head per night. SoundWave – Croatia July 23 – 25, 2010, Tickets approx €80. Enjoy the feel of an Eastern European music festival before the slick and manufactured style of EU-fied management sets in properly. Held in the idyllic setting of The Garden, Petrcane, not too far from Zadar and runs over three days, three stages – oh, and a boat! Between the terraced bar, the amphitheatre overlooking the ocean and the non-Euro-zone beer prices, SoundWave is Ibiza without the plastic, overpriced ickiness and Bestival without the self-conscious coolness. Sziget – Hungary August...
