Listen to Your Body – 7 Warning Signs to Look Out For
Doctors and medical professionals are always advising us to ‘listen to our bodies’, but what does that actually mean? Warning signs manifest themselves through our physical actions, our thoughts and our feelings. Here are seven warning signs that your body is trying to tell you something and some practical suggestions that could help.
Warning Sign #1: You Struggle To Fall Asleep Even If You Are Tired This is a worrying warning sign as your body is indicating through tiredness that you need to rest. More than likely, your mind is active and you are suffering from what is known as ‘on-call’ syndrome, where the worry of the next day’s events is keeping you awake. To rule this out, try writing a to-do list for the following day as part of your pre-bedtime routine.
Warning Sign #2: You Struggle To Enjoy Uninterrupted Sleep If you are waking up during the night, this is a serious issue. You need at least eight hours of uninterrupted sleep per night and waking up is your body’s way of trying to tell you something. Cut out exercise after 3pm as this releases sleep-busting endorphins. Watch the caffeine found in certain drinks and medicines and stay away from herbs such as ginger that are natural stimulants. Try chamomile tea or valerian – these are natural herbs that have a sedative effect.
Warning Sign #3: You Long To Sleep Whilst At Work This is a sure sign that you aren’t getting enough rest at night. See the above tips for getting better quality sleep and resting more at night. Adults should be able to function if they sleep for at least eight hours per night.
Warning Sign #4: You Have Irregular Sleep Patterns If you don’t have a set bedtime or a time that you wake up, you should consider this a warning sign from your body. Irregular sleep patterns are rarely good for your health and may have a dramatic impact on your weight and performance. One tip to combat this is to wake at the same time every day, including the weekends and to eat regularly throughout the day.
Warning Sign #5: Your Joints Ache After Exercise Aching joints are a definite warning sign that your body could be suffering. One cause could be that you are engaging in high impact exercises such as running or jumping rope. Movements that involve repeated pounding can cause joint and connective tissues problems. One solution could be to switch to a low impact form or exercise such as swimming. Hydro therapists use water to deliver hydrotherapy sessions to recovering patients for exactly this reason. Water alleviates pressure from the joints and prevents your cartridge and ligaments from impact while you exercise.
Warning Sign #6: Driving Eyesight It’s possible to drive even with diminished eyesight so it’s often only when you’re on the look out for street names that you realise your failing eyesight. Changes in eyesight are so gradual that many people fail to notice. If you cant read a street sign fro 10-20 meters away, you should get your eyesight checked.
Warning Sign #7: You Suffer From Regular Headaches Headaches are a sure sign that your body is suffering yet many people fail to understand the root cause. The most common cause is simple dehydration. People feel hungry when their bodies are trying to tell them they are thirsty. An increasingly common issue is sleep apnea, a condition where people temporarily stop breathing as they sleep. This starves the brain of oxygen and causes issues such as headaches. A less common problem is that the sight in one eye is failing and the other eye is being overworked to compensate. Always check with your doctor for possible solutions.
These seven warning signs should not be ignored. Which warning signs are you aware of? Leave us a question or comment below!