How Brain Entrainment Can Get You a Perfect Night's Sleep

An estimated 50-70 million adults in the U.S. have some form of sleep or wakefulness disorder. So much so, that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is calling it a public health epidemic. People experiencing sleep problems are more likely to suffer from chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, depression, and obesity, as well as from cancer, increased mortality, and reduced quality of life and productivity. So, how does one go about lowering their stress and improving their sleep that doesn't involve popping pills and risk becoming addicted to over the counter or prescription sleep medications?

The answer may lie in something called brain entrainment. What is brain entrainment exactly? Its roots date back to the 1660's, when Christian Huygens, a Dutch scientist, was working on a design for the pendulum clock. He discovered that if two of them were placed on a wall near each other, they would eventually end up swinging at the same rate due to their mutual influence on each other. Later, scientists found this very same principle could be very widely applied.

Doctors around the world have been researching the effect of modified sounds on the subconscious mind and how they can improve different behaviors such as lowering stress, improving sleep, controlling urges to help people lose weight, and increasing a person's motivation and confidence. Entrainment is an aspect of sound closely related to natural rhythms and the way these rhythms affect us. It's based on the way that the powerful rhythmic vibrations of one object cause the less powerful vibrations of another to fall in line, oscillating at the same rate as the first object.

Many remedies in medicine today only focus on a short term fix to a problem. With brain entrainment, the ultimate goal is to put a person's mind in a perfect relaxed state all the time in order to improve the quality of their life for the long term. Research proves that the average person uses only the left side of the brain when dealing with difficult situations. This is the side that is preoccupied with the functional and mechanical aspects of problem solving. On the other hand, successful and happy people manage to use both sides of the brain when faced with a difficult situation. They successfully include the right side of the brain, which deals with the creative and colorful side of their personality. By achieving this perfect mental balance, they achieve a focused and clear mindset that puts them in good stead to tackle difficult situations with a positive disposition and ultimately a more relaxed mind.

How to Sleep Better and Live Healthy With an Indoor Hammock Bed

There are countless benefits to sleeping in a hammock. They place your back and neck in the ideal angle to open your air passageways, and increase oxygen and blood flow to your brain and throughout your body. The gentle rocking motion leads to falling faster asleep and achieving longer, more sustained periods of REM sleep. The proper hammock weave can also reduce pressure on your back and joints. The end result from sleeping in a hammock is that you'll awake more refreshed, recover faster when you're sick or in pain, and even increase your brain's capacity to problem solve throughout the day.

But to get all those benefits it's important to choose the right hammock. So read up, and then find a great hammock shop online and you're on your way a better, more relaxed life ahead. Here's what to look for in an indoor hammock bed.

Size: 

For a hammock you hang in the backyard and occasionally use any size will do. For a hammock you plan on sleeping in every night the size of the hammock is key to your comfort and freedom of movement. For any adult over 5' 6," a two person hammock is highly recommended. Two person hammocks will be much wider, and that extra width will allow you to sleep at an angle, which helps you lie in a flatter position that will more closely resemble what you're used to in a bed.

Weave: 

In indoor hammock bed should have an open weave. The only reason solid fabric hammocks exist is to resist the elements. Solid fabric hammocks don't breathe well and they can never stretch and flex to your body weight the way a proper woven hammock can. Woven hammocks are much, much more comfortable, however, and will make a much more pleasant sleeping experience.

Origin: 

Nicaraguan and Mayan (Mexican) hammocks both feature an elaborate weave that has been perfected over centuries. They feature an interlocking "spring weave" in which one strand will intertwine with two or three others, resulting in a hammock that stretches and adapts according to your own body weight and shape. A solid fabric hammock cannot do this, and neither can the typical American rope hammock, which features a very thick, rigid and unforgiving weave.

Style: 

People spend a lot of time trying to pick out the right color bedspread, carpet, and wallpaper or paint. An indoor hammock bed should be no different. Hammocks don't have to resemble a boring, white fishnet. There are several great online hammock shops selling colorful Mexican and Nicaraguan hammocks. Lazy Bandido even sells very stylish large two-person models with fringes on the side that can be used as a blanket on a cool night.

One last tip: 

Whichever hammock you choose, you'll need the right hardware to hang the hammock. A pair of eye screws, spring links (carabiners) and two 10 ft lengths of rope is perfect. You can pick these up at your local hardware store, or usually find them for sale on the same website you're getting your hammock from.