What is it like to donate blood?

HEALTH BENEFITS OF DONATING BLOOD

IMPROVES HEART HEALTH

Donating blood improves your overall cardiovascular health. Increased level of iron in the blood raises the chance of heart disease. Regularly donating blood helps males in particular to reduce the amount of iron in the blood. This can reduce the chance of heart attack by 88%. Additionally, regular blood donation can lower the risk of severe cardiovascular events such as stroke by 33%.

ENHANCES THE PRODUCTION OF NEW BLOOD CELLS

When blood is withdrawn, the donor's body immediately begins to replenish the lost blood. New cells are produced by marrow within 48 hours of donation, and all of the red blood cells the donor loses during donation are completely replaced within one to two months. Therefore, donating blood helps to stimulate the production of new blood cells. This process of  replenishment can help your body stay healthy and work more efficiently.

BURNS CALORIES

Donating blood on a regular basis can also improve fitness. Donating one pint of blood (450 ml) burns 650 calories in donor's body.

ENHANCES FEELING OF WELL BEING IN ELDERLY PEOPLE

Many elderly people who are in good health have reported feeling invigorated and reenergized by giving blood on a regular basis.

REDUCES CANCER RISK

Give blood to help lower your risk of cancer. According to the Miller-Keystone Blood Center, consistent blood donation is associated with lowered risks of cancers, including liver, lung, colon, stomach and throat cancers. Risk levels drop in correlation with how often participants donate blood.

FREE HEALTH SCREENING DONE

In addition to all of these benefits, a donor receives a free prior health screening plus mini blood test. There will be an HB level test, as well as a blood pressure and body check.  Blood is also tested for some major diseases and the donor is immediately informed in strict confidentiality if any of these tests show positive results.

SAVES LIVES

By donating blood, many lives are saved and hope is given to many whose situation may otherwise be hopeless. Blood donors give such patients a second lease of life.

BRINGS JOY TO MANY

When you donate blood, you impact not only the patient whose life may depend on your donation, but also all those who depend on that patient. The entire community will benefit from  he spirit of generosity.

 

Benefits of Blood Donation - Be The Life Saver

There's no substitute for blood donation and giving blood regularly saves lives. One single donation can be split into three separate parts, helping save or improve the lives of patients. Just three teaspoons of blood can save the life of a premature baby. If you donate blood, you can help in saving lives of many patients.

Benefits of Blood Donation - Be The Life Saver There's no substitute for blood donation and giving blood regularly saves lives. One single donation can be split into three separate parts, helping save or improve the lives of patients. Just three teaspoons of blood can save the life of a premature baby. If you donate blood, you can help in saving lives of many patients. Blood donation Blood donation is not hazardous and it proves to be a healthy habit that helps blood renewal.The volume of blood donation is 370:400 ml, almost 7.5% of the adult blood volume.It is compensated in a short period of time. Blood donation benefits not just the person receiving the blood, but also the donor. Surprisingly enough, people who give blood also receive many health benefits.

How to fall asleep at night?

How to sleep better tip 1: Keep a regular sleep schedule

Getting in sync with your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle—your circadian rhythm—is one of the most important strategies for achieving good sleep. If you keep a regular sleep schedule, going to bed and getting up at the same time each day, you will feel much more refreshed and energized than if you sleep the same number of hours at different times. This holds true even if you alter your sleep schedule by only an hour or two. Consistency is vitally important.

• Set a regular bedtime. Go to bed at the same time every night. Choose a time when you normally feel tired, so that you don’t toss and turn. Try not to break this routine on weekends when it may be tempting to stay up late. If you want to change your bedtime, help your body adjust by making the change in small daily increments, such as 15 minutes earlier or later each day.
• Wake up at the same time every day. If you’re getting enough sleep, you should wake up naturally without an alarm. If you need an alarm clock to wake up on time, you may need to set an earlier bedtime. As with your bedtime, try to maintain your regular wake-time even on weekends.
• Nap to make up for lost sleep. If you need to make up for a few lost hours, opt for a daytime nap rather than sleeping late. This strategy allows you to pay off your sleep debt without disturbing your natural sleep-wake rhythm, which often backfires in insomnia and throws you off for days.
• Be smart about napping. While taking a nap can be a great way to recharge, especially for older adults, it can make insomnia worse. If insomnia is a problem for you, consider eliminating napping. If you must nap, do it in the early afternoon, and limit it to thirty minutes.
• Fight after-dinner drowsiness. If you find yourself getting sleepy way before your bedtime, get off the couch and do something mildly stimulating to avoid falling asleep, such as washing the dishes, calling a friend, or getting clothes ready for the next day. If you give in to the drowsiness, you may wake up later in the night and have trouble getting back to sleep.

Discovering your optimal sleep schedule

Find a period of time (a week or two should do) when you are free to experiment with different sleep and wake times. Go to bed at the same time every night and allow yourself to sleep until you wake up naturally. No alarm clocks! If you’re sleep deprived, it may take a few weeks to fully recover. But as you go to bed and get up at the same time, you’ll eventually land on the natural sleep schedule that works best for you.

How to sleep better tip 2: Naturally regulate your sleep-wake cycle

Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone controlled by light exposure that helps regulate your sleep-wake cycle. Melatonin production is controlled by light exposure. Your brain should secrete more in the evening, when it’s dark, to make you sleepy, and less during the day when it’s light and you want to stay awake and alert. However, many aspects of modern life can disrupt your body’s natural production of melatonin and with it your sleep-wake cycle.
Spending long days in an office away from natural light, for example, can impact your daytime wakefulness and make your brain sleepy. Then bright lights at night—especially from hours spent in front of the TV or computer screen—can suppress your body’s production of melatonin and make it harder to sleep. However, there are ways for you to naturally regulate your sleep-wake cycle, boost your body’s production of melatonin, and keep your brain on a healthy schedule.

Increase light exposure during the day

• Remove your sunglasses in the morning and let light onto your face.
• Spend more time outside during daylight. Try to take your work breaks outside in sunlight, exercise outside, or walk your dog during the day instead of at night.
• Let as much light into your home/workspace as possible. Keep curtains and blinds open during the day, and try to move your desk closer to the window.
• If necessary, use a light therapy box. A light therapy box can simulate sunshine and can be especially useful during short winter days when there’s limited daylight.

Boost melatonin production at night

• Turn off your television and computer. Many people use the television to fall asleep or relax at the end of the day, and this is a mistake. Not only does the light suppress melatonin production, but television can actually stimulate the mind, rather than relaxing it. Try listening to music or audio books instead, or practicing relaxation exercises. If your favorite TV show is on late at night, record it for viewing earlier in the day.
• Don’t read from a backlit device at night (such as an iPad). If you use a portable electronic device to read, use an eReader that is not backlit, i.e. one that requires an additional light source such as a bedside lamp.
• Change your bright light bulbs. Avoid bright lights before bed, use low-wattage bulbs instead.
• When it’s time to sleep, make sure the room is dark. The darker it is, the better you’ll sleep. Cover electrical displays, use heavy curtains or shades to block light from windows, or try a sleep mask to cover your eyes.
• Use a flashlight to go to the bathroom at night. If you wake up during the night to use the bathroom—as long as it’s safe to do so—keep the light to a minimum so it will be easier to go back to sleep.

How to sleep better tip 3: Create a relaxing bedtime routine

If you make a consistent effort to relax and unwind before bed, you will sleep easier and more deeply. A peaceful bedtime routine sends a powerful signal to your brain that it’s time to wind down and let go of the day’s stresses.

Make your bedroom more sleep friendly

How to fall asleep at night?

• Keep noise down. If you can’t avoid or eliminate noise from barking dogs, loud neighbors, city traffic, or other people in your household, try masking it with a fan, recordings of soothing sounds, or white noise. You can buy a special sound machine or generate your own white noise by setting your radio between stations. Earplugs may also help.
• Keep your room cool. The temperature of your bedroom also affects sleep. Most people sleep best in a slightly cool room (around 65° F or 18° C) with adequate ventilation. A bedroom that is too hot or too cold can interfere with quality sleep.
• Make sure your bed is comfortable. You should have enough room to stretch and turn comfortably. If you often wake up with a sore back or an aching neck, you may need to invest in a new mattress or a try a different pillow. Experiment with different levels of mattress firmness, foam or egg crate toppers, and pillows that provide more or less support.

How to Help Your Friend Who Is Being Abused

How to Help Your Friend Who Is Being Abused


It is hard to find out that your best friend is being abused. What are some things you can do to help? Hope these steps help you.

1. Tell somebody. It may be hard for you to break that person's trust, but you should. It will be better for them in the long run. Be careful that you tell an adult, not kids, though.

• Ask before telling anyone else: he or she might not want you to tell anyone yet!
• But, if you believe that you need to tell someone, then tell about the abuse to the "right" kind of person, for example: tell someone who needs to know, who should know.

2 Don't gossip and don't spread the news to non-interested parties (who has no business knowing). Telling news like this to people who do not need to know, may spread stories quickly. Telling others may only hurt the person being abused.

3.  Be there. Nothing helps more than a friend who listens.

4. Invite your friend over. If the person being abused is not with the abuser then they cannot be abused!

5. Invite the friend over for a weekend, to keep their minds off the abuse and to give them some time to heal a little. Sleepovers would also give you a chance to talk to each other; to have calm and fun conversations and even deeper conversations if that's what they need but either way, its good for them so have some time away from their abuser.

6. Let them know that after they've just been abused that if they would like to, and are able to, they could drop by your place to talk or at least meet up close by.

7. Help them relax. A few moments to themselves, some warm water and relaxing are three things at once that will help soothe them physically and possibly even mentally and emotionally; if they can't find that in their home, then invite them over and let them have a warm shower. A warm shower helps physical aches and pains, and the warmth and the quiet time will help them a lot.

8. Take them far away if you have witnessed them being abused. A hot drink will give them a peaceful feeling and something to concentrate on, when they've gone quiet for a little too long (which happens often in cases like these) then try to ask them if they're feeling any better or if they wanted to talk about what happened.

9. Give them some time to themselves if that's what they want. Don't leave them alone for too long but there's nothing wrong with some time alone.

10. If the abuse gets even worse and it seems like this person can't handle anymore of it, then insist on taking them to the hospital and then to the police. It may be the most difficult thing of all but it helps in the long run. If they refuse to go to the police then tell them that you'll go without them; they may prefer it if they weren't around when the police are informed, or they may eventually follow.

11. Like with sexual assault kits, being anonymous is sometimes possible to get medical care for certain injuries so try to insist on regular hospital visits.

12.  Let your friend know YOU'RE THERE FOR THEM! They need you there!

13.  Most of all, be a good friend to them.

14.  Give them a hug. Do so not only because they need it, but also because it shows that they are being cared for.

15. Be the best friend you can be to them, think if that was you in that situation. You'd need a friend and someone to talk to.