Health Tips for August 16

Health Tip: Managing a Chronic Illness

Managing a chronic illness, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, may seem overwhelming.

Here are helpful suggestions for people with a chronic illness, courtesy of the American Academy of Family Physicians:

* Take a look at your unhealthy behaviors, and choose one or several that you want to work on and improve.
* Come up with a specific plan and goals for dealing with each unhealthy behavior.
* Devise alternate plans to help you stick to your goals -- for example, how to handle weather that affects your exercise plans.
* Make sure your goals are realistic, and that you feel confident that you can reach them.
* Talk to your doctor about your goals, and discuss your progress.

Health Tip: Can't Sleep?

If you have trouble falling or staying asleep, it's important to understand the reasons for your insomnia.

Here's a list of possible reasons for your sleepless nights, courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine:

* Discomfort or illness.
* Depression.
* Stress or anxiety.
* Drinking caffeine or alcohol, smoking, or taking certain medications or illicit drugs.
* An inappropriate sleep environment, including one that's too bright or too noisy.
* Related activities that affect your sleep, such as taking naps or going to bed too early.