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How Exercise Impacts Sleep and Vice Versa

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Getting enough sleep is incredibly important for our health and insufficient sleep is associated as a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, several cardiovascular diseases, obesity, poor mental health, depression, and accidents. Additionally , in general, getting 7-8 hours of sleep (for adults) is correlated with lower mortality and prevalence of disease (morbidity). Studies suggest that good sleep habits and moderate physical activity can benefit each other in a reciprocal relationship. However, about 1 in 4 Canadian adults between the ages of 18-79 years are not getting sufficient sleep (1 in 3 in adults aged 35 to 64 years). Poor sleep quality is also an issue in the Canadian population with about 50% of adults having difficulty going to sleep or staying asleep and 1 in 5 adults report their sleep isn’t refreshing. These aspects are negatively affecting the stress levels and mental health of Canadians . Among adults that report getting inadequate sleep, 36.3% have chronic stress

I want to exercise but…

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I’m sure we’re all aware that exercise has a myriad of benefits for our health, wellbeing, and quality of life. The further along in my degree, the more amazing things I learn are associated with incorporating more physical activity into your daily routine and reducing sedentary (sitting) time. However, despite all the advantages I became aware of and all the negative outcomes failing to change my lifestyle can lead to, I was still struggling to find the motivation to exercise regularly.  In this blog, I want to highlight some of the information that helped me change my lifestyle and increase my physical activity level. Often we can acknowledge a need for change, whether it's because you find yourself winded going up the stairs, because of weak joints, or perhaps a desire to get stronger. We find some sort of burst in motivation but don’t know what to do with it. How much physical activity should I be doing? The recommended physical activity guideline for adults age 18 years a

Soft Tissue Injury

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Soft Tissue injury   1. Muscle Strain A stretch, tear, or rip to a muscle or an adjacent tissue that can range from a mild tear to complete muscle rupture and usually  involves large force producing muscle. Healing time may depend on the level of severity of the injury which are as follows:       Grade I  Some muscle fiber tearing •  tenderness and painful movement but full range present    Grade II  Many torn muscle fibers •  active contraction is painful, usually a depression or divot is palpable, some swelling and discoloration result   Grade III  Complete rupture of fibers •  significant impairment initially with a great deal of pain that diminishes due to nerve damage   Muscular pain may be a result of: Muscle spasms or guarding are the reflex reactions caused by trauma. There are two types which are as follows: Clonic - Alternating involuntary muscular contractions and relaxations in quick succession Tonic - Rigid contraction that lasts a pe