Is My House Making Me Sick? Pt2

Is My House Making Me Sick?

PART 2

>> Is My House Making Me Sick? Part 1 is here <<

3. Sleep… in peace!

There is a lot of emerging research that shows device use interferes with our sleep, and that blue light can damage our eyes.

The mental stimulation when Googling things, interacting on social media, and even video calls can make it hard to sleep.

Our tablets, smart phones and smart watches contain LED lights.

The evening use of such devices which has been associated with:

  • Poor quality sleep,
  • Reduced concentration the next day,
  • Poor mood, and
  • Reduced accuracy…

… According to recent research.

As well, there is a reduction in melatonin – a hormone that has antioxidant actions.

Antioxidants play an important role in detoxification and keeping us healthy.

When we began this conversation, I shared with you about the importance of sleep in the healing. Anything that interrupts sleep, for whatever reason, needs to be reduced.

Did You Know?

Did you know that apps used to measure sleep have uncovered an insomnia epidemic?

BUT did you also know that the wireless technology required for these apps to function has been linked to sleep disturbances?

“What Can I Do?”

At the very least, don’t sleep with your phone!

4. Smell… naturally lovely!

I want to tackle the topic of “fragrances” here. Fragrances are in everything from perfumes, air fresheners and deodorisers. They are in our laundry products, sanitary protection, and even in our cosmetics. Nappies, doggy-do bags, and toilet paper also are scented… and that is just the tip of the iceberg!

If you ever see this word on a label, it means “a cocktail of many ingredients.” Fragrance, parfum and perfume all mean the same thing, when reading labels.

The ingredients used in perfumery are primarily chemicals, most of which haven’t been tested for safe use by humans, some that have been tested really aren’t good for us (causing cancer, irritating our skin and lungs, messing with our hormones…).

Our exposure to fragrances is enormous and our bodies need to deal with this. For some people, this constant exposure is physically exhausting.

Did You Know?

Did you know essential oils are a better option that synthetic fragrances? But please bear on mind that they are very potent – so use sparingly and avoid using them 24/7. For people who are environmentally sensitive, even these can be problematic. Please use them with care (and NEVER eat/drink them).

“What Can I Do?”

Don’t buy anything that contains fragrance, parfum or perfume.

5. Stay… mould-free!

Have you noticed there has been a lot of media stories about mould and how it is making people sick? It has definitely attracted a lot of attention, and was the subject of a 2018 Parliamentary Inquiry, instigated by Senator Lucy Wicks. Mould comes in many different colours, and it doesn’t have to be black to cause health problems.

Mould spores are everywhere and play an important role on our planet. Only 25% of the spores can grow, the other 75% are “dead” (that said, it doesn’t make them less problematic for someone who is sensitive).

However, we don’t want mould growing in our homes.

When you think about it, all mould is waiting for is the right conditions to grow. This centres on the right amount of moisture. Moisture can come from leaks, burst pipes, spills, condensation and many other places.

Did You Know?

Did you know that flexible braided hoses (the bendy pipes on your taps and toilets) account for over 20% of water damage claims in Australian homes? They only last for around 5-7 years and erode faster in the presence of chemicals. (What is under your sink?)

“What Can I Do?”

Deal with water quickly – mop up spills, fix leaks, dry out anything that has become wet within 24-hours.

I trust this has given you a lot to go on with…

If you have any concerns, or want to get in touch, please book a call.

Is My House Making Me Sick? Pt 1

Is my house making me sick?

PART 1

You’re not quite on your game. Your health has declined – your energy is low, you feel “off”, when you wake up you definitely don’t feel vibrant and refreshed any more. Each day has become a struggle and even a morning coffee doesn’t get you through the day.

The doctor says everything is fine, but your gut tells you it isn’t.

You’ve been to numerous health professionals, medical doctors, complementary medicine practitioners, and jeepers, with the amount you have forked out on testing, you are wishing you had bought shares in the pathology labs!

Something isn’t quite right, and you know it.

You’ve started to notice that when you are away from your home that you feel better, and not just because you are on holidays! When you return, so do your symptoms. You being to wonder…

“Could my house be making me sick?”

Before we go any further, I want to share with you some basics of health and detoxification which many people seem to forget about.

Detoxification 101

I’m talking the absolute foundations… and that is why I call it “Detoxification 101.”

Our bodies are truly amazing – we are like finely-tuned machines. We like to keep everything at “normal” – so we remove, address and deal with whatever throws our “normal” out (medically speaking, this is homeostasis).

If we follow the rhythms of nature, we rise to greet the sun, and we sleep while the sun does. The days are shorter in winter, so ours are too.

Because we are designed to sleep at night time, this is the time our body is programmed to clean everything up and actively work to return us to “normal” so that we are completely ready to “do it all again” the next day.

At a minute level, our cells are cleaning everything up, we detoxify, we heal.

However, in the presence of stress, these functions don’t happen.

It is a little like a see-saw. Stress goes up, so detoxification goes down.

And when we are talking stress, we are talking any and every kind of stress.

1. Breathe…easy!

The air inside our homes is unique and the quality of it is affected by anything and everything that comes into our homes. Research has shown that the indoor air can be up to five times more polluted than the outdoor air! Alarming, right?

Add to that the fact that the majority of people spend around 90-95% of their day indoors, and it starts to become clear why all of this is so important.

When we keep our doors and windows closed, the levels of indoor air contaminants build up and conversely, oxygen levels are reduced.

This can make us feel groggy, confused, itchy, sick… all depending on what is in our homes.

When we open our windows and doors and let the fresh air in, we end up exchanging the air and diluting these levels.

As a result, we often feel fresher, brighter and clear-headed.

Did You Know?

Did you know it is possible to exchange the air in your home in as little as 2 minutes?

By opening all external and internal doors and windows, it can take as few as 2 minutes to change all the air in your home over to fresh air!

“What Can I Do?”

At the very least, exchange the air inside your home each morning, each afternoon and each evening.

Start at your front door and do a lap of your home opening every door and window. Wait two minutes, and the do a lap and close the doors and windows you want closed.

2. Barefoot… and healthy!

Our shoes get to walk in all sorts of unpleasant things (I’ll leave it with you to think of some. My mind always goes back to the train I used to have to catch that was so foul, I would have a good shower when I got home, too!).

Apart from that, there are also pesticides, pollutants from traffic and roads, heavy metals, dust and so on.

When we wear our shoes inside, we can easily traipse all of this through our homes. From here it either moves about the place as dust, or if you have carpets or rugs, it becomes embedded deep within the pile.

Even a good clean may not remove all of these contaminants.

It is wiser, in my opinion, not to bring them into our homes to start with.

Did You Know?

Carpets act as a “sink” they collect all sorts of contaminants, including skin cells, mould spores and all the things you traipse in on your shoes.

I often think about a carpet as being like an archaeological site – revealing information about the lives of the people living there!

Also, where there is dust, there are dust mites.

“What Can I Do?”

Simple!

Create a no-shoe policy..