If there is any one thing that you should spend a little money on, it’s your bedroom, specifically your bed. In this day and age where it is not uncommon to work more than 40 hours a week and still have other miscellaneous things to tend to (i.e. family, social events, etc.), it is no wonder that people are having trouble getting to sleep and/or having trouble staying awake throughout the day. Keeping that in mind, here are some helpful tips for making sure you are getting enough quality sleep!

5 Suggestions for a Restful Night

1. Don’t Nap! If you are experiencing problems with getting to sleep at night, part of the problem could be the result of having napped earlier in the day. When you take little “cat naps,” you are actually throwing your internal clock off so that it will then be more difficult to fall asleep at night.
2. Skip the Coffee! When you are trying to relax and go to bed at night, the last thing you would want to have in your system is coffee. Coffee, even if it is decaffeinated, has caffeine in it, which can keep you awake and interrupt your sleeping patterns.
3. Size Matters! If you share a bed with someone else, make sure that your bed is big enough. If you are sleeping with a restless partner, then their restlessness can keep you awake. Try switching to a bigger bed. Also, make sure that the sheets and pillows are made out of a material that is comfortable to you.
4. Comfort Zone! Your bedroom should be a sanctuary. Avoid doing homework or work in your bedroom, especially on your bed. The only thing that your bed should be for is sleeping, not work! Also, make sure that your bedroom is quiet and that it is well ventilated and not too hot or too cold. At night, make sure that there is no light coming into the room. It is recommended that you turn off the television and put any sort of bright clocks in a place where it won’t shine light in your face. Light sources can disturb your sleep at night.
5. Don’t Eat! Try not to eat anything right before going to bed. Eating before you go to bed can cause indigestion and will interfere with your sleeping cycle. Also, avoid drinking too many liquids before going to bed, otherwise it will cause you to get up in the middle of the night to urinate. Ideally, you should aim to eat your dinner between 5:30pm and 7:30pm. If you go to bed at odd hours, try to make sure that you eat your dinner at least two hours before you lay down.

For more information on individual health insurance in North Carolina, contact BCBSNC today!

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If you are like most Americans, chances are you work long hours and seldom find any time for yourself. However, there is growing concern with the rising obesity rate that is making more and more people pay attention to what they’re eating. For some people, they think that simply taking a diet pill will solve the problem. For others, it’s liposuction or gastric bypass surgery (if you have the financial means and stomach for it (no pun intended). But what do all of these things indicate? Simply stated, they show that people don’t want to make the time to exercise and eat healthy. Instead, they want the “quick fix”. This isn’t always a good idea. In fact, in most cases, it isn’t recommended at all. Think about it. When most of us become hungry, we find the time to eat. However, when we do eat, we make poor nutritional choices.

Get Healthy!

There are several things that we can do to eat healthier, stay fit and lose the fat. The good news is, this method will actually save you money versus spending more money on weight loss plans, surgeries and so on. To begin, start by looking at what you’re eating. Keep a diary in which you always remember to ask yourself the following questions:

• When am I usually the hungriest?
• What do typically eat in a given day, especially when I’m really hungry?
• How much money do I spend in a given day or week on fast food and/or coffee, etc.?
• What time of day do I usually eat?

You can begin to see significant changes by making small changes to your diet. Here are some examples of alternatives to help you lose at least a couple of pounds a week:

• Instead of having a coffee and donut for breakfast, try a cup of orange juice and a bowl of oatmeal.
• Instead of eating a salad with ALL of the dressings on it from a fast food restaurant, go to the fresh market and pick up some fresh spinach leaves and throw in some cucumbers, tomatoes and a little bit of olive oil.
• Instead of having pasta with meat sauce for dinner, try brown rice served with lemon pepper boneless, skinless chicken breasts with a small side of fresh veggies

You see, it’s not that we don’t have time to eat well, it is simply the fact that when we do eat, we make poor choices. Pay attention to what food you are putting in your body and remember, you are what you eat!
For more information about individual health insurance in North Carolina, contact BCBSNC today!

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America is getting fatter by the year. If you don’t believe me, check out it out. Why is it that obesity is so out of control in the United States? Some critics might blame the food industry for being at fault. However, the food industry are not necessarily what we should be looking at. Instead, we need to look at ourselves. It is far too easy to blame any and everything else for why we are packing on the pounds. But if you think about it, at the end of the day, it comes down to self-discipline and self control. After all, no one forces you to leave work and head straight for the drive-thru. People are excellent at giving excuses for why they eat poorly. However, there are some insurance companies who simply do not want to hear it.

A Big Problem to Bear

If obesity in adults, who should know better, wasn’t enough, now we have to worry about passing our bad habits on to our children. Since the mid 1990s, instances of childhood obesity has almost doubled in the UK and it is even worse in the United States. But the problem with obesity extends beyond the waist in your jeans. Many medical experts have voiced concern over the fact that obesity can and has been causing a host of other medical problems such as diabetes, heart problems and other diseases that are costing taxpayers big bucks.

According to the American Obesity Association (AOA);

Many insurance plans do not provide reimbursement for weight loss treatment. According to many practitioners, few private insurance indemnity plans or managed care organizations appear to cover the costs of obesity treatment regardless of whether the service is a medically supervised program of weight reduction or maintenance, nutrition counseling, surgery or a pharmaceutical product.

So, What Can Be Done?

The best Kind of insurance policy is the kind that you are personally responsible for: eating healthy and exercising regularly; and this is one thing that many insurance companies are encouraging their clients to take advantage of.

For more information about individual health insurance in North Carolina, contact IBD Insurance today!

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Some people marry for love and some marry for money…but some marry for the health insurance. In a Kaiser poll, conducted from April 3-April 13, a nationally represented sample of just over 2,000 adults were surveyed and it was discovered that 7% admitted that they (or someone in their household) decided to get married so that they could reap the healthcare benefits of their significant other.

The survey also found that health care costs outranked housing costs, rising food prices and credit card bills as a source of of concern! This is significant because it shows how important health care is to Americans, especially in this day and age where the United States seems to be facing a bit of an economic crisis. Continuing, the Los Angeles Times stated:

Twenty-eight percent of those surveyed said that they had experienced serious problems because of the cost of healthcare, compared with 29% who had problems getting a good job or a raise. Gasoline prices were the top economic worry, with 44% saying they had serious problems keeping up with increases at the pump

The Blame Game

So, now are we to blame the rising costs of gasoline for the fact that there seems to be a beginning trend of people marrying to save some extra cash? The people in the study who cited health insurance as a deciding factor in getting married tended to have modest incomes. Approximately 6 out of 10 were in households that brought in less than $50k per year. These people also tended to be younger, between the ages of 18 and 34. While this may seem like a laughing matter at the outset, the implications are very real. What is to come of health insurance coverage in the United States?

For more information about individual health insurance in North Carolina, contact IBD Insurance today!

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Have you ever wondered what the true shelf lives were for the foods that you buy? Food shelf life doesn’t always follow the “sell by” date or even the expiration date. Rather, food shelf life depends more on the environmental conditions in which it is stored. For instance, conditions such as light, oxygenation, temperature as well as humidity may speed up the deterioration process or lower it depending on how hot or cold, humid or dry conditions are.

Most perishable foods deteriorate or expire simply due to the bacteria activity within that particular food as well as the oxidation process that causes a food to lose its flavor or color. For example, if you leave a piece of chicken out on the counter for a few days, you’ll see it begin to change color and odor and probably see the bacteria begin to grow on it. It should be noted that the longer shelf life that some food items have, the more likely (not always) that there are chemicals or some form of preservatives that are helping it to stay that way. It is not advisable to eat too many foods with a long shelf life because they are not as fresh and do not contain as many nutrients as your body needs.

Foods With a Long Shelf Life:

The following list was taken from a study done at Princeton University in which they came up with a list of long shelf-life foods. You may find the results interesting!

• Dehydrated Foods: 3-15 months for veggies| 1-6 months for meat |1-24 months for fruit
• Nonfat Dry Milk: 12 months
• Breakfast Cereals: 6-18 months
• Pasta: 9-36 months (if it contains egg solids)|24-48 months for macaroni and spaghetti
• Frozen Concentrated Juices: 18-30 months
• Frozen Fruits & Veggies: 6-12 months for beef|4-12 months for pork|2-8 months for fish
• Frozen Convenience Foods: 6-12 months
• Canned Fruits & Veggies: 12-36 months
• Coffee: 9 months for ground, roasted or vacuum-packed|18-36 months for instant coffee
• Tea: 18 months

Remember, how you store your food is key to its longevity in your pantry or refrigerator, so make sure you follow the directions on the individual product for how to properly store it!
For more information about health insurance in North Carolina, visit IBD Insurance in Raleigh, NC today!

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Eating right is the hardest thing to do, according to a recent Fox News Channel discussion. In this day and age where fast food is all the craze and we are compelled to head for the drive-thru for the low prices, if not for the mere convenience of it, it can sometimes be difficult to eat healthy. It’s no wonder that increasing numbers of people in the United States are reported as being overweight every year; and that number is increasing still! According to Dr. Manny Alvarez, the managing editor at foxnewshealth.com, there are five foods that we should make sure that we eat every single day. Among his list of foods the following items won the top spots:

1. Whole Grains- are important because they contain fiber (need to have at least 20 grams/day). Fiber is great for you because it lowers your cholesterol and aids in the digestion of food. You should have at least 3 servings/day.
2. Green Veggies-dark green, leafy veggies and/or veggies with a lot of color because they contain a lot of vitamins. You should have at least 1 serving/day.
3. Nuts & Seeds- (cashews, walnuts) are full of antioxidants and omega-3
4. Milk & Yogurt- should have at least one cup of lowfat milk or 8 oz- has lots of vitamin D, which is essential to bone strength, etc.
5. Green Tea- should strive to have 4 cups/day because it contains a lot of antioxidants

Maintaining good health means including certain food groups in your diet.

For more information about individual health insurance, visit Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina today!

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This just in: coffee can do so much more than provide you with that added energy boost in the morning! In fact, there are a few health benefits to those who are avid coffee drinkers. For example, researchers at the University of Scranton released a study in August of 2005 that stated that coffee was the number one source of antioxidants in the American diet. Second to coffee was Black tea. Antioxidants, as many of us know, are good because they provide our body with nutrients that help to prevent oxidative damage to our bodies.

Additionally, researchers at Harvard University analyzed date of 126,000 people for approximately 18 years and found that drinking anywhere from one to three cups of caffeinated coffee a day could reduce diabetes by single digits. However, by having six or more cups of coffee each day, it could cut the risk by 54% for men and 30% by women. According to WebMD, at least six studies indicated that people who drink coffee on a regular basis are up to 80% less likely to develop Parkinson’s disease. At least two cups of coffee daily can reduce the risk of colon cancer by 25% as well as reduce the risk of liver cirrhosis by 80%.

Other evidence also points to the possibility that drinking coffee may help to reduce the effects of asthma, alleviate headaches, boost mental clarity and even prevent cavities. It’s a miracle!! Before you rush to the nearest 7-11 or Starbucks, however, more research still needs to be done before all of this becomes medical fact. Either way, it’s nice to know that coffee really helps you more than it hurts you and that you can enjoy your addiction to this tall, mocha, non-fat, no whip, frothy beverage!

For more information about individual health insurance in North Carolina, visit Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina today!

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At 11:30 a.m on April 29, 2008 at the 400 block of Fayetteville Street, the Million Step March (MSM) will be marching into Raleigh, NC. The event is being sponsored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, but everyone is invited to attend. The goal of the Million Step March is to raise awareness of the benefits of physical activity.

How It Started

The road to building good health begins one step at a time. In this day and age, too many people lead sedentary lives. In fact, almost a quarter of North Carolinians say that they do not get any physical activity at all. Did you know that simply getting 30 minutes of walking a day can dramatically improve your overall well-being? Studies have shown that physical activity such as walking can increase energy levels, raise self esteem, decrease stress levels and improve your sleeping habits- and that’s only a partial list of the benefits!

On April 1, 2008, Gary Marino-a nationally known walking enthusiast and MSM spokesperson-and I began a 600-mile walk across North Carolina to promote the benefits of physical activity. At 11:30 a.m. on April 29th, we’ll arrive in Raleigh. I hope you will join us in celebrating this halfway point of our journey with an exciting event downtown. There will be lots of free giveaways, including T-shirts, pedometers and a healthy lunch, as well as interactive wellness activities, speakers and more. We also invite you to take a lunchtime walk with us down Fayetteville Street. Please be sure to dress for the weather, wear your walking shoes and, by all means, [extend] this invitation to your family, friends and colleagues! Hope to see you there!

Kathy Higgins

Vice President of Community Relations

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina

Journey of a Lifetime

As of April 23, 2008, over 2,500 people have joined in the march logging in a total of 61,762 miles walked and over 130,400,000 steps taken! Wherever there are people walking in the Million Step March, there is also a Million Step March tractor-trailer rig. To give people a better idea of what the march is all about as well as what goes on inside the truck, feel free to watch a clip on their web site!

For more information about individual health insurance, contact Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina today!

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The best kind of insurance policy that you could ever hope for starts with you and what you eat. Think about it. Every time you consume food and beverages, it affects your body. It affects how you feel emotionally, how you think, how you act, as well as how you physically feel and look. Let’s break it down to take a closer look:

How Food Affects You:

Emotionally: Let’s take the example of coffee. The vast majority of people in the United States consume coffee in one form or the other. Coffee contains caffeine, which gives you that added “boost” when you need it. However, it can also have adverse effects, making you feel jittery, anxious, irritable and over energized. In some cases, it can even cause you to feel ill (caffeine headaches, etc.). Sure, you could drink decaf coffee, but even decaf coffee contains small amounts of caffeine. If you’re a coffee addict (like a lot of people are) and you drink coffee right before going to bed simply because you like the way it tastes, it can cause you to have problems falling asleep. Lack of sleep leads to not being as well-rested when you have to get up in the morning for work or school. This can lead to poor work performance, not to mention danger for you and others if you have to get in your car and drive while tired. In some cases, lack of sleep and poor work performance can lead to depression!

Mental Clarity: As we saw with the coffee example, in some cases, the types of food and beverages we consume can cause us to have a lack of mental clarity, which can be detrimental and have severe consequences. To take it to the extreme, let’s say that you have a cup of coffee before going to bed. As a result, you don’t get any sleep but get up in the morning to go to work. You get in your car, and because you didn’t get any sleep the night before, you are less alert and as a result, you crash into the person in front of you.

How You Act: The perfect example to use here is alcohol. When people consume alcohol, it affects how they act as well as their physical and emotional states. Because their judgment is clouded or nonexistent, they often make poor decisions and act badly.

Physically: For a lot of people, eating foods that they like (even if it is bad for them) is a sort of comfort thing. Guys always make the joke that women who get dumped become depressed and in order to make themselves feel better, they go out to the supermarket and buy a pint of ice cream, chocolate or some yogurt and curl up in front of a sappy movie with some tissues. Eating things that aren’t so good for you every once in a while is ok as long as you have a balanced diet and are eating in moderation. However, some people have a harder time with self control and tend to binge on their favorite junk foods too often, which can lead to health problems such as diabetes, obesity, strokes and heart attacks.

Remember, you are what you eat. For more information about individual health insurance in North Carolina, contact Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina today!

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Back pain kills people every day. Ok, so back pain doesn’t really kill people, but it might as well! Every day, millions of Americans complain of back pain. According to Wikipedia, back pain is one of humanity’s most frequent complaints and was cited as being the fifth most common reason for all physician visits.

Common Causes of Back Pain

Some common things that cause back pain include:

1. Arthritis
2. Pulled muscles
3. Stress
4. Spinal disc herniation- a medical condition affecting the spine
5. Spinal Stenosis- a medical condition in which the spinal canal narrows and compresses the spinal cord and nerves (usually seen with aging)

In order to relieve back pain, you must first determine what is causing it. If it is something like stress that is causing you some discomfort, you’ll probably notice that the pain will go away after a couple of hours or a couple of days. However, if you start to notice that the pain is becoming chronic (lasting a month or longer), then it would probably be within your best interest to make an appointment with a specialist. We put our bodies under a lot of stress each and every day. If you’re an athlete, you probably know what it’s like to feel really sore or run down after a hard workout.

Some things that you can do to alleviate back pain includes:

• Heat- Try taking a shower or soaking in a warm bath of Epsom Salts.
• Acupuncture- Make a consultation first to see if this is the right approach for you.
• Physical Therapy/Stretching- Make an appointment to see a physical therapist who can help show you some effective stretching techniques, or do it yourself!
• Massage Therapy- Massage is a great way to relax; just make sure that the therapist is licensed!
• Chiropractor-Make a consultation appointment first to see if this is appropriate.
• Medication- There are many over the counter (OTC) drugs that claim to help alleviate pain- check with your local pharmacist to see.

For more information about individual health insurance in North Carolina, contact BCBSNC today!

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