The holidays are upon us and inevitably, that means busy days and late nights as we shop for presents, attend parties and other events and eat and drink more than we should.

Because of all of these holiday activities, most of us do not get enough sleep! Our bodies need at least 7 hours of sleep at night to allow time to boost our immune systems.  In fact, a major study was published recently that found that those who slept less than 7 hours were 3 times more likely to develop a cold than those who slept just 1 hour more. Ever wake up after a scant few hours of sleep and look in the mirror to see black circles under your eyes and wrinkles in your skin?  Those are just the outward symptoms of the stress your body is under when you don't get enough sleep and your body can't replenish itself properly.

It's hard to find the time at this time of year to get the sleep you need to replenish your body and wake up feeling truly refreshed and rejunvinated.  A very easy way to make the most out of those precious hours of sleep is to improve the quality of sleep in the hours that you have.  How easy?  It's as easy as choosing the pilllow clinically shown to improve the quality of sleep above all others tested at Johns Hopkins University, the Mediflow Waterbase pillow.  If you improve the quality of your sleep, you get to sleep faster, wake up less often and maximize the time you have during the holidays to replenish your body, your immune system and wake up more refreshed and able to fight off the germs and viruses that you come into contact with at this time of year.

Left side neck pain is a very common condition that most of us will experience at some pioint.  When this condition occurs, it can lead to constant pain and sleepless nights.  Left side neck pain is an avoidable condition however, and the key to preventing it is in understanding what the most common causes are.

Improper posture when seated for long periods of time is a common cause.  Be careful not to slouch in your chair and if you work with a computer keyboard, adjust it so that it is in a neutral position with your wrists straight as you type.  The keyboard, your working materials and the computer screen should be in a straight line directly in front of you to reduce head movement.  The use of a therapeutic back rest such as a LogicBack adjustable backrest will insure that your spine is in a neutral position.

The second most common cause of left side neck pain is use of an improper sleeping pillow.  Your pillow should be selected based on several factors such as your size and your preferred sleeping position. If your pillow does not support your neck properly this can lead to chronic left side neck pain after only one night! The best choice for a sleeping pillow is an adjustable pillow such as a Mediflow Waterbase pillow that can be customized to the proper support level for your neck.  Experiment with different adjustments to your pillow for several nights to find the level that provides the best and most comfortable night's sleep.

Some other causes of left side neck pain are whiplash injuries, physical or psychological stress, calcifications of the ligaments and tendons in the cervical spine and degeneration of the soft tissues or vertebrae or discs in the spine.  If, after you eliminate your posture and pillow as possible causes you still experience pain you should seek the services of a medical professional to determine if these or a more serious condition may be the cause.