Enjoy no-headache holidays this year

The holidays are a stress-filled time for many people. It’s the season when office parties, shopping chores, cooking, and family gatherings get crammed into one’s busy life. If today’s economic woes get factored into the equation, this year could be extra stressful.

Nexcare, the 3M brand of first-aid products that ensure superior protection and ultimate comfort, says, “Don’t despair.” Here are some tips from Nexcare to relieve holiday stress so you can make this an enjoyable, fun season:

• Drink more water. This time of year, many of us end up drinking more alcohol than usual. Add that to the cold weather and you’ve got a good recipe for dehydration. Being dehydrated zaps your energy and makes it difficult to concentrate, so keep a water bottle handy throughout the day.

• Catch some shut-eye. You may be busier than ever, but you have to get enough sleep to keep your stress hormones in check and your weight from creeping up. In fact, lack of sleep can affect hormones so much that your body may actually store extra fat when things get stressful. Despite the parties, make sure you create a bedtime ritual that helps you unwind and relax. Do a light stretching workout, take a hot bath, read something soothing or take some herbal tea. Squeeze in a power nap during the day if you’re not getting enough sleep at night.

• Prioritize your parties. Parties galore and family reunions can sap your strength and stress you out more than you realize. You don’t need to go to every party, you know. Prioritize your social calendar so you can help save your waistline as well as keep stress at bay. Eating out every day during the holidays will make all those extra calories add up, leave you feeling guilty and yes, stressed out. Plan simple, easy home meals in between the parties to create balance in your eating habits.

• Maintain a positive attitude. Avoid other stressful situations. Do not take on extra work, ignore the little irritants, and just enjoy the spirit of the season. Be more tolerant than usual and make others happy by being a kinder, nicer person. Christmas comes only once a year. Just sit back and enjoy it.

• Get a massage. If you feel stressed out anyway, get a massage. Pay attention to the head, neck, shoulder, and arm areas because gentle pressure here brings utmost relaxation and headache relief. For the latter, some people like to use a cold pack, others prefer to soothe their headache with something hot. Either way, Nexcare Hot and Cold Pack comes in handy when dealing with headaches or tummy aches so common during this binging season. This handy and versatile, gel-filled pack can be easily popped into the refrigerator or tossed into the microwave to produce a hot or cold pack. Just apply the Nexcare Hot and Cold Pack to the throbbing source of pain and relief is on the way.

Then there’s the Nexcare Anti-Fever Gel that can be used not just to cool down a fever, but also to relieve the pain and reduce the discomfort of a headache. You may use this if you want the cooling effect alone. This disposable gel pack has a cooling effect which can last up to six hours.

Once the holidays are over, you’ll be ready to meet the New Year with renewed zest and vigor because you had a restful, stress-free Christmas.

For more information about Nexcarproducts, call 813-3781 to 95 or visit www.3m.com.