Category: Health and Wellbeing

National Bed Month

01/03/2023 / mayagreen / 0 Comments

National Bed Month

March is National Bed Month so what better time to remind you how important it is to get enough good quality sleep – especially with dissertation deadlines looming and exams imminent. Countless studies show that getting enough sleep is essential for maintaining optimal health and well-being. Like exercise and a balanced diet, sleep may help prevent a range of health issues, including heart disease and depression.

As a student you may not feel that sleep is something to prioritize. You have course work, social events and perhaps a part-time job to fit in to your busy schedules, so missing out on a few hours’ sleep doesn’t matter, does it? The consequences of poor-quality sleep or sleep deprivation include:

Irritability
Daytime fatigue
Increased anxiety
Trouble concentrating
Lack of creativity
Negative impact on your overall mental health

Staying awake for 18 hours can have the same effect as a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.05% which is the same as the Scottish drink drive limit. Staying awake for 24 hours can equate to a BAC of 0.10% which is well over it.

How to get some quality sleep

Although many studies argue that 8 hours sleep is recommended for adults, it is actually the quality of your sleep that is vital. This means you need to stick to a regular sleeping pattern to ensure that you get enough REM (rapid-eye movement) or ‘dream’ sleep.

So how can you do this?

Consistency-try going to bed at the same time and waking up at the same time each morning
Make sure your bedroom is quiet and at a comfortable temperature.
Remove electronic devices an hour before you want to sleep.
Exercise during the day.
Avoid alcohol, caffeine or large meals before sleeping.
Structure your day and plan ahead of your exams, assignments and due dates and activities so you don’t end up cramming or working late into the night.

The benefits of a good night sleep

Because there are many benefits to getting enough good quality sleep it’s a no-brainer that you should be prioritising sleep to maximize results. Benefits to students from a good sleep include:

Sharper brain
Increased productivity
More positive mood
Stress reduction
Boosted immune system

Taking these active steps to promote healthy sleep should help you fall asleep faster, stay asleep, and get a more restorative sleep.

You can use Library Search to find books and articles on sleep deprivation and the benefits of sleep.

If you feel you need some guidance on how to better your study routine, some tips are provided in the link provided below:

https://www.grb.uk.com/blog/five-productivity-upgrades-to-your-university-routine

You can read our post of National Sleep Day from 2022

By Vivienne Hamilton

Photo by Liz Vo

Lego Day

28/01/2023 / julietkinsey / 1 Comment

Celebrating Lego Day

It’s world Lego day today. Lego is one of those toys that is ubiquitous with childhood. Anyone growing up in the West will know immediately what you mean when you mention it. It is the joy of Children everywhere, and the thing that drives most parents mad. Is there anything more painful to stand on!?!

In fact, people who have regularly experienced walking on hot coals and broken glass say Lego is by far the worst thing to walk on (source). Feeling brave? You always have a go at the Lego Firewalk. Personally, I’d rather walk on glass or coals!

History

It was in Denmark, at Ole Kirk Christiansen’s workshop where Lego was firstborn. In 1934 it became called Lego after the Danish phrase leg godt. They were originally called Automatic Binding Bricks, but less originally they were based on the Kiddicraft Self-Locking Bricks, already patented in the UK.

Over time Lego has grown to become the biggest toy company in the world and is not only used as toys but as movies, artworks and they even made an amusement park you can visit.

Mindfulness

Lego is no longer just for children; in fact, they have many Lego sets dedicated to adults. There is some fascinating research connected to mindfulness about how doing Lego can help our mental health. We actually keep a Lego set behind each Library Help Desk you can borrow for free. Why not check one out next time you visit…if the library staff aren’t already playing with them that is!

Learn More

We have a fascinating and diverse range of materials for you to read on Lego, from issues with Dentistry (teeth and Lego are a bad mix it seems!) to build your own Lego Robots. Check out Librarysearch.napier.ac.uk.. Just type in the word “Lego” and start reading!

By Juliet Kinsey

Sources: Wikipedia

January and Wellbeing

17/01/2023 / mayagreen / 0 Comments

January and Wellbeing

It’s that time of year when the festive celebrations are over, and the promise of spring still seems quite far away. January is often the time when many of us start to feel the winter blues which is why it is increasingly important to be kind to yourself and look after your mental health.

While the short winter days and cold weather can sometimes make it less appealing to adventure outdoors, there are benefits to wrapping up warm and heading outdoors to experience the smells and sounds of the winter. Small things such as the feeling of crunch of snow underfoot, spotting a robin on a tree branch, or stopping to admire beautiful patterns created by frost can all bring a little joy and help to boost spirits.

Self-care

Thriving with Nature – a guide for everyone was published by the Mental Health Foundation to help readers find ways of connecting with nature throughout the year. The guide contains creative and straightforward suggestions for activities to help engage with nature and encourage you to get outdoors regardless of whether you live in the centre of a city or out in the countryside.

The Library has several books on nature and the benefits it can have on our health within the Shelf Help collection:

Braving the wilderness: the quest for true belonging and the courage to stand alone by Brené Brown.

The Wild Remedy by Emma Mitchell

Into the forest: how trees can help you find health and happiness by Qing Li

Don’t forget, ENGAGE Fitness at Edinburgh Napier University provides a performance gym, fitness suite and sports hall at the Sighthill campus for those days when you don’t want to exercise outdoors. A student trimester pass is available for only £55!

Search the Library more nature or fitness-related printed or online resources on LibrarySearch.

Read more on wellbeing in our section Wellness Collection, full of useful and interesting books or take some time out in our Online Relaxation Zone

World Mental Health Day

10/10/2022 / jemmalidgard / 1 Comment

Our mental health has been challenged pre and post-pandemic, with rises in anxiety and depression, as well as other unrecognised disorders; we can strive to play a role in increasing awareness, signposting, listening to one another and having conversations.

The World Mental Health Day theme is to use spoken words about the different ways we can talk about our experiences. Getting the words out to describe how we feel can be tough at times Mind shows you can confide in advisors, and find online and local communities and other information.

At Edinburgh Napier University, not only are our library help desks here to support you with library-related enquiries, but we are also here to listen to your concerns and provide you with as much support as possible. Napier’s counselling service is here to help your well-being and mental health through practical tools and coping strategies such as CBT and meditation: https://www.napier.ac.uk/study-with-us/student-life/counselling-and-mental-wellbeing

Our Shelf Help collection at Edinburgh Napier University Library is materials chosen by professionals to overcome uncomfortable or stressful thoughts, experiences, and feelings.

You can find the link to Shelf Help here.

Self-care, such as exercise, meeting friends and family, sleep and eating nutritiously have physical and emotional benefits to improving your well-being. You can check out resources on the library blog for further support and building resistance

https://blogs.napier.ac.uk/library/virtual-relaxation-space/

Edinburgh Napier University online support:

Counselling team 9am-5pm Mon-Fri

0131 455 2459

Edinburgh Napier University Disability and Inclusion Team

9am-5pm Mon-Fri counselling@napier.ac.uk disabilityandinclusion@napier.ac.uk

Bike Week 2022: On yer bike!

06/06/2022 / julietkinsey / 0 Comments

Bike Week 2022: On yer bike!

No disrespect to Giovanni Fontana. I’m sure he meant well, but that bike he designed way back in 1418 really wasn’t practical. For a start, it had 4 wheels and its gears were connected by rope. Still, he was on to something, and a mere 400 years later German baron, Karl von Drais, invented what is regarded as the first modern bicycle – or the steerable running machine as he called it. So what if it didn’t have pedals and the rider had to push it along the ground with his feet? It was the big bang of cycling – the realisation that mechanized personal transportation was a thing, and that thing was here to stay.

Not long afterwards the first pedal-driven bicycle with rear wheel drive was invented by a Scotsman – yay! He was either Kirkpatrick MacMillan or Thomas McCall. It’s been disputed since the 1860s – and that’s when cycling really started to, erm, motor.

Today, of course, bike technology is so advanced that there is a type and model for every type of cyclist, whether you’re into racing, mountain-biking, recreational weekend tootling, getting to work or just nipping down to the shops. And of course, cycling is not just a convenient way to get around, it’s healthy and good for the environment too.

According to charity, Cycling UK, British cyclists notched up 5.03 billion miles in 2020, and the trend is going up by an average of 3 billion every year. We’re still lagging well behind our European neighbours, though. Out of 28 countries surveyed, the UK came 25^th for cycling. So let’s all get saddled up and bump up those statistics.

Bike Week 2022

This month the national Bike Week takes place from the 6^th to the 12^th. To see how you can get involved, see here:

Bike Week 2022 | Cycling UK

And for more local information, check out: Edinburgh Festival of Cycling | Cycling UK

We at Edinburgh Napier are keen to promote safe cycling in and around the city. To see what resources are available and how we can encourage you to get on your bike, please see here:

Cycling (napier.ac.uk)

By Lesley McRobb

Exercise is a great way to practise self care and get fit. For more ideas why not check out some of the books here.

Meditation Day 21st of May

21/05/2022 / julietkinsey / 1 Comment

World Meditation Day– 21st May

“You should sit in meditation for twenty minutes every day unless you’re too busy; then you should sit for an hour.”

These words, attributed to an unknown Zen master, are probably the most famous, and arguably the wisest, words ever uttered on the subject of meditation.

The paradox is, of course, that the more you have to do, and the less time you have to do it, the more important it is to stop whatever you’re doing and take time out. Meditation is one of the best, and certainly one of the healthiest, ways to do that.

It can be hard to describe exactly what meditation is or how it feels. I’ve been meditating nearly every day for more than a decade, and I still struggle to define it, but at its heart I believe it’s a way to quieten the mind, relax the body and turn down the volume on the chatterbox in my head that is continuously spouting nonsense.

Types of Meditation to try this world meditation day

There are as many types of meditation as there are practitioners. You may have tried some of them: mindfulness, visualisation, walking meditation, mantra meditation, OM chanting, Vipasanna, and loving-kindness are just some of the many ways to do it. I’ve tried several of those, but my regular daily practice is TM – transcendental meditation. Whatever form suits you, the main thing is to do it regularly. Like any other practice, establishing it as a habit is the key to its success.

The benefits of meditation are well-known. It improves sleep and concentration, relieves anxiety and stress (exams, anyone?), can reduce cravings and pain, helps you to feel calmer, makes you more productive and creative. Some people claim to experience a feeling of bliss when they meditate. I can’t claim that, but I have always felt better after my daily session, and I feel less at peace if I miss one.

We have several books that give greater insight into this most ancient of spiritual practices. Log into LibrarySearch to access them:

Learn to meditate: the art of tranquillity, self-awareness and insight – Edinburgh Napier University (exlibrisgroup.com)

Wherever you go, there you are – Edinburgh Napier University (exlibrisgroup.com)

Meditation for everybody – Edinburgh Napier University (exlibrisgroup.com)

Meditation Day 21st of May

This year, Saturday, May 21st marks World Meditation Day. Why not treat yourself to a session? It’ll only take 20 minutes – or an hour if you’re really busy.

By Lesley McRobb

Read more on Mental Health awareness here and here

and don’t forget to check out our virtual relaxation space.

Mental Health Awareness Week 9th-15th May 2022

09/05/2022 / jemmalidgard / 1 Comment

Mental Health Awareness Week 2022

Mental Health Awareness week is an annual campaign to focus on achieving good mental health. It is part of the Mental Health Foundation that was established 21 years ago.

This year the campaign explores loneliness, the effect it has on our mental health and how we can reduce loneliness. Loneliness is a subjective feeling experienced when the need for social contact and relationships are not met. Although, loneliness doesn’t necessarily always mean it is the same as ‘being alone’.

Throughout the pandemic, many of us have faced isolation under the lockdown rules creating separation from friends and family.

Libraries and Mental Health

Libraries can play an important role in bringing people together, fostering connections and communities. The Shelf Help collection at Edinburgh Napier University Library has been created to help students cope with different aspects of life such as starting university, managing finances, and eating healthily on a student budget. There are a wide range of books in Shelf Help aimed to help students understand and manage their health and wellbeing. These include books on topics such as dealing with stress and anxiety, specific learning difficulties including dyslexia and dyspraxia, and sexuality and relationships. Within Shelf Help there is also a loneliness section where you can find links to books on Library Search which can be borrowed or browsed in the library including:

Navigating Loneliness by Cheryl Rickman

The Cure for Loneliness by Bill Howatt

There is also a link to the ‘The Lonely Hour’ podcast where Julia Bainbridge aims to de-stigmatize loneliness by discussing the importance of finding joy in solitude and connecting with yourself. https://libguides.napier.ac.uk/c.php?g=653422&p=4968443

During Mental Health Awareness Week there will be displays in each ENU Library promoting the Shelf Help collection where you will be able to find books related to loneliness and other mental health topics. Please feel free to borrow the books from the displays!

Picture of books on a library shelf

Here are other ways that can help to tackle loneliness:

· There are group study rooms available for collaborative study at resourcebooker.napier.ac.uk. Studying together can help gain fresh insights into sharing knowledge!

· Join a club, class or even a society! This provides a sense of belonging and awakens that creative spirit. Edinburgh Napier’s Student Association holds societies to meet new people with similar interests. Find more information about the different societies at https://www.napierstudents.com/teamnapiersocieties/atozsocieties/

· Self-care, such as exercise, meeting friends and family, sleep and eating nutritiously have physical and emotional benefits to improving your well-being. You can check out resources

on the library blog for further support and building resistance https://blogs.napier.ac.uk/library/virtual-relaxation-space/

Group Study

See the My Napier webpages for more information on Counselling and Wellbeing Support provided by the University.

Edinburgh Napier University support:

Counsellors and Mental Health Advisers

9am-5pm, Monday-Friday

0131 455 2459 counselling@napier.ac.uk

Emergency and Out of Hours Contacts

http://breathingspace.scot/

https://edinburghcrisiscentre.org.uk/

https://www.samaritans.org/?nation=scotland

https://ednightline.com/

See the My Napier webpages for a full list of useful emergency & out of hours contacts.

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/mental-health-awareness-week/event-map

By Jemma Lidgard and Sarah Jeffcott

Support and Wellbeing Over The Exam Period

06/12/2021 / julietkinsey / 0 Comments

stressed student needing Support and Wellbeing

Source

During exam time, it’s important to look after yourself physically, mentally and emotionally. The library is here to support you and your wellbeing over the exam period.

Relaxation Spaces

Each campus library has a relaxation space where you can take a break and relax on comfy furniture or try a mindful activity like colouring or doing a jigsaw puzzle. Check out our virtual relaxation space here on the Library Blog for some excellent wellbeing resources.

Shelf Help

We also have Shelf Help which is a collection of resources aimed at supporting your wellbeing. There are print and ebooks, tv shows, podcasts and more which we’ve organised into themes. You can find resources to help tackle stress, insomnia, anxiety and low self-esteem as well as cookery books to help you eat well on a budget and ways to deal with procrastination and increase your productivity.

Spotify

If you are looking for some relaxing music to listen to while you study, the Library has some Spotify playlists for you here.

Get Outside

One of the best things you can do is to get outside and have a walk in the fresh air. Although don’t forget to wrap up warm in the cold Scottish winter. Nature is proven to help us feel better. Read more on this with our article on “thriving in nature”

Contact

Library opening hours can be found here You can also contact the library 24/7 by phone and email on 0131 455 3500 and library@napier.ac.uk

The university is here to support your wellbeing and you can find out more about the services they offer here

By Julie McGregor

Category: Health and Wellbeing

National Bed Month

National Bed Month