We have included all the guides below for your convenience. Select your guide below.

Sleep Guide

Regular, quality sleep is arguably just as important for your body and mind as eating healthy or leading an active lifestyle. The human body needs sleep to survive, and failing to get enough sleep each night can have negative consequences on your mood, immune system, mental capacities, productivity, and overall well-being. 

The amount of sleep you need generally depends on your age group. While most adults need between 7 and 8 hours of sleep each night, children, adolescents, and seniors often need more. When you consistently fail to get enough sleep, you could start to notice the negative effects it has on your body. 

There are several ways you can start getting more sleep every night. For example, you could try to avoid some common bad sleep habits, like drinking coffee or alcohol before bed. You can also attempt to maintain a consistent sleep schedule, improve your sleep environment, and have a relaxing, electronic-free bedtime routine. There are also a variety of tools you can use to help you fall asleep and stay asleep, including noise machines, earplugs, and more. 

If you’re already suffering from sleep debt – not getting an adequate amount of sleep – you may be looking for tips to get out of it. While this debt can generally be repaid, skimping out on sleep isn’t sustainable. 

If you think you could stand to improve your sleeping routine,  you may be surprised to learn some of the nitty gritty details about this basic, everyday task. There are plenty of things to learn about sleep, like finding out what happens when you sleep, the different stages of sleep, the benefits of sleep, and how you can try to improve your sleep quality to help you feel more rested and prepared for the coming day. 

Health Insurance Guide

Affordable, accessible health care is a key component to staying healthy. However, the cost of health care can be extreme if you don’t have insurance, and failing to maintain coverage could leave you on the hook for some hefty medical expenses. In fact, a 3-day hospital stay alone can cost an average of $30,000 – a staggering fee that many Americans simply cannot afford. 

So, how can you find more affordable health care options? There are several ways to pay for health care, one of the most common being having a health insurance policy. Health insurance is a contract between you and a health insurance provider. The policy details which health care services the insurer will pay for, how much they will pay, and how much you’ll pay to maintain that policy through monthly insurance premiums. 

There are several ways you can acquire health insurance. One of the most common ways is through your employer. Employer-sponsored health insurance is generally more affordable than private insurance, but it can limit your options when choosing an insurer or policies. 

If you are interested in having more choices, or you don’t have access to employer-sponsored health insurance, you may be able to choose an insurance plan on the Health Insurance Marketplace, a website that allows you to shop for private health care plans to find the one that suits your budget and needs. These plans are divided into bronze, silver, gold, and platinum categories. While the tiered category system can feel confusing at first, it makes it easy to see how much you’ll pay for insurance vs the amount of benefits you’ll receive at a glance.  

You could qualify for a federal health insurance program, such as Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), or Medicare. Each of these programs has its own benefits, eligibility requirements, and costs, so it’s important to learn about them to help you make an informed decision on your health insurance. 

Regardless of the type of health insurance plan you want, you’ll likely need to enroll during the plan’s open enrollment period unless you qualify for a special enrollment period from a qualifying life event. Qualifying life events include losing other health insurance coverage, marriage, having a child, and other significant life changes. It’s also worth knowing you can apply for programs like Medicaid and CHIP at any time without an open enrollment period, as these programs are based on eligibility. 

Outside of your core health insurance package, you also have supplemental insurance options to choose from, such as dental, vision, accident, and critical illness insurance plans. Supplemental insurance options bolster your coverage and can help you reduce your medical expenses toward specific types of medical services.

You can learn about some common insurance options to help you make an informed decision on your coverage. Additionally, you can find information about when open enrollment periods are and certain exceptions, like qualifying life events. Plus, it might be helpful to learn more about common costs associated with maintaining health insurance, including premiums, copays, coinsurance, deductibles, and out-of-pocket maximums. 

Weight Loss Guide

Being overweight or obese is a common problem among American adults. It can increase the risk of developing a slew of negative health conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, cancer, sleep apnea, and more. Many individuals may be able to reduce their risk of these complications by losing weight in a healthy manner. 

There are other benefits of weight loss for those who are overweight or obese. Extra weight can cause pain and soreness in the joints; by shedding even just a few pounds, some individuals may experience improved movement and range of motion. Other positive effects can include better sleep, energy boosts, and higher self-confidence.

Doctors typically recommend losing weight in a healthy and gradual manner. Millions of Americans make the mistake of following yo-yo diets, which often promise instant results but are followed by longer periods of weight gain after stopping. Yo-yo diets often have negative side effects, too, like mood swings and a slowed metabolism. If you are looking to lose weight or simply maintain a healthier weight, you can find a variety of tips to not only lose the weight but keep it off.