When it comes to taking care of ourselves, getting enough sleep is one of the best things we can do. Knowing how important our sleep is, what can we do to support it? Start with these seven tips.

When we think of what lies underneath our skin, words like epidermis and dermis, muscle and bone, and blood vessels and nerves all come to mind. But what also lies beneath the skin—working small little miracles every second—is something called fascia.  

Ever heard of it? Your massage or bodywork therapist may have used this word before during your sessions, but what is it exactly? 

When I arrived for our massage session, my client Mary’s eyes were devoid of awareness, as if she were there only in body. Mary is an Alzheimer’s patient at a special memory care facility in Westminster, Colorado. She barely speaks, and when she does, her words cannot be understood. When I first began volunteering massage services to seniors years ago, I was nervous around clients like Mary, because communication is so important to the therapist-client relationship. In a case like Mary’s, however, communication is challenging and requires an approach beyond words.

The numbers are staggering. In the United States, a person is assaulted or beaten by their intimate partner every five seconds, and approximately three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends every day.