Study Shows That Sleeping With a Weighted Blanket Can Reduce Insomnia

From goodnewsnetwork.org

Weighted blankets are a safe and effective intervention in the treatment of insomnia.

That’s according to Swedish researchers who found that insomnia patients do experience improved sleep and less daytime sleepiness when sleeping with a weighted chain blanket.

Results of the randomized, controlled study show that participants using the weighted blanket for four weeks reported significantly reduced insomnia severity, better sleep maintenance, a higher daytime activity level, and reduced symptoms of fatigue, depression, and anxiety.

Participants in the weighted blanket group were almost 26 times more likely to experience a decrease of 50% or more in their insomnia severity compared with the control group, and they were nearly 20 times more likely to achieve remission of their insomnia. Positive results were maintained during a 12-month, open follow-up phase of the study.

“A suggested explanation for the calming and sleep-promoting effect is the pressure that the chain blanket applies on different points on the body, stimulating the sensation of touch and the sense of muscles and joints, similar to acupressure and massage,” said principal investigator Dr. Mats Alder, consultant psychiatrist in the department of clinical neuroscience at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm.

“There is evidence suggesting that deep pressure stimulation increases parasympathetic arousal of the autonomic nervous system and at the same time reduces sympathetic arousal, which is considered to be the cause of the calming effect.”

The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, involved 120 adults (68% women, 32% men) previously diagnosed with clinical insomnia and a co-occurring psychiatric disorder: major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or generalized anxiety disorder. They had a mean age of about 40 years.

Participants were randomized to sleep for four weeks at home with either a chain-weighted blanket or a control blanket. Participants assigned to the weighted blanket group tried an 8-kilogram (about 17.6 pounds) chain blanket at the clinic.

Ten participants found it to be too heavy and received a 6-kilogram (about 13.2 pounds) blanket instead. Participants in the control group slept with a light plastic chain blanket of 1.5 kilograms (about 3.3 pounds). Change in insomnia severity, the primary outcome, was evaluated using the Insomnia Severity Index. Wrist actigraphy was used to estimate sleep and daytime activity levels.

Nearly 60% of weighted blanket users had a positive response with a decrease of 50% or more in their ISI score from the baseline to the four-week endpoint, compared with 5.4% of the control group. Remission, a score of seven or less on the ISI scale, was 42.2% in the weighted blanket group, compared with 3.6% in the control group.

After the initial four-week study, all participants had the option to use the weighted blanket for a 12-month follow-up phase. They tested four different weighted blankets: two chain blankets (6 kilograms and 8 kilograms) and two ball blankets (6.5 kilograms and 7 kilograms).

After the test, and they were freely allowed to choose the blanket they preferred, with most selecting a heavier blanket, only one participant discontinued the study due to feelings of anxiety when using the blanket. Participants who switched from the control blanket to a weighted blanket experienced a similar effect as patients who used the weighted blanket initially. After 12 months, 92% of weighted blanket users were responders, and 78% were in remission.

“I was surprised by the large effect size on insomnia by the weighted blanket and pleased by the reduction of levels of both anxiety and depression,” said Adler.

In a related commentary, also published in JCSM, Dr. William McCall writes that the study results support the psychoanalytic “holding environment” theory, which states that touch is a basic need that provides calming and comfort.

McCall urges providers to consider the impact of sleeping surfaces and bedding on sleep quality, while calling for additional research into the effect of weighted blankets.

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/study-shows-that-sleeping-with-a-weighted-blanket-can-reduce-insomnia/

5 Easy ways to beat pregnancy insomnia

From northcoastcourier.co.za

Everyone’s telling you to get more sleep now before the baby arrives, but what if you can’t? Try these tips to sleep better and feel more rested.  

Why can’t I sleep?

If you’re not getting enough or poor quality sleep, waking up too early, or having difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep you might have insomnia.

Reasons for pregnancy insomnia include:

• Feelings of stress and anxiety
• Pain, swelling, or cramps in the legs
• Back pain
• Heartburn
• Frequent trips to the loo
• Feeling your baby kick and move constantly
• Vivid dreams
• Hormonal changes, which could affect body temperature

Read on for how to overcome pregnancy insomnia and ensure you get a good night’s rest…

1. Try calming yoga

Studies have proven that there are many benefits to doing yoga during pregnancy. Firstly, it relieves physical and mental stress, as it helps to clear the mind, relax the body and release any muscular tension. This in turn will help you feel more rested and improve pregnancy insomnia. Using gentle exercise together with deep breathing has also been shown to reduce high blood pressure and ease depression.

2. Tissue salts can help

During pregnancy, your body goes through many changes, and this can cause restlessness at night, because of stress and anxiety, according to health practitioners at the Bach Centre in the US. Walnut can help you cope with change, while impatiens helps to relax and calm the body and mind. If you’re going to use Bach flower remedies during your pregnancy, speak to a healthcare practitioner first. Tissue salts are also safe during pregnancy. Tissue salt no. 8 magnesium phosphate can help to ease cramps as well as pain and tension. Tissue salt no. 10 natrium phosphate can help with anxiety as well as insomnia, mental fuzziness, and memory loss.

3. Draw yourself a warm bath

There’s nothing quite like a warm bath to unwind and let your tense, aching muscles relax at the end of the day. Want to add a few drops of calming lavender to your bath? Good idea, but speak to a homeopath about the correct dosage to use during pregnancy. Use a body brush while you’re lying in the bath to gently massage your legs in an upward motion, from your ankles to your belly. This will help to boost circulation and reduce water retention.

4. Meditate before bed

Take a few minutes at night to meditate. This simple practice will help you let go of the tensions of the day and reconnect with yourself and your unborn baby. Studies have shown that the combination of soothing music and visualisation techniques can help you cope with physical and emotional stresses, including labour itself. So it’s a good idea to start meditating throughout your pregnancy.

5. Drink camomile tea

Also known as the calming herb, camomile tea is believed to act as a natural sedative, which will help you relax at night and sleep well. Plus, the act of sitting quietly while sipping on a warm drink is also a calming pre-bedtime ritual. But if you’re waking up to go to the loo frequently, try to limit your fluid intake at least an hour before bedtime.  

https://northcoastcourier.co.za/161424/5-easy-ways-to-beat-pregnancy-insomnia/

Music and Sleep

From sleepfoundation.org

Music is a powerful art form. While it may get more credit for inspiring people to dance, it also offers a simple way to improve sleep hygiene, improving your ability to fall asleep quickly and feel more rested.

Music can aid sleep by helping you feel relaxed and at ease. With streaming apps and portable speakers, it’s easier than ever to take advantage of the power of music wherever you go. Given music’s accessibility and potential sleep benefits, it might be a good time to try adding it to your nightly routine.

Music is a powerful art form. While it may get more credit for inspiring people to dance, it also offers a simple way to improve sleep hygiene, improving your ability to fall asleep quickly and feel more rested.

Music can aid sleep by helping you feel relaxed and at ease. With streaming apps and portable speakers, it’s easier than ever to take advantage of the power of music wherever you go. Given music’s accessibility and potential sleep benefits, it might be a good time to try adding it to your nightly routine.

Can Music Help You Fall Asleep?

Parents know from experience that lullabies and gentle rhythms can help babies to fall asleep. Science supports this common observation, showing that children of all ages, from premature infants to elementary school children, sleep better after listening to soothing melodies.

Fortunately, children aren’t the only ones who can benefit from lullabies before bedtime. People across age groups report better sleep quality after listening to calming music.

In one study, adults who listened to 45 minutes of music before going to sleep reported having better sleep quality beginning on the very first night. Even more encouraging is that this benefit appears to have a cumulative effect with study participants reporting better sleep the more often they incorporated music into their nightly routine.

Using music can also decrease the time it takes to fall asleep. In a study of women with symptoms of insomnia, participants played a self-selected album when getting into bed for 10 consecutive nights.  Before adding music to their evening routine it took participants from 27 to 69 minutes to fall asleep, after adding music it only took 6 to 13 minutes.

In addition to facilitating quickly falling asleep and improving sleep quality, playing music before bed can improve sleep efficiency, which means more time that you are in bed is actually spent sleeping. Improved sleep efficiency equals more consistent rest and less waking up during the night.

Why Does Music Affect Sleep?

The ability to hear music depends on a series of steps that convert sound waves coming into the ear into electrical signals in the brain. As the brain interprets these sounds, a cascade of physical effects are triggered within the body. Many of these effects either directly promote sleep or reduce issues that interfere with sleep.

Several studies suggest that music enhances sleep because of its effects on the regulation of hormones, including the stress hormone cortisol. Being stressed and having elevated levels of cortisol can increase alertness and lead to poor sleep. Listening to music decreases levels of cortisol, which may explain why it helps put people at ease and release stress.

Music triggers the release of dopamine, a hormone released during pleasurable activities, like eating, exercise, and sex. This release can boost good feelings at bedtime and address pain, another common cause of sleep issues. Physical and psychological responses to music are effective in reducing both acute and chronic physical pain. 

Listening to music can also contribute to relaxation by soothing the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system is part of your body’s natural system for controlling automatic or unconscious processes, including those within the heart, lungs, and digestive system. Music improves sleep through calming parts of the autonomic nervous system, leading to slower breathing, lower heart rate, and reduced blood pressure.

Many people with poor sleep associate their bedrooms with frustration and sleepless nights. Music can counteract this, distracting from troubling or anxious thoughts and encouraging the physical and mental relaxation needed to fall asleep.

Night-time noise, whether it’s from roads, airplanes, or noisy neighbours, can decrease sleep efficiency and is linked to several adverse health consequences including cardiovascular disease. Music can help to drown out these environmental noises and increase sleep efficiency.

What Kind of Music is Best for Sleep?

It’s natural to wonder about the best type of music for sleep. Research studies have looked at diverse genres and playlists and there isn’t a clear consensus about the optimal music for sleep. What we do know is that studies have typically used either a self-curated playlist or a one that has been designed specifically with sleep in mind.

One of the most significant factors in how music affects a person’s body is their own musical preferences. Effective custom playlists may include songs that have been relaxing or that have helped with sleep in the past.

When designing a playlist, one factor to consider is the tempo. The tempo, or speed, at which music is played is often measured in the amount of beats per minute (BPM). Most studies have selected music that is around 60-80 BPM. Because normal resting heart rates range from 60 to 100 BPM, it’s often hypothesized that the body may sync up with slower music.

For those that don’t want to design their own playlist, online music services have stepped in and usually offer pre-packaged playlists for specific activities. Helpful playlists may be curated for sleep or relaxation. It may be easiest to find playlists that focus on calming genres, like classical or piano pieces.

Feel free to experiment with different songs and playlists until you find one that’s right for you. It may also be helpful to try out a few playlists during the daytime to see if they help you relax.

Music Therapy

While many people can benefit from making their own playlists or finding something pre-mixed, others may benefit from a more formal approach. Certified music therapists are professionals trained in using music to improve mental and physical health. A music therapist can assess a person’s individual needs and create a treatment plan that can involve both listening to and creating music. For more information on music therapy, talk with your doctor or visit the American Music Therapy Association.

Evolving Science About Music and Health

Interest in music’s effects on the body continues to grow, and major research programs are dedicated to uncovering new ways that music can benefit health. For example, in 2017 the National Institutes of Health partnered with the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts to announce the Sound Health Initiative. This program initiative supports research that focuses on the use of music in health care settings and has already funded several projects.

How to Make Music Part of Your Sleep Hygiene

Music can be a great part of healthy sleep hygiene. Here are a few tips to keep in mind while incorporating music into a sleep-promoting evening routine.

• Make it a habit: Routine is great for sleep. Create evening rituals that give the body sufficient time to wind down, incorporating music in a way that’s calming and consistent.
• Find enjoyable songs: If a pre-made playlist isn’t working, try making a mix of songs that you find enjoyable. While many people benefit from songs with a slower tempo, others may find relaxation with more upbeat music. Feel free to experiment and see what works best.
• Avoid songs that cause strong emotional reactions: We all have songs that bring up strong emotions. Listening to those while trying to sleep may not be a great idea, so try music that’s neutral or positive.
• Be careful with headphones: Headphones and earbuds may cause damage to the ear canal while sleeping if the volume is too high. Sleeping with earbuds can also lead to a build-up of earwax and may increase the risk of ear infections. Instead, try setting up a small stereo or speaker somewhere close to the bed. Choosing speakers without bright light, which can interfere with sleep, and find a volume that is soothing and not disruptive.

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/bedroom-enviornment/music-and-sleep

Can't Sleep? Try These Tips to Get a Better Night's Rest

From discovermagazine.com

Whether you've had a few bad nights or true insomnia, there are steps you can take to fall asleep and stay asleep

Now that we’re several months into the pandemic — and all the life changes it has brought on — when’s the last time you got a good night of sleep?

Maybe while staring up at the ceiling on one of the particularly bad nights, you wondered if you have insomnia. Whether you do or don’t, persistent sleep troubles in your life are worth addressing. “I think it’s a really important issue now, and it's not only insomnia,” says Yue Leng, an epidemiologist at the University of California, San Francisco. “It's really all kinds of sleep problems as a result of what’s happening.”

What Is Considered Insomnia?

So much about life during the pandemic can set people up for sleep problems. Unemployment and working from home often upends schedules that get people in and out of bed at dependable times. The flexibility to sleep later than you normally do or incorporate naps into your afternoons, Leng says, can disrupt a sleep-wake cycle that allows for quality sleep at night. Stress or worrying about the pandemic and its consequences could keep you up past your bedtime. Also, sleep problems like insomnia are linked to depression, Leng says. Anyone struggling with one of these issues often faces the other problem as well. 

It’s also possible that single events, like caring for a child in the middle of the night, might trigger a few days of disrupted sleep, says Allison Siebern, a sleep psychologist with the Stanford Sleep Medicine Centre. Trouble falling asleep and staying that way, or having a hard time focusing during the day, are some of the insomnia symptoms that everyone will experience at one point in their lives.

When the initial event is over and the sleep issues continue — or as Siebern puts it, “when not sleeping takes on a life of its own” — someone is at risk of developing diagnosable insomnia. For health professionals to diagnose a patient with this particular sleep disorder, an individual has to have disrupted sleep for three nights a week over a minimum of three months, as well as dysfunction or stress in their daily lives from the lack of rest. 

Tips for Getting Quality Sleep

Meeting the criteria for insomnia and receiving a diagnosis might give you access to certain interventions. But you don’t have to watch the calendar and tally up your sleepless nights to start improving your night-time rest, Leng says, and nor should you: “Usually we think that the sooner people start noticing the problem, they should get started dealing with it." Disrupted sleep is associated with a higher likelihood of Type II diabetes and heart disease, and there’s evidence that older insomnia patients are at higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

Thankfully, there are changes you can implement right away to try to get your normal, restful sleep back, Leng says. Avoiding too much alcohol or caffeine helps, as does participating in regular physical activity. Staying regimented about how you use your bedroom can maintain restful sleep, too. Reserve your time in bed only for sleep and sex, and maintain a routine of going to bed and getting up at the same time every day. 

Going to see a therapist to deal with your insomnia is an option as well. “By the time someone is reaching out to a professional, they’ve probably been struggling for some time,” says Siebern. One intervention available is cognitive behavioural therapy designed specifically for insomnia — a kind of psychological treatment that helps patients change habits and thought processes interfering with sleep.

A therapist might advise some of the lifestyle changes mentioned above, like a strict bedtime. But a professional such as Siebern may also try to help people reframe how they think about hitting the sack. Consistently sleeping poorly can build anxiety and frustration around bedtime, Siebern says. Our brains, which often push us to imagine the worst possible outcomes, might pull the same trick when we notice we are sleeping poorly. For example, someone might think, “If I don't get sleep tonight, then tomorrow will be bad and I’ll lose my job," Siebern says. Those types of anxious thoughts boost circuits in our brains that help our “fight or flight” responses kick in, and can raise the adrenaline level and heart rate — biological shifts that interfere with sleep.

Sometimes, people are so frustrated by their poor rest that it’s too big of a challenge for them to fight on their own, Siebern says. Talking with a therapist and learning coping strategies can break the cycle. When a patient, for example, finds themselves assuming they’ll get fired for falling asleep on the job the next day, “we can scale back and see how accurate that statement is, and reframe in a more accurate way that isn’t as activating,” Siebern says.

As frustrating as it is to get stuck in a rut of constant bad sleep, it is fixable, Siebern says. “The nice thing about insomnia disorder is that it doesn't mean you always have it.” If someone starts to notice themselves slipping back into the exhausting cycle again later in life, hopefully they will remember the coping mechanisms and deploy them before they find themselves in the doctor’s office again.

Also, know that sleep supplements like melatonin gummies might not be the hack to quality sleep that you're looking for. Leng says "melatonin won’t help" with many of the causes for poor sleep outlined above.

https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/cant-sleep-try-these-tips-to-get-a-better-nights-rest

The serious warning signs you're close to burnout while working from home - and what to do about it

From dailymail.co.uk/femail

A health and wellbeing psychologist has revealed the common warning signs that signal burn out while working from home. 

Dr Marny Lishman told Australian recruitment company Seek stress is the number one factor that can cause several negative lifestyle changes if not detected early on.

She said stress often causes a change in diet or sleeping pattern, which can lead to exhaustion, insomnia and feeling rundown or unproductive.

A health and wellbeing psychologist has revealed the common warning signs that signal burn out while working from home. 

Dr Marny Lishman told Australian recruitment company Seek stress is the number one factor that can cause several negative lifestyle changes if not detected early on.

She said stress often causes a change in diet or sleeping pattern, which can lead to exhaustion, insomnia and feeling rundown or unproductive.

Feeling stressed

Stress is the number one factor that can lead to burnout while working from home, and so it's important to manage stress levels as much as possible.

'Burnout is a result of continuous and often unmanaged stress levels related to someone's work,' Dr Lishman said. 

While working from home, the individual may feel isolated from co-workers and a lack of support which could lead to feeling additional stress.

Some employees may also feel anxious while working around their children at home, or might place more pressure on themselves to get tasks done faster.

To combat this, Dr Lishman recommends taking a break or holiday leave from work when feeling overwhelmed. 

'Being away from your work environment will give you a chance to switch off, recharge and relax - even a few days or a long weekend can be enough,' she said. 

Being less productive

If the stress goes unnoticed for a long period of time, this can cause the individual to be less productive and the quality of standard of work is at risk of dropping.

Dr Lishman said being less productive while working from home is one physical sign of burnout, which can also lead to exhaustion and illness, such as headaches or colds.

To avoid this, it's important for the individual to be in check with themselves and call their manager to talk it out if required.

'Just talking about your stresses can make you feel better,' Dr Lishman said, adding: 'A friend, family member or professional can offer advice and an objective opinion which may help you manage your work and emotions better.' 

How to beat the burnout while working from home  

Stay active and take regular breaks from sitting at your desk 

Take a day off if feeling overwhelmed 

Discuss your stress levels with your manager

Get enough sleep each night 

Fuel your body with nutritious food

Set work boundaries - only work a set number of hours and only take on as much as you can handle

Source: Seek  

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-8853805/The-warning-signs-youre-close-burnout-working-home.html

100+ Insomnia Quotes for When Those Long, Restless Nights Feel Like They'll Never End

From parade.com

Millions of individuals live with insomnia. In fact, the condition—which makes it difficult to fall asleep, stay asleep, and/or causes you to wake up early—is very common. According to a study done by the University of Pennsylvania, 25% of the adult population struggles with this disorder.

Of course, not everyone “battles” insomnia. Some cherish their sleepless nights. While the world is quiet, they work, live, and create. But many want sleep. They fight for their sleep, especially between the hours of midnight and 3:00am.

So if you can’t fall asleep or are up early, check out these insomnia quotes. They may make you laugh, feel seen, understood, and less alone.

106 Insomnia Quotes

1. “My mind decides to run when normal people sleep.” — Unknown

2. “Life is something that happens when you can’t get to sleep.” — Fran Lebowitz

3. “A ruffled mind makes a restless pillow.” — Charlotte Bronte

4. “The worst thing in the world is to try to sleep and not to.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald

5. “Your dreams may seem impossible to someone with insomnia.” — Junnita Jackson

6. “Staring at the blue sky causes insomnia to occur in the human.” — Steven Magee 

7. “I’m an insomniac, my mind works the night shift.” — Pete Wentz

8. “Insomnia is my greatest inspiration.” — Jon Stewart

9. “My eyelids are heavy, but my thoughts are heavier.” — Unknown

10. “You are the biggest enemy of your own sleep.” — Pawan Mishra

11. “Dear Mind, please stop thinking so much at night, I need sleep.” — Unknown

12. “Sleeplessness is a desert without vegetation or inhabitants.” — Jessalyn West

13. “I want to sleep but my brain won’t stop talking to itself.” — Unknown

14. “I prefer insomnia to anaesthesia.” — Antonio Tabucchi

15. “Insomnia is a gross feeder. It will nourish itself on any kind of thinking, including thinking about not thinking.” — Clifton Fadiman

16. “Only the insomniac looks on with open eyes, like a cadaver who forgot to die.” — Gyula Krúdy

17. “The best cure for insomnia is a Monday morning.” — Unknown

18. “Sleep is such a luxury, which I can’t afford.” — Robin Sikarwar

19. “The best cure for insomnia is to get a lot of sleep.” — W. C. Fields

20. “Nothing cures insomnia like the realization that it’s time to get up.” — Unknown

21. “Not being able to sleep is terrible. You have the misery of having partied all night… without the satisfaction.” — Lynn Johnston

22. “My day starts backwards … I wake up tired and go to bed wide awake.” — Unknown

23. “Error 404 sleep not found.” — Unknown

24. “His insomnia was so bad; he couldn’t sleep during office hours.” — Arthur Baer

25. “The scary thing about having insomnia is not the hours lost for sleeping but the re-run of thoughts you’ve been trying to forget.” — Unknown

26. “Sleep comes more easily than it returns.” — Victor Hugo

27. “When you have insomnia, you’re never really asleep, and you’re never really awake.” — Chuck Palahniuk

28. “The night is the hardest time to be alive and 4 a.m. knows all my secrets.” — Poppy Z. Brite

29. “I’ve always envied people who sleep easily. Their brains must be cleaner, the floorboards of the skull well swept, all the little monsters closed up in a steamer trunk at the foot of the bed.” — David Benioff

30. “Don’t fight with the pillow but lay down your head and kick every worriment out of the bed.” — Edmund Vance Cooke

31. “I wonder why I don’t go to bed and go to sleep. But then it would be tomorrow, so I decide that no matter how tired, no matter how incoherent I am, I can skip on hour more of sleep and live.” — Sylvia Plath

 32. “Between the midnight and the morning: on a given day, that’s the hardest stretch of time to fill.”― Luis Joaquin M Katigbak

33. “It is better to sleep on things beforehand than lie awake about them afterward.” —Baltasar Gracian

34. “I find the nights long, for I sleep but little, and think much.”― Charles Dickens

35. “Insomnia is a glamorous term for thoughts you forgot to have in the day.” — Alain de Botton

36. “Due to tonight’s lack of sleep, tomorrow has been cancelled.” — Unknown

“I hate people who can go to sleep as soon as they close their eyes. Like, that takes me 4 hours, 600 position changes, and a sacrifice to the sleep gods.” — Unknown

37. “At night, I can’t sleep. In the morning, I can’t wake up.” — Unknown

38. “Nothing is louder than overthinking after midnight.” — Unknown

39. “The worst things: to be in bed and sleep not, to want for one who comes not, to try to please and please not.” — Proverbs

40. “It is a special kind of homelessness to be evicted from your dreams.” — Karen Russell

41. “Insomnia is a gross feeder. It will nourish itself on any kind of thinking, including thinking about not thinking.” —Clifton Fadiman

42. “Sleep is such a luxury, which I can’t afford.” — Unknown

43.  “Brain: I can see you’re trying to sleep, can I offer a selection of your worst memories from the last 10 years?” — Unknown

44. “Insomnia is only mind over mattress.” — Jane Ace

45. “Sleeplessness comes when my thoughts outweigh the night.” — Terri Guillemets

46. “Look on the bright side insomniacs, at least your insomnia keeps most of the spiders out of your mouth.” — Unknown

47. “My mind decides to run when normal people sleep.” — Unknown

48. “At night I can’t sleep. In the morning I can’t wake up.” — Unknown

49. “Keep calm and enjoy no sleep.” — Unknown

50. “That’s the advantage of insomnia. People who go to bed early always complain that the night is too short, but for those of us who stay up all night, it can feel as long as a lifetime. You get a lot done” ― Banana Yoshimoto

51. “I think insomnia is a sign that a person is interesting.”  ― Avery Sawyer

52. “Insomnia is just another word for chit chat with the demons during bedtime.” — Daniel Saint

53. “There are twelve hours in the day, and above fifty in the night.” — Marie de Rabutin-Chantal

54. “The hardest thing is to go to sleep at night, when there are so many urgent things needing to be done.” —  Donald Knuth

55. “The only time I have problems is when I sleep.” — Tupac Shakur

56. “My eyes are open but my mind is asleep.” — Unknown

57. “Sleeping is so hard when you can’t stop thinking.” ― Unknown

58. “The creak of bed springs suffering under the weight of a restless man is as lonely a sound as I know.” — Patrick deWitt

59. “There will be sleeping enough in the grave.” — Benjamin Franklin

60. “Sleeping is so hard when you can’t stop thinking about someone.” — Unknown

61. “Insomnia = 1:51 a.m. + eternity + 1:52 a.m. + eternity + 1:53 a.m. + eternity.” — Unknown

62. “I think the most common cause of insomnia is simple; it’s loneliness.” — Heath Ledger.

63. “The heights by great men reached and kept / Were not attained by sudden flight /But they, while their companions slept /Were toiling upward in the night.” ― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

64. “Those who wake at this hour feel a lonely separation from everyone but night birds and ghost crabs, never imagining the legion of kindred souls scattered in the darkness, who stare at ceilings and pace floors and look out windows and covet and worry and mourn.” ― Kathy Hepinstall

65. “All she really wanted to do was sleep, but it seemed her awareness level was operating at peak efficiency, for some reason.” ― Jason Medina

66. “When the sun goes down, the insomniac dreams of having a nightmare, just to get some sleep in this too-loud world.” ― Vivian Pham

67. “A night full of nightmares is way better than a sleepless one.” ― Mokokoma Mokhonoana

68. “I don’t sleep /I am friends with time who passes by in front of my open eyes /The clock can go for a long time, to my surprise
I am familiar with the dark yet light blue of the sky at dawn /I lay there in my bed, waiting, wishing, for the sweet release but it doesn’t come.” ― Lidia Longorio

69. “It is a common experience that a problem difficult at night is resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has worked on it.” ― Unknown

70. “My nights are for overthinking. My mornings are for oversleeping.” ― Unknown

71. “I lay awake for a long time. It was like sitting in a cinema after the lights go down, waiting for the previews to begin. But nothing was happening.” ― Ottessa Moshfegh

72. “‘Insomnia is different,’ I said. It was hard to explain this to people. ‘You know the light that comes on when you open the refrigerator door? Just imagine it stays on all the time, even after you close the door. That’s what it’s like in my head. The light stays on.” ― Barbara Kingsolver

73. “Insomnia can be a gift. More time for reading, writing and walking. More time to live.” ― Luigina Sgarr

74. “My brain has too many tabs open.” — Unknown

75. “Three out of four voices in my head want to sleep. The other wants to know if penguins have knees.” — Unknown

76. “If you really want to mess someone up, you sleep deprive them.” ― Steven Magee

77. “The fitful sleeping makes the hours pass slowly; it seems to me the night has many nights in it—has years of nights!—through which, as if through drifts of smoke, I am compelled to stumble.” ― Sarah Waters

78. “On the nights I can’t sleep, like that one, like so many recently, I wish I could just turn my mind off like a lamp.” ― Iain Reid

79. “Insomnia, then, is not just a state of sleeplessness, a matter of negatives. It involves the active pursuit of sleep. It is a state of longing.” ― Marina Benjamin

80. “Insomnia is the act of pushing through sleep to achieve the art of insane creativity.” ― Todd Stocker

81. “I finally got eight hours of sleep. It took me three days, but whatever.” — Unknown

89. “My life has become an endless cycle of ‘I can’t sleep’ and ‘I can’t stay awake.’” — Unknown

90.“For there is nothing quite so terror-inducing as the loss of sleep. It creates phantoms and doubts, causes one to question one’s own abilities and judgement, and, over time, dismantles, from within, the body.” ― Charlie Huston

91. “His impatience for sleep often frightened that very sleep away.” ― Hugh Howey

92.  “I’m awake and I can’t sleep. The more I’m awake, the more I see, and the harder to sleep.” ― Donna Lynn Hope

93. “Sleep is like the tide only this time the moon doesn’t bring it in.” ― I Need You Cas

94. “Hello darkness, my old friend. I’ve come to talk with you again.” ― Paul Simon

95. “Night time is really the best time to work. All the ideas are there to be yours because everyone else is asleep.” ― Catherine O’Hara

96. “A little insomnia is not without its value in making us appreciate sleep, in throwing a ray of light upon that darkness.”― Marcel Proust

97. “How do people go to sleep? I’m afraid I’ve lost the knack.” ― Dorothy Parker

98. “When I feel well and in a good humour, or when I am taking a drive or walking after a good meal, or in the night when I cannot sleep, thoughts crowd into my mind as easily as you could wish.” ― Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

99. “Do you know that awesome feeling when you get into bed, fall right asleep, stay asleep all night and wake up feeling refreshed? Me neither.” — Unknown

100.“I want to sleep but my brain won’t stop talking to itself.” — Unknown

101. “Most people do not consider dawn to be an attractive experience—unless they are still up.” ― Ellen Goodman

102. “I’m so exhausted and yet I feel like I’ll never sleep again.” ― Maya Banks

103. “The loneliest thing in the world is lying awake beside someone asleep.”― Rebecca Makkai

104. “I’m not an insomniac. It’s just that my mind is in the best position to catch the weight of all hovering possibilities the moment I lie down.” ― Joyce Rachelle

105. “Insomnia has this romantic way of making the moon feel like perfect company.” ― Sabrina Benaim

106. “The night felt very long, but it ended as all nights do.” ― Laini Taylor

https://parade.com/1104448/kimberlyzapata/insomnia-quotes/

8 Brain Foods to Fight Depression, Insomnia, and Boost Libido

From newsmax.com

                                                                  (Dreamstime)

Experts often advise “you are what you eat” for a particularly good and simple reason. Your gut and brain are uniquely tied by a nerve that carries on a “gut-brain romance,” according to Dr. Uma Naidoo, a nutritional psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Naidoo, who is also a trained chef, often gives her patients mental advice from a food perspective, according to Today.

“Food can definitely impact how you think, retain information and carry out daily tasks” Tara Gidus Collingwood, MS, RDN, tells Newsmax. “Research is showing that you can increase your chances of maintaining a healthy brain well into your old age if you add certain foods to your diet.”

Here are some examples:

1. Yogurt. According to Naidoo, yogurt contains active cultures called probiotics that boost brain chemicals to help relieve depression.
2. Turmeric. The active ingredient in this popular spice is curcumin. Collingwood says it helps protect the brain according to studies on animal models. Naidoo says this protection guards against toxic damage that can lead to depression, according to Today.
3. Fish. Fatty, deep water fish such as salmon and sardines, are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for brain function, says Collingwood. “If you do not eat fish, omega-3 is also found in walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and flax seeds. You can also take a 1,000-milligram supplement, which is what I recommend to patients.”
4. Figs. These biblical fruits are high in vitamin A, potassium, and calcium. Research by scientists at Rutgers University in New Jersey revealed that dried figs contain essential fatty acids, as well as several phytosterols, needed by the body for sex hormone production. According to SFGate, the potassium also helps nourish your brain.
5. Tart cherry juice. Drinking an 8-ounce glass of tart cherry juice in the morning and the evening may be a better and safer way to treat insomnia than taking drugs, according to researchers at Louisiana State University. Tart cherries are a natural source of melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate the sleep-wake cycle.
6. Oysters. These shellfish have enjoyed a long history of being an aphrodisiac and rightly so. They are high in protein and minerals such as zinc, iodine, and phosphorus. Zinc is particularly important because it is associated with testosterone and sperm production. But according to Zoomer, research shows that iron and zinc found in oysters also improves mental acuity and clarity.
7. Chamomile tea. Naidoo says that sipping one to two cups daily of this delicious tea can help you relax. She cautions that you should check with your doctor if you are currently taking blood thinners, pain killers, or sedatives that could interact with the tea.
8. Eggs. Long maligned for their cholesterol content, eggs are a great food to boost your memory because they also contain choline, a fat-like B vitamin that increases cognitive function, says Collingwood. Naidoo adds that eggs can help you sleep because they are rich in melatonin.

https://www.newsmax.com/health/diet-and-fitness/insomnia-food-yogurt-turmeric/2020/10/16/id/992297/

The history of insomnia: When waking up in the middle of the night was completely normal

From ottawacitizen.com

Historian A. Roger Ekirch was writing a book about the history of night and was dreading having to write the chapter on sleep.

“I thought it would be boring,” said Ekirch, a professor of history at Virginia Tech and author of At Day’s Close: Night in Times Past. “I thought it was a biological constant. I thought I wouldn’t have enough information to fill an entire chapter.”

Instead, Ekirch would stumble upon a pattern of sleep that stretched back to ancient times. Instead of sleeping in one “consolidated” block of eight hours or so, people would commonly sleep in two nightly segments. They would go to bed after dark, then wake up for about an hour around midnight, then return to sleep.

“I knew I was on to something strange — a form of sleep I had never run across before,” said Ekirch, who found references to “first” and “second” sleep in historical records ranging from literature to correspondence, newspaper articles to criminal court depositions in the public records office in London. He discovered references in at least a dozen European languages that suggested people regarded this pattern of slumber to be so unremarkable, they didn’t have to explain it. In 1690, the philosopher John Locke noted that “all men sleep by intervals.”

In this hour of wakefulness, people would do things by the light of the moon and stars or the weak illumination provided by rush lights. They did chores, took medicine, shifted themselves from their right side to the left to aid digestion. They chatted, prayed, stole firewood from a neighbour or had leisurely sex. The time between first and second sleep was considered a particularly good time for the labouring class to conceive children.

“This research turns the whole notion of what is normal sleep on its head,” said Ekirch.

Segmented sleep started to slip in the 19th century with the introduction of whale oil lights, gas lights and, finally, electrical illumination.

“Artificial light has an incredible effect on the circadian pacemaker,” said Ekirch. “It pushed sleep times back to 11 p.m. or midnight. The first sleep became more longer, the period of wakefulness shorter and the second sleep more compressed.”

At the same time, the ethos of the industrial revolution prized the values of productivity, efficiency and profit. As artificial illumination became more and more common and first sleep was pushed back later, people got up and went to work rather than enter into second sleep. There was even an “early rising” social movement that suggested oversleeping was bad for the health. Newspapers and periodicals suggested that workers could earn more money over a lifetime simply by waking up an hour or two earlier. According to another report, a man held back a bequest in his will to his nephews until they could satisfy his executors that they would wake up by 5 a.m. in summer and 7 a.m. in winter.

The transition period to consolidated sleep was long and erratic, but once a consolidated sleep was considered the norm early in the 20th century, there was no turning back, said Ekirch. At best, sleep was seen as a necessary evil. “Only the lazy slept.”

Medical books show that insomnia emerged as a medical problem only in the late 19th century and early 20th century. There was a sudden epidemic of insomnia in the early 20th century. Waking up in the middle of the night was considered unnatural, but Ekirch believes it’s a powerful remnant or echo of a pre-industrial pattern of sleep that was dominant in the western world since time immemorial.

Ekirch said his findings have been widely embraced by sleep science researchers, who have found parallels in lab research. In the 1990s, Dr. Thomas Wehr, a psychiatrist at the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health, followed 15 young male volunteers who were deprived of artificial light. After a few weeks, the men’s sleeps became segmented.

“As a society, we need to have a conversation about normal sleep,” said research Dr. Siobhan Banks, co-director of the Behaviour-Brain-Body Research Centre, at the University of South Australia. “We don’t need to sleep in one particular way. As long as we get enough sleep, we can structure it in different ways. But it needs to be done using good sleep science.”

Some people do wake at night and this is natural. “It’s normal to have periods of wakefulness, but in today’s society because we don’t go to bed at sundown and only allow an exact time for sleep, these wakings can feel problematic,” said Banks.

“If you allow enough time for sleep, it doesn’t really matter how it is split — it’s the total amount that counts. However people rarely allow themselves eight hours for sleep, as you would probably need nine to 10 hours in bed split over two periods to achieve this.”

Sleep maintenance insomnia — waking too early and struggling to get back to sleep — may be a persistent reminder of a long-dominant pattern of sleeping, said Ekirch.

He believes that if people knew waking up in the middle of the night isn’t abnormal, they wouldn’t stress about getting up in the middle of the night. “A number have written to me. It lessens their anxiety.”

That said, the good old days were hardly the golden era for sleeping deeply and well. Henry Fuseli’s 1782 Gothic painting The Nightmare depicts a sleeping woman flung across a bed with an imp-like creature on her chest and a horse with glowing eyes in the background. At the time, a “mare” was an evil spirit that tortured people while they slept.

People living centuries ago had to sleep lightly, said Ekirch. They needed to be vigilant about home invasion and fire. They got up to tend to sick children, they suffered from toothaches and the onslaught of bedbugs, lice and fleas. They feared nocturnal visits by Satan and his minions.

It’s much better today, he argues.

“Despite all the publicity given to sleep deprivation, never before in human history have conditions been better to promote human slumber,” said Ekirch. “If there was anything such as the golden age of sleep, it would be today. If we don’t think of it that way, it’s our own fault. The irony is that the less we sleep, the more perfect we expect that sleep to be. We think we can cheat sleep, then buy a $3,000 Swedish mattress and caffeinate ourselves.”

There’s no going back to segmented sleep. But Ekirch believes his historical research has called into question whether consolidated sleep is a product of modern times. And he’s tickled over how his findings in the historical record have been replicated by sleep researchers.

“I’m not a scientist. I struggled in high school chemistry. I could barely light the Bunsen burner. To say I contributed to a better understanding of sleep by resurrecting this older pattern is very fulfilling. But totally unexpected.”

https://ottawacitizen.com/health/the-history-of-insomnia-when-waking-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night-was-completely-normal

4 Foods That Can Help In Fixing Erratic Sleep Patterns

From doctor.ndtv.com

Foods for sleep: Almonds, fatty fish and chamomile tea can help you sleep well. Here are other foods that can help in fixing sleep issues

HIGHLIGHTS

1. Turmeric milk at bedtime can induce sleep
2. Fatty fish can aid production of sleep hormone
3. Chamomile tea can induce a sense of calmness

 

                                 Drink a cup of warm milk at bedtime to sleep well

The prevalence of insomnia or a lack of sleep is only going higher and somehow the pandemic did play a minor role in it by disrupting many of us out of our usual schedule. Now that things have slowly started getting back on track, it is the best time to work on fixing your erratic sleeping patterns. A lack of sleep doesn't cause any distinctive symptom, rather an overall degradation of health- and that is why most people tend to ignore it unless it starts affecting day to day life.

Although food choices might come last in your mind when talking about managing sleep, certain foods can actually help to improve the overall quality of your sleep.

1. Almonds and Walnuts

Almonds are a rich source of melatonin which is a major sleep hormone that regulates your internal body clock and signals your body to prepare for sleep. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that is responsible for boosting your mood and regulating your digestion, appetite, and memory. The power nuts- almonds and walnuts can trigger also the release of serotonin that further uplifts your mood. Apart from melatonin, almonds are also a storehouse of magnesium which is again helpful in improving sleep quality. Walnuts contain tryptophan which is an amino acid that helps in the production of serotonin and melatonin, both of which are responsible to induce sound sleep.

2. Fatty Fish

Fatty fishes like salmon, mackerel, or tuna are packed with essential omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are linked to a better quality of sleep. Fatty fishes work by boosting your sleep quality, improving your daytime performance, and helping you to sleep quickly. DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) present in fatty fishes also aid in boosting sleep hormone melatonin.

3. Chamomile Tea

Chamomile tea is made from dried chamomile flowers. Having a cup of chamomile tea right before bedtime is known to induce sleep and trigger a sense of calmness. It is because of the presence of an antioxidant called apigenin that decreases anxiety and exerts a mild tranquilizing effect. The best part is that chamomile tea is completely caffeine-free.

4. Milk

Having a glass of warm milk just before bed is one of the best-kept age-old remedies to help ensure better sleep. Milk contains tryptophan, calcium, Vitamin D, and melatonin. All these four compounds help in better sleep regulation. Tryptophan found in milk interacts with certain brain chemicals that are responsible for maintaining the biological clock for sleep and waking up. Enjoy a cup of warm milk just before bed to catch a hassle-free sleep.

Apart from including these wonder foods in your diet, make sure you also ensure that you do not go to sleep immediately after having your dinner. There should be a gap of minimum 2-3 hours between your last meal and bedtime. Also, say no to caffeine at least 3 hours before bed and ditch any form of alcohol before bedtime as it can disturb your sleep.

The bottom line

What you eat has a direct impact on your mind and body. There are certain foods that can trigger stress while there are some that can help you stay calm and promote sleep. A sound sleep is not merely the number of hours but also the quality of sleep!

https://doctor.ndtv.com/living-healthy/4-foods-that-can-help-in-fixing-erratic-sleep-patterns-2307974

How to meditate: 5 tips for beginners

From cnet.com

If you haven't started meditating yet, here's how

When you research the benefits of meditation and mindfulness, the list reads almost too good to be true. Researchers say it may help improve anxiety, depression, pain and help relieve insomnia, among other benefits. 

But when it comes to actually starting to meditate, it can feel downright intimidating. For some, the thought of sitting in stillness for an extended amount of time feels overwhelming. For others, they would love to sit in silence for a given period of time, but kids, pets or other obligations seem to keep them from finding the time. 

Whether you're curious about meditation or a long-time meditator looking to get back into the practice, the tips below can help you start or restart meditating. Ashley Wray, meditation teacher and founder of Mala Collective, shares her best tips for beginner meditators below.

                           Meditation doesn't have to be hard -- here's how to get started.

                                                                       Getty Images

Myths about meditation 

One of the hardest things about meditating is simply starting. There's a lot of information about meditation out there, and much of the information says that there's a right and wrong way to do it. 

But according to Wray, these types of preconceived notions actually prevent most people from starting or keeping a practice because they're too intimidated. Below, she dispels common myths that can hold you back on your meditation journey. 

Myth 1: There is a 'right' way to meditate

With all of the meditation courses, apps, and books out there, you're probably thinking that there's a "right" or "wrong" way to meditate. There are many different styles and philosophies surrounding mindfulness and meditation practices, the best one for you is the one that you'll actually want to do. 

"Try not to get too caught up on the form -- if you're doing it right or wrong...and just do it. Build the habit first instead of worrying if you're sitting correctly or doing it right," Wray says.

Myth 2: You're not allowed to think

One of the most common misconceptions about meditation is that if you allow yourself to think while meditating, then you failed. But Wray says that's simply not the point. 

It's normal for your mind to wander while you meditate, but the important part is that you notice it and don't let it derail you. "Even if it's uncomfortable, just watch your thoughts and come back to your focus. And when your mind wanders you can choose to judge yourself or come back with kindness," says Wray. 

Myth 3: You have to meditate for 30 minutes or longer

Another common myth around meditation is that you have to do it for a certain amount of time for it to "work." Some people talk about meditating for 30 or 45 minutes or even for hours -- which is super-intimidating when you've never even meditated for 5 minutes. 

"Thinking you need to clear your mind for 20 minutes or 30 minutes is a really intimidating approach to meditation. So I try to make it a bit more accessible with this idea that maybe it's 10 minutes or 8 minutes to connect to your breath and slow down and find some space in between your thoughts," says Wray. 

Beginner tips for meditation

Wray teaches new meditators frequently, and says that most people don't even start meditating because they "have an all or nothing approach."

Again, there's no one right way to meditate. Try the tips from Wray below to help guide you with your new meditation practice. 

Have something to focus on

When you first start meditating it can feel really uncomfortable to sit in silence without distractions, like your phone, around. One minute can feel like hours.

For this reason, Wray suggests using a tool to help you focus on your meditation, especially when your mind wanders. She suggests mala beads -- prayer beads that some people use to meditate -- for beginners because it gives you something tactile to focus on. 

"The Mala beads have helped me to not look at my phone as much [and ignore other distractions.] It's just an easy focal point that is good for beginners to help with both the energy and attention and the timing," she says. 

Use an app or guided meditation if you'd like

Using a meditation app or guided meditation video can be helpful when you first start. While these tools aren't necessary, they can give you an idea of what different meditation styles are like or help give you some structure around how to meditate. 

Many of the apps offer meditation challenges, which can be helpful for getting in the habit. Popular apps include Headspace, Calm and Insight Timer. 

               If you're struggling to meditate on your own, try an app, like Headspace (above).                                                                                     CNET

Don't beat yourself up if you get distracted or can't stay consistent 

Meditation is not about being perfect, it's about showing up and trying, no matter what that looks like for you. "Be easy on yourself and be kind to yourself. It really isn't an all or nothing. If you miss a couple days, that's fine. I have days where I feel like I don't want to be doing this, and I have other days where it's the most ground-breaking thing," says Wray.

Tie meditation to a ritual you already do 

All of us have routines and rituals that are ingrained throughout our days. Whether it's making coffee or making your bed, tying your meditation to a routine you already have can make it easier to remember and more likely that you'll actually do it. For example, you can meditate while your coffee is brewing. That can mean as soon as it starts, you sit down to meditate, even if it's only for 5 minutes. 

Designate a space in your home to meditation

Setting up a physical space in your home to meditate, even if it's just the corner beside your bed, can help make you more likely to actually take the time to do it.  Seeing a special meditation cushion or pillow that you like can be a simple reminder to meditate. You can add personal touches like a candle or something else relaxing that makes the place a restful place you look forward to going to each day.

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.

https://www.cnet.com/health/how-to-meditate-5-tips-for-beginners/

 

9 home remedies for insomnia

From medicalnewstoday.com

Insomnia is a common condition. Those experiencing insomnia who wish to avoid medication, such as sleeping pills, can try several remedies to encourage the onset of sleep and improve its quality and duration.

About a third of adults in the United States report that they get less than the recommended amount of sleep, which is 7 or more hours of sleep per night.

This article looks at some natural remedies, relaxation techniques, exercises, sleep hygiene, and behaviours that can improve the symptoms of insomnia.

1. MELATONIN

Melatonin is a natural hormone that the brain produces to regulate the body’s sleep-wake cycle. Liquid or capsule dietary supplements of melatonin can help people with insomnia fall asleep more quickly. Melatonin can also help improve the quality of sleep. It may be most useful for shift workers, people experiencing jet lag, or people with sleep disorders.

Anyone thinking about taking melatonin should speak to their doctor about the best dosage to take, how long to take it for, and whether it is safe for them to take.

There are no guidelines for melatonin dosage, but experts consider a safe dose in adults to be 1-5 milligrams (mg).

2. Lavender oil

Lavender oil is a type of essential oil derived from the lavender plant. People have used it for thousands of years as a natural remedy to improve sleep and induce feelings of calmness.

A 2015 study found that lavender patches, when combined with good sleep hygiene, improved the sleep quality of college students, while a 2020 review of plant extracts for sleep disorders found that lavender improved the onset of sleep, sleep duration, and quality of sleep.

People with insomnia can use lavender oil as a pillow spray or in a patch, massage oil, or aromatherapy diffuser.

Lavender is usually safe for people to take as a dietary supplement, but it may sometimes interact with other medications. Anyone already taking sleep medication or medication for high blood pressure should check with their doctor before taking lavender oil supplements. Look for supplements with around 80 mg of lavender oil for a safe and effective dosage.

The 2020 review also highlighted other plant extracts — valerian and chamomile — that research showed to be effective in improving the symptoms of insomnia.

3. Valerian root

A 2015 systematic review found that valerian was associated with improved sleep, but there was significant variability among the studies, and the quality of evidence was low.

People can take valerian in the form of a tea, tincture, capsule, or tablet. Speak to a qualified herbalist before preparing and taking valerian, but a typical dose would be 400-900 mg shortly before bedtime.

4. Chamomile

People can take chamomile as a tea, or they can use it as an essential oil or take it as a dietary supplement. A 2017 study in older people with insomnia found that chamomile extract can significantly improve sleep quality.

5. Mindful meditation

The positive effects of mindfulness on well-being are well-documented and include reducing stress, boosting resilience, improving mood, and even enhancing immunity. However, mindfulness may also have an improving effect on sleep.

A 2014 study on mindfulness techniques in people with chronic insomnia found that mindful meditation interventions reduced total wake time in subjects. The study authors recommended mindfulness as a viable treatment alternative to traditional treatments.

Countless free and paid-for mindfulness apps, videos, and podcasts are available online. People wishing to try mindfulness may also prefer to do a course, join a local weekly class, or go on a retreat. They can also build this practice into physical exercise, such as yoga or tai chi.

6. Progressive muscle relaxation

Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR), sometimes called Jacobson relaxation, is a technique that can help the whole body relax and promote feelings of sleepiness. It focuses on tightening and then relaxing the muscles in the body, one muscle at a time. People who find it hard to drop off at night may find that this helps them get to sleep.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommend relaxation techniques, including PMR, as effective treatments for chronic insomnia. However, it can take a while to get the hang of the technique. Practicing during the day may help for the first few weeks, before trying it at night.

7. Magnesium

Magnesium is a mineral that the body produces. It helps muscles relax and reduces stress. Many experts think that it can also help to encourage a healthy sleep-wake cycle.

A 2012 study found that taking a daily magnesium supplement can help people with insomnia sleep better and for longer. However, more research is necessary to confirm whether it is truly effective.

Choosing foods that are rich in magnesium, especially in the evening, may help induce feelings of sleepiness. The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) recommend a magnesium-rich snack, such as a banana, a mug of warm milk, or a small bowl of whole grain cereal, about an hour before bedtime.

8. Regular exercise

Regular exercise will boost well-being, mood, and fitness levels and can even help people get a better night’s sleep. A 2015 trial by the European Sleep Research Society found that 150 minutes of exercise a week significantly improved symptoms of insomnia for participants and reduced depression and anxiety, which have a knock-on effect on sleep.

The NSF recommend low impact fitness programs, such as walking, swimming, or yoga. Exercising outdoors also exposes the body to natural light, which is important in establishing a good sleep-wake cycle.

For maximum sleep results, people may benefit from scheduling an exercise session for the morning or afternoon rather than the evening. This allows the body temperature to rise, and then fall, at the right time for sleep. Boosting well-being and fitness through exercise also helps reduce depression and anxiety, which can affect sleep.

9. Good sleep hygiene

At its simplest, sleep hygiene describes a person’s routines and activities around bedtime. Good sleep hygiene may help boost a person’s chances of having consistent, uninterrupted sleep.

People can increase the likelihood of good sleep hygiene by:

• having a consistent bedtime routine, which means going to bed at the same time in the evening and rising at the same time in the morning, even on weekends
• avoiding screens, laptops, cell phones, and TVs at least an hour before bedtime
• keeping the bedroom dark and quiet with dimmed lights, thick curtains, and blinds or by using earplugs and eye masks
• using the bedroom only for sleep or sex
• making sure that mattresses, pillows, and blankets are comfortable
• avoiding alcohol, nicotine, and caffeinated beverages in the evening
• having a warm bath or shower about 1.5 hours before bedtime
• refraining from eating big meals late at night

People with insomnia may benefit from evaluating their usual bedtime habits and practices and incorporating some of these tips into their routine.

Summary

Insomnia is a common complaint in the U.S., with up to a third of adults experiencing it at some point.

There are lots of remedies and activities that a person with insomnia can try to improve their sleep.

Anyone already on medication for sleep or high blood pressure should speak to their doctor before trying dietary supplements.

Research has shown that meditation, mindfulness, and relaxation techniques can be helpful for people with chronic insomnia.

Exercise can help boost well-being and fitness, but it is most effective when people do it in the morning or afternoon.

Good sleep hygiene can be helpful in promoting a consistent bedtime routine, which may, in turn, promote a good night’s sleep.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/home-remedies-for-insomnia#summary

Sleep and Lower Back Pain

From psychologytoday.com/ca

By Michael J Breus Ph.D.

Let’s face it: a lot has changed in 2020–and for many Americans, that means working from home. A side effect? For many of us, it also may mean an increase in low back pain and sciatica, which impacts everything from our daily lives to how well we sleep at night.

As someone who has not only suffered personally from back pain, but also has a wife whose back pain used to keep her up at night, I know first hand what a big…well, pain, sciatica, back and even neck pain can be. While a healthy sleep environment can help, sometimes it’s just not enough.

Justin Thottam, D.O. with the Spine Centre at Miami Neuroscience Institute has seen a 30 percent increase in patients with back pain, and that’s made worse as people work in uncomfortable environments and put off seeing doctors. 

This week, I’m going to encourage you to stop ignoring your back pain and sciatica, tell you how back pain is killing your sleep, and offer my sleep hacks to sleep better. 

How common are back pain and sciatica?

Trust me when I say that, if you suffer from back pain like I have, you’re in good company. According to the American Chiropractic Association, back pain is the main cause of workplace disability worldwide, costs $50 billion for American healthcare, and will impact as many as 80 percent of us, to some extent, in our lives.

Sciatica, which is described as pain that radiates down the spine and legs, adds to back pain woes. 5 to 10 percent of us with back pain also have sciatica, and while researchers say many recover, as many as 20 to 30 percent have chronic sciatica.

                                                        Source: Deposit Photos

Night Time Wakening and Poor Pain Control

Lower pain tolerance causes a rise in nerve activation–and that can result in disrupted sleep cycles. Because we may wake up more due to that nerve activation, we’re also less likely to go through all important sleep cycles. That can lead to less deep and REM sleep, leading you to feel groggy the next day. 

Pain Medications

One of the most common treatments for back pain and sciatica comes in the form of medication, whether it’s over the counter or even powerful prescription medications. The use of opioids have been linked to lower sleep quality, less REM sleep, and even disrupted sleep patterns.

A small 2016 study published in Anaesthesia took a look how sleep patterns for chronic back pain sufferers were impacted by opioid use. Participants on the highest dosage of opioids displayed brain activity linked to irregular sleep patterns. While more research needs to be done, it fits into previous research about medication and impact on how we sleep. 

Depression/ Anxiety Induced Insomnia 

I’ve discussed how mental health issues, especially chronic anxiety and depression can lead to insomnia. It turns out that just having chronic back pain can also lead to increased symptoms of both depression and depression-induced insomnia. 

In the largest study of the pain-mental health connection, 200,000 adults in 43 countries were sampled using a self reporting questionnaire. Those with chronic back pain were two times more likely to exhibit anxiety, depression, psychosis, stress, and subsequent sleep deprivation. 

Sleep Apnoea

Of all the connections I’ve looked into between sleep deprivation and back or sciatica pain, this one is perhaps the most surprising. Over the past decade, it’s become clear that many people who have sleep apnoea also have some form of back pain. 

There’s not evidence yet that one causes the other, but one thing is clear: sleep apnoea, coupled with back or sciatica pain, can spell disaster for sleep and even sleep quality. A study published in 2006 suggests that people with  back pain and sleep apnoea, on average, lose 4 hours of sleep per night. It seems, for reasons we don’t yet know, to especially affect REM sleep.

How do I sleep better if I have chronic back pain and/ or sciatica?

The good news is that there are many ways you can start improving your sleep, no matter where you are on your journey to treating your chronic pain. I find that even subtle changes can make a big difference, both for sleep quality and life quality. 

Manage Your Mental Health

The mind-body connection is real and should never be ignored. Even as you manage your back pain, you also need to keep in mind how depression and anxiety can affect your experience of both pain and sleep. Poor mental health can increase our awareness of pain, while coping and relaxation techniques may help do the opposite. 

Ask Your Doctor About Pain Management

If your meds are helping with your back pain but hurting your sleep, consider discussing alternatives with your doctor. While you should never just take yourself off pain medication, lifestyle changes can help with both lower back pain–and even improve sleep quality! Regular aerobic exercise, stretching, and even alternative therapies like reflexology and yoga may improve sleep and help manage moderate pain. 

Invest in a Better Pillow

A better pillow really can make a big difference, especially for back pain. In a 2015 randomized controlled study, patients with low back and lumbar pain were given supportive pillows for their backs. After a twelve week follow up, there were remarkable improvements in pain management, as opposed to improvements made with just physical therapy.

Upgrade Your Mattress

While you’re at it, you should take a long look at your mattress–in fact, changing my mattress is what has made the biggest difference for my personal back pain and improving my sleep. If you’ve had your mattress for longer than 8 to 10 years, it’s time to start shopping. Here are my suggestions for the best mattresses for back pain. 

Consider The Best Sleeping Position For Back Pain

How you sleep matters too. Sleeping on your side is associated with less back pain, and even reduced snoring. Snoring may be a sign of sleep apnoea if you snore regularly you should see a sleep specialist to determine if you have sleep apnoea.  

Other positions that can help with lower back pain relief include sleeping on your back with a pillow under your knees, or sleeping on your stomach with a pillow under your stomach. You may also try sleeping in a reclining position if your bed adjusts or by adding a wedge to your bed to elevate your upper body.

Sleep Well, Be Well.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/sleep-newzzz/202010/sleep-and-lower-back-pain

How to overcome pain-related insomnia

From thestar.com.my/lifestyle

Pain is a common cause of insomnia, with up to two-thirds of patients with chronic pain having sleep problems. — AFP

With up to two-thirds of patients with chronic pain conditions also experiencing sleep disorders, two experts from Cleveland Clinic in the United States, suggest cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia as a potential solution.

For people with chronic pain – whether from back pain, fibromyalgia or the pain of cancer treatment – sleep issues are especially common, and pain is one of the most common causes of insomnia.

“Pain worsens sleep patterns and sleep disturbances worsen pain. It’s a vicious cycle,” says pain specialist Dr Robert Bolash.

These problems can range from difficulty falling asleep to difficulty staying asleep, and lack of good sleep can lead to heightened pain and worsening sleep.

His colleague, behavioural sleep medicine specialist Dr Michelle Drerup, adds that treating insomnia can help chronic pain subside, but before treating insomnia, it is important to rule out other issues that could be causing sleep problems.

“Sometimes, after receiving a new diagnosis, it is common for people to struggle with other disorders that can affect sleep, like depression or post-traumatic stress disorder,” she says.

If people struggle with insomnia, it can also be caused by a sleep-related medical condition, such as sleep apnoea.

When sleep quality is poor, pain levels are exacerbated.

“At times, we see patients with pain diagnoses who really have a medical condition such as sleep apnoea.

“When their sleep apnoea is treated, their pain diminishes as well,” Dr Bolash explains.

The two experts recommend the following three-pronged approach to help people address their insomnia:

First: Understand the insomnia

“To understand how chronic pain might make it difficult to fall asleep, it is helpful to think about your bedtime routine,” says Dr Drerup.

Most people will eliminate distractions in order to relax and fall asleep, including measures such as turning off lights, making it quiet and getting comfortable.

“But this quiet environment can actually cause problems if you have chronic pain,” she says, “because then, the only thing you have to focus on is your pain.”

Unfortunately, without other distractions, pain seems to become “louder”, and in many cases, the perception of pain – not necessarily the actual pain – increases when attempting to fall asleep.

Second: Understand good sleep habits

For these strategies to work, the experts say, you also need to follow good sleep hygiene.

These are necessary, but not sufficient, strategies, i.e. basic building blocks that should be implemented in order to improved sleep patterns.

Here, Dr Drerup offers highlights of the standard guidelines:

• Avoid sleep-incompatible behaviours in bed, including reading, watching TV or worrying.
• Go to bed only when sleepy.
  
  If unable to sleep within approximately 20-30 minutes of getting in bed, get up and go into another room and do something boring, quiet and relaxing.
  
  Return to bed only when sleepy again.
  
  Repeat if necessary.
• Maintain a regular wake time regardless of the amount of sleep that night.
• Avoid naps during the day.
• Avoid caffeine and alcohol before bedtime.
• Exercise, but not within a couple hours of bedtime.

Third: Understand the therapy

Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) includes a number of strategies designed to improve sleep quality and help change thoughts and behaviours that interfere with sleep.

This type of therapy is often preferred over medications because it has no side effects and is a more effective long-term solution.

One of the main goals of CBT-I is to help people control or eliminate negative thoughts and worries that keep them awake.

CBT-I helps people to become more aware of thoughts related to sleep.

“Once controlled, those thoughts tend to decrease and it is easier for you to fall asleep,” says Dr Drerup.

Another strategy to help with insomnia is relaxation training, which reduces or eliminates muscle tension and distracts from racing thoughts.

Techniques include specific muscle group relaxation, guided imagery and meditation.

“Regardless of the type of relaxation strategy used, the treatment involves professional guidance and teaching these skills over a number of sessions,” Dr Drerup says.

She conducts both individual and group sessions on CBT-I.

“Usually, patients will take part in three to eight sessions to learn these techniques and discover what works for them.”

The good news is that CBT-I has been proven effective for 70-80% of patients who seek this treatment, she says.

https://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/health/2020/10/03/how-to-overcome-pain-related-insomnia

A Coronasomniac Explores the Link Between Stress and Insomnia

From austinchronicle.com

How to catch more restful ZZZs during a pandemic

Illustration via Getty Images

Standing in front of my bathroom mirror after another night of never falling asleep, I prayed to the Zoom gods that my laptop camera resolution be just shitty enough that my Chronpatriots couldn't distinguish my under-eye circles from my blossoming under-under-eye circles.

I'd become a card-carrying, chronically cranky member of the insomniac club – and I had the Google search history to prove it: "How much is too much melatonin," "how long can you go without sleep," or the frustratingly fruitless, "how to fall asleep."

But it wasn't until a citywide drugstore pillage for more melatonin gummies where I'd come across one shelf after another cleaned out of sleep aids that I figured I might be in good, if bleary-eyed, company. Is anybody actually sleeping right now? How can anybody sleep right now?

In a poll on COVID's impact on mental wellbeing by the American Psych­iatric Association, more than one-third of Americans say coronavirus is having a severe impact on their mental health, with 19% of respondents reporting having trouble sleeping. Though that 19% might not illustrate a significant impact, there's emerging anecdotal evidence that more people are experiencing insomnia from pandemic-specific stressors. In fact, physicians have even coined this COVID-induced insomnia: "coronasomnia."

People can experience insomnia for lots of reasons. But in relation to stress, Dr. Sasha Jaquez, a paediatric psychologist in UT Health Austin Paediatric Psychiatry at Dell Children's Medical Centre, points to what happens to our bodies when we experience stress. "Our body is in fight-or-flight mode, and it's that survival mode – like you have to be alert, you have to keep going – that's what stress causes," explains Jaquez, who established a behavioural sleep medicine clinic at Akron Children's Hospital before her current role at Dell Children's. While that means you might be able to function and get through the day, come bedtime it's a different story. "When you lay down at night, and your body is still in that hyperarousal mode, it's not letting your brain relax; it's not letting your body relax."

It's no surprise then that not getting enough sleep, or good quality sleep, has a huge impact on our mental health. Poor sleep can mean we're more likely to be short-tempered, frustrated, and irritated, said Jaquez. It can also have a significant impact on cognitive function. When I asked Dr. William Schwartz about the effects of insomnia or poor quality sleep on the brain, Schwartz, a neurologist at Dell Med­ical who studies the circadian rhythm, told me, "If we knew what the functions of sleep were, then we'd be able to answer that question more to your satisfaction. And, of course, that's still somewhat mysterious." Schwartz explained that it's unclear whether cognitive problems resulting from sleep deprivation occur because the brain has been unable to accomplish something vital that happens during sleep. It's also uncertain if these cognitive problems stem from us being literally half asleep as our brains slip into micro sleeps when we're sleep deprived. What is clear, however, is "that the lack of sleep does lead to a whole list of cognitive difficulties." And as Jaquez pointed out, such impairment in our efficiency and efficacy can in turn fuel frustration over why we're not able to function.

But there are ways to help you break out of this seemingly never-ending cycle of insomnia. First, sticking to sleep-wake cycles by waking up and going to sleep at set times is important, said Jaquez. You'll also want to minimize anything that's going to impact your sleep before going to bed, which means putting away any screens at least 30-45 minutes before bed. Not only can screens' blue light mimic the sun and signal to your brain that it's time to wake up, explains Jaquez, but that late-night Face­book doomscroll isn't any good for you either. "You might be on social media trying to relax and see what your friends are doing, but then a news article pops up or somebody posts something that then makes you anxious," says Jaquez. "That can also disregulate you and impact your sleep." Practicing good sleep hygiene also means creating your own nightly routine that helps you relax, and, if you find yourself in bed and unable to sleep – however counterintuitive it might sound – you should hop out of bed and get back in once tired again.

"I know sleep hygiene sounds so basic, but it's really important to do and to focus on sleep if you're feeling like your stress is out of control," says Jaquez. "We always recommend finding what is within your control, and I think sleep hygiene is something that is within your control and that can help you start to grasp this problem and get better under your own control, because the pandemic is out of our control."

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FACT

Our quest for a good night's sleep is big business: According to industry analysts at PS Market Research, the global sleeping-aids market – anything from mattresses and pillows to prescription sleeping pills and wearable sleep trackers – was worth $78.7 billion in 2019, and is expected to generate $162.5 billion in revenue by 2030.

TIP

Even if we're spending more time at home these days, we shouldn't be working, eating, or doing homework in our beds. If you find yourself in bed and unable to sleep after 15-20 minutes, Jaquez says get up, engage in some relaxation skills, and get back in bed once tired again.

https://www.austinchronicle.com/features/2020-10-02/a-coronasomniac-explores-the-link-between-stress-and-insomnia/