Your most-asked sleep questions

From dailymail.co.uk

By Dr Guy Meadows

HOW CAN I SLEEP NEXT TO A SNORER?

It’s a plea I hear often, mainly from women: ‘Help! I can’t stand being in the same bed as my partner any more.’ Snoring is serious if it stops you sleeping. It breeds resentment and affects relationships. The more it goes on, the worse it gets. Every toss, turn and murderous thought contains the emotional baggage from every bad night’s sleep you’ve ever had. This anger is part of the body’s fight-or-flight response, a rush of adrenaline which can, in itself, prevent sleep. It tells your brain that it’s a threat, pushing you into survival mode and making sleep impossible.

There are two key things to do. Firstly, help the snorer to stop snoring. Snoring happens when the airways relax, so anything which increases that relaxation – such as excessive tiredness, alcohol, antihistamines (including cold and flu remedies) – will make it worse (if allergies are not the problem). Experiment and/or keep a diary to find out what’s causing it. Positioning the snorer on their side, where their tongue is less likely to roll into the throat, can help. Snoring may be linked to allergies, or the architecture of the septum itself, so do encourage the snorer to see a doctor if addressing the above doesn’t work.

The second remedy is to change your response to the snoring so it’s more helpful, and there’s therefore less struggle and adrenaline. This means trying to notice the thoughts you have – what I call ‘the noise around the noise’ – when the snoring starts.

It might be anger at your partner, anxiety over whether you’ll get to sleep, concern over how you might perform the next day. Some even start worrying before they get to bed, convinced they must try to get to sleep before the snoring starts. All of these things will keep you more awake.

Learn to label these as ‘snoring thoughts’. Acknowledge they are there, then try to think of the snoring and your surroundings objectively. Describe the noise in your head; notice the contact of the pillow on your face and the duvet on your toes. These exercises might seem simple, but by stripping your emotional response out, within a couple of weeks your brain will be more at ease and you’ll be more able to sleep.

HOW CAN I STOP WAKING UP TOO EARLY?

It can be frustrating to wake hours before your alarm is due to go off but there’s a natural reason for it. Sleep was dangerous for you thousands of years ago because it made you vulnerable to predators. To protect ourselves, we believe we evolved to sleep in cycles which are around one-and-a-half to two hours long. You sleep lightly at the beginning of each cycle, then drop into deep sleep, before moving into REM – rapid eye movement, the super-busy brain state where you most commonly dream – then a very brief period of wakefulness. For the average seven- to eight-hour sleeper, this cycle is repeated four to five times a night.

Also at play is your ‘sleep drive’ which makes the cycles at the start of the night heavily weighted towards deep sleep, with more REM sleep at the end of the night when you’re less tired. REM is responsible for memory consolidation and emotional processing – scans show the bloodflow through your brain goes back to normal waking levels during REM. In this state your brain can hijack you with worries and wake you. What’s important is how you deal with it.

Do not reach for your phone: checking a text or alert will take you from quiet wakefulness to full, active wakefulness. Mobile phone screens emit blue light, and it takes just 0.2 seconds of exposure to inhibit levels of the sleep hormone melatonin. You should try not to get up unless you need the bathroom. The key is to try to do nothing but rest, which will still give you some benefit – being awake for a short time won’t affect your performance the following day. If anxieties plague you, defuse their power by giving them a short label or nickname – such as ‘guilt’ or ‘work stress’ – and say it to yourself every time you notice them arrive in your mind. One of my clients took it a step further by thinking of herself as a teacher taking the class register and ticking off the ‘thoughts’ which were present. ‘Here is anxiety, here are those sleep concerns, here’s guilt,’ she’d say.

It may sound daft, but you’re actually rewiring the brain by standing outside and ‘looking at’ your worries, rather than being trapped in them. It sends a powerful message to the amygdala, the part of the brain that’s always on the lookout for danger, that you’re safe. And with safety comes sleep. 

HOW CAN I GET A DEEP SLEEP?

It’s one of the most common questions I’m asked. People say they want eight hours of deep sleep a night – but what they mean is they simply want to sleep soundly and feel rested afterwards. No one can get eight hours of deep sleep. Only around 20 per cent of each night is spent in deep sleep because of the way we’re designed biologically. The remainder is roughly 30 per cent REM and 50 per cent light sleep – and the right combination and proportion of all three is important for the brain.

Your sleep quality reflects your daytime life. The more stressed you are during the day the more cortisol will be in your system and the more you’ll flit between light sleep and wakefulness.

During the day take regular screen breaks, talk problems through with a colleague or friend, exercise and try meditation. Go outdoors, preferably for at least ten minutes at around 10am when natural light is brightest. If you can’t get outside, sit by a window. This all helps to synchronise your internal body clock, which will help you sleep better.

Reduce screen time in the evenings. If you’re on a laptop or phone, make sure the screen brightness is reduced and the blue-light filter is switched on. But ideally, stay away from them completely for at least an hour or two before going to bed.

HOW CAN I FALL ASLEEP QUICKLY?

We’re still cavemen and women, physiologically speaking, even if technology has improved. And that means you need to have a wind-down period which nudges the brain and body towards sleep.

But these days you’re not in dark caves with the flicker of firelight. You are often working until bedtime, or scrolling through social media. This involves high levels of cognitive and emotional stimulation, as well as stimulation from light which keeps your brain awake. Instead, try to darken down two hours before going to bed.

This doesn’t mean sitting in the dark, but reducing the amount of brightness on screens and turning off overhead lights in favour of lamps. Try not to work in your bedroom – the stress from the day can rub off on your night. Don’t be tempted to use whale noises or white noise to help you nod off, as there’s no evidence to support them. Focusing on the noise rather than on addressing the problem itself is counterintuitive and a path straight to a sleep clinic. And avoid caffeine, alcohol and heavy meals too close to bedtime. But the most powerful thing you can do is get up and go to bed at roughly the same time every day so your body learns when it’s time to sleep.

Work out when you’re biologically designed to sleep best. Known as your chronotype, this is the influence of your genetics on your sleep timing. Perhaps your natural sleep window, like 70 per cent of the population, is from 10pm to 6am. The remainder fall into evening types (owls) or morning types (larks), who respectively fall asleep later or earlier. Knowing that is important to avoid both struggling to get to sleep and waking too early. Secondly, make sure you’re getting the right amount of sleep for you, which can be anything from six to nine hours.

Once you know both of these things, make it a regular pattern every day. If you’re a shift worker, have a ‘regularly irregular’ plan so you’re sticking to some routine, even if it changes.

HOW CAN I CURE MY INSOMNIA?

The essence of insomnia is trying to control your sleep. But sleep is a natural biological process that can’t be controlled – and the more you try, the more it eludes you. If you ask a normal sleeper what they do to sleep they’ll shrug and say, ‘Nothing.’ But ask an insomniac and they’ll give you a list as long as their arm.

They’ll have the best bedroom in the world. It’ll be cool, dark, filled with houseplants to remove airborne toxins and have a high-quality, comfortable mattress that regulates their temperature. They’ll exercise daily, get outside and rigidly chronicle their sleep patterns and caffeine intake. They’ll run marathons. Yet I’ll still get clients who find they can’t sleep. ‘What’s wrong with me?’ they’ll beg. The trouble is simply that they’ve put sleep on a pedestal. Insomnia is a learned condition – their brain has been rewired to sleep badly. The heart and mind race, panic sets in and they’re literally primed for battle. Most insomniacs say they eventually fall asleep when they’ve given up trying. And that’s the key to the approach we use at the Sleep School (called acceptance and commitment therapy): letting go. By all means, follow the rules of good sleep hygiene: that means making sure your bedroom is comfortable, cool and dark, and that you associate it only with sleeping or having sex (so don’t work in there).

Make sure it’s tidy, uncluttered and have houseplants, but don’t obsess and turn the bedroom into a forest. If you can’t get to sleep, try lying quietly. Some schools of thought, such as cognitive behavioural therapy, advocate getting up and doing something boring – the ironing or reading the phone book – after 15 minutes of wakefulness. But I disagree, because you’re not learning how to manage the racing thoughts and anxious feelings, which are inevitably waiting for you when you return.

It’s far more helpful in the longer term to learn to notice and accept any anxiety over being awake, thus changing the way it affects you. If you are lying awake, take notice of any concerns you may have (for example, think, ‘Here’s another sleep worry’, or ‘I’m stressed about work again’). Imagine your thoughts are like trains and you’re standing at a railway station watching each one arrive. Rather than getting on the train, greet its arrival – saying something such as, ‘Hello again, work thoughts’, then allow it to leave, while you remain on the platform, a silent observer.

Then try grounding exercises, such as noticing the weight of the duvet on your body, or the rise and fall of your breath.

This is not to get you to sleep, but to ground your attention in the here and now. Know that just being in bed and resting is good for you. If you wake in the night, use the same techniques. Then it becomes less about actively trying to get to sleep and more about transforming your relationship with wakefulness. And it’s from this quiet wakefulness that sleep comes, unbidden.

WHAT IF COVID WORRIES ARE KEEPING ME AWAKE?

It’s easy to feel deluged. The news reports about death rates are everywhere, and you may have concerns about your family’s health, your own risks, or worries about job security and financial issues. That’s why it’s even more important to have a digital detox before going to bed – to disengage your brain from anything that causes stress. Turn off news alerts on your phone, don’t watch the evening bulletins. Turn off the TV, close the laptop and put away your phone.

Instead, engage in activities which will activate your parasympathetic nervous system – your relaxation response. Many people hold their emotions in their body, causing stiffness and aches. Some gentle stretching can help alleviate anything that’s built up during the day. It doesn’t have to be a full online yoga session – just some simple stretches while in a chair or on the floor.

Try having a warm bath. This isn’t about trying to get to sleep – it’s because you like it and it relaxes you mentally and physically. Or read something – perhaps a book you’re familiar with so it’s easy and comforting and you can immerse yourself in it.

Once you’re in bed, if those Covid-related worries surface, welcome them in and notice how they make you feel. As we’ve discussed, label them – ‘Hello, Covid worries, you’re bang on time, and I see you’ve brought knot-in-your-stomach!’ You’re not doing this to get rid of them but to change the way you relate to them. You’re deactivating the danger signals and becoming objective.

Dr Guy Meadows is a sleep physiologist with 20 years of experience, and co-founder of the Sleep School clinics. The newly released Sleep School app can be purchased on the App Store and Google Play. It offers a variety of courses on sleep-related issues. For more information, go to sleepschool.org – and see our health expert Susannah Taylor’s review here 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-9175895/Your-asked-sleep-questions.html

How to Improve Your Sleep

From massnews.com

One of the most important parts of life is sleep. In fact, a human spends approximately thirty years of their life asleep, or trying to fall asleep. Naturally, this is a time that people typically cherish, and they expect it to be calm, relaxing, and helpful. But for many people, sleeping isn’t as easy as it seems. Finding ways to improve your sleep can be a major hassle, as not everything works for everybody and techniques do not usually produce immediate results. However, as science and our understanding of sleep itself develop, many effective techniques to improve sleep have developed.

Limit eating and drinking before bed

Though it is not smart to go to bed starving, eating right before bed may have a negative impact on your sleeping cycle. The human body is physically capable of sleeping and digesting at the same time, but this combination may prove to do more to keep a person awake then coax them to sleep. The digestive process will continue during sleep, which could potentially lead to symptoms like heartburn or indigestion. This also keeps the body functioning instead of entering into a pure relaxation state.

CBD and hemp

CBD is gaining traction in many markets throughout the country for all of the safe and unique benefits. Fortunately, CBD and hemp oil can help eliminate some sleeping issues and improve sleep immensely. According to the Mayo Clinic, some of the major causes of insomnia or other sleep issues stem from anxiety and physical pain. CBD oils are used to help treat anxiety and pain. Being that these oils can eliminate these major causes of insomnia, studies have shown they do help improve sleep. Not only is quality of sleep improved, but other issues that can be treated with CBD can also be fixed, giving a plethora of benefits to using CBD or hemp oil.

Exercise

Exercising every single day provides a myriad of health benefits. Not only can physical activity improve mental health, physical health, and keep a person in shape, it can also work to help improve sleep. When the body is forced to be inactive for the entirety of the day, it may never unleash some of the stored energy. This will lead to the body not being fully tired when it is time to fall asleep. Exercising can release endorphins and physically tire the body, making falling and staying asleep easier. This is similar to eating, as it is not smart to do intense exercising near the time an attempt to fall asleep is made as the body may still be physically wired shortly after working out. But getting thirty minutes of exercising done everyday can work wonders on the sleep cycle.

Bright light exposure

Exposing oneself to bright lights throughout the day can help fix one’s sleep cycle. The Circadian rhythm is a natural cycle that the body goes through based on the time of day. If the body isn’t given the proper exposure to bright lights throughout the day and darkness at night, this rhythm can be thrown off, confusing the body when it is time to fall asleep.

Reducing blue light exposure

A difficult thing to do in the world’s current makeup is putting the electronics away. Many electronics, including cell phones, televisions, and computers, emit a certain light called blue light. This light stimulates the eyes and brain and can make it very difficult to fall asleep if used close to bedtime. Putting these products and items away an hour before sleep can help to improve sleep quality.

https://www.massnews.com/how-to-improve-your-sleep/

4 Effective Ways To Manage Insomnia

From thailandtatler.com

Experiencing problems falling asleep these days? Maybe it's the weather, but maybe it's bad habits that need breaking...

Insomnia affects more people than we want to believe, and it’s not an easy battle to fight against. Some people fall asleep without any problem, but others really struggle getting good sleep. If the latter describes you, here are a few ways you can manage your
insomnia.

1/4 Be Careful Of What You Consume

Riddle me this. What makes you work better but is also your worst enemy at night? Caffeine. A cuppa in the morning shortly after waking up is fine but avoid it in the afternoon if you're having trouble sleeping.

Another tip is not to eat spicy food for dinner since it can cause problems that keep you up. The goal is to sleep peacefully, not with a monster growling, howling and pinching your insides. 

2/4 Turn Off Your Phone

Believe it or not, that bright light your phone emits actually tricks your mind and biological clock into staying on. In other words, your mind thinks it’s daytime, thanks to your smartphone. So scrolling through social media is less like counting sheep than you might have thought. 

3/4 Relax & Meditate

We'll say it again and again: Meditation helps our minds to relax after a long and stressful day of work. You’ll be able to loosen up, reduce muscle tension and clear your mind. Turn off the lights, sit on your bed, close your eyes and breathe. It will be hard at first but eventually, it will be something you wish you started earlier. 

4/4 Ignore The Bed During The Day

With many of us confined to our homes during this second wave of COVID infection, staying in bed all day might be tempting. However, this should be resisted at all costs to avoid messed up sleep. Once you wake up in the morning, don't return to bed again until it's time to retire for the night. Try not to take naps on the sofa too. Don’t change your schedule just because you are working from home. Wake up early, Monday to Friday, so you can go to bed a few hours early. 

https://www.thailandtatler.com/life/effective-ways-to-manage-insomnia

Why Women Are Twice As Likely To Have Insomnia As Men + What To Do

From mindbodygreen.com

Some women will know the feeling all too well: The one where you're lying in bed but your mind is still racing around when you hear a faint noise come in from across the covers. It builds, surely and steadily, until you're swimming—awake and alert as ever—in a pool of your boyfriend's or husband's snores.

Wendy M. Troxel, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and certified behavioural sleep medicine specialist, hears stories like this all the time. She says that the majority of her patients who struggle with insomnia symptoms are women with male partners, for whom sleep seems to come easy. Her experience tracks with what research has found about sleep's gender disparities: Studies from Korea to Latin America have come to the same conclusion: Women are almost twice as likely to have sleep issues as men.

I asked Troxel what's causing our sleep to suffer, and it looks like this is yet another thing we can blame on the patriarchy—and our hormones.

Why women are more likely to have sleep issues.

This gender gap is driven by a few factors, the first of which is cultural. Since women have historically taken on the role of family caregiver, once we have kids, we feel obligated to soothe them when they wake up in the middle of the night. Even after children grow out of their fussy phase, though, our compulsion to be "on" every night doesn't necessarily go away.

"Many women that I talk to, even years after having children, will describe that ever since they had children and got into the habit of waking up in the middle of the night to care for them, they've never slept as deeply," Troxel tells mbg.

There's likely a hormonal component at play here as well: "We do know that sleep problems are very common during pregnancy as well as during the menopausal transition," Troxel says. While we don't know exactly which hormonal fluctuations drive insomnia, it's likely a combination of the ones involved in the menstrual cycle (progesterone, luteinizing hormone, prolactin, etc.). The uncomfortable physical symptoms of menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause also keep many women up at night.

These family obligations and hormonal changes can converge to make women of all ages more likely to experience prolonged symptoms of insomnia: difficulty falling asleep; difficulty staying asleep; or poor, unrefreshing sleep quality, with associated daytime consequences.

"What's truly interesting though about the difference between men's and women's sleep," Troxel concludes, "is that although women are twice as likely to have insomnia as men, in general, women are kind of better sleepers than men."

She elaborates that a number of large-scale, epidemiologic studies have found that women tend to sleep for longer and spend more time in deep sleep than men every night on average. "Even while they are sleeping more deeply, certain parts of their brain are showing more activity during sleep," Troxel adds. "That corresponds with what women often say: 'Yes, I may be sleeping, but my mind is always active.'"

This discrepancy may be a sign that the way we measure sleep quality isn't nuanced enough. In the coming years, as we get a better understanding of what a "good night's sleep" really means, Troxel predicts it could be subject to change.

How to improve sleep quality, regardless of gender.

If you struggle with sleep and don't wake up feeling rested, the first step is identifying the underlying problem. If crying kids (or the muscle memory of crying kids) are keeping you up at night, check out this sleep advice specifically for parents. If it's a hormonal issue that's messing with your sleep for a few nights a month, consider adjusting your diet to further support your body during that time.

If the issue is more difficult to pinpoint—maybe it's something amorphous, like stress—consider where you can clean up your overall sleep habits. Stick to a consistent bedtime and wake-up time, turn off your tech one to two hours before bed, optimize your bedroom for sleep, and/or try a sleep-promoting supplement.*

mbg's magnesium+ is particularly popular with moms, who lean on its targeted combination of magnesium glycinate, pharmaGABA, and jujube to fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, and wake up feeling more rested.* "I've always considered myself a 'good sleeper' but as a mom thought waking up throughout the night was normal. Fast-forward to now, my children are grown and married, still waking up throughout the night," one reviewer laments. "magnesium+ provides a full, wonderful night's sleep for me. I noticed the difference the very first night.*"

The bottom line.

Research consistently finds that women around the world are more likely to struggle with sleep than men are. However, the sleep that they do get tends to be higher in quality than men's (at which point I ask, is there anything that we aren't better at?); a good reminder that prioritizing sleep is important, no matter your gender.

https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/why-women-are-twice-as-likely-to-have-insomnia-than-men

Study reveals the relaxing music to help you sleep

From newsroom.unsw.edu.au

If you have trouble turning off at night, could switching on a little bit of music help you get some quality shut-eye? 

Perhaps there’s nothing quite as frustrating as trying and failing to fall asleep. But if you’re one of the many people who struggle to switch off come bedtime, the findings of a new study might give you some hope – and the songs – you need to help you get your dream on.

UNSW PhD student in the science of music for sleep, Thomas Dickson says that listening to music could hold the answer to a better night’s sleep. The music psychology researcher says listening to music at bedtime can not only help people fall asleep quicker but also improve sleep quality.

“Music has a solid evidence base as one of the better researched non-pharmacological sleep aids that can improve individual’s sleep, both in terms of insomnia and the quality of sleep,” he says.

According to Mr Dickson’s research, listening to music changes what can be a stressful experience of trying to sleep into a more pleasant one. As well as inducing relaxation and a sleepier state, music offers a distraction from stressful thoughts and can also mask out distracting noises in the environment.

His latest study with Professor Emery Schubert, Musical Features that Aid Sleep, published in Musicae Scientia, goes one step further, identifying the specific characteristics of music that is successful in aiding sleep.

“While previous studies of music as a sleep aid have shown music to be beneficial in helping sleep, little research has investigated the specific features of music that have improved sleep,” Mr Dickson says.

“In this study, we asked individuals about what music they’ve used in the past, and did it successfully help them sleep. We identified that music successfully used for sleep had certain musical properties, compared to music that was unsuccessful.”

A new study reveals the specific features of music that can help improve sleep quality.

Photo: Shutterstock.

Musical features to aid sleep

The study revealed music that aided sleep had more emphasis in lower frequencies such as a stronger bass, had a slow and sustained duration of musical notes, and had non-danceable rhythms. 

“In music terms, the music had quite a dark mix, it was legato, and was not complex or strong in rhythmic activity,” Mr Dickson says.

The research also suggests it’s not just classical music or lullabies that can help people sleep. In fact, individuals can fall asleep to a wide variety of music genres.

“Based on the findings of the study, we have evidence that the musical features we uncovered appeared to be more important than the genre in aiding sleep,” he says. 

The list of songs successful in aiding sleep share similar musical features. Image: Supplied.

For those considering turning on the speaker to help switch off, consistency is key. 

Mr Dickson recommends making music a part of your bedtime routine. He says developing the habit of listening to music for 45 minutes at bedtime for about a month has been shown to positively impact sleep patterns. 

However, if you’re a healthy sleeper, music isn’t likely to improve the quality of your sleep further. And while there are no known side effects for using music as a sleep aid, it’s always best to consult with your GP first, Mr Dickson says.

“Music is most useful for people who struggle to sleep because of insomnia related to anxiety or stress, rather than medical issues like sleep apnoea,” he says. 

“If you listen to music every night, at the same time for at least three weeks, at that point, we start statistically seeing improved sleep quality, and individuals with insomnia becoming healthy sleepers.” 

For your best chance for a good night’s sleep with music, Mr Dickson suggests compiling a dedicated sleep playlist with songs that have the characteristics conducive to aiding sleep. He also recommends the volume is kept under 40 decibels, which is about as quiet as comfortably possible.

“If people listen to music they enjoy, they can enjoy going to sleep more,” he says.

Mr Dickson is writing a book on the science of music for sleep to be released in 2021. His mobile app ‘Can’t Sleep’ incorporates the musical features of his research to help sleep and is available on iPhone and Android.

https://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/news/social-affairs/study-reveals-relaxing-music-help-you-sleep

Food for Thought: Foods to help you get better sleep

From eu.yourstephenvilletx.com

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, about 30% of adults experience the symptoms of insomnia. While there are many contributing factors to insomnia - stress, travel or work schedules, poor sleeping habits - your diet can also contribute to sleepless nights.

While eating too much before bed can cause you to feel physically uncomfortable while lying down, health experts say eating a small snack is OK. Here are a few foods that can help you get a better night's sleep, according to the Sleep Foundation:

1. Kiwi: Kiwifruit possess numerous vitamins and minerals, most notably vitamins C and E as well as potassium and folate. Some research has found that eating kiwi can improve sleep. In a study, people who ate two kiwis one hour before bedtime found that they fell asleep faster, slept more, and had better sleep quality.

2. Tart cherries and tart cherry juice: Several studies have found sleep benefits for people who drink tart cherry juice. In one study, people who drank two one-cup servings of tart cherry juice per day were found to have more total sleep time and higher sleep efficiency.

3. Fatty fish: A research study found that fatty fish may be a good food for better sleep. The study over a period of months found that people who ate salmon three times per week had better overall sleep as well as improved daytime functioning.

4. Nuts: Nuts like almonds, walnuts, pistachios, and cashews are often considered to be a good food for sleep. Though the exact amounts can vary, nuts contain melatonin as well as essential minerals like magnesium and zinc that are essential to a range of bodily processes.

5. Rice: A study of adults in Japan found that those who regularly ate rice reported better sleep than those who ate more bread or noodles. This study only identified an association and cannot demonstrate causality, but it supports prior research that showed that eating foods with a high glycaemic index around four hours before bedtime helped with falling asleep.

EASY RECIPE

Bacon-Cheddar Drop Biscuits

Serves: 12

Ingredients

2 cups self-rising flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2/3 cup buttermilk

2/3 cup sour cream

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 cup cooked chopped bacon

3 tablespoons chopped scallions

Steps

Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Spray a baking sheet generously with non-stick oil spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Whisk in the buttermilk, sour cream and oil.

Fold in the cheese, bacon and scallions. Use a large spoon to drop spoonfuls of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving 2 inches of space between each biscuit.

Bake until risen and golden brown, about 15 minutes.

- SouthernKitchen.com

https://eu.yourstephenvilletx.com/story/lifestyle/food/recipes/2021/01/13/food-thought-foods-help-you-get-better-sleep/6633368002/

Tips for Talking with Your Doctor About Insomnia: Why It Matters

From healthline.com

Nearly everyone jokes about lack of sleep from time to time, like when you searched for your phone only to realize it was in your pocket and blamed it on a restless night. But when you find yourself unable to sleep due to chronic insomnia, it’s no laughing matter.

There’s a long list of health complications linked to long-term lack of sleep. Chronic insomnia can also seriously affect your quality of life, from constantly feeling tired to an increased risk of depression.

The occasional bout of sleeplessness is no cause for alarm. But if you go night after night without getting a full night’s sleep, that’s a wake-up call to reach out to a doctor for help.

Read on for information about when to connect with a doctor for chronic insomnia and why it’s so important to do so.

When to talk with your doctor about chronic insomnia

Most doctors understand that sleep problems are a major health concern.

However, your doctor might not always get the chance to talk with you about sleep patterns during your regular check-up or if you make an appointment for a different concern.

This means it may be up to you to raise the subject of sleep if you’re having issues. If you have chronic insomnia, don’t brush it off as no big deal.

If you’d like, you can try a few things at home to improve your sleep before reaching out to your doctor with your concerns. These include:

• Keep regular sleep hours and meal schedules.
• Limit screen time before bed and reduce light in your sleep space.
• Exercise regularly, at least 5 to 6 hours before bedtime.
• Cut down on caffeine, alcohol, and other drug use.
• Quit smoking, if you smoke.
• Avoid daytime naps.
• Practice relaxation techniques before going to bed, such as meditation or gentle yoga.
• Get up from bed if you can’t sleep, then return to bed when you feel tired again.

If these steps don’t resolve your insomnia, you should discuss your sleep issues with your doctor.

You should talk with your primary care physician if you consistently:

• have trouble falling asleep
• can’t stay asleep
• wake up earlier than you want to
• don’t feel refreshed after sleep
• have excessive sleepiness during the day

Tips to prepare for your doctor’s visit

To make your doctor’s visit — whether it’s in person or virtual — as productive as possible:

• Write down your sleep-related questions for your doctor.
• Record your sleep and sleep-related activities in a diary and share it with your doctor.
• Detail any self-help techniques you’ve tried and what the results were.
• Make sure you know the name and dosage of any medications you’re taking. If you’re visiting your doctor at their office, you might want to just bring your medications with you.

Acute vs. chronic insomnia

Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder, but it’s also widely misunderstood.

Everyone has some nights when they can’t fall asleep, or they wake up and spend hours staring at the ceiling.

Insomnia, however, is a more persistent problem that affects:

• Sleep initiation: your ability to fall asleep
• Sleep duration: how long you stay asleep
• Sleep consolidation: matching the amount of time you spend in bed with the amount of sleep you need to reduce awake time in bed

Insomnia can occur even when you have enough opportunities to sleep. It causes negative effects during daytime hours, such as sleepiness or irritability.

Acute insomnia

Sometimes a significant life event, like the death of a loved one or starting a new job, can cause a temporary bout of insomnia that lasts for a few days or even weeks.

Sickness, jet lag, or environmental factors can also cause this type of sleeplessness, known as acute insomnia. Acute insomnia usually goes away on its own.

Chronic insomnia

Chronic (long-term) insomnia is a serious medical condition. To be considered chronic, insomnia must happen at least 3 nights per week for more than 3 months.

Up to 90 percent of people with chronic insomnia have other chronic medical or mental health conditions.

“Common underlying causes of insomnia are obstructive sleep apnoea, depressive disorders, pain, nicotine or drug use, and increased alcohol intake,” said Samantha Miller, MD, a spokesperson for Drug Helpline.

Other factors that might cause chronic insomnia include:

• some medications, such as antidepressants, beta blockers, and chemotherapy drugs
• use of caffeine and other stimulant drugs
• lifestyle factors, such as shift work and jet lag

What is good sleep quality?

According to the National Sleep Foundation, good sleep quality is defined as:

• spending at least 85 percent of your time in bed asleep
• falling asleep in 30 minutes or less
• waking up no more than once per night
• being awake for 20 minutes or less after initially falling asleep

If your sleep patterns consistently fall short of these standards, you may have chronic insomnia that needs to be addressed.

What problems does chronic insomnia cause?

It’s important to talk with a healthcare professional about chronic insomnia to prevent new or worsening health effects.

The National Institute of Health suggests chronic insomnia may increase your risk of physical and mental health problems, including:

• asthma
• weakened immune system
• increased pain sensitivity
• inflammation
• obesity
• diabetes
• high blood pressure
• heart disease
• depression
• anxiety
• poor concentration
• irritability
• increased risk of accidents due to fatigue

What can my doctor do about my chronic insomnia?

Your primary care physician may be able to recommend behavioural therapy to help you overcome your chronic insomnia, such as cognitive behavioural therapy.

There also may be medications that can help restore normal sleep patterns.

“I recommend using cognitive behavioural therapy as the first-line treatment for insomnia since it is safer, more lasting, and at least as effective as any sleep medication,” said Pietro L. Ratti, MD, a neurologist and sleep specialist.

Finally, your doctor may refer you to a sleep specialist or a sleep disorder centre, where your sleeping patterns can be monitored and analysed during an overnight stay.

The takeaway

Short-term insomnia is common, but chronic insomnia is a serious health problem. It can lead to or worsen other physical and mental health disorders.

Talk with your doctor about any chronic sleep problems.

Self-help techniques may be effective in resolving chronic insomnia, but your doctor also can recommend treatments for chronic insomnia, including behavioural therapy and medication.

https://www.healthline.com/health/insomnia/insomnia-doctors-appointment-tips#treatments

Gravity blankets could be a cure for insomnia, anxiety, restlessness

From ksat.com/health

‘I felt like someone put a spell on me’

                   Gravity blanket. (Gravityblankets.com)

Have you heard of gravity blankets? They can weigh up to 25 pounds, they’ve become wildly popular in the past several years, and the benefits seem to be aplenty.

First, let us explain exactly what is a gravity blanket.

Simply put, it’s heavier than a regular blanket -- like, quite a bit more -- and it comes in different weights and sizes. By using an internal gridded stitching, it ensures the blanket’s internal micro beads stay evenly distributed.

Ideally, the weighted blankets are engineered to be 7-12% of your body weight.

If you’re having a hard time envisioning what that might feel like, think of the feeling an X-ray apron gives you at the dentist’s office.

People report ‘magic’ of blanket

While there aren't a lot of published studies on the blankets, first-hand experiences seem to confirm their magic. "I took a nap with my sister’s weighted blanket. I felt like someone put a spell on me. I was out in minutes," Lori Housman said.

Many people have said the blanket has helped them to be more relaxed and sleep better, along with fixing some other issues.

“My husband has restless legs sometimes, and it really helps with that,” Kate Robinson said. “I have struggled in the past with racing thoughts and difficulty falling asleep. Since we’ve had the blanket, I haven’t had one night where falling asleep is difficult. I also feel like I sleep much more deeply.”

Jaclyn Annis said she wouldn't trade hers for anything.

"I have a hard time relaxing to get to sleep. I have always wrapped myself up tight in multiple blankets because the weight and pressure is soothing to me,” Annis said. “I got one for Christmas and it’s been the best thing. From another side of it, it helps with my stress and anxiety.”

What does the gravity blanket do?

People seem to love it, but what exactly does it do?

According to gravityblankets.com, the weight of the blanket is supposed to relax the nervous system by simulating the feeling of being held or hugged.

It can reduce stress and anxiety by using deep touch pressure stimulation.

Applied behavioural analysts report that when deep pressure is applied to the body, it switches from running the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) to the parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS) — what we know as “fight or flight.”

SNS is what we may refer to as the body’s “alert” system. Think of stressful situations, like the pressure when you have a deadline for something, you almost get into a car crash or you’re driving in a bad storm. If the SNS takes over your body for too long, it can cause you to be on edge, irritable and feel anxious or tired.

Deep pressure stimulation can increase serotonin and melatonin, which relaxes you, and decreases cortisol, which is responsible for stress.

Triggering these things can lead to more motivation, impulse control, better attention, memory, social behaviour and digestion.

Being more relaxed and less stressed can also help you fall asleep more quickly, as well as fall into a much deeper sleep.

A Swedish study found that 31 men and women who suffered from insomnia reported a calmer and more comfortable night’s sleep after using the blanket for two weeks, according to WebMD.

The deep pressure has been found to not only calm people who have anxiety, but it helps people who have attention difficulties, PTSD and autism, among other things.

Helping with sensory processing issues

Here’s where the SNS comes back into the picture. Applied behavioural analysts say kids who are on the autism spectrum or have sensory processing disorders spend a lot of time stuck in the SNS, and even when they do find a way to calm down, they can be triggered quickly.

When that deep pressure is applied, it helps the PSNS to kick in, calming the person down.

“They are amazing! I use them almost every single day with my kiddos at school,” said teacher Erin Easum, who works with children who have special needs. “They are a great tool to have available in a calming corner and during circle time. They serve many purposes -- security, calming, sensory and spatial awareness for nearby friends.”

For everyone who tends to get hot quickly, or who lives in a warmer climate and can't imagine not breaking a sweat under one of these, the company has a gravity cooling blanket, too. It's engineered to pull away moisture, keeping users cool and comfortable, but it still carries the same weight.

The gravity blanket was named by Time magazine in its best inventions of 2018, along with being featured on “Today,” in Men’s Health, CountryLiving, Glamour, the New York Post and WebMD, among others.

How else can it help?

Like we said before, the benefits of the blanket seem to be aplenty. With the deep pressure therapy it provides, other ways people could possibly be positively affected include:

• Lowered hypersensitivity to touch
• Improved social interactions
• Improved focus
• Lowered incidence of seizures
• Decrease in self-injury
• Increased happiness

It couldn't hurt anyone to have increased happiness, right?

https://www.ksat.com/health/2021/01/12/gravity-blankets-could-be-a-cure-for-insomnia-anxiety-restlessness/

A Simple, 5-Minute Routine to Banish Anxiety Before Bed

From livestrong.com

You might be tired, but as soon as your head hits the pillow, your mind starts racing. What didn't you accomplish today that you need to do tomorrow? Is so-and-so upset about that thing you said? Did you answer that email? And ​that​ email? And then it spins and spins until you're left fretting about global climate change and how you, single-handedly, can stop it.

Whew. Anxiety and trouble sleeping go hand in hand. People who are at a high risk for insomnia are 10 and 20 times more likely to also have anxiety or depression, respectively, compared to those who don't have sleep woes, according to a 2019 study in the journal ​Frontiers in Neurology​.

Sleep loss also changes connections within the brain that contribute to anxiety, per a November 2019 study in ​NatureHumanBehavior​. Good sleep, on the other hand, has anti-anxiety benefits, researchers say.

Night affirmations can nip anxiety in the bud and help you get better sleep.

Image Credit: Catherine Delahaye/Stone/GettyImages

How Night Affirmations Can Help You Fall Asleep

You can change the storyline by using a positive night-time affirmation. Affirmations have been shown to change neural connections in your brain to create a more positive self-view and build resiliency. At night, they may be even more powerful.

Here's some science behind why it works: "Priming your brain for positivity, especially right before bed, can help you decrease anxiety and sleep better," Elizabeth Lombardo, PhD Author of ​Better Than Perfect: 7 Strategies to Crush Your Inner Critic and Create a Life You Love,​ tells LIVESTRONG.com. "When going from awake into a state of sleep, your brainwaves go into an alpha state. During this time, you are able to really tap into the subconscious. In fact, you are almost in a state of hypnosis when suggestions can be better absorbed," she says.

Pretty cool, huh?

If your mind spins on a hamster wheel before bed, practicing a short night affirmation routine can quiet negative and unhelpful thoughts.

A 5-Minute Night Affirmation Routine to Calm Anxiety Before Bed

There are a few ways you can practice positive affirmations — and the whole routine can take anywhere from one up to five minutes. It's up to you how long you want to spend doing it.

After particularly angst-filled days, you may want or need to spend more time in this exercise. On good days (anxiety is like a roller coaster), you might want a quick one-minute refresher to keep the positive vibes flowing.

Here are two ways to do it:

The Mantra Routine

Lombardo recommends the following:

1. Get yourself ready for sleep. Do your before-bed hygiene thing and head into bed. Keep the lights on.
2. Journal one to three affirmations. "I am strong." "I am good enough." "I am worthy." "I deserve good things." This is completely individual and the best options are those that resonate with you. Need assistance? Use a guided meditation or affirmation app, like ThinkUp.
3. Turn the lights off and lay down in a comfortable position that you typically like to fall asleep or sleep in.
4. Close your eyes. Repeat the statement or statements, like a mantra. Or, you can also "daydream" that these statements are true. For example, using the "I am confident" mantra, you would imagine what this looks like. You might interact with people with confidence or walk confidently into situations that normally make you nervous. If an intrusive thought pops into your head during this daydream, it's OK. Just watch it float on by.
5. Repeat your mantra or daydream until you fall asleep.

The Gratitude Affirmation

This one is recommended by ​The Happiness Psychiatrist​ Sheenie Ambardar, MD.

"I find this simple bedtime exercise can quickly transform people's moods from anxiety to appreciation and can really help bring about a sense of calm and relaxation," Dr. Ambardar tells LIVESTRONG.com.

1. Think about five things you're grateful for. They can be mundane (a great cup of coffee in the morning) to big (a second-round job interview at a new company) to personal (that one friend who always makes you laugh).
2. In your head, affirm — aka repeat — those five things you just thought about.
3. Repeat the two-step process for as long as feels good or is calming (or until you go to sleep).

https://www.livestrong.com/article/13730917-night-affirmations-sleep/

How to sleep: Expert shares how much sleep you really need for best cognitive performance

From express.co.uk

HOW much sleep do you really need to reap the rewards? And what is so restorative about dozing off? Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, Dr Chris Dickson provides the answers

Dr Chris Dickson is adamant good quality sleep is key for overall wellbeing, but how do you know if you're getting enough? What are the warning signs you could be lacking adequate shuteye, and which health conditions could prevent you from doing so?

"While it may feel like the brain and body is shutting down during sleep, the brain is in fact moving through five different sleep cycles," said Dr Dickson.

"The first three of the brain’s cycles are important for allowing your brain to perform its basic ‘housekeeping’ duties, such as memory consolidation and clearing out toxins." This takes "at least five hours of continuous sleep", said the doctor.

"The last two cycles are less well understood, but are thought to promote creativity and ideas," he added.

"To complete the full five cycles, eight hours of sleep is optimal," Dr Dickson clarified.

However, it's not just the number of hours you get to sleep, it's also about the quality of sleep.

"Good quality sleep can provide a range of physical and mental health benefits," continued Dr Dickson.

How to sleep: Dr Chris Dickson recommends everybody to get good quality sleep

(Image: Dr Chris Dickson/Getty)

"Sleeping well can lead to a reduction in the risk of heart disease, seizures, high blood pressure and migraines."

If that wasn't enough for getting quality shuteye, it also "decreases the chance of weight gain".

In addition, quality sleep also helps to lower levels of cortisol - the stress hormone - that can "negatively impact the immune system. In terms of mental health, it can positively impact memory, creativity and help to reduce anxiety and depression."

Why do we dream?

Dreaming is associated with REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, which commonly takes place in the later stages of the sleep cycle.

Linked to emotions and creativity, why we dream "is not yet clearly understood".

"What is clear," Dr Dickson stated, "is that during REM sleep – whilst our muscles are very relaxed – the brain is very active.

"And our dreams are related to this important process of memory consolidation. Regular REM sleep is also biologically important and is a time where certain hormones are produced in greater quantities," added the doctor.

Sleep apnoea

You may be getting eight hours of sleep daily, but if you're feeling very tired during the day, your quality of sleep might be disturbed.

Sleep apnoea interferes with your sleep, but you may not even know about it.

Symptoms of the condition include making "gasping, snorting or choking noises" in your sleep, said the NHS. You may wake up a lot during the night (but you'd be completely unaware) and you may snore very loudly.

Waking up in the morning with a headache can be a sign of sleep apnoea, as can mood swings and finding it hard to concentrate during the day.

Another sleep disturbance can be insomnia, which is when you struggle to fall or stay asleep.

For more information on how you can address sleeping issues, speak to your GP.

Dr Chris Dickson is the executive chairman at Cambridge Sleep Sciences – an innovative company that brings to you SleepHub, a device that can re-train the brain to overcome common sleep disturbances.

https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/1381567/how-to-sleep-quality-quantity-eight-hours-sleep-apnoea-insomnia

How Does Sleep Affect Your Immunity?

From news-medical.net

Adequate sleep is vital for good health; unfortunately, not many people relate to this feeling. Amidst the growing workload and late-night culture, the importance of proper sleep is often side-lined. This issue is much relevant in the current pandemic when people are working from home.

Image Credit: werachai naknual / Shutterstock.com

Insomnia and its consequences

Insomnia is a condition in which a person is unable to fall asleep. A person with insomnia may present with the following symptoms:

• Feels sleepy and tired throughout the day
• Is always irritated
• Have problems in focussing on one thing and memorizing stuff

Lack of sleep in the long term may increase the risk of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Sleep is also vital for a proper immune response; lack of sleep can weaken your immune system; it can increase the body's susceptibility to infection and hamper the ability to fight the illness.

Lack of sleep and immunity

The sleeping and feeding habits of all the animals, including humans, are governed by the circadian rhythm. The word circadian is taken from the Latin word "circa," which means day and "diem" means around. Circadian rhythm is a natural process that controls the sleep-wake cycle. The sleep-wake cycle is determined by complex interactions between the central nervous system, endocrine system, and the immune system.

During sleep, your body releases cytokines, which are essential for the regulation of the immune system. Cytokines are required in increased amounts when you are attacked by a pathogen or are under stress. The level of cytokines increase during sleep, and therefore lack of sleep hinders the body's ability to fight infections. This is also a reason why the body tends to sleep more while suffering from any infection.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, chronic sleep loss poses a potential risk to the immune system. In a study conducted by Ackermann et al., researchers compared white blood cell counts of 15 subjects under normal and severely sleep-deprived conditions.

In the first part of the study, 15 participants followed a strict 8-hour sleep schedule for a week. During the study period, they were exposed to 15 minutes of sunlight within 1 ½ hour of waking up and made to refrain from caffeine, alcohol, or medication during the last three days, to normalize their circadian cycle.

In the second part of the study, participants were subjected to 29 hours of continuous wakefulness period. After study completion, the white blood cell counts of the participants were compared, and it was found that a type of white blood cells known as granulocytes reacted to the sleep deprivation in a typical way of body's stress response, that too particularly at night.

What is the optimal amount of sleep?

The National Sleep Foundation recommends the following sleep ranges:

• Newborns (0-3 months): 14-17 hours
• Infants (4-11 months): 12-15 hours
• Toddlers (1-2 years): 11-14 hours
• Pre-schoolers (3-5 years): 10-13 hours
• School-age children (6-13 years): 9-11 hours
• Teenagers (14-17 years): 8-10 hours
• Younger adults (18-25 years): 7-9 hours
• Adults (26-64 years): 7-9 hours
• Older adults (65years and above): 7-8 hours

The above numbers reflect the ideal amount of sleep in normal circumstances; however, there are certain cases when people need more sleep, for example, while recovering from illness, jet lag, radical time zone shift, etc.

Can good sleep improve immunity?

Poor quality sleep can deteriorate immune response; however, a good night's sleep can increase your immunity. Good quality sleep helps improve the efficiency of T helper cells. T helper cells are the cells that fight invading bacteria, viruses, or any foreign antigen cells as part of the body's defence system.

Whenever a foreign pathogen enters the body, our immunity cells recognize them and release a protein called integrin. Integrin helps T cells to bind with the foreign antigens and ultimately destroy it.

According to a study published in the Journal of experimental medicine, T cells activate integrins and also identify the factors that can compromise the efficiency of T cells in attaching to the target pathogen.

It was found that hormones like adrenaline, noradrenaline, and pro-inflammatory molecules like prostaglandins interrupted T cells from combining with integrins. The level of these stress hormones (adrenaline, noradrenaline) and prostaglandins decreases during sleep. Hence, good sleep boosts the efficiency of T cells and improves the immune response of the body.

The benefits of good sleep are well established. Good sleep must be a priority in every person's life. Maintaining sleep hygiene, like sleeping in a comfortable and dark, cold environment, and eliminating electronics at night can help achieve good sleep. Regular exercising and avoiding alcohol and caffeine are also vital in improving sleep quality.

https://www.news-medical.net/health/How-Does-Sleep-Affect-Your-Immunity.aspx

Cultivate the Perfect Evening Routine to Avoid Insomnia

From lifehacker.com.au

I’ve never had trouble waking up in the morning. When the alarm goes off, I’m up and ready to work — but falling asleep was always another matter. If it feels like it takes you hours of tossing and turning before you actually fall asleep, there are a few things you can do to help.

Photo: Prostock-studio, Shutterstock

We’ve talked in the past about perfecting your morning routine to start your day, but having a good evening routine is just as important. If you find that you don’t fall asleep as easily as you’d like, the text below lays out what you can do during the day, followed by how to craft a better evening routine that’ll help get you off to sleep faster.

What you can do during the day

It may seem silly to think about falling asleep during the day, but if you’re as annoyed by insomnia as I am — not to mention the exhaustion it can cause the next day — it’s worth giving a bit of thought. Here’s what you’ll want to keep in mind during the day for better sleep at night.

Eat meals earlier

Plan your day so that dinner time falls earlier in the evening. Heavier foods can take a lot of work for your stomach to digest, which might make it harder to sleep well, so don’t eat heavy within two hours of bed time (and stay away from spicy and junk food if you want to keep the nightmares away). If you get too hungry as bed time creeps around, there are a few foods that are ok to eat before bed, and can even help you sleep — like bananas, oatmeal, and whole wheat bread, to name a few.

Get up and do something after you eat

The desire to nap after a meal can be overwhelming, especially during a tiring day, but you want to avoid this, since it’ll make it harder to fall asleep that night. After you eat, get up and do something a bit more active — even if it’s just washing dishes or taking out the trash. It’ll avoid that post-meal drowsiness, and it’s a great time to have a 10-minute cleaning burst.

Avoid napping (at least for now)

Napping during the day can be useful, but as you start getting the hang of this new routine, avoid napping during the day. As Health.com explains, napping can make it more difficult to fall asleep at night:

“Even just a little bit of a power nap reduces your night-time sleep drive,” says Ralph Downey III, PhD, director of the Sleep Disorders Centre at Loma Linda University Medical Centre in California. “The nap becomes nothing more than another episode of fragmented sleep.”

If, after you’ve thoroughly tested your evening routine and gotten better sleep, you still feel drowsy, you can try adding a power nap to your day, preferably during the early afternoon. But as you start out, be aware that it has the potential to do more harm than good.

Exercise regularly

Getting in a regular workout can help you sleep better at night, even if your workout takes place in the morning. CNN explains:

An active lifestyle might also mean a more restful sleep. The National Sleep Foundation reports that exercise in the afternoon can help deepen shut-eye and cut the time it takes for you to fall into dreamland. But, they caution, vigorous exercise leading up to bedtime can actually have the reverse effects.

A 2003 study, however, found that a morning fitness regime was key to a better snooze. Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre concluded that postmenopausal women who exercised 30 minutes every morning had less trouble falling asleep than those who were less active. The women who worked out in the evening hours saw little or no improvement in their sleep patterns.

Find some time in your day when you can sneak in some activity. If you aren’t sure where to start, the Lifehacker Workout is a simple regimen that won’t take too long and doesn’t require equipment.

What your evening routine should include

Once night rolls around, it’s time to start thinking about your pre-bed routine. Any pre-bed routine is a good thing — it tells your body that sleep time is coming, in traditional Pavlovian fashion — but these particular things will make your evening routine even more effective.

Leave your work alone

As you wind down the work day, take some time to prepare your first task for the next morning. It can be hard not to think about work during the night — especially if there’s something important the next day — but the more prepared you are the day before, the more you’ll be able to relax and fall asleep that night.

Find the perfect bedtime

You want to go to bed at the same time every night, and wake up at the same time every morning — even on weekends. To find the perfect time to go to sleep, count back seven and a half hours from the time you usually wake up. This ensures you wake up at the optimal moment during your sleep cycle. You generally want to wake up 10 minutes before your alarm goes off. You can adjust this by 15 minute intervals to find the perfect bed time for you. If you have trouble sticking to this schedule, put it on your calendar or set a bedtime notification on your smartphone.

Don’t drink caffeine or alcohol

We already know what caffeine and alcohol do to your brain, and neither of them are good sleep aids. Caffeine is obvious; you want to stay away from it as much as possible in the hours before sleep — or even in the afternoon, if you can help it. And while alcohol may seem like it helps you fall asleep, it won’t give you the kind of deep sleep your body needs. If you drink, do it a few hours away from your bedtime for a better night’s rest.

Find a relaxing activity (that doesn’t involve a screen)

Choose something low-key to do before bed, like reading a book. Bright screens like the ones on your TV or computer emit blue light, which suppresses melatonin, the hormone that encourages your body to sleep. Read a physical book or use an e-ink based reader rather than reading on an iPad or your laptop. If you absolutely must use a screen (like if you’re a big fan of digital comics), at least use something like the cross-platform Flux to keep the blue light to a minimum.

Lower your body temperature

You may have noticed it’s much easier to sleep when it’s cool out, and that’s because your body temperature naturally goes down at night when it’s time to sleep. Lowering your body temperature is easy when it’s cold outside, but if opening the window won’t cut it, a hot bath can do wonders:

Two hours before bed, soak in the tub for 20 or 30 minutes, recommends Joyce Walsleben, PhD, associate professor at New York University School of Medicine. “If you raise your temperature a degree or two with a bath, the steeper drop at bedtime is more likely to put you in a deep sleep,” she says. A shower is less effective but can work, as well.

You could even do the aforementioned reading in the bath and kill two birds with one stone. We’ve also mentioned a number of ways to cool your body and your brain at night, as well as a few DIY air conditioners that should help keep your room a little cooler.

Don’t lie awake in bed

If you find that you’ve been in bed for 15 minutes and aren’t feeling tired, get up and do something else. Go back to reading that book, or doing something else that won’t make your body think it’s time to wake up. You want your body to associate your bed with sleep and nothing else (except perhaps sex), once again working our Pavlovian tendencies to get us sleeping when our head hits the pillow.

While you can tweak your schedule to fit your specific tastes or needs, these tricks should get you started into overhauling your evening into a much more sleep-conducive routine.

https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2021/01/cultivate-the-perfect-evening-routine-to-avoid-insomnia-2/

Insomnia: Its Causes, Symptoms And Celebrities Suffering From It

From shethepeople.tv

Insomnia refers to a sleep disorder. The ones suffering from it face troubles in falling or staying asleep. This condition can be acute, that is, short-term or chronic, that is, long term. However, it can also come and go. As for acute insomnia, it can last for a single night or continue for a few weeks. Chronic insomnia can continue for months.

Causes of Insomnia

• One of the primary causes of this sleep disorder is stress. If you worry too much about your academics, work, family etc., you are likely to catch the disorder.
• An irregular work or travel routine also contributes to the problem. Working for long hours, jet lag from travelling or constantly changing shifts can lead to sleeplessness.
• Poor sleeping habits happens to be a major cause behind the sleep disorder. This includes irregular sleeping schedule, working on bed, using computer or cellphone before going to sleep and an uncomfortable environment to sleep.
• Mental health disorders such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or depression can also cause the disorder.

Symptoms

• You find difficulty in falling asleep.
• One tends to wake up during the night.
• Awakening too early is another prominent symptom.
• No matter how much you sleep, you always feel tired.

Celebrities suffering from the disorder

• Kate Humble: Speaking to Express, Kate said, “Lying in the dark my brain would start to go mad. I’m a worrier. I say I don’t care what people think but actually, I do.” She continued saying, “Sleep becomes the enemy. In the middle of the night, insignificant injustices feel enormous.” By way of example, she said that if somebody took her car parking space as she was about to drive in, she would replay all the things she should have said to them as they got out of their car.
• Madonna: In her interview with rolling stones a few years back, Madonna opened up that she has been suffering from insomnia since a long time. Because of her busy schedule, she needs to stay in the recording studio till late in the night and wake up early for her children. Hence, she found it difficult to get sufficient sleep.
• Lady Gaga: Lady Gaga’s fibromyalgia and PTSD have a negative effect on her sleep. In 2013, she revealed that she could not sleep while making music because she gets excited. Two years later, she brought to the notice of her Instagram followers that her thoughts can’t prevent her from sleeping. She would probably find progressive muscle relaxation helpful.
• Rihanna: In December 2017, the singer confessed that she returned home late and watched TV for a long time. This resulted in her lack of sleep, thereby leading to insomnia. In her case, the disorder was self inflicted.

Some Key Takeaways

• Deprivation of sleep leads to insomnia.
• Stress, irregular travel or work routine, poor sleeping habits and mental health disorders are some of the causes behind insomnia.
• Difficulty in sleeping, waking up suddenly and feeling tired are some of the major systems of insomnia.
• Several prominent celebrities such as Kate Humble, Lady Gaga etc. suffer from the disorder.

https://www.shethepeople.tv/health/sleep-disorder-insomnia-symptoms-and-celebrities-suffering-from-it/

How to fall asleep fast: Better sleep hygiene is crucial when you're anxious

From cnet.com

If stress and anxiety are affecting your sleep schedule, look no further. We spoke to researchers to find out tips for falling and staying asleep -- even during the pandemic

You're lying in bed at night, with every intention of going to sleep to get that full eight hours of rest. But your brain doesn't seem to want to turn off. Chances are, there's something in your life that's keeping you up -- a big project at work, a child going off to college or, you know, the global pandemic that is killing thousands of people each day and has radically changed the way most of us are living. Next thing you know, you're watching the clock and your thoughts start to spiral -- I'm still not sleeping, I have to wake up in three hours, I'm going to blow my presentation, I'm going to get fired.

Sound familiar? Everyone experiences sleep difficulties like this from time to time. But during the pandemic, reports of trouble sleeping and bad dreams have skyrocketed in the US. 

"Although sleep typically occurs during night, our mental and physical preparation for sleep occurs across the 24-hour period," said Natalie Dautovich, an assistant professor of psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University and a fellow at the National Sleep Foundation. "So, it makes sense that any stress, changes in routine, lack of outdoor activities or exposure to light, or more time spent on electronics that occur during the pandemic could have a negative impact on our sleep." 

Sleep difficulty is also a symptom of anxiety and depression, which have both increased in the US during the pandemic. Anxiety is a normal human emotion, but when it becomes severe it can impact our daily functioning, including sleep, said Selena Snow, director of the Snow Psychology Group, which specializes in cognitive behavioural therapy for anxiety, mood disorders and trauma. 

When we're feeling overly anxious or stressed, our body goes into fight or flight mode, which produces more stress hormones, increases respiration, heart rate and muscle tension -- none of which are conducive to falling asleep. We don't need to completely eliminate anxiety to fall asleep, Snow said -- but we do need to bring it down to a manageable level. 

If you're finding that you're having trouble sleeping, here are some research-proven tips that can help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer, broken into three categories: environment, routine and emotional state. (We'll also explain when it's time to contact a medical professional, as a chronic lack of sleep can be a symptom of another health issue, or can lead to medical problems down the line.) 

27 tips to help you sleep better, starting tonight

Improve your sleep environment

Your first step toward better, less anxious sleep is improving your sleep environment, and plenty of studies light the path for what to do.

Lower the temperature. The best sleep happens in a room that's between 60 to 67 degrees F, research shows. When you get tired, your temperature starts to drop to get your body into sleep mode. If a room is too warm, your body won't reach its optimal sleep temperature, and it'll be harder for you to fall and stay asleep. 

Put down your phone or laptop at least one hour before bed. I know, this is a tricky one. But the reason why is twofold, said Jen Butler, CEO of stress management training firm J.B. Partners and a diplomat for the American Institute of Stress. 

First, the blue light from your phone messes up your circadian rhythm, making it hard to fall asleep. Second, when you're on your phone, you're likely to be on social media or the internet, and come across something related to politics, the pandemic or other negative news that can trigger a stress response in your brain. Without even realizing it, you're keeping your mind awake. 

Invest in a comfortable mattress, sheets and pillows. You don't want your body to be uncomfortable during sleep, which can wake you up. 

Turn your clock or phone around. Don't watch the minutes tick by as you're trying to sleep.

Mask noises. You can find plenty of white noise apps and machines to block out unwanted sounds while you're trying to sleep. 

Create a new routine

Breaking bad habits before and after you get into bed can go a long way to improving your sleep. Here are some that will get you on the right track. 

Avoid the news and social media. About two hours before you want to go to sleep, you shouldn't consume any news, social media or anything potentially negative or stressful, Butler said. 

Wake up at the same time every day, no matter what time you go to sleep. When you shift your focus from when you go to sleep to when you wake up, your body starts to acclimate, and goes to sleep at the same time every night, studies show. 

Limit caffeine, alcohol and chocolate, especially at night. All of these are stimulants that can keep you awake. 

Get out of bed. Many people fall into a pattern: You get into bed and lie awake worrying about whether or not you're going to fall asleep. Then, your brain starts to associate your bed with a place where you go to lie awake and worry about sleep, as opposed to a cue for actually going to sleep, Snow said. 

You want to break that link. If you notice that you're lying awake in bed worrying about sleeping, you should get out of bed and go do something quiet and relaxing, like read a book on your couch. When you start to feel drowsy, go back to bed. You don't want the bed to become the stimulus for staying awake. 

Put yourself in a better emotional state

Sleep relies on the connection between your body and mind. And there are simple ways to put your mind in a better emotional state to help yourself fall asleep faster.

Avoid catastrophizing. Our thoughts and worries play a major role in our ability to sleep, Dautovich said. "You cannot force yourself to sleep, so try to avoid putting pressure on yourself to sleep or catastrophizing if you don't sleep," she added. That means avoiding the anxious spiral of what will happen the next day if you don't fall asleep soon. 

Challenge those thoughts and worries, and try to replace them with more helpful ones like, "I didn't sleep well last night, but I'll be OK today" to relieve some of that anxiety, Datovich said. 

Another trick is to sing the ABCs in your head, over and over. That will keep your brain from thinking about anything else, and eventually wear it out like a muscle to help you fall asleep, Butler said. 

And remember: humans can function fine even when we're tired. Think of new parents who've been up all night with their baby, or emergency room doctors who have been on call for days. It may not be comfortable, but it's not impossible. 

Perform deep relaxation exercises. At this point you may be tired of hearing about mindfulness and meditation. But there are certain activities you can do that tap into this idea of regulating your mind and body without the need for any app or set of instructions, Butler said. 

For example, lay on your bed for five minutes listening to something calming, whether its soothing music or sounds of waves crashing or a classical piece. Visualize yourself relaxing in your favourite place -- the beach or a cabin in the woods or wherever. Visualize yourself falling asleep. 

You can also try exercises to ground your mind, like the 54321 exercise, in which you pay attention to five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell and one thing you can taste at the moment. This directs attention to your senses and away from worrying about sleep. 

Control your breathing. Focusing on your breathing can slow your breath (which often becomes more rapid when you're anxious), and can also redirect your attention from thoughts like "why haven't I fallen asleep yet?"

Try progressive muscle relaxation. Tensing and relaxing different muscle groups can also help your body physically relax. 

When to seek professional help

Again, it's not uncommon to experience occasional difficulty sleeping, especially considering all the factors that contribute to healthy or unhealthy sleep. But difficulty sleeping becomes problematic when it occurs several nights per week, and lasts for more than a month, Butler said. It's also an issue if the persistent lack of sleep interferes with your daily activities (such as falling asleep while driving, or on the job), and has led to problems with your memory and concentration. 

At that point, you should make an appointment to see your primary care physician. That professional should be your first point of contact when it comes to anything related to stress (as opposed to say a sleep centre) because they can look at your health comprehensively, and can refer you to the specialists you may need, Butler said. Lack of sleep can be a disorder in and of itself, but it can also be a symptom of many other medical conditions, including anxiety, depression and hypothyroidism. 

If you are diagnosed with clinical insomnia, there are different treatment options. If you've already made the changes outlined in this story, your doctor may recommend cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia. This can help you learn to control or eliminate the negative thoughts and actions that keep you awake, and is generally recommended as the first line of treatment. It's often equally or more effective than sleep medications, according to the Mayo Clinic. There are also lots of prescription and over-the-counter sleep aids that your doctor may recommend. 

Whether your sleep troubles are caused by a temporary stressor or a more persistent anxiety, "it's important to recognize that there is an increased amount of anxiety during the pandemic, and that's an appropriate response to something that is very scary," Snow said. "Be gentle with yourself when you notice you're having anxiety, rather than beating yourself up. And reach out and ask for help if you do need it." 

Ultimately, this pandemic will pass, Butler said. "This is temporary, and the more we can view it as a moment in our lives, it will help put things in perspective," she added. "The definition of stress is how we perceive the world. If we can perceive this time as just a moment, we will be better off. We will all sleep much more soundly at night." 

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-fall-asleep-fast-better-sleep-hygiene-is-crucial-when-youre-anxious/