Insomnia expert shares simple trick to feel more awake on winter mornings

From discover.swns.com

By Lauren Wilkin

An insomnia expert has revealed the one tip she swears by to wake up energised even on dark mornings.

Dr Anna Joyce, a chartered psychologist and sleep therapist, says that when early daylight isn’t possible in the winter months, a consistent sleep schedule can help you feel awake – even in the dark.

“The most helpful tip is to keep a consistent wake time, even at weekends, to anchor the circadian rhythm,” explains Dr Joyce, who’s been researching sleep for 20 years.

The expert explains that the circadian rhythm is the “body’s biological clock.”

“It regulates functions throughout the day, including sleepiness and alertness, but also things like body temperature, hunger, physical and cognitive performance, and immune function,” she adds.

“Daylight as early as possible helps to support this anchor but this can be difficult during the winter.”

(Pixs via SWNS)

Dr Joyce – who runs her own insomnia clinic – says that our body clock is regulated by hormones: melatonin for sleep and cortisol for energy.

“By maintaining a consistent schedule, within about a half hour window, our body clock can predict what time to release these hormones to support us to feel alert or sleepy at about the right time each day,” she explains.

“Having a later schedule at weekends (or non-working days) mimics jetlag, making Mondays more difficult.

“There is also research showing that the consistency of sleep timing is even more important than sleep duration for long-term health.”

(Pixs via SWNS)

Aside from going to sleep and waking up at the same time everyday, Dr Joyce says there are some other ways you can survive the dark mornings.

“If people are up before dawn, then putting the lights on and starting the day with movement and something to eat also signal to the body that it is daytime.

“Although daylight is the strongest cue, movement and breakfast also help to anchor the circadian rhythm.

“Movement can be a workout or something more gentle like a walk or stretching.

“It’s also normal to feel groggy for around half an hour after waking up – it’s called sleep inertia.

“But if people are struggling beyond this in the absence of daylight, then it might be worth considering using a daylight lamp or visor to simulate daylight during the darker mornings.”

Lights bright enough to simulate sunlight can be prescribed for people who experience SAD – seasonal affective disorder.

It’s a type of seasonal depression that worsens in the winter due to the lack of sunlight.

“Visors are convenient because you can move around whilst wearing it rather than having to sit in front of a lamp,” Dr Joyce advises.

“Once it is light, then getting outside is still helpful.

“Contrast this by dimming the lights in the evening, as this cues the body to wind down for sleep.”

https://discover.swns.com/2026/09/insomnia-expert-shares-simple-trick-to-feel-more-awake-on-winter-mornings/ 

Why 'sleepmaxxing' could be making your sleep worse

From bbc.co.uk

Sleep scores, magnesium, white noise machines - what was once the simple act of sleeping has become a minefield.

Trying to optimise sleep in this way is called "sleepmaxxing". Take it too far, and you could end up with "orthosomnia" - the clinical term for an obsession with achieving perfect sleep.

While it's not formally recognised as a condition in the UK, doctors tell the BBC they've noticed signs of orthosomnia in their patients, with some bringing their sleep tracker data into appointments convinced, wrongly, that they have a sleep disorder.

That fixation is actually making people's sleep worse, they warn.

So how and why did sleep become so complicated? And if sleepmaxxing isn't the answer, what is the elusive secret to a good night's sleep?

By

'Sleep scores are completely made up'

The first commercial fitness tracker to incorporate sleep analysis was the Fitbit Classic in 2009.

Since then, many others - including Garmin, Whoop and Apple - have integrated sleep trackers into wrist-worn devices, as have smart rings such as Oura, Ultrahuman and RingConn.

These devices vary, but in general they all provide users with a report of their night, broken down by sleep stages - time awake, light sleep, deep sleep, and REM (rapid eye movement). Many also give users a "sleep score".

But the concept of a sleep score is "completely made up", according to Dr Alanna Hare, consultant of sleep medicine at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London.

"There's nothing recognised in sleep science that is a 'sleep score'," she tells the BBC. "That's just been created by manufacturers."

Hare says she's noticed trackers causing anxiety among her patients.

"I've noticed more patients coming to me with data from various trackers, with lots of questions about sleep that... is probably contributing to their sleep difficulties," she says.

Even though some have had medical tests with reassuring results, this hasn't allayed their fears, she adds.

"It's great that there's more focus on sleep as part of wellness," she adds. "But sleep just does not respond well to attempts to perfect it."

One proposed lawsuit against Oura, filed last month in San Francisco, alleges that Oura rings are unable to accurately measure sleep quality and sleep stages, and instead rely on AI-generated estimates that have "a coin flip's chance of being correct".

In response, Oura told the BBC that it "stand[s] behind our science, research and accuracy claims".

"We're committed to clearly communicating what Oura measures, what it estimates, and how members should use that information," the company added.

Daytime impact

Studies also show sleep trackers can affect how you function during the day, even if they're not accurate.

In one study, external from the University of Oxford, participants were given sleep trackers which assigned them a sleep score.

The scores were randomised, however, and had no relation to how the participants had actually slept.

The next day participants rated their mood, fatigue levels and alertness, before tests checking their focus and reaction times.

Researchers found that the people told they'd slept badly reported feeling more fatigued, and were less mentally alert - even though the sleep scores were all fake.

'Cycle of worrying'

This is something Jess Hill says she noticed in herself after getting a Garmin watch several years ago.

"I started to rely on the watch as my Bible for whether I slept well or not," the 32-year-old HR professional from London tells the BBC.

"I would think, 'I've had awful sleep so I'm going to really struggle today', even if I actually probably had okay sleep. If I'd slept really well, I'd be convinced I'd have to be on top - even though I was tired, I was pushing through things."

Image source,Jess Hill

Image caption,

Jess Hill was "obsessed" with her Garmin's sleep scores for about three years

Her "obsession", as she describes it, with getting a high sleep score lasted three years, until earlier this year, when she started to notice the watch wasn't reflecting how she'd actually slept.

"I was awake the other week for four hours in the night, and my watch was like 'wow, great sleep!' - I literally was awake from 01:00 until 05:00," she says.

The BBC has approached Garmin for comment.

Image caption,

Jess's sleep scores weren't matching how she actually felt

Dr Neil Stanley, sleep expert and author of the book How to Sleep Well, argues that gamifying sleep is creating more disordered sleeping.

"The thing with tracking your sleep is that it gives you a number, and this means you have a target," he tells the BBC. "So you get into this cycle of worrying about your quality of sleep or the quantity of sleep based on figures."

He says he carried out research into actigraphy - wrist-worn sleep trackers - around 40 years ago.

Though commercial trackers now are a bit more sophisticated, they work in much the same way - by measuring your movement - and have the same limitations, he says.

"If you want to measure sleep, you have to measure the brain," Stanley adds. "Unless you're measuring the brain's activities, you're not measuring sleep."

So how can we actually sleep well?

Hare recommends:

• Keeping your bedroom cool, dark and quiet - within reason. "That doesn't mean it needs to be pitch black, exactly 16C or totally silent," she says. "It should be coolish, darkish and quietish."

• 
  

• Seeing bright light in the morning, which is good for regulating your circadian rhythm - that is, your body's natural clock.

• 
  

• Doing light exercise, and eating a "healthy, Mediterranean-style diet with plenty of plant variability".

• 
  

• Above all, keeping it simple - "anything else, you don't need it".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c99drr70m2eo 

Foods That Fuel Insomnia and Increase Nightmares

From jordannews.jo

A recent study found that eating certain foods late at night may affect sleep quality and increase disturbing dreams and nightmares, particularly among people with lactose intolerance.

The study included 1,082 students, with an average age of 20, who answered questionnaires about their sleep quality, sleep disturbances, and nightmares, alongside questions about their eating habits, intolerance to certain foods, and whether they noticed specific foods affecting their sleep and dreams.

More than 40% of participants reported that eating a late-night snack or certain foods affected their sleep, either positively or negatively. 20% said foods like fruit, herbal tea, and vegetables helped them sleep better, while 24.7% reported that sweets, dairy products, and spicy foods negatively affected their sleep.

Looking specifically at disturbing dreams occurring after night-time eating, researchers found that dairy products and sweets were among the foods most commonly consumed by participants before bed.

A Clear Link to Lactose Intolerance
The relationship was especially pronounced among participants with lactose intolerance, who were more likely to report that late-night snacking negatively affected their sleep.

Among participants who said food negatively affected their sleep, 29.6% had lactose intolerance, compared to 19.5% among those who said food had no effect on their sleep.

Researchers believe digestive symptoms may explain part of this link, since stomach pain and digestive disturbances occurring at night can affect sleep and may lead to more vivid or disturbing dreams.

Dr. Tore Nielsen of the University of Montreal, the study's lead author, said nightmares tend to be worse among people with lactose intolerance and severe digestive symptoms, noting that physical sensations can influence dreams.

Researchers also found that eating late-night snacks, regardless of the type of food, was linked to an increase in dreams and nightmares. By contrast, people who rarely snacked before bed were more likely to remember their dreams compared to those who regularly ate late at night.

Findings Consistent with Earlier Research
These findings align with previous research linking digestive disorders to sleep problems. In a 2019 study involving 2,752 participants, researchers found a link between sleep disturbances and digestive conditions, including gastroesophageal reflux disease and irritable bowel syndrome.

Other research also suggests that night-time acid reflux can affect sleep, due to reduced efficiency of the oesophagus's acid-clearing mechanisms during sleep.
That said, the researchers stress that the study doesn't prove dairy products or sweets directly cause nightmares, nor does it mean everyone should avoid these foods before bed.

Nielsen noted that broader studies are needed, involving people of different ages, social backgrounds, and dietary habits, to confirm whether the findings can be generalized to the wider population. The researchers also plan to conduct an additional study comparing dairy consumption with other foods, aiming to more precisely understand the relationship between diet, nightmares, and sleep disturbances.

https://www.jordannews.jo/Section-122/Health/Foods-That-Fuel-Insomnia-and-Increase-Nightmares-55576 

Can weighted blankets help ease anxiety and stress?

From phillyvoice.com

By Courtenay Harris Bond

A new study shows they may help hospital patients, but wider research on their efficacy is limited

Some people who feel like they're carrying the weight of the world find benefit from using weighted blankets.

Often filled with plastic beads or pellets to increase their heft, weighted blankets have been popularized in recent years as a way to help relieve anxiety, stress and insomnia.

Now, a small study suggests that weighted blankets may help alleviate anxiety in acutely ill adults who are hospitalized.

"Hospitalized patients often experience heightened anxiety, which can negatively affect their recovery, sleep and mental health," Marci Ebberts, the study's co-author, said in a news release. "Our study found that a short treatment period with a weighted blanket can ease their anxiety significantly more than other nonpharmacologic methods, even after the blanket is removed.”

The study involved 54 patients treated at Saint Luke’s Health System in Kansas City, Missouri, between 2023 and 2025. Half of the group spent 20 minutes under a 15-pound weighted blanket before a 20 minute medical treatment. The other half spent 20 minutes under the weighted blanket after a 20 minute medical treatment.

Both groups reported an immediate decrease in anxiety levels that continued even after the weighted blanket was lifted.

Niels from Slaapwijsheid.nl/Pexels.com

Weighted blankets may help ease anxiety in hospitalized patients, a new study suggests. Wider research on the efficacy of weighted blankets for anxiety and insomnia is limited

How weighted blankets work

The idea behind weighted blankets, which weigh anywhere from 3 to 30 pounds, is to mimic deep pressure stimulation, which can be comforting and help settle down the nervous system. Think of getting a big hug or how babies are swaddled, the Cleveland Clinic says.

Weighted blankets are sometimes used in psychiatric settings or with people with autism as calming tools. But scientific evidence about the efficacy of weighted blanket is, in general, limited.

Some research has found an association between the use of weighted blankets and reduced anxiety and insomnia. Another study found evidence that weighted blankets may be calming for people undergoing outpatient chemotherapy treatments.

Limitations of the new study include the fact that it was so small and that it relied on self-reports from patients.

But there is no real danger in using a weighted blanket, as long as it is not more than 10% of a person's body weight, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Wirecutter offers recommendations for the best weighted blankets for adults and children.

https://www.phillyvoice.com/weighted-blankets-insomnia-anxiety/