Sleep is one of our most essential biological functions but also our least understood. Most information out there is hopelessly complicated and makes it seem like it’s impossible for a regular person to understand. In this section, we break down just why it is that poor sleep is so hazardous to your health. We give you the tools you need to help you and your children get the restful sleep that you need to be healthy, happy, and high-functioning.
We also answer common questions that you may have about your sleep environment, debunk myths about sleep, and describe processes that happen in our brain. We’ll also explain more scientific terms like melanopsin, sleep spindles, and the flip-flop switch.
The lack of sleep seems to be one of the main problems of the 21st century. Many willingly or unwillingly sacrifice sleep so that they can have more time, making up for the lost sleep on their days off – but is that a good idea?
Here we present basic things you need to know about sleep as well as desirable and undesirable behaviors regarding your sleep health.
Sleep is a natural process during which we rest. Many predictable things happen during sleep – for example, we go through different sleep stages every night, the most famous of which is rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Here you can learn about REM, light and deep sleep, and what the characteristics of each one are.
It’s so easy to notice how powerful sleep is – after just one night of sleep deprivation, we feel tired, drowsy, and can’t focus or perform well. But these are not the only consequences. The more science makes progress and the more research is done; the more we see the importance of sleep – its immense effect on our hormones, mental and physical health. Lack of sleep has been associated with heart problems, memory and attention deficits, and even cancer.
We’ve got you covered on this. You should find out how much sleep you actually need and what your chronotype is. Knowing these things can help you organize your schedule. Once you’ve done that, stick to the schedule.
It’s very important to go to sleep and wake up at about the same time every night. This is how your brain learns its routine and ‘plans’ your sleep accordingly, meaning that, in the morning, you’ll wake up from a light sleep stage, all refreshed and happy.
For a good night’s sleep, you also need to pay attention to your sleep environment. The best is to sleep in a quiet, totally dark and slightly chilly room.
America is currently in the middle of what Matthew Walker, author of Why We Sleep, refers to as a sleeplessness epidemic; all demographics are reporting that they are sleeping less than the recommended 8 hours per night. We always recommend that you get your sleep hygiene in order first if… Read More »Best Sounds to Fall Asleep To: Introducing Sleepline Audio
Amazon Prime Now does deliver over-the-counter sleeping pills and sleep aids. They *do not* deliver prescription medication. They have options to order OTC sleep aids from both Whole Foods and their Amazon-branded store. To get groceries and OTC medications delivered to your door from Amazon, you need a Prime membership.… Read More »Does Amazon Prime Now Deliver Sleeping Pills?
Best way to learn more from Dr. Jordan Peterson Jordan Peterson’s advice for people who have sleeping problems Question: I’ve recently developed a nasty case of hypnophobia and generally suffer from anxiety surrounding sleep. It’s become a significant negative force to my life. Cause, unknown. I’m rather well put together… Read More »What Advice Does Jordan Peterson Have For People Who Can’t Fall Asleep?
Apple Watch can officially track your sleep with the watchOS7 update. This major upgrade puts the watch in competition with other sleep trackers like Garmin Vivosmart and Oura Ring. When Apple announced watchOS7 back in June they also unveiled their Sleep app. What can you expect from the new app… Read More »How to Track Your Sleep Using Apple Watch
All Fitbit devices that have heart-tracking capabilities – other than Fitbit Charge HR and Fitbit Surge – have the ability to monitor your sleep stages. The sleep tracker gives you a record of your sleep stages that you can cycle through to see how much time you’re spending in each… Read More »How to Track Sleep Stages With Fitbit
HomePod is Apple’s answer to Google Nest and Amazon Echo, the smart speakers that are now commonplace in our homes. Setting an alarm is one of the basic features of the HomePod. You can set alarms using your voice by issuing a few simple commands. Here is what you need… Read More »How to Set an Alarm on HomePod
Smart speakers are the new alarm clocks. Technology has finally reached the point where we can stop setting alarms on our phones like neanderthals and actually use a home-based device that feels like it belongs in this millennium. The cool thing about smart speakers like Amazon Echo and Google Nest… Read More »How to Set an Alarm On Google Nest Hub and Mini
Mid-century modern design starting becoming popular in – as the name suggests – the 1950’s and 1960’s. This timeless aesthetic never really went out of style, but it’s been enjoying a resurgence in the past few years when style-conscious people started realizing that the clean lines, elegant functionality, and classic… Read More »Bedroom Design Guide: Mid-Century Modern
Echo is a brand of voice-activated smart speakers developed by Amazon. The devices use Alexa – a voice-powered assistant – to perform a variety of tasks including answering questions, controlling smart lights and thermostats, and setting alarms. They’re similar to competing devices made by brands like Google and Apple. Setting… Read More »How to Set an Alarm on Amazon Echo
Keep arriving at work way too tired? Cutting back on sleep takes its toll on your mental and physical health and we all know that, but a lot of people sacrifice sleep for their careers – which in reality seems to be counterproductive. It’s not only hurting your company, but… Read More »Sleep and Work – Why We Need a Balance
Can’t sleep? Many people solve this problem easily with a nightcap and many believe their sleep is better when they drink. Sleep does come easy when you have a drink in the evening and you’ll sleep deeply in the first part of the night. Great, right? Science tells us that… Read More »Alcohol Consumption and Sleep
Hostels can be a place where you hardly get any sleep, not only because you’re in an unfamiliar environment, but also because of noisy neighbors or people in your room. You can never predict who you’ll end up in a room with, but you can take certain steps to make the experience pleasant (and possibly have a good night’s sleep).
Sleeping well could increase your chances of conceiving. Although it’s not the only factor, sleep certainly plays a role in fertility; both male and female reproductive functioning gets better on sufficient sleep as hormones are balanced better and all organs work properly. Other factors that play a large role in… Read More »Sleep and Fertility
Excessive sweating typically happens because your body temperature is high, so figuring out what makes you hot is half of the battle. Some of the most common reasons include sleeping in a hot room, being at a certain age like puberty or menopause, or having anxiety. Sometimes hot flashes and… Read More »Excessive Sweating During Sleep
If you were to enumerate three things that are bad for your heart and are likely to cause a heart attack, what would they be? Do you feel that poor sleep is as big of a factor as a lack of physical exercise or smoking? As it turns out, sleep… Read More »Your Heart, Your Sleep – Sleep And Cardiovascular Health
The very first night in an unfamiliar setting always results in not-so-great sleep. While it’s never going to be as comfortable as sleeping at home, you can make a lot of wise decisions to help you sleep soundly in a hotel. Many people who struggle with sleeping in hotel rooms… Read More »Sleeping In a Hotel Room
Cortisol has an impact on how you sleep, wake up, and even learn. It has many important roles in the body, but it seems that many of us with our hectic lives and not-so-good sleep schedules may have more cortisol than we should. Too much cortisol is linked with anxiety… Read More »Why the Stress Hormone Cortisol is Keeping You Up At Night
Scientists have been updating us with information about how we sleep and what they have told us so far is that every year, Americans sleep shorter and have more sleep problems, such as the inability to fall asleep and stay asleep. Two 2017 studies based their findings on the National… Read More »Americans Are Still Having a Hard Time Getting Enough Sleep – But the Situation is Improving
Many people with insomnia complain about “racing thoughts” that they can’t control. It’s like an intense movie marathon that just goes on and keeps them awake for a long time – sometimes until sunrise. These thoughts could be linked to a particularly stressful period someone is going through or they… Read More »Racing Thoughts at Bedtime? Causes and Solutions
A later school start time could easily be on every teenager’s wishlist. They just never seem to have enough sleep, but they also don’t listen if parents tell them to go to bed early. As it turns out, teens’ circadian rhythm shifts as they become adolescents, so they’ll naturally feel… Read More »Is a Later School Start Time Better for Students?
Perhaps you’ve experienced the increased need for snacks and heavy meals after a night of short or poor sleep. Sleep has been linked with our hunger and self-control, as well as metabolism. Scientists keep warning that inappropriate sleep can lead to weight gain, obesity, and diabetes due to hormonal imbalances… Read More »The Effectiveness of Your Diet Depends on How You Sleep
About 25 countries observe Daylight Saving Time (DST) – moving the clock one hour forward in summer and one hour back in the fall so that we make use of the daylight in summer months. As much as you may be happy for the extra hour in fall, you’ll be… Read More »Is Daylight Saving Time Responsible for Heart Attacks?
Your sleep environment is simply the place in which you sleep. Your surroundings greatly determine the quality of your sleep. Items such as blackout curtains and earplugs can help to improve the quality of your sleep. What is a sleep environment? Your sleep environment refers to your surroundings while you… Read More »Sleep Environment
In a nutshell, foods that are good for your overall health are also good for your sleep. A well-balanced diet with just enough complex carbohydrates, proteins, healthy fats, fruits, and veggies will help you sleep well at night. Some of the well-known sleep disturbers include diets that are extremely high… Read More »Food, Diet, and Sleep – What You Eat Matters
Best way to treat full moon insomnia People have long noticed that it’s harder to fall asleep and stay asleep during a full moon. Even people who don’t notice any lunar effects on their sleep still occasionally report feeling sluggish and “hungover”, a sensation that isn’t noticeable on normal days.… Read More »Full Moon Insomnia: How the Moon Messes With Your Sleep
Getting regular and high-quality sleep is a crucial factor in maintaining and improving one’s health. Sleeping is your body’s way of restoring lost energy. Sleeping is also a way for your body to heal itself. Losing quality sleep can lead to daytime sleepiness, lack of energy, difficulty in concentrating, mood… Read More »Natural Sleep Aids
As anyone who suffers from insomnia can attest, a little bit of self-love goes a long way in helping you catch some Z’s. The flip side is true as well: masturbation also helps you wake up in the morning. According to our survey, the former is much more common. What… Read More »Masturbation and Sleep
If you or your loved one has suffered a stroke or a small (ischemic) stroke, you may be familiar with sleep problems that follow it – insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, and sleep-wake cycle disorders are among the most common. Those who sleep well after a stroke usually recover faster and… Read More »Stroke, Mini-Stroke, And Sleep – How Are They Related?
A well-known joke says that when you start college, you can only pick two out of these three: good grades, social life, and enough sleep. As grades are obviously important and social life doesn’t seem to ever stop being fun, most students opt for cutting down on sleep. What you… Read More »College Student Sleep Guide – Prep For Success
Sleeping pills are often used as a quick fix for a sleepless night but many Americans use them for much longer than advised. Pills mainly work by causing drowsiness and “knocking us out” until the morning comes. However, we won’t always wake up refreshed – especially if we take them… Read More »Sleeping Pills and Sleep
Best overnight weight-loss supplement Do you get sleepy after eating a lot of carbohydrates? Does that mean carbs are good for your sleep quality? There are many questions about the connection between carbs and sleep and not so many clear answers. So far the research suggests that a meal rich… Read More »High-Carbohydrate Diet And Sleep
A good night’s sleep may be more powerful than you thought. We are sleepier when we are sick because our body is more efficient in fighting off viruses and bacteria when we sleep; this is common knowledge. Did you know your immune system is stronger when you sleep enough? People… Read More »How Sleep Protects And Heals You From Flu
It’s very easy to see the effects of short sleep, shift change or restless non-restorative sleep. We feel daytime sleepiness and a lack of energy. Sadly, we don’t see the more adverse effects like changes in our genetic expression and hormonal imbalances. Those two problems are likely to cause cancer… Read More »Sleep and the Risk of Cancer
All of the microbes that live in our intestines are known as the gut microbiome. Some even call it our “second brain” because it influences so many processes (not just breaking down food) – our mood, mental health, hormone production, and sleep, to name a few. Taking special care of… Read More »Gut Microbiome And Sleep
Do you feel lonely because you didn’t sleep well? Is your loneliness impairing your sleep? It seems to work both ways when it comes to these two problems. You are probably not going to feel like a friendly person if you didn’t get enough sleep. What is more, other people… Read More »Loneliness and Sleep
Imagine this scenario: you are in a bad mood because you didn’t sleep well last night. The coworker/classmate you don’t particularly like does something wrong and it triggers you to tell him off or make harsh and inconsiderate comments. This means your poor sleep indirectly caused you to be rude.… Read More »Bullying And Sleep: A Guide For Children And Parents
Sleep and mental health are closely related. If one is disrupted, the other deteriorates as well. It is not uncommon for mental illness to cause sleep problems, but sometimes sleep problems occur first and a mental illness occurs within a few months or years. If a person treats mental illness… Read More »Sleep Disorders And Mental Illness: Causes And Consequences
ADHD is a disorder which has debilitating effects on one’s daily life; causing poor performance at school or work, mood swings, inability to stay still, focus, and sleep well. Its symptoms may appear as early as at two years of age, but many adults live with undiagnosed ADHD or misdiagnosed… Read More »Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) And Sleep
Dementia is not an uncommon problem among the elderly. It can occur as a symptom of a number of diseases, like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, and is usually progressive. People with dementia often suffer from one or more sleep disorders which further aggravate their state. Fortunately sleep problems can be addressed… Read More »Dementia and Sleep Disorders
Just like you take care of your personal hygiene in order to be physically healthy, you should practice good sleep hygiene so that you can be both physically and mentally healthy. Minding your sleep schedule and duration, sleep environment, and your bedtime routine can help your brain to work better… Read More »Sleep Hygiene – Good Sleep Practices
Best way to remove mold from your bedroom Mold grows in moist places and in almost every home the kitchen sink and bathroom are exposed to water and moisture every day. It can be recognized as greenish, grayish, or (most commonly) black spots in dark wet corners. When mold develops… Read More »Mold is a Silent Killer That Could Be Hurting Your Sleep
Bipolar disorder is a type of mental illness. Scientists believe it occurs after traumatic events or as a genetic problem. People with bipolar disorder have periods of mania (extremely active, indulging in pleasurable activities, sometimes not sleeping for days) followed by periods of depression (continuous sadness, hopelessness, lack of activity).… Read More »Sleeping With Bipolar Disorder
In a world where sleep deprivation is one the biggest sleep problems, a small number of people manage thrive on short sleep. A genetic mutation seems to be responsible for the fact that they can live perfectly fine on about 6 hours of sleep. For the majority of people this… Read More »Is There a Genetic Mutation That Causes Less Need For Sleep?
Marijuana is the most popular recreational drug across the country even though it is illegal in many states. As the stigma fades and marijuana is legalized in more states; it is essential to know how it affects certain aspects of our health, both positively and negatively. It is widely used… Read More »How Does Marijuana Affect Your Sleep?
Sleep and our daily performance are closely related. If we don’t get enough sleep, we react and move slower and have a hard time remembering facts and coming up with new ideas. Many tired people take their work home because they were not productive enough to do it in the… Read More »Sleep And Productivity – Rest More, Work Better
When a person is overly stressed they are likely to have poor sleep and even develop insomnia. It can be the other way round as well. An individual with no signs of stress could be sleep-depriving himself or herself which leads to an increase in stress hormones. This may or… Read More »The Relationship Between Stress And Insomnia
Best coffee for sleep Coffee and other caffeinated drinks are widely used to fight sleepiness and drowsiness, primarily in the morning but also at some other times of the day. For most people drinking coffee in the evening will make them go to bed a lot later than usual but… Read More »It Turns Out That Your Daily Coffee Habit Has a HUGE Impact on Your Sleep – How You Can Cope
We all know that short naps can make us feel refreshed and that coffee can give us an energy boost when we need it. Research shows that it is a lot more effective if you combine the two – consume some caffeine and take a short nap straight away. You’ll… Read More »Caffeine Naps – Are They The Most Energizing Naps?
Best way to sleep even if you use your phone in bed One thing scientists know for sure is that the light from screens increases our alertness and delays sleep time. They also know exactly why this happens. A question that has recently been asked is – what is the… Read More »Does Social Media Affect Your Sleep?
Safe sleep for babies means putting the baby to sleep in a safe position and in a safe environment away from things which could pose danger; like rolling over and falling down, or soft mattress, toys or other objects that might cause suffocation in sleep. Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)… Read More »Safe Sleep For Babies – Do’s And Don’ts
There are lots of differences between the sleeping needs of a newborn and a one-year-old; but what they have in common is that they both require a dark and quiet room to sleep, a good bed and a safe environment. A general rule is to make a bedtime routine and… Read More »How To Get A Baby To Sleep Safely And Successfully
After their return from deployment veterans often suffer from a number of problems. PTSD, pain and sleep problems are only a few of them and often come interconnected. In war they had to face challenges like prolonged stress, repeated injuries, constant sleep deprivation, and more. Unfortunately, only recently has there… Read More »Why Military Veterans are Having Sleeping Problems
It is widely known that chronic poor sleep can lead to serious problems with your immune system as well as your mental and physical health. It also increases your risk of developing various diseases – including sleep disorders. Epigenetics, a new, sometimes called ‘revolutionary’ discipline, helps us describe how our… Read More »Epigenetics and Sleep
Best way to chart your own sleep A hypnogram is simply a graph representation of one’s sleep cycle, as well as of nightly awakenings. It is useful when a rough image is needed so that researchers can easily visualize what someone’s sleep looks like and compare it to that of… Read More »Hypnograms – Graphs Representing Your Sleep
In today’s society, people are so busy that they usually cut back on sleep for their studies or work. Staying up all night to meet a deadline has almost become a norm. A norm with a cost. Sleep loss isn’t the only thing that causes various consequences, but also poor… Read More »What Are The Consequences Of Poor Sleep?
Zeitgeber is German for ‘time giver’. It refers to time cues that your body receives and which it uses for certain processes, like controlling your energy levels and alertness, hunger or sleepiness. Light is the strongest zeitgeber, as it tells the body when it’s morning (wake time) and night (sleep… Read More »How Light, Temperature and Other Zeitgebers Influence Your Sleep Time
Every one of us can see some of the obvious sleep benefits; such as good mood, attention, easy learning, and freshness. We can also notice how all of these benefits disappear after only one night of sleep deprivation. Research shows that sleep has even more benefits, like boosting our immune… Read More »The Many Benefits Of Sleep
We all feel great – happy, energetic and optimistic after a good night’s sleep. Having enough deep and REM sleep surely improves mood and attention. But how does sleep make us feel and perform better? Recent studies have found the key process for understanding how the brain clears out from… Read More »How Sleep “Reboots” Your Brain
The brain is one of the vital organs of the body. Human brain consumes about a fifth of total energy, although not large in size. Brain activity and energy expenditure fluctuate throughout wakefulness and sleep. The brain’s energy consumption during sleep is smaller, although not equal through sleep stages –… Read More »Sleep And The Brain: Energy Consumption And Distribution
Do you feel increasingly tired over the working week and then sleep in on weekends? This is one of the surest signs that you’re sleep deprived most of the time. Many people fill their daily schedules so much that they simply have no time to sleep enough. And how much… Read More »Make-up Sleep: Is It Reasonable To Try To Catch Up On Your Sleep?
Light sleep makes up most of an adult’s sleep cycle. We spend about 50% of our sleep in light sleep. Although not as restorative as deep sleep (also called slow-wave sleep) and not as vivid in dreams and emotions as REM sleep, it is an important part of our night’s… Read More »Stages Of Light Sleep
We have light receptors in rods and cones of our eyes – they play a role in our vision. However, there is another light receptor called melanopsin, and it doesn’t help us see better. It just helps our brain understand whether it is sleep time or wake time. You may… Read More »What Is Melanopsin And How Does It Affect Our Sleep Cycle?
Best way to stay awake while sleep deprived Overview Sleep deprivation causes a lot of imbalances and changes in the body and brain. After a sleepless night, our brain starts processing information in a different way. For some people, it is euphoria that they feel after an all-nighter. Sleep deprivation… Read More »Why Do Some People Feel Euphoria After Sleep Deprivation?
Overview You have probably noticed that from the time you wake up, your energy level seems to grow and then start falling down again – the longer we are awake, the more tired we feel. This can be ‘fixed’ only by sleeping. Then again, there are days when we are… Read More »How Is Sleep Regulated? The Two-Process Model
Overview Most of us sleep only once a day but it’s also normal if someone has a nap in the afternoon. For small children napping is a must, whereas babies sleep many times a day, waking up after about every three hours to eat. What we just described are three… Read More »How Many Times A Day Do You Sleep? Presenting Different Sleep Patterns
Overview Without any prior knowledge about sleep; what an average person would know about sleep is that it is a state in which we are unaware of things around us, that it usually happens at night, that we dream during sleep, that we grow more tired the longer we are… Read More »What Is Sleep? Definitions Of Sleep
Overview Sleep and learning are tightly connected. We could say that sleep helps us learn in two ways – one is before the actual learning. When we are well-rested, our brain is cleared out from sleep-inducing substances, fresh and ready for action. It is then that we are focused, concentrated… Read More »Good Sleepers Are Better Students: Learning And Sleep
Overview Saying that someone is a ‘short sleeper’ can be misleading because we don’t know whether it refers to someone who naturally needs little sleep or someone who is constantly sleep-deprived. This term is and can be used in both cases. Here we talk about all short sleepers – those… Read More »Short Sleep – When is it Dangerous?
Overview If you’ve ever been extremely tired, trying hard to focus on what the professor is saying when your head suddenly falls down and you quickly jerk to an upright position, having no idea what just happened – you’ve experienced microsleep. Falling asleep for a short time, usually from exhaustion,… Read More »Microsleep – The Unintended, Potentially Dangerous Sleep
Best way to learn more about sleep Overview If a person needs to receive anesthesia in order to undergo surgery, they may hear the doctor saying ‘We are going to put you to sleep’. Is this person really going to sleep while being operated on? And how about people who… Read More »The Three States Of Unresponsiveness: Sleep, Anesthesia, And Coma
Overview Waking up can be linked to various reasons, so to speak. One of them is in the morning when the light hits our eyes. We can also wake up due to the cat breaking a vase or loud music playing. We can also wake up in the middle of… Read More »How Do We Wake Up? The Processes Behind It
Best way to track your sleep stages Overview Sleep spindles are a type of brainwaves that come in bursts. They are described as an oscillatory activity of the brain which is mostly said to happen during stage 2 NREM sleep (light sleep) but it also occurs during deep sleep. Certain… Read More »Sleep Spindles Explained
Overview Sometimes we wake up feeling like our brain and body are still sleeping, and we are unable to think clearly or act right. We feel tired and groggy as soon as we open our eyes. This is called sleep inertia, and it happens when we wake up. Sleep inertia… Read More »What Sleep Inertia Is And How To Deal With It
Overview Different types of light have different effects on us and our biological clock. It is natural to be exposed to bright daylight when we wake up, and various processes in our body follow the day-night rhythm, where the day is activity time and night is the time for rest.… Read More »How Light Affects Our Sleep: Daylight vs. Artificial Light
Overview Hypnopaedia (also spelled as hypnopedia) means learning new information while sleeping. The idea of hypnopaedia was largely popular in the 1950s, and since then, companies have sold many audio-cassettes and CDs intended for sleep-learning. It was popular among famous and ordinary people who wanted to improve their image, learn… Read More »Can We Learn While Sleeping? Hypnopaedia: Myth and Reality
Overview Sleep has long been linked with an ability to successfully remember and learn things. Although scientists claim that there are many questions unanswered and many processes not fully understood, there has been a significant amount of research and interesting, unambiguous discoveries as to what sleep does for our memory.… Read More »Sleep And Memory – How Sleep Improves Our Memory And Helps Us Learn
Overview Some hormones are known to make us feel tired, help us relax and fall asleep; whereas the others depend on the quality and length of our sleep. Hormone levels rise and drop throughout the day and this fluctuation is usually directly or indirectly related to our circadian rhythm (biological… Read More »The Relationship Between Hormones And Sleep
Insulin regulates blood glucose throughout the day and night. Between 4 and 8 am, there is a surge in glucose – however, if insulin is able to do its job properly, it takes care of this situation. Our body consumes the least glucose during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep and… Read More »Insulin and Sleep – Do Sleep Problems Cause Insulin Resistance?
Best way to regulate your estrogen for better sleep Overview Estrogen (sometimes spelled oestrogen) is an important reproductive hormone which effects the sleep – both in men and women. Women produce more estrogen than men, which is natural because estrogen plays major roles in the menstrual cycle and pregnancy, as… Read More »Why Problems With Estrogen Might Be Keeping You Up at Night and How to Fix It
Overview You may have noticed that during hot, summer days it seems impossible to fall asleep without the AC. And maybe sometimes when it is late at night and past your bedtime, apart from feeling tired, you also feel cold. How are these things connected to your sleep? Throughout the… Read More »Body Thermoregulation and Sleep
Overview Although an important hormone for male health, testosterone is also present in women. With good and quality sleep, our bodies are able to replenish this important hormone. Testosterone can play its role successfully when balanced properly – excessive or deficient amounts of it are linked to numerous problems in… Read More »Testosterone And Its Role In Our Sleep
Overview There hasn’t been a single answer to this question yet because sleep is incredibly complex with numerous functions and processes occurring during sleep. Although physically quite inactive, our mental activity is not to be ignored. Our minds prepare us for future learning, we store information from short-term into long-term… Read More »Why Do We Sleep?
Overview The amount of sleep which is considered necessary for health and functionality is usually taken from the National Sleep Foundation recommendations. These recommendations do not appear to be simple numbers, like stating that you need 8 hours of sleep and that is that. How much sleep a person needs… Read More »How Much Sleep Do We Need?
Best GABA supplement for sleep Overview Unlike other neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid) doesn’t seem to enjoy the popularity it deserves. GABA is one of the most highly employed inhibitors in our central nervous system. What this means is that GABA prevents certain neurotransmitters from being effective,… Read More »What Is GABA And How Does It Affect Your Sleep?
Best way to monitor your sleep quality Overview Restorative sleep is defined as sleep which lasts a recommended amount of time, in which a person has gone through all stages of sleep, followed by a feeling of refreshment, clear-mind, and physical restfulness upon waking up. Opposite to restorative sleep is… Read More »Why Do I Still Feel Tired After Sleeping? How to Deal With Non-Restorative Sleep
Best way to increase your dopamine Overview Dopamine is frequently associated with positive emotions and a feeling of euphoria. However, researchers have discovered other interesting functions of dopamine – for example, its role in adverse events, where it carries out an important task in helping learn how to avoid negative… Read More »Sleep and Dopamine
Overview Deep sleep is one of the Non-REM stages of our sleep and it is veiled by mystery. Not much has been discovered about the effects of deep sleep – although we are aware of some of the physiological and psychological benefits, as well as the negative impact of deep… Read More »Deep Sleep – Basics You Need To Know
Overview If you have trouble waking up, feel tired throughout the entire day (not only after lunch), have trouble concentrating and performing your daily tasks, and struggle to stay awake, you are likely to be experiencing Excessive Daytime Sleepiness. This is not a sleep disorder, but rather a symptom. EDS… Read More »Excessive Daytime Sleepiness
Overview In short – yes, we do. Our bodies need the energy to support the activity of our vital organs, such as the heart and lungs, which keep working while we sleep. During deep sleep, or slow-wave sleep, our body cells are restored as the human growth hormone is released.… Read More »Energy Use During Sleep – Do We Burn Calories While Sleeping?
Overview REM sleep (REMS) has long been a field of interest for both the public and scientists who wanted to know more about what exactly happens during our sleep and why it is so. One of the reasons why REM has drawn so much attention may be the fact that… Read More »REM Sleep – How It Works and What The Benefits Are
Overview After we fall asleep, our body goes through different stages. These stages then repeat cyclically, and each of them is characterized by certain brain waves, body temperature, responsiveness, ability to dream. Stages of sleep and sleep cycles were first discovered and recorded after the invention of EEG (electroencephalograph), which… Read More »The Four Stages Of Sleep And Sleep Cycles
Overview Does your child experience sleep problems? Depending on their age, the type of problems may vary. There are some things every parent should know about their child’s sleep habits – for example, many parents of sleep-deprived children are not even aware of this problem. Sleep deprivation further leads to… Read More »Healthy Sleep Habits – A Guide For Parents
Overview Being sleepy, heavy eyelids, warm bed – before you know it, you’ve fallen asleep. What is this thing that can ’switch us off’ in the evening and ’switch us back on’ in the morning? We know what it feels like to be awake and what it is like to… Read More »Flip-Flop Switch – A Binary System Balancing Between Sleep and Wakefulness
Overview Have you ever arrived to work on a Monday morning to see that one energetic coworker with bright eyes and a smile on their face? On the other hand there is that latecomer always looking drowsy with eyes swollen and a cowlick or two. You could say there are… Read More »Chronotypes – What They Are and What You Can Do About Them
Overview Despite sleep taking one-third of our time, it remains a mystery for us. We know that sleep deprivation is bad for health. However, we have limited knowledge about the relationship between sleep and mental processes. We know that some people sleep less, others have difficulty in going to sleep,… Read More »Sleep and Creativity – Can Certain Sleep Habits Make You More Creative?
Overview This is a concept that defines cumulative loss of sleep during a specified period – it is about chronic sleep deprivation. Thus if you are sleeping an hour less than necessary for feeling fresh and energetic, and it continues for a week. Your sleep debt is equal to 7… Read More »Sleep Debt – Can You Make Up Lost Sleep?
Overview Chronic sleep deprivation is not a disease, but a cause. People get deprived of sleep often due to personal lifestyle choices, night shift jobs, and other habits. Sleep deficiency often occurs when humans intentionally shorten night rest, thus compromising on its duration. Excessive daytime sleepiness and headaches are common… Read More »Sleep Deprivation – How Losing Sleep Can Ruin Your Health
Overview This simply means sleeping twice during the 24 hours. It means having a shorter rest during the night and sleeping again during the daytime. Siesta is something that comes to the mind immediately when we talk about sleeping twice in a day. Biphasic sleep differs a bit. In siesta,… Read More »Biphasic Sleep – Is Sleeping Twice Better For Us?
Overview Sleep is polyphasic when a person sleeps multiple times a day. In most cases, a person would have one long sleep phase (monophasic sleep schedule) followed by numerous ultrashort sleep phases or naps. “So, how many times do you sleep? What is your sleep schedule?” Reply in most instances would… Read More »Polyphasic sleep: Can Ultra-short Sleep Phases Work For Us?
Overview Circadian rhythm is not merely about sleep and wake cycles. The deeper one goes into the topic; better a person understands that almost every bodily process has a rhythm. During the daytime, humans need more energy, better stress handling abilities. While in the evening, the body must relax, before… Read More »Circadian Rhythm and Adrenocorticotropic Hormone (ACTH)
Overview Sleep is most well-known physiological process, and yet most challenging to understand and study. We need to sleep long enough, and well enough for healthy life. Homeostasis means constant state. It is a term used in the study of human body working, a field called physiology. Thus homeostasis simply… Read More »Homeostasis and Sleep Propensity
Overview Even though arrhythmias may not pose an immediate threat to life, they may indicate the presence of some disease. It means complete health check must be done in those with such a problem. In young men, athletes, episodes of sinus bradycardia (abnormal slowdown in heart rate) may occur. In… Read More »Heart Rhythm Problems During REM Sleep
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Humans always knew about the refreshing effect that comes with sleep. They knew a lot about dream sleep. Due to the more vivid nature of dream sleep, people gave more attention to it. Lots of mystery surrounds dream sleep. However, people tend to give less attention to deep sleep. Our… Read More »How To Get More Deep Sleep
Quick Overview Magnesium is among the most abundant metals in our body. Researchers estimate that an adult body has at least 25gm of it. Half of that amount is in bones, another half in soft tissues. Less than 1% magnesium is in circulation or blood. Kidneys strictly control the levels… Read More »Magnesium and Sleep – Will Magnesium Help Your Sleep?