Alternative medicine
fromAlternative Medicine Magazine
18 hours agoWhat Science Is Now Telling Us to Do About Sleepless Nights
Stress significantly impacts sleep quality and duration, creating a cycle of poor sleep and heightened stress.
What's the best bedroom temperature for a restful sleep? There are few things more annoying than lying under a warm blanket, covered in sweat-it's not much better to find yourself shivering in a chilly room. In either case, the temperature in our bedrooms has a major effect on how well we sleep and therefore on our overall wellness. But is there such a thing as a universally perfect number for optimal snoozing?
Last week, I sat on the couch in our apartment in Itaim Bibi after cleaning the kitchen, prepping Emilia's snacks, and texting my husband about a grocery list. It was past midnight. I wasn't even doing anything special. Just scrolling. I knew the alarm would go off at 7 a.m. and I'd regret it. Yet I stayed up anyway, savoring the quiet like it was contraband.
You know those people who make you do a double-take when they mention their age? The ones who casually drop they're 52 but look like they could be in their mid-thirties? I met someone like this at a coffee shop last week. She mentioned her adult son was turning 30, and I nearly choked on my drink. I would've guessed she was maybe 40, tops. When I asked about her workout routine, she laughed and said she hadn't been to a gym in years.
Like clockwork, every night around 10 PM, I reach for my phone and open my white noise app. The familiar whoosh of ocean waves or steady hum of a fan fills my bedroom, and only then can I finally drift off to sleep. For years, I thought this was just a quirky habit I'd developed during college. But recently, I discovered there's actually fascinating psychology behind why some of us literally cannot fall asleep in complete silence.
Why would you do that? It's a way to remove distraction, calm your nervous system and practise mindfulness. And get clean. Yes, you also get clean. But this is more about finding those small, intentional moments that release you from the cares of your day. It sounds like an accident waiting to happen. You don't have to shower in complete darkness just in dim light, even by candlelight.
When I first read that, I was skeptical. But after trying it myself and digging deeper into the studies, the mechanisms started making sense. When we actively look for things to appreciate, we're essentially rewiring our brain's default mode. Instead of scanning for threats and problems (which our brains love to do), we're training it to notice the good stuff. It's like changing the channel from a disaster documentary to something that doesn't spike your cortisol.
"I can't tell you how many times I've had patients who have had so much trouble losing weight complain to me that their friends can eat whatever they want and never put weight on," Perlman, an integrative and functional medicine doctor and former chief medical officer for Mayo Clinic's integrative medicine program, told Business Insider. It's also one of the biggest misconceptions he hears about metabolic health.
When we say that someone has "slept soundly," what do we mean? Basically, we mean that someone slept well, but the sound part is interesting, since in the 21st century, there's a whole subset of our culture obsessed with using soundscapes, music, and sleep stories to either fall asleep more easily, or, in a more dubious claim, to promote better sleep.
Throughout my teaching journey, I've learned that yoga doesn't have to be extreme to be effective. One of the most supportive ways I've found to meet people where they are is bed yoga. Students have shared with me how the bed-based practices on my YouTube channel have helped them move, breathe, and rest on days when getting out of bed simply isn't an option.
Essential oils' health benefits Essential oils can provide powerful physical, emotional, and environmental benefits-especially when used alongside other wellness tools. While individual experiences vary, some of the most commonly reported positive effects include: Stress and anxiety relief: Oils like lavender, chamomile, and bergamot can help ease tension via aromatherapy and massage. Better sleep: Research has linked lavender and chamomile to improved sleep quality, especially in postpartum women and those with heart conditions. Sharper focus: Peppermint, citrus oils, and frankincense may enhance mental clarity and alertness.
Attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) includes a mix of ongoing challenges, such as having difficulty paying attention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. In the U.S., ADHD afflicts an estimated 7 million children, ages 3 to 17. According to one study, among American children, the prevalence of this diagnosis rose from 6.1 percent in 1997-1998 to 10.2 percent in 2015-2016.[1] Children with ADHD often struggle with low self-esteem, have troubled relationships, and demonstrate poor school performance. Symptom severity and frequency may lessen with age, and while some people never completely "outgrow" their ADHD symptoms, they can develop ways to live with them successfully.
The 4-7-8 method Here's how it works. First, place the tip of your tongue against your two upper front teeth, and keep it there. (The goal is to inhale and exhale around your tongue.) Then: Breathe in through your nose while you count to four. Hold your breath while you count to seven. Purse your lips and exhale-you should make a "whooshing" sound-while you count to eight. Repeat up to four times.
Spending more than 10 hours a week playing video games may begin to affect young people's eating habits, sleep quality, and body weight, according to new research led by Curtin University and published in Nutrition. The study surveyed 317 students from five universities across Australia. Participants had a median age of 20 years, placing the focus squarely on young adults during a key stage of habit formation.
I wanted to help her sleep soundly in her new "big girl" bed. But once she did, I didn't expect my own sleep to continue to be disrupted as well. I woke up at every creak of the house, wondering if it was my daughter roaming around, exploring her newfound freedom. I knew it was incredibly unlikely, but I feared that she would unlock the door and walk outside in the middle of the night.
The animals do, however, have neuronsnerve cells that appear interconnected throughout their body. And now a new study shows that how these animals sleep is surprisingly similar to humans, suggesting that sleep may have evolved before even the most primitive brains. The findings, published on Tuesday in Nature Communications, also help answer one of science's prevailing mysteries: Why do animals sleep?
We spend one-third of our lives asleep. This biological fact is something that, with time and technology, is less and less taken for granted. In many science fiction stories, the future of sleep is cozy and idyllic - an elevated state living within dream world. In others, sleep is more of an evolutionary shackle that gets in the way of productivity. The latter focuses on questions that haunt anyone who feels there are not enough hours in the day. What if we didn't have to sleep?
"[My train of thought] let its line down into the stream. It swayed, minute after minute, hither and thither among the reflections and the weeds letting the water lift it and sink it until-you know the little tug-the sudden conglomeration of an idea at the end of one's line."
I feel like these days with cannabis, we see all sorts of stuff. But wellness, it's tapped into, but it's not as tapped into as what you would expect, like joints or vapes, said Sawyer. 20 years ago, it was nothing.
I've surfaced from sleep in many weird, not-wonderful ways: waking up in my student accommodation in Maynooth to find I was not only in my boots, but sharing a single bed with two other fully grown people springs to mind.
Magnesium may not get the hype of iron or protein, but it's what keeps your muscles from locking, your heart from racing, and your nerves from short-circuiting. It's a mineral that steadies the current. Most people are low on it, especially those who drink coffee, live on stress, or sweat a lot. But, most foods rich in magnesium tend to be a little bland - nuts, grains and seeds - and in different hues of beige. Tart cherries, though, are the vibrant outlier.
This is a function of quantity and quality and you are meant to wake up feeling refreshed. For 90% of the population that means 7-9 hours sleep each night and breathing well while you are asleep. It's normal to take 10 to 20 minutes to fall asleep after lights-out. If you're dropping off within five minutes or find yourself falling asleep during the day, you're likely not getting enough sleep. But if you're still tossing and turning after 20 to 30 minutes, get up.
After host­ing the International Symposium on Olive Oils of Croatia and the Adriatic Coast in September, orga­nized by Olive Oil Times, the spot­light returned from October 9 to 11 for the eighth World Championship of Olive Picking. "We're build­ing a des­ti­na­tion brand that doesn't imi­tate but inspires," said Ivana Jelinčić, direc­tor of the Postira Tourist Board. Alongside the Tourist Board, the event was sup­ported by the Municipality of Postira, the local agri­cul­tural coop­er­a­tive and the Aldura Sport agency.
When you think about it, you likely poke a foot out, too, probably without even realizing it. It's natural to want to slide a few toes into the cool night air, especially when you can't fall asleep. It feels like an instant reset, and may help you fall asleep pretty much instantly - and there are quite a few reasons for that.
His team, who are based at the University of Sydney looked at data from 60,000 people over a period of eight years, noting how long they sleep, the minutes they spend exercising and their diet quality score (DQS). The DQS score, which is marked out of 100, is based on intake of vegetables, fruits, fish, dairy products, whole grains, vegetable oils, refined grains, processed meats, and unprocessed meats.