ANCSLEEP BLOG

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a depressive mood disorder that affects people only at certain parts of the year. It mostly affects people in the winter months, after daylights savings, when it gets dark very early in the day. The lack of light that most people are exposed to during this part of the year can create feelings of sadness, a lack of motivation, the desire to sleep a lot, and other symptoms synonymous with depression. 

The thing that makes SAD unique from depression is that it is not year round. It affects as much as 3% of people inthe US, with lower energy, a lack of concentration and irritability, and sleeping issues. Continue reading to learn more about SAD's effect on sleep.  

Sleep apnea is a common sleeping disorder that involves brief cessation in breathing called apneas. These apneic events can be due to an obstruction (the most common) or a brain stem disorder (central sleep apnea). Although these brief pauses only last for a few seconds, they are still quite concerning to bed partners and are detrimental to your health. 

In this article, we are going to talk about arrhythmias and their connection with sleep apnea. Arrhythmias are just one of the ways that sleep apnea can negatively affect one's health. Although one of the lesser known causes of arrhythmias, they are serious enough that any risk factors must be addressed as soon as possible. Continue reading for more information. 

COVID-19 unfortunately is far from being over. New strains seem to be arising quite often, and as life tries to get to a new normal, there always seems to be this imminent threat. Aside from the stress that causes, COVID itself causes many problems, particularly at night. 

It's not new information that a connection exists between your immune system and sleep. So if your illness causes you to have trouble sleeping, then that could inherently make your immune system weaker, giving you more trouble fighting the virus and getting better. Here are a few COVID-19 symptoms that ruin sleep, and ways you can help yourself get the rest you need for a good recovery. 

Sleep is required for our health. However, some have more trouble falling asleep than others. Many have turned to melatonin as a supplement for sleep. Melatonin is the main hormone that regulates sleep in the body. When someone doesn't make enough of it, they may turn to an over-the-counter synthetic hormone for a boost.

However, there may be a new supplement on the horizon. Gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA, is a natural hormone found in the body as well that has been shown to be promising for sleep promotion. It promotes a calming effect and only affects the early stages of sleep. Studies are still early, but promising. Continue reading to learn more about GABA and if it may be a suitable alternative to melatonin for you. 

In the age of the great resignation and the pandemic, more and more people are pursuing their own business. They want to be more in control of their work life balance, and have learned how to monetize their hobbies. Although being your own boss sounds great, entrepreneurship comes with its own set of struggles. 

One of those struggles is not getting enough sleep. There is a joke on social media that says I hated my 9-5 so I started my own business and now I work 24/7. Although more business owners may laugh at the irony of this, many of them live that reality. Owning a business comes with the responsibility of being in charge of all of its operations. This can be stressful and create many barriers for creating separation between work and life.

Here are some of the reasons why entrepreneurs aren't getting enough sleep and what you can do to combat that. 

Going through a divorce is one of the most distressing things a person can go through. It's an unbearable amount of pain, sadness, guilt, and other feelings that can cause chaos to one's life. One area of your life that may be dramatically affected by a divorce is sleep. 

Sleep may seem like a common thing that disappears during intense moments of one's life. However, getting sleep can actually be a pretty effective buffer against extremely overwhelming stress. So, when you're going through a divorce, and feel as if you can't control anything, you may want to at least try being in control of your sleep patterns. Here are some things you can try to help you get a good night's rest during a very tumultuous time. 

Record setting heat waves are on the rise, and with increased energy demands worldwide, it may be increasingly difficult to keep your house the optimal temperature for sleep. This can lead to disrupted sleep and increased sleep deprivation during that period of time. 

Sleep deprivation due to just general discomfort can lead to some severe consequences. Mood swings, poor memory and concentration, among other physical disturbances, are just a few of the ways that this can be problematic. Continue reading for tips on how to stay cool at night during warm temperatures. 

Since the pandemic the rise in melatonin use in children has steadily increased. Pediatricians are seeing more adults giving children melatonin and ever before. This is due to the major sleep disturbances they experienced at the height of the pandemic. However it is becoming more alarming that melatonin use has become an everyday thing instead of a sleep aid to use every once in a while.

Nighttime disturbances in children can be disruptive to a child's daily function and to everyone else in the house. However, it's important to understand that the long-term use of melatonin has not been studied in children. Therefore it is unknown what will happen to children who use melatonin on a daily basis.

Another concern is the risk of melatonin overdose and children. The calls to poison control have risen over the last couple of years due to melatonin overdoses. Part of this is due to the fact that melatonin is packaged and gummies which is very appealing for kids. They think that melatonin is candy and consumer as such. Tablets are less appealing to children and therefore experience less overdosing than the melatonin gummies.

Continue reading to learn more about why overdose of melatonin looks like in children, and what you should do if you suspect that your child has eaten more melatonin and they were intended to.

Breaking up can be a really devastating event in your life. When you are emotionally, financially, and physically invested in someone, separating from them can be a truly heartbreaking series of events. The longer and more tangled you are with them, the more of your life that is disrupted and has to be changed. 

One part of your life that my be particularly disrupted is your sleep. Post-breakup insomnia is a series issue. Not only are you going through this emotionally distressing time, but you are becoming sleep deprived. Sleep deprivation has its own set of consequences, including mood dysregulation, lack of attention, focus and memory, and reduced optimal functioning. Add a break up to that, and getting through the day may seem practically impossible. 

Continue reading for some tips to help you get a good night's sleep, even if you are going through a heartbroken time. 

As a flight crew, meaning a pilot or flight attendant, good sleep can be hard to come by. Flying, whether private or commercial, can make getting a good night's rest seem nearly impossible. The times can be at odd hours, and long hours. The job itself is physically and mentally draining with all the flying, dealing with customers, and trying to make sure that everyone is safe. 

But, considering the alertness that is required for a job like flying, sleep is very important. A lack of sleep can lead to issues with focusing and concentration. But as a customer who is 30,000 miles in the air, the last thing you want to hear is that your pilot only slept a few hours. 

Therefore, it's important as a member of a flight crew, no matter your role, that you manage to get a good night's rest. Continue reading to find out how to get good sleep as a crew.