Weighted blankets are becoming more and more popular with sleepers who struggle with insomnia or nighttime anxiety. Weighted blankets must have enough pressure to induce a calming feeling in order to be effective. However, this pressure needs to be balanced so the user doesn't feel suffocated by the blanket throughout the night. Here, we are going to discuss the proper dimensions of your heavy blanket, so you can ensure you are using one that truly helps, instead of hurts, your sleep.
Work performancing and making sure you are able to keep the job that supports your family can introduce a major source of stress into your life. Your new job may be great, as far as benefits and striving towards what you want in your career. However, it could be costing you your sleep.
Regardless if you are in a new job, old job, or looking for a job, there are many "job jitters" that can creep into your sleep. New jobs can create worries about imposter syndrome, getting along with colleagues, and concerns about workload. This is called anticipatory anxiety, and can fall into the same category as Sunday scaries.
Stress can make it impossible to get a good night's rest, especially if it's associated with rumination. A survey found that 73% of respondents have lost sleep due to worrying about work. New job and current job worries are normal, but shouldn't take over your life. Continue reading to learn how to take back the night and get a good night's rest.
Adults use weighted blankets as ways to improve their sleep. However, weighted blankets can be problematic for children, especially small children.
This is unfortunate because weighted blankets have been shown to decrease anxiety and decrease insomnia symptoms. Hug-like feelings have been shown to promote relaxation, decrease stress, and improve sleep. This is especially helpful in those with autism and ADHD. Continue reading to learn more about the new product, weighted stuffed animals, that can provide children these benefits without the risks associated with weighted blankets.
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a psychiatric mood disorder that consists of fluctuating emotions, threats of self-harm, and attention seeking behavior. BPD requires various modalities of treatment, including psychotherapy, medication, and behavioral interventions.
One activity that may help reduce the severity of the symptoms of BPD is sleeping. Insomnia treatment may be important for managing BPD symptoms according to a recent study. Continue reading to find out more about this relationship, and ways to improve sleep in patients with BPD.
If you have had trouble sleeping, you may be willing to try anything. One option is icing your vagus nerve. Using an ice pack, you may be able to unlock better sleep with things in your own home. A new TikTok trends seems to be placing ice on your chest, which can help put you in a more relaxed state that can help you fall into a deep sleep.
Although you cannot believe everything you see on social media, there may be some science behind this hack. Cold therapy on the chest is supposed to stimulate the vagus nerve which is a cranial nerve that runs from the brainstem to the torso. This can help to regulate the body's parasympathetic nervous system (PNS).
The PNS is the "rest and digest" system responsible for putting the body in a calm state. After a stressful day where the fight or flight response is activated, this may be a useful trick to put your mind at ease enough for a good night's sleep.
Continue reading to learn if this trick is for you!
Research shows that 1 in 4 women have at least one symptom of insomnia. That could be difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or some combination of the two. Women are 40% more likely to have insomnia at some point in their life compared to men, even though women actually need more sleep than men.
Different sleep strategies could be helpful depending on the source of insomnia. Here are some common sleep tips that could help women, specifically, in terms of treating their insomnia.
Schizophrenia is a mental health disorder that is characterized b y hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized or paranoid thinking.
This condition is lifelong, and often needs treatment for the entirety of one's life. Schizophrenia first appears in one's mid 20s, but it can occur earlier or later.
Some original symptoms include disruption to your usual sleep pattern and can lead to insomnia and increased sleep latency. Circadian rhythm disruption is also an early sign of schizophrenia and can appear prior to any delusions, hallucinations, or other noticeable symptoms.
The relationship between schizophrenia and sleep are closely related, and understanding the relationship may help with management and treatment. Continue reading to find out more about this relationship.
If you have ever gotten a professional massage, you may have found yourself drifting in and out of sleep. When you come out of that dark room, you may have even felt in a haze. You can experiencing this same effect while getting your shoulders or feet rubbed before bed. Why is that? Many people find that being massaged makes them feel sleepy.
Part of this is due to the fact that your muscles are rubbed into a more relaxed stated. When muscles are tense, it makes it hard for you to be as relaxed as is required when you go to sleep. The other reason for this is because you are often in a dark, quiet room with your eyes closed. Your brain gets a chance to relax as you enter this spa-like era.
Continue reading to learn why massages have this effect, and how it can help with different sleep disorders.
Insomnia is a common symptom of multiple sclerosis, or MS. MS is an inflammatory disease that can become quite debilitating, including messing up sleep. Sleep deprivation can lead to daytime fatigue and low energy. Many experts believe that sleep-related disorders are direct consequences of the physical and emotional burden of MS. Continue reading to find out more about about MS and its impact on sleep, and how you can overcome these sleep issues.
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.