ANCSLEEP BLOG

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. 

A lot of our content focuses on what not getting enough sleep looks like, which is important because a majority of people do not. However, it's also important to know what the signs are if you are getting enough sleep because you probably are practicing some positive habits that you should aim to maintain.

Below, we are going to discuss signs that you're getting enough sleep, and if you recognize them, then continue doing what you're doing (if it's healthy). If you do not have any, or many, of the signs below, then you may need to make some adjustments to improve your sleep. 

Older adults commonly have sleep troubles, mostly due to physiological changes that can interrupt normal sleep patterns, but sometimes due to underlying disorders that can manifest into insomnia. It's important to identify these underlying disorders for accurate treatment. Sleep aids can have detrimental effects in elderly adults, so if they can be avoided through accurate diagnoses, then that will be better for their health. 

Below are some common underlying disorders that can negatively affect health. If you think one of these impacts you or a loved one, then it's important to speak with your primary care physician immediately. 

Substance abuse disorders and addiction are complicated diseases that involve the overwhelming desire or craving for drugs, alcohol, and other medications of abuse. Addiction and substance abuse disorders can cause turmoil for the individual, families, and can even result in permanent debilitation and death. 

Connections between substance abuse and mental health disorders have been well established, as well as mental health disorders and sleep disturbances. However, now researchers are starting to draw connections between sleep disturbances and substance use disorders. The causes of addiction are multifactorial and include both environmental and biochemical alterations, but sleep may play a key role in the development of addiction. Continue reading to find out more about this relationship. 

We have all had those moments where it's the night before Christmas, a birthday, a big interview, test, etc., and it's nearly impossible to sleep. We are wired, excited, nervous, and have too much stimulation to go to sleep. 

Although we feel nervous, it's important for us to still get adequate sleep. If we have a test or interview, the last thing we want to do is look or feel tired. If it's a celebratory day, eventually the lack of sleep will catch up to you and cause an early retirement. 

There are some tips and tricks to try when you need to get good sleep even though you are nervous.