ANCSLEEP BLOG

Sexsomnia, also known as sleep sex, is a type of parasomnia disorder. Parasomnia disorders are those that happen while you are asleep, and supposed to be "paralyzed" essentially. People with sexsomnia engage in sexual behaviors, like masturbation, sexual movements, sexual aggression or initiating sex while they are asleep. Their eyes may be open and they may be making noises, but they are unaware of their behavior once they wake up. 

Sexsomnia can cause a lot of shame and distress for individuals with it, and any bed partners. Here is some more information about what it is and how it can be addressed. 

There is a gland in your neck called the thyroid. It produces thyroid hormone that is responsible for regulating many processes in your body. When the gland no longer produces these hormones, it can have detrimental effects on many processes, including sleep. Continue reading to find out if your thyroid may be the reason you're having trouble sleeping. 

Cortisol is known as the stress hormone in your body. It is released from the hypothalamic-pituitary axis (HPA) which is a part of your brain that is responsible for the release of several key hormones in your body. Cortisol has a variety of functions, and when normal, is essential for key body functions. However, when levels of cortisol are abnormal, there are some key consequences, including your sleep. Continue reading to find out how cortisol affects your sleep. 

Diabetes affects more than 30 million people in the United States. It is also the 7th leading cause of death. The most common form is Type 2 Diabetes which is an acquired condition of insulin resistance. There are many factors that play into the development of this disease including genetics, lifestyle, and habits. One of those habits is sleep. There is a tight relationship between sleep and diabetes, and understanding management of one may help the other. Continue reading to find out more about this relationship and what you can do about it. 

Shift workers are those whose work schedule falls outside of the normal 9-5. They are often in healthcare, construction, manufacturing, or some other field that requires odd work hours. Although there are benefits to taking these shifts, this shift wreaks havoc on your health. Continue reading to find out ways to regulate your blood sugar as a shift worker. 

Diet and sleep are interlinked in a variety of ways. Although more about this relationship still needs to be discovered, it's clear that there are a few elements of our diet that can impact our ability to get good quality sleep. Vitamins are an example of a nutrient that we must get enough of throughout the day to avoid health issues related to their deficiencies. Below is a list of 5 vitamin deficiencies that can affect your sleep. If you think you're deficient in any of these, it's important you talk to your doctor before running out and finding supplements, as toxicity and overdosing on vitamins is possible. 

Fibromyalgia is a somatic pain disorder that can be very hard to treat, and very disruptive to one's life. Sleep quality can be a great way to improve symptoms, but it's very difficult to get good sleep with fibromyalgia. If you are someone with fibromyalgia and you struggle with getting good sleep, then below we are going to talk about some remedies you can use to improve your sleep. 

Iron deficiency anemia is a very prevalent disease in the United States. It stems from having some sort of iron shortage that then impacts your blood's ability to properly transport oxygen throughout your body. These can lead to some serious pain and even sleep disturbances. Treating anemia may help to relieve insomnia and other sleep problems. Continue reading to find out how anemia impacts sleep and what you can do to help treat it.  

Sleep disorders have one thing in common, they cause interrupted sleep one way or another. Therefore, it's important that if you have a sleep disorder, you find out the problem because interrupted sleep can lead to chronic sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation is more than just being tired. It can negatively impact several organ systems, including your heart. Heart disease is the number one cause of death worldwide, so it's important to do everything possible to maintain its health - including getting enough sleep. Continue reading to find out how common sleeping disorders can lead to cardiovascular disease!

Periodic limb movement disorder is a rare sleeping disorder that involves random movement of extremities that should be “paralyzed” during deeper levels of sleep. This syndrome is similar to restless leg syndrome (RLS) however it is different because it involves random and periodic movement of all of the limbs and not the tingling sensation of restless leg syndrome. However this can co-occur with restless leg syndrome. Keep reading more to find out more about this rare disorder to see if you struggle from it and what you can do to get the help that you need.