Are Sleep Aids Safe?

Do you rely on sleep aids to help you sleep? You might be wondering if sleep aids are safe. I will readily admit that I depend on them on a weekly basis. Most of the time I feel sleep-deprived, some of that is brought on by me and some of that is due to my body going through changes. Getting up early everyday and not getting adequate sleep at night can make for challenging days so I do look forward to Friday night when I can take a sleep aid and get a solid night of sleep. This also allows … Continue reading →

Losing Sleep to Popcorn Brain

Do you ever find your mind too active to sleep? Maybe you’re turning one problem over and over in your head… or maybe your thoughts are pinging from one topic to another, racing along merrily while the rest of you desperately wants to rest. I like to call that hopping from one thought to another “popcorn brain”. Pop! A thought goes off over here. Pop! A totally different thought goes off over there! And if you imagine your head like a popcorn popper, it can quickly fill up with thoughts, leaving you very little space in which to calm down … Continue reading →

More Proof that Exercise Helps You Sleep

This message couldn’t come at a better time for me: I’ve been having a hard time falling asleep. Bedtime comes and I’m tired (or so I think) — but then I sit there staring at the ceiling for a good hour before shuffling off to snoozeland. Maybe more exercise is the answer. It certainly works for kids. A new study from the University of Auckland in New Zealand found that the more activity kids get, the faster they fall asleep at night. And the converse is true, too: the more sedentary a child is, the longer it takes them to … Continue reading →

Do Athletes Sleep Better than Non-Athletes?

Having trouble sleeping? If you tend to be an object at rest more often than an object in motion, that might be part of the problem. A study from the University of Basel in Switzerland looked specifically at teen athletes in their study on exercise and sleep. More than four hundred teens (the average age of study participants was seventeen) kept logs of activity and sleep patterns for a week. More than half of the participants were members of the “Swiss Olympic Classes“; the rest were more sedentary. The 258 student athletes exercised an average of seventeen and a half … Continue reading →

When Nightmares Attack

I’ve always had rather vivid dreams — or at least been very good at remembering my dreams. Sometimes, this is a good thing. A dream inspired my first published piece of fiction. Sometimes, this is a bad thing… like when I have a nightmare that makes me turn on all the lights, afraid to go back to sleep. According to the National Library of Medicine, nightmares are more common in childhood than in adulthood. (So are night terrors!) However, as much as fifty percent of adults (mainly women) still experience occasional nightmares. Tips to help prevent nightmares: Make a bedtime … Continue reading →

Night Terrors vs. Nightmares

I’ve always had vivid dreams: happy ones, sad ones, nightmares, weird ones, dreams that eventually got turned into stories. But every once in a while, a dream leaves me in an absolute panic. I wake up in a sweat, heart pounding, afraid to move and even more afraid to go back to sleep for fear of being back in the dream again. I had one of those last night. While I used to think nightmares and sleep terrors were basically the same thing, they’re not. What’s the difference? Night terrors tend to happen within the first few hours of falling … Continue reading →

Five Quick Fixes for Snoring (and One Slow Fix)

Experts estimate that nearly half of all adults snore. Are you one of them? Are you troubled by snoring (your own or your bed mate’s)? My mom used to snore — loud enough that I could hear her from my room with the door closed. She gave those Breathe Right nasal strips a try and they REALLY cut back on the snoring. She hasn’t stopped entirely, but the nasal strips did make a definite difference. Here are some more quick fixes for nighttime noise that may help you AND your spouse get a good night’s sleep. Change the way you … Continue reading →

The Colors of Sleep

Studies have shown that color can have an impact on your mood. If you’re having trouble sleeping, the colors in your bedroom may make a difference. Green can create feelings of peace and serenity that might make it easier to slow down and sleep. It’s also a good color for stress reduction. Blue encourages daydreaming, and signals the brain to release soothing, sleepy-time hormones. Purple helps calm anxiety and slow muscle responses. Pink can be calming, but different shades can appeal to different sexes. Women tend to prefer purple or blue pinks, while men prefer yellow-toned pinks like peach or … Continue reading →

Nocturnal Leg Cramps

Have you ever had a leg cramp wake you out of a sound sleep? Not the best way to wake up! Why does this happen sometimes? Even when we sleep, our bodies are still in motion. We roll over, we fight for the blankets, we stretch. (Just watch a dog’s feet twitch in his sleep if you don’t believe me!) During all this motion, our muscles contract. If a muscle doesn’t relax again — and stays contracted — you can end up with one of those sudden cramps. At least you don’t HAVE to suffer with nighttime leg cramps. Here … Continue reading →

When Your Medication Causes Sleep Problems

When I was trying to clear up my clogged ear, I picked up a variety of decongestants to try. My family doctor suggested traditional Sudafed — made with pseudoephedrine, which can be hard to get in some areas. The Sudafed worked, but caused a different problem: I had trouble sleeping. Most nights, I’d wake up every few hours — instead of sleeping straight through like I normally do. The doc had warned me that the decongestant might cause problems sleeping, and suggested that I only take it in the mornings (instead of twice per day as indicated on the package). … Continue reading →