All posts tagged: Insomnia

Donald Trump’s health results delayed as doctor raises serious ‘risk’ concern | World | News

Donald Trump’s health results delayed as doctor raises serious ‘risk’ concern | World | News

Published by Sam Flores

Donald Trump’s health report has yet to be made public after the US President underwent a medical at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Trump visited the facility on Tuesday for what was his third physical examination of his second term in office. The White House has not confirmed whether the results will be released, despite previously publishing updates on the President’s health. The 79-year-old insisted he was in good shape following the appointment. Posting on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “Just finished my 6 month physical at Walter Reed Military Medical Center. Everything checked out PERFECTLY. “Thank you to the great Doctors and Staff! Heading back to the White House.” The medical comes amid renewed scrutiny over the President’s health ahead of his 80th birthday, particularly after repeated public appearances showing bruising on his hands and swelling around his ankles. The White House has previously attributed the bruising to frequent handshaking and Trump’s daily aspirin regimen. In July, the President was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency — a common condition in older adults which can …

Why Your Body Jerks Awake When You Fall Asleep, According To Research

Why Your Body Jerks Awake When You Fall Asleep, According To Research

Published by Jenni Sidey

It’s a lazy Sunday afternoon. You’ve actually done your chores for the day, and you’re ready to relax. You find a nice, warm spot on the couch where the sun hits it just right, and you’ve started drifting off into a gentle nap. Suddenly, your body jerks. You’re jolted awake, and maybe you’re sweating, or your pulse is racing. You might even have had a dream that you were falling from a cliff and woke yourself up so quickly that you ended up in a pile on the floor.  If your body jerks awake right as you’re falling asleep, there’s a strange scientific reason for it Grustock | Shutterstock What you’ve just experienced is called a hypnic jerk, and though scientists don’t really know what causes it, they’ve surmised a couple of things about it.  A hypnic jerk, often called a sleep start, is a natural reaction of your body when you fall asleep quickly There might be other factors involved, such as stress, alcohol, or caffeine. This might keep you from relaxing properly, keep your brain awake, and convince …

18 Simple Habits People Who Sleep Exceptionally Well Practice When Insomnia Strikes | Debra Smouse

18 Simple Habits People Who Sleep Exceptionally Well Practice When Insomnia Strikes | Debra Smouse

Published by Jenni Sidey

When it comes to taking care of my own physical, mental, and emotional health, I find maintaining optimal sleep habits is key. Fending off sleep deprivation can feel challenging these days, especially when seasons are changing, but if you want to live a life you love, making your wellness a priority by following some specific tips on how to sleep better is critical. While I’m a big fan of getting adequate sleep, I also know how easy it is to slip into the habit of going to bed late. But once you get out of a healthy sleeping routine, it’s hard to get back in the groove, and soon enough, you’re back to looking in the mirror each day and asking yourself, “Why am I always so tired?” There are so many attractive options to keep us up at night — from television to Facebook to Netflix, and so on. And when the weather is nice, it’s tempting to take a late walk or sit on the porch for a while, relaxing instead of going …

I Paid To Nap Like An Artemis Astronaut And Somehow Had The Best Sleep Of My Life

I Paid $40 To Nap Like An Artemis Astronaut And Somehow Had The Best Sleep Of My Life

Published by Jenni Sidey

“I think I might be spending $40 to go take a nap for 40 minutes,” I texted my boyfriend. Like most who know me well, Rob knows that naps are essential to my continued health and happiness. In fact, I like to say that I’m making up for all the naps I refused to take as a toddler, now in my mid-30s.  Chances are, you lead a very busy, very frantic kind of life. Between work, family, and other responsibilities, sometimes it can feel like even managing to get six hours of sleep a night is a major accomplishment.  This is a reality I have refused to accept. Especially when considering research on sleep habits. A study of more than one million people over six years showed that those who had six or seven hours had a lower death rate than those who regularly slept eight or more hours, or less than four. That’s why when I heard about a special spa in midtown Manhattan where I could shell out two twenties and then be …

Waking Up Every Night At 3AM? You May Have This Common Sleeping Condition

Waking Up Every Night At 3AM? You May Have This Common Sleeping Condition

Published by Sam Flores

I have insomnia, but not the kind that means I struggle to fall asleep (in fact, the speed and ease with which I nod off at night put me off seeking help for years). Instead, the problem happens in the early hours of the morning. It reaches roughly 3am, and my body wakes me up – a common enough process, but one which I, for some reason, don’t recover from. After the disruption, I stay up for hours, only feeling able to sleep when it’s time to get up and go to work. This persists no matter how much shut-eye I do (or don’t) get, how much exercise I do, or how early I go to bed. If that sounds familiar, you – like me – may have something called sleep maintenance insomnia. What is sleep maintenance insomnia? According to Harvard Health, the term refers to a lack of sleep that happens not because someone can’t nod off, but because they wake up and can’t fall back asleep. According to Harvard Health, the term refers …

How scientists have changed their minds on insomnia – and the best way to get to sleep

How scientists have changed their minds on insomnia – and the best way to get to sleep

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore for tips on living a healthier, happier and longer life Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Insomnia may have been torturing humanity since ancient times, but over the last 20 years scientists have made progress in their understanding of chronic sleep deprivation. Today, sleep deprivation is one of the most widespread reported psychological problems in Britain, with about a third of the adult population in England reporting frequent insomnia symptoms. Insomnia rarely occurs on its own, which brings us to one of the biggest changes scientists have made in our understanding of chronic sleep deprivation. The vast majority of people with insomnia often have other mental and physical health conditions, like diabetes, hypertension, chronic pain, thyroid disease, gastrointestinal problems, anxiety or depression. In its diagnostic history, insomnia coupled with another illness or disorder was called secondary insomnia. That meant that insomnia was considered a consequence of those other underlying conditions. As such, until fairly recently clinicians did …

How scientists changed their view of insomnia

How scientists changed their view of insomnia

Published by skeptic

Insomnia may have been torturing humanity since ancient times, but over the last 20 years scientists have made progress in their understanding of chronic sleep deprivation. Today, sleep deprivation is one of the most widespread reported psychological problems in Britain, with about a third of the adult population in England reporting frequent insomnia symptoms. Insomnia rarely occurs on its own, which brings us to one of the biggest changes scientists have made in our understanding of chronic sleep deprivation. The vast majority of people with insomnia often have other mental and physical health conditions, like diabetes, hypertension, chronic pain, thyroid disease, gastrointestinal problems, anxiety or depression. In its diagnostic history, insomnia coupled with another illness or disorder was called secondary insomnia. That meant that insomnia was considered a consequence of those other underlying conditions. As such, until fairly recently clinicians did not generally attempt to treat secondary insomnia. But in the early 2000s, both research and clinical practice evidence started to indicate that this approach was wrong. Scientists argued that insomnia could precede or long …

It’s not as simple as being a ‘light’ or ‘deep’ sleeper. Here are four factors affecting your rest

It’s not as simple as being a ‘light’ or ‘deep’ sleeper. Here are four factors affecting your rest

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore for tips on living a healthier, happier and longer life Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Not everyone can sleep through rumbling traffic or a spouse’s incessant snoring. If you do, you may pride yourself on being a “deep” or “heavy” sleeper. If you struggle to fall or stay asleep, you may consider yourself a “light” sleeper. But is there such thing as being a light or deep sleeper? And can you change how deeply you sleep? Sleep is a cycle Sleep is not a single, static state. Rather, it’s a cycle that unfolds and repeats across the night, in two main stages. Stage 1: Non-REM sleep Sleep begins with non-rapid eye movement sleep, also known as non-REM sleep. This is made up of three phases, ranging from a first phase of very light sleep, to the deepest and slowest form of sleep in the third phase. Stage 2: REM sleep Rapid eye movement or REM sleep …

Six Science Backed-Ways To Help You Fall Asleep Faster

Six Science Backed-Ways To Help You Fall Asleep Faster

Published by Sam Flores

I struggle with sleep maintenance insomnia, which means that I have no problem falling asleep: it’s staying asleep that I struggle with. But roughly 15% of adults find it hard to nod off to begin with. That can lead to chronic sleep deprivation, which is linked to worse blood pressure, an increased risk of heart attack, and even a higher chance of getting into a car crash. Here, we’ve listed some science-backed ways to speed up your journey to the land of nod: 1) Put your phone away at least half an hour before bed I love a late-night scroll as much as any of us, but there’s a reason the NHS says we could consider putting our screens away before bed. Even having an unused phone near participants’ pillow seemed to increase their sleep latency, or how long it took them to doze off, in one study, while those who looked at their phone 30 minutes or less before hitting the hay also had a tougher time sleeping. 2) Will yourself awake It sounds …

What could be causing your insomnia and when to get help

What could be causing your insomnia and when to get help

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore for tips on living a healthier, happier and longer life Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Everyone has the occasional bad night’s sleep, but when could persistent tossing and turning in bed point to something more serious like insomnia? We spoke to Jason Ellis, professor in psychology at Northumbria University and director of the Northumbria Centre for Sleep Research, who highlighted some key warning signs to look out for and suggested some factors that might be causing these issues. What is insomnia? “The most general definition of insomnia is problems getting off to sleep, staying asleep or waking up too early in the morning that exists despite having adequate opportunity for sleep,” explains Ellis. “The clinical definition goes a little bit further in terms of quantification, and says that this should happen at least three nights a week for at least three months in order to be classified as chronic insomnia.” What causes insomnia? “Insomnia in those …