Because learning about your brain and sleep can be fun . . .
Fifty-one years ago the nightly news was full of gory, gut-wrenching images from Vietnam. Nevertheless, the prospect of fighting that war or fleeing didn’t keep people up at night the way smartphones do today. The smartphone is apparently worse for sleep than a war. The effect of screens on sleep Adults often read and tell…
Meet the glymphatic system. It might be the most obscure system in the human body. By way of introduction, let’s remember that the three pillars of good health are diet, exercise, and sleep. Everyone knows that if you don’t exercise or move around, you affect your cardiovascular system. They also know exercise is also good…
Remember back to the last time you had a great night of sleep. What did you do then? That would make a great starting point in finding a regular course of bedtime rituals. When you find the most successful bedtime rituals for yourself you’ll have a starting point to find the best rules for you to live by.
Your dreams can be compared to the vital signs they take in a doctor’s office. Dreams are useful for self-diagnosis. It’s a rough morning. You feel sick after a restless night. You’re coughing up slimy yellow-green junk. You feel dizzy and vaguely nauseous. It’s time to go see your doctor, you decide. You call in…
In our secular society, suggesting that someone use prayer beads (also known as a rosary) to go to sleep is unconventional. It shouldn’t be. It’s a time-honored, effective drug-free way to soothe your mind, relax, and get your mind on the long term. The blessings are a bonus. I once met a man who had…
It’s like hanging from monkey bars by your feet for days. Being up all night all the time is all wrong—all of it. The circadian clock is built into our genes. Having a job and working nights is a violation of everything natural. Many otherwise tough people have tried to do it and failed. They…
To nap or not to nap: that is the question. Some people swear by the power of naps, actually calling them “power naps.” They’re powerful, they say, because they feel recharged, refreshed, and rejuvenated after they wake up. Others, not so much. They insist that if you’re struggling through your day after a night of sleeplessness,…
More is not necessarily better when it comes to melatonin. Starting melatonin? Look for low-dose melatonin (1 mg)—it’s not always easy to find. Can’t sleep? Take melatonin, people say. Melatonin can help you if your days and nights are all mixed up for whatever reason. It’s valuable for shift workers who are trying to sleep…
Beeeeep! You wake up, muttering a curse. You’re sitting in the driver’s seat. You fell asleep at the traffic light and the driver behind you laid on his horn. A couple of miles ago you finished working 12 hours, right through the night. You’re headed for the early class over at the university. You know…
Ancient Greeks also had a mixed relationship with sleep. The stigma didn’t start with us. It might not have begun with them. Hesiod and other ancient Greek writers had a choice. They could have made the god of sleep part of a family of positive deities. They didn’t. Instead, the family consists of a bunch…