Category: sleep

Snoring Is Not Healthy: Here’s 5 Natural Ways to Remedy It

Snoring is a common sleep phenomenon. But while some may think that it means that someone is sleeping soundly and sweetly, it’s actually the opposite. Snoring can be a health warning. Snoring happens when one’s upper respiratory tract is obstructed and must breathe hard during sleep. It’s the sound of inhaled air vibrating with the…


What Is Brown Noise? Can This Latest TikTok Trend Really Help You Sleep?

The latest TikTok trend has us listening to brown noise. According to TikTok, this has multiple benefits including helping you relax and quickly fall into a deep asleep. Getting insufficient sleep, and insomnia are common. So it’s no wonder many people are looking for ways to improve their sleep. But can brown noise help? If…


Struggling to Sleep?

Most people who have sleep apnea don’t realize it. That’s because this disorder only occurs during sleep. Sleep apnea is when you have pauses in breathing while you’re asleep. These pauses can last from seconds to minutes. You may have difficulty breathing a few times or dozens of times an hour. These breathing pauses can…


Too Little Sleep Could Have Teens Piling on Pounds

New research suggests that not getting enough sleep may doom adolescents and teens to obesity and poorer health as they enter adulthood. Those who slept less than eight hours a night were more likely to be overweight or obese than their peers who do get enough sleep, the study found. Those shorter sleepers were also…


Reducing the Health Risks of Night Shifts

Night shift work increases the risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. It disrupts the body’s circadian rhythms—the 24-hour internal “clock” that controls when you sleep and wake. Studies have shown that eating at night alters the body’s metabolism. Specifically, it impairs your ability to process blood sugar, or glucose. Now, a study suggests…


Good Sleep for Good Health

Sometimes, the pace of modern life barely gives you time to stop and rest. It can make getting a good night’s sleep on a regular basis seem like a dream. But sleep is as important for good health as diet and exercise. Good sleep improves your brain performance, mood, and health. Not getting enough quality…


Experts Say Cooler Room Temperature Is Better for Sleeping

A National Sleep Foundation poll found that “cool room temperature was one of the most important factors in getting a good night’s sleep” with four-fifths of respondents saying that it was important to them. The Director of Tokyo Fatigue and Sleep Clinic, Osami Kajimoto, told Shueisha on July 21 that the most optimal temperature range…


Dr. Kenneth Wright on Shift Work and Sleep

Excerpts from our conversation with Dr. Kenneth Wright, Jr., an NIH-funded expert on sleep at the University of Colorado, Boulder. NIHNiH: What is the circadian system? And why is it disrupted by shift work, such as working the night shift? Wright: The circadian system is our biological clock. That biological clock controls the timing of a lot…


Health Risks Linked to Leaving Lights on at Night

Ensuring your bedroom is pitch black at night—without light exposure from a television, window, cellphone, or even your alarm clock—is a simple way to reduce your risk of chronic disease. It was only about 130 years ago that electric light was invented, bringing with it drastic changes in the way humans function on a daily…


Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep

Introduction Sleep is an important part of your daily routine—you spend about one-third of your time doing it.  Quality sleep – and getting enough of it at the right times — is as essential to survival as food and water.  Without sleep you can’t form or maintain the pathways in your brain that let you…