Tag Archives: sleep

Having a hard time falling asleep?

15 Friday Nov 2019

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Get a whiff of lemongrass! According to Stanford University, the scent of lemongrass boosts the brain’s production of sleep-inducing alpha waves within 5 minutes. That’s because the scent dampens activity in the part of the brain that controls tension and emotional outbursts. So, mix 3 drops of lemongrass essential oil with a little unscented lotion – and rub it into your neck and shoulders. It’ll help you drift off in no time.

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Are your anxieties keeping you awake at night?

07 Thursday Nov 2019

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You might sleep better under a blanket with weights sewn inside it. Kind of like a comforter, but with weights and polyfill stuffing in every square. Several studies have shown that weighted blankets feel like you’re being hugged – which helps calm people with ADHD and autism. So, researchers at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst decided to try it on people with garden-variety anxieties. The result: When anxious people slept under weighted blankets, 75% of them fell asleep easily and stayed asleep.

Want to try it? Just Google the phrase “weighted blanket.” You’ll find a variety of fabrics and weights between 10 and 30 pounds. And they start at about $100 dollars.

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Are your feet freezing? Try this!

30 Wednesday Oct 2019

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Here’s a home remedy for warming your feet on those days when they’re chilled to the bone: A bottle of sesame oil and an old pair of wool socks. But don’t use toasted sesame oil, unless you want to smell like Chinese take-out.

Now, here’s what to do: Pour a quarter-sized amount of oil into your palm and massage it all over each foot – top and bottom – for 5 minutes… or have someone else do it. Then, put on the socks. It’s an Ayurvedic medicine technique – which is one of the oldest forms of holistic medicine. That’ll warm up your chilly feet fast, because sesame oil is instantly warming, and one of the most nutrient-rich and easily absorbed oils around. It’s also known to reduce anxiety and encourage restful sleep.

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Naps don’t work for everyone.

12 Thursday Sep 2019

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So how do you know if they’ll work for YOU? Take one for 20 minutes, and see how you feel when you wake up. UC Riverside psychology professor Dr. Sara Mednick says if you wake refreshed, you’re one of the 45% of adults who’ll enjoy clearer, more creative thinking, and sharper motor skills after napping. But if you wake up groggy, naps just aren’t your thing and they NEVER will be! Dr. Mednick says the ability to wake up energized can’t be learned. It’s in your DNA. And you’re either wired to benefit from naps or you’re not! And if you’re a habitual napper who takes at least a couple naps a week, you can’t STOP! Because if you decrease the amount of sleep you’re getting – including those naps – your thinking and motor skill function will go down the tubes. It’s a huge productivity killer.

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Now you can go to the gym… to nap!

31 Wednesday Jul 2019

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It’s a trend our researchers spotted, with many fitness centers offering a class called “Napercize” – where you work out for a while, then go down for a nap with a bunch of strangers. The temperature is taken down to 67 or 68 degrees, which is ideal for sleeping, and each person gets a little cot, a blanket, and an eye mask.

The class is designed to help boost your mental and physical wellbeing and reinvigorate the mind and body.

While it may seem ridiculous to some people, taking naps has remarkable benefits for our mental health, which is backed by research from Pennsylvania’s Allegheny College. And think about it: Nap-time has been working for years in kindergartens all over the planet. So, maybe it’s time for us adults to give Napercize a try.

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Tart cherry juice for sleep and gout!

04 Thursday Jul 2019

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We’ve repeatedly told you that tart cherry juice is THE thing to drink to help you fall asleep faster. The juice is packed with melatonin and tryptophan, which work together to help us sleep better, naturally. But even if you don’t have trouble sleeping, here’s why you may want to pick some up anyway… it helps with joint pain from arthritis or gout. That’s because the cherries reduce levels of uric acid, which is linked to both of those conditions. Cherries are also full of anthocyanins. Those are powerful antioxidants that reduce inflammation. So try tart cherry juice if you have any issues with joint pain or inflammation – and you just might sleep better, too.

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Are you looking for a great way to relax?

03 Monday Jun 2019

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Do you have a hammock, porch swing, or rocking chair? Use them! According to the University of Rochester, that’s a proven way to relax… even if you’re totally stressed. It can also relieve aches and pains caused by tension. It goes back to when we were babies because being gently rocked releases calming brain chemicals that act like pain-relieving antidepressants. Rocking can even improve sleep by boosting production of brain-calming neurotransmitters which reduce anxious thinking, the same way anti-anxiety drugs help prime you for sleep.

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Here’s a surprising way to reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s:

17 Friday May 2019

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Sleep on your side. When we sleep, the fluid in our brain works to clear out the waste products that can turn into the plaque linked to Alzheimer’s. In fact, our brain temporarily shrinks – but only slightly – so the fluid can get into all the nooks and crannies. And according to researchers at the Stony Brook School of Medicine, side-sleeping helps that brain fluid circulate more easily, allowing it to do a better job cleaning out the debris.

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Eat THIS and sleep better!

03 Friday May 2019

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Having a tuna sandwich for lunch one day a week – and grilled salmon for dinner one night – could be all you need to sleep better. The journal Sleep Medicine found people who have two servings of oily fish a week sleep deeper and more soundly than those who eat less fish. That’s because the omega‑3 fatty acids help the body produce more sleep-promoting chemicals. That reduces nighttime awakenings and increases vitamin D levels, which help improve sleep, too.

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Eat beans before bed to sleep better!

21 Thursday Mar 2019

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It turns out, the more fiber in your diet the better you’ll sleep. According to the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, people who munch more high fiber foods – like beans – spend more time in the deep, restorative stages of sleep. And in the study, people eating more fiber cut the time it took to fall asleep in half. And it only took one day for the changes to take effect. So why does fiber help us sleep better? Because it takes longer to digest, so the nutrients are released more slowly into the bloodstream. And that helps the body have an easier time winding down at night.

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