Tag Archives: sleepy

Being sleep-deprived makes us hungry!

29 Monday Jun 2020

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Being sleep-deprived makes us hungrier, because we need extra calories to power through our day. According to King’s College London, if we get fewer than 6 hours of sleep, the next day we scarf down nearly 400 additional calories – usually junk food. Because a lack of sleep throws off our hunger hormones, making them spike. And since a lack of sleep makes us moody and irritable, we tend to reach for high-fat, high-calorie foods to make us feel better.

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Why do we get sleepy and gassy on airplanes?

04 Wednesday Mar 2020

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Blame it on the air pressure. At cruising altitude, our blood absorbs less oxygen, which can make us sleepy, dizzy, and mentally fuzzy. So, get up every hour and do a couple deep knee bends or lunges to boost the oxygen in your blood. And eat spinach, which has B‑vitamins that boost the supply of oxygen-rich red blood cells to your brain and muscles. And getting gassy on a plane is also due to reduced air pressure. It causes gas to expand in the body. So avoid carbonated beverages and high-fiber foods, which will increase that gas even more.

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We yawn less in hot weather.

06 Thursday Jun 2019

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That’s because yawning helps cool the brain, so it can function at maximum capacity and help us stay alert. But when it’s hot out, we don’t get the brain-cooling benefit from inhaling boiling hot air. In fact, researchers found people yawn most when it’s around 68 degrees. And yes, being sleepy and stressed makes us yawn too because both of those physical states cause the brain to overheat.

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Here’s how to tell if you’re sleep-deprived in 5 seconds:

10 Wednesday Apr 2019

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Look around. Does it seem like everyone’s having a bad day, blowing you off, or uninterested in you? Then you’re probably under-slept.

UC Berkeley scientists had healthy people react to facial expressions after 24-hours without sleep. And they had trouble telling the difference between a smile, a smirk or a scowl. But after a restful night, the same people had no trouble telling the difference.

Bottom line: If everyone else seems crabbier, YOU need more sleep.

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Are you feeling “sweepy?”

26 Tuesday Mar 2019

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That’s when you’re sleepy and weepy, and get overly emotional. And there’s a reason for it. Because when we’re sleep-deprived, activity increases in the brain area that produces emotion. Plus, when we’re tired, our ability to control our emotions is weaker.

So if you cry at commercials when you’re tired – or burst into tears when someone gives you side-eye, that’s why. You’re sweepy.

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If you feel groggy halfway through the day, don’t guzzle more coffee.

30 Wednesday Jan 2019

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Pop vitamin D instead. According to the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, low levels of “D” are linked to daytime sleepiness. Here’s why: Vitamin D helps keep bones and muscles healthy – so too little can cause weak muscles, and sore joints that could keep you up at night. Also, low vitamin D levels are linked to inflammation – which directly causes sleepiness. So start popping up to a‑thousand International Units of vitamin D daily. Especially if you suffer from milk allergies, or are a vegetarian or vegan, and are getting less “D” than average.

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To feel more energized in the morning:

25 Friday Jan 2019

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Go to bed wearing earplugs! A joint study between British and Swedish researchers found people who feel foggy and slowed up in the morning probably aren’t producing enough cortisol, a natural brain-energizer that wakes us up, and heightens our alertness. But wearing earplugs to bed blocks low levels of overnight noise – like nearby traffic, or barking dogs. And research shows that when the quality of our sleep improves, our brain churns out more cortisol in the morning – giving us more focus and energy.

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If you’re tired you could eat as much as if you were high!

01 Tuesday Jan 2019

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When it comes to your brain, a lack of sleep is tantamount to smoking a bong! It ignites brain receptors called endocannabinoids – as in cannabis. And those receptors give us the munchies! So a lack of sleep makes you more vulnerable to cravings for sugary, high-fat foods – and makes eating them more pleasurable than normal. So make sure you get a good night’s sleep if you don’t want to pig out like a pot-head.

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Why are you so tired?

18 Wednesday Apr 2018

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Take a look at your fingernails. Do you see a bunch of white flecks? If so, you may have a zinc deficiency. As many as half of us are zinc deficient – and zinc is needed to convert food into cellular energy. Zinc also improves your sense of smell and boosts your immune system. So, ask your doctor about popping a zinc supplement – or add these zinc-rich foods to your diet: Oysters, liver, roast beef, pumpkin seeds, lamb, peanuts, and Alaskan King Crab.

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Are you always tired?

02 Monday Apr 2018

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If you feel tired all the time, but still find it hard to fall asleep at night, your cubicle may be to blame. Research at Northwestern University found that workers who didn’t have a window nearby – or a source of natural light – slept 47 fewer minutes a night, on average – compared to those who worked near a window. That’s because exposure to natural light helps synchronize our circadian rhythm, and boosts production of the sleep hormone melatonin at night.

So, what can you do if you work in a windowless office, shopping mall, factory, hospital or casino?

Lead researcher Dr. Phyllis Zee recommends spending at least a half hour a day outdoors – or by a sunny window – so you get the natural light you need to sync your hormonal rhythms with day and night. You’ll feel less daytime sleepiness – and be more ready for sleep at night.

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