alternativenewstome1

by  N.Morgan Insomnia, the inability to get to sleep or sleep well at night, can be caused by stress, jet lag, a health condition, the medications you take, or even the amount of coffee you drink. Insomnia can also be caused by other sleep disorders or mood disorders such as anxiety and depression. If you often struggle to fall asleep, you’re not alone: lots of people toss and turn for hours in bed before finally drifting off and getting some actual rest. When it happens regularly you can end up feeling constantly tired during the day, possibly overusing sugar and coffee to stay awake, and even getting depressed and gaining weight as a result. That’s serious! Doing the following yoga poses before bed will help you fall asleep (and stay asleep). They’re all quite simple, so even if you’ve never done any yoga and don’t think of yourself as “flexible,” you’ll be able to master these without a problem. More and more scientific ...

by  N.Morgan Sleep deprivation, also known as insufficient sleep or sleeplessness, is the condition of not having enough  sleep . It can be either chronic or acute and may vary widely in severity. A chronic sleep-restricted state adversely affects the brain and cognitive function. According to a recent  study , a lack of sleep can cause parts of the brain’s synapses to be ‘eaten’ by other brain cells. Astrocytes play an essential role in regulating  sleep. They  are a cell in the brain that get rid of worn-out cells. The study discovered that sleep-deprived mice had more active astrocytes than well-rested mice, meaning the brain started eating itself. “We show for the first time that portions of synapses are literally eaten by astrocytes because of sleep loss,”  research leader Michele Bellesi told  New Scientist . Multiple studies have proved the importance of getting a good night’s sleep for p...

by  N.Morgan Sleep is a vital, often neglected, component of every person’s overall health and well-being. Sleep is important because it enables the body to repair and be fit and ready for another day. Getting adequate rest may also help prevent excess weight gain, heart disease, and increased illness duration. While still somewhat enigma in the scientific world, from the correct way to sleep to why we need it, the study of sleep still has a long way to go before we fully understand its intricacies. As HHL points out, approximately 85% of all mammalian species sleep more than once a day, and scientists are not completely clear if humans are naturally monophasic as opposed to polyphasic. Has modern society conditioned us to be so, just as it has influenced so many other aspects of our health? If we examine the topic from a historical perspective, the work of historian Roger Ekirch of Virginia Tech is a good start. In 200...

by  N.Morgan If you have ever suffered through an episode of sleep paralysis, you already know that it is a strange and frightening phenomenon. Even as scary as it can be, it does not cause physical harm to the body, but the person remains conscious while being unable to move any body part, from a few seconds to a few minutes.  It often starts during adolescence and can become more frequent during the 20s and 30s.  It happens during one of two stages, “ hypnagogic ”, which happens before falling asleep, and “ hypnopompic ”, that occurs as the person wakes from REM sleep. As we fall asleep, our mind becomes less aware while the body enters a completely relaxed state. In the case of hypnagogic sleep paralysis, the mind remains aware while the body achieves an involuntary state of relaxation, which causes panic. On the other hand, the brain wakes sooner in the case of hypnopompic sleep paralysis, but it does not affect the brain part responsible for REM paral...