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The Importance of Sleep for Children: Establishing Healthy Habits
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Sleep is one of the few things that everyone from infants to grandma, needs plenty of. Children need more of it than anyone else. Newborns need 12-16 hours of sleep while toddlers and older kids need between 9 and 14 hours of sleep. Why the heck is sleep so important for kids and what can parents do to establish healthy sleeping habits in their children? How Much Sleep Do Children Need? The exact number of hours of sleep will vary from child to child, but they should be within a certain range. Here’s how much sleep the Texas Children's Hospital recommends. 0-1 year old infants — 16 hours 1-2 year old toddlers — 11 to 14 hours 3-5 year old...
The Science of Dreams: Exploring the Meanings and Significance
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Oneirology. That’s the scientific study of dreams. Despite having an entire branch of science dedicated to studying and understanding dreams, we still don’t know for sure the mechanism of dreaming or even why humans dream at all. There’s lots of theories though. We explore the most interesting ones below. What Happens When We Dream? Most of our dreaming occurs in the REM (rapid eye movement) stage of sleep (we have a blog post all about sleep stages). When you close your eyes and drift off, you go through three stages of non-REM sleep before getting into the REM dream stage. While the brain has some activity throughout all sleep stages, it becomes hyperactive in REM sleep. In fact, when measured,...
Sleep Hacks for Shift Workers: Navigating Sleep with a Non-Traditional Schedule
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Shift work refers to any work that falls outside the usual daytime work hours. Shift workers typically work in the evening, at night or very early in the morning. Because of the unusual work periods shift workers are at a higher risk of sleep problems like insomnia, sleepiness and reduced sleep quality. This can in turn cause fatigue, high stress levels, higher risk of various health problems and an overall lower quality of life. Shift Work Sleep Disorder Sleep problems in shift workers can build up to a point of turning into a serious disorder. It’s called shift work sleep disorder or SWSD. It occurs because of disruptions to the circadian rhythm. Your body clock knows that darkness means it’s...
How to Combat Jet Lag and Adjust to Different Time Zones
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People often describe jet lag as feeling very tired but you cannot sleep. Your body is telling you one thing (you need to sleep and rest) but your new environment dictates that you must stay awake. Jet lag has no cure but there are things you can do to help your body adjust faster to a new time zone. There are also ways to reduce the impact of jet lag before and during your flight. What Causes Jet Lag? Your body runs on a 24-hour clock that responds to daylight and darkness. This clock, often called the circadian rhythm, directs various processes in the body. For example, your body releases melatonin at night to help you sleep. Sunlight triggers the...
Why College Kids Get Sick So Often and What Parents Can Do About It
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College kids get sick a lot. They are usually not serious ailments. The most common ones include the flu, mono, stomach flu, and acne. Nevertheless, these health issues can seriously affect their studies and overall college life. Below, we explain why college kids get sick so often, why even simple illnesses can be detrimental to their social and academic life, and what college parents (and the college kids themselves) can do about it. Most Common Illnesses Among College Students Because of the dense social environment, the most common illnesses in college are those that easily spread from person to person. The flu tops the list of common college ailments followed by upper respiratory tract infections that cause coughing, sneezing, runny...
Sleep and Nutrition: Foods That Promote Restful Sleep
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We often don’t talk about sleep and nutrition, but they are connected. Your diet can have a big influence on the quality of your sleep. Processed foods, especially simple carbs, can mess with your sleep quality. On the other hand, foods like fish, nuts and certain herbal teas can help you sleep better. In this post, we look at some of the best foods (and drinks) for sleep. Add these to your diet to tackle insomnia and other sleep difficulties. The Most Important Nutrients for Sleep We can’t include every food that’s good for sleep and even some of those we discuss may not be accessible to everyone. It’s more important to know what nutrients you need for sleep. You...
The Link Between Sleep and Productivity: How to Boost Performance
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My most productive days are when I have had a solid 8 hours of sleep. A good night’s sleep works wonders for focus, concentration, creativity and overall mental energy. So what’s the link between sleep and productivity and what happens if you don't get in your 8 hours of sleep? Understanding how sleep affects your productivity and mental performance is crucial for your career, school work or business success. The Science of Sleep and Productivity: What Sleep Does To Your Brain When you go to bed, your brain doesn't spend the entire night resting. In fact, during the REM sleep stages, your brain is just as active as when you are awake. Sleep consists of multiple stages of sleep (3...
The Role of Sleep in Aging: Maintaining Youthful Energy and Vitality
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Sleep, good quality sleep to be specific, is one of the best anti-aging secrets that many people don't take advantage of. Research has shown that sleep has a huge influence on the biological aging process. Not getting enough sleep causes accelerated aging. And it’s not just about your skin. You’ll also experience faster cognitive decline, loss of vitality and poor health. How Sleep Affects Aging There’s lots of ongoing research that’s looking at the link between sleep quality and aging. But the studies we already have show a strong connection between the two. Sleep deprivation is strongly linked to biological aging. One study showed that after just one night of poor quality sleep, blood tests of participants indicated molecular processes...
Sleep and Technology: How Screens Affect Your Sleep Quality
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For many of us, screens have become a normal part of our bedtime routine. We go from watching something on TV right before going to bed to browsing on our phones while in bed. All this nighttime screen time is bad for sleep. Using screens right before bed has been linked to insomnia and other sleep difficulties, especially 3 Ways Screens Affect Sleep Quality 1. Light Delays Sleep Onset Many processes in the body operate on a 24-hour circadian rhythm. This internal clock is mostly governed by light and darkness. When it gets dark in the evening, your body begins to get ready for sleep by triggering the release of the sleep hormone, melatonin. This is what makes you sleepy. ...
The Connection Between Sleep and Weight Loss
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After decades of research and numerous study, the connection between sleep and body weight is pretty clear. Good quality sleep is an essential part of any weight loss plan. Not getting enough sleep will sabotage your weight loss efforts in multiple ways. In this post, we look at some of the ways that sleeping can help you lose weight or maintain a healthy body weight. 5 Ways Sleep Affects Body Weight 1. Lack of Sleep Increases Hunger and Cravings Have you ever noticed that you feel hungrier when you’ve not slept well? That’s because sleep deprivation causes a sharp rise in the hunger hormone, ghrelin. So you are more likely to consume more food when you don't sleep well, which...
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