If you could see your bedsheets under a microscope, you’d probably never sleep on them again. If it has been sometime since you washed them, they are crawling with dust mites, fungus, bacteria, dead skin cells and all kinds of gunk.  Men are particularly bad when it comes to bed hygiene with multiple studies indicating that most change their sheets just 3-4 times a year.  Dirty sheets are bad for your skin. They can cause allergic reactions, inflammation and acne breakouts.   If you are wondering why you keep getting acne on your back or face, it’s probably your sheets.  What’s On Your Sheets? Here’s a non-comprehensive list of all the stuff that ends up on your bedsheets.  Dust mites -...

If you are suffering from persistent acne, check in the mirror and see if the pimples are concentrated on a particular area of your face. If they are mostly on your cheeks or sides of your face, your pillow might be the culprit.  Yes, your pillowcase and even the pillow itself, can cause or worsen acne. Washing it more often, using the right kind of pillowcase and practicing good skin care can help keep your face acne-free.  How Your Pillowcase Can Cause Acne When it comes to skin health, we often think of skin products, cleansing and exfoliation, moisturizing and other common skin care practices.  We forget that we spend several hours each night with our face pressed against the...

While acne is more common in women (mostly because of hormonal imbalances), men also suffer from it. In fact, a lot of the time, acne in men can be more severe since men tend to have oilier and thicker skin.  Similar to women, an acne breakout on your face can affect your self confidence and social life. Luckily, acne is fairly easy to treat or manage in men. Most times, you’ll find that regular skin hygiene is enough to keep it in check.  What Causes Acne In Men? The mechanism of acne breakouts is similar in both men and women. Pores on the skin become clogged with dirt, oils, dead skin cells and bacteria, leading to pimples, blackheads or whiteheads. ...

In addition to a growing belly that makes finding a comfortable sleeping position a nightly battle, pregnancy comes with hormonal turbulence and other issues that mess up your sleep. Expectant moms often experience insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, acid reflux and other problems that lead to a drop in sleep quality.  This is a big deal since this is the time you should be getting as much rest as possible for the sake of your health and that of your baby.  Why is Quality Sleep so Important During Pregnancy? Sleep is already super important for everyone. We’ve mentioned in countless posts how it helps with mental health, healing and recovery, muscle growth, immunity and many other things.  When you are pregnant,...

We already know that sleep is important for healing and recovery. There’s a reason why plenty of sleep and rest is one of the best ways to recover from a flu and many other ailments. But does sleep also protect you from getting sick?  That’s what we investigate in this article. We discuss the link between sleep and immunity and whether getting too little sleep can make you sicker.  Does Sleep Affect Immunity?  Based on the research we have so far, it is clear that sleep affects your immune response. Several studies found that people with sleep deprivation are at a higher risk of respiratory infections, common illnesses like the flu and gastroenteritis, and even herpes.  Some studies have also...

Getting your bedroom to smell nice and fresh is one of the actions we recommended in our ‘how to turn your bedroom into a sleep sanctuary’ guide. A smelly and stuffy bedroom can actually keep you from getting good sleep.  But getting rid of bad odors can be tough especially if you cannot figure out exactly where it’s coming from. Is it your old mattress, the laundry basket in the corner, the adjacent bathroom, or is there a dead rat under my bed? In this post, we put on our detective hat and help you figure out why your bedroom smells plus what you can do about it. If you still can’t catch the culprit, leave a comment and we’ll...

With all the dead skin cells and oils that we give off from our bodies, your bed is probably a lot dirtier than you think. The mattress, sheets and pillow are home to lots of gunk, not to mention all the bacteria and germs that have made your bed home.  In many cases, a little bit of dead skin cells and bacteria on the bed don't cause any harm. But if you don't maintain good bed hygiene, it could get to a point that all the build-up affects your skin and health. You are especially vulnerable if you have sensitive skin that is prone to breakouts.  Here are 10 tips for good bed hygiene. They’ll keep your bed clean, healthy...

  A sleep disorder like insomnia or sleep apnea will affect your life and health in many ways. You will feel more stressed, experience low energy levels and you will be at a higher risk of poor health.  Sleep disorders can also hit where it hurts most - your sex life. That's right, sleep disorders can cause or increase the risk of sexual dysfunction like erectile dysfunction, vaginal dryness and inability to achieve orgasm. What is Sexual Dysfunction? Sexual dysfunction happens when your sexy bits don't function normally. The most common sexual dysfunction that most people know of is erectile dysfunction in men. But sexual dysfunction can occur in women as well.  Sexual dysfunction has four categories of disorders.  Desire...

Numerous body processes and functions are controlled by hormones from your sex drive to how your body regulates pain. Sleep is also regulated by hormones.  You probably already know about melatonin, what’s called the sleep hormone. But there are several more hormones involved in the sleep-wake cycle. Here are the most important ones and their role.  1. Melatonin  We’ll start with the main sleep hormone, melatonin. It is also known as the hormone of darkness, because it is produced in response to, well, darkness.   As light fades in the evening, the pineal gland starts producing more melatonin. Melatonin does not put you to sleep; rather it puts you in a relaxed and calm state that helps you go to sleep. ...

If you have trouble falling asleep on most nights, you probably have insomnia. This is a sleep disorder where one has difficulty sleeping or staying asleep.  While there are severe forms of insomnia that need medical intervention, in most cases you can manage or even eliminate insomnia with a few changes to your lifestyle. Here are 10 tips to fight insomnia and fall asleep faster. These tips will also help you sleep longer and deeper.  1. Reduce Your Stress/Anxiety  Stress causes the body to produce hormones like cortisol and adrenaline that keep you in a heightened state. Eons ago, this was good to protect humans from predators. Today, too much stress keeps us awake at night and messes with our...