Sleep myths ‘damaging your health’

Widely held myths about sleep are damaging our health and our mood, as well as shortening our lives, say researchers. A team at New York University trawled the internet to find the most common claims about a good night’s kip. Then, in a study published in the journal Sleep Health, they matched the claims to the best scientific evidence. They hope that dispelling sleep myths will improve people’s physical and mental health and well-being. So, how many are you guilty of? Myth 1 – You can cope on less than…

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All You Need To Know About Sleep Medication: It’s Use And Abuse

Insomnia or sleep disturbance is the most common of all sleep disorders. Insomnia is the difficulty in falling asleep or staying asleep, even when a person can sleep in. According to a report by the National Institutes of Health, it is estimated that around 30 per cent of the total general population complains about sleep disruption and over 10 per cent have been associated with symptoms of daytime functional impairment consistently, with the diagnosis of insomnia. Treatment of insomnia depends on the severity of symptoms and underlying cause. Sleep medications are not…

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Lack of quality sleep can affect your social life and make you feel lonely

Poor sleep can hamper your social life, say scientists who found that sleep-deprived people feel lonelier and less inclined to engage with others, avoiding close contact in much the same way as people with social anxiety. Researchers at the University of California (UC) Berkeley in the US, have found that alienating vibe makes sleep-deprived individuals more socially unattractive to others. Moreover, well-rested people feel lonely after just a brief encounter with a sleep-deprived person, potentially triggering a viral contagion of social isolation. The findings, published in the journal Nature Communications,…

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Did You Know: Jet Lag Can Affect More Than Just Your Sleep Cycle

Jet lag can put the brakes on the most exciting vacations. Almost everyone who has ever flown across time zones knows what it feels like. The experience ranks somewhere between eating day-old cooked oatmeal and nursing a hangover. These food and drink metaphors aren’t just a coincidence. Jet lag, it turns out, affects more than our sleep; it affects our internal organs as well. Given what is known about the importance of intestinal bacteria (called the microbiome) and their connection to immune function and well-being, it’s clear that any discussion…

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Insomnia can make you fat. Here are 12 science-backed ways to sleep better

One of the biggest casualties of a hectic lifestyle is usually your sleep. While you may stick to eating superfoods, or doing some form of exercise regularly, you often sleep less on busy days, or stay up nights battling stress and anxiety. But by sleeping less, you are harming your health in more ways than one. “Sleep is a biological process driven by hormones and plays a crucial role in the maintenance of a healthy body,” says Dr Deepti Bagree, head of department-Healthcare, Reset- Holistic Living Concepts. Along with your…

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This is what you should eat for a good night’s sleep

If you struggle to get to sleep of a night, then fear not, because help is at hand. Alongside the age-old advice of avoiding your phone, taking a bath, reading a book or spraying lavender on your pillow, comes new rules on what you should eat before bedtime. Sleep expert Sammy Margo, author of The Good Sleep Guide, told the Mail Online that certain foods hold the power to help us sleep better, while eating the wrong ones, can actually be detrimental to our sleep cycle. Margo has identified five foods that we should be…

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