Topic: insomnia

Ultimate Yoga: Finally Say Good-Night To Insomnia

Ultimate Yoga: Finally Say Good-Night To Insomnia

For the last day of our Ultimate Yoga series, we are focusing on an exhausting problem that 70 million American share: insomnia. For many of those troubled sleepers, 42 million prescriptions for sleep aid were filled last year. As sleep disorders become more common in our country, it’s important to understand how holistic treatments, like yoga, can help. In fact, according to one study from Brigham and Women’s Hospital at Harvard Medical School, a group of insomniacs dramatically improved both the quality and quantity of slumber through a series of breathing, meditation and asanas over the course of eight weeks. More »

Playing The Blame Game? You Could Probably Use Some Sleep

Playing The Blame Game? You Could Probably Use Some Sleep

According to new research, if your boss doesn’t give you that promotion or your mother-in-law stiffs you on your birthday, you may be able to chalk it up to their sleep deprivation. Not because they are complete and utter jerks whose insomnia has left them in a perpetual bitchy mood (even though that may very well be true), but because they may secretly blame you for all of their woes. More »

Sweet Dreams: Brownies That Put You To Bed?

Sweet Dreams: Brownies That Put You To Bed?

Good news for insomniacs with a sweet tooth? This brownie will help you sleep. No, not that kind of brownie. I’m talking about Lazy Cakes, the dessert that has been drumming up a public health outrage over the past few weeks (they’re already too hot for Arkansas). Lazy Cakes, and others like it, are packed with melatonin, a neurohormone that’s long been popular as a sleep-aid in its dietary supplement form. Melatonin occurs naturally in the body, but can also be made synthetically. More »

Kava Kava: Nature’s Nyquil Can Give You A Restful Sleep

Kava Kava: Nature's Nyquil Can Give You A Restful Sleep

In my younger and much unhealthier days, I consumed at least one energy drink per day, along with copious amounts of coffee (energy drink habit is now broken; coffee not so much). Of course, many nights, this left my body awake and restless long after my brain had given up on serious thought for the day. Enter Nyquil. God, I loved Nyquil. Cherry better than green, but I’d take any of it. Often, it gave me terrible, elaborate dreams, but — oh, the peace that came with drifting off into a sleepy Nyquil coma.

These days, though, I try to follow my body’s natural rhythms a little better. When I do occasionally need help falling asleep, I reach for Kava Kava extract. More »

Working Out Improves Insomniacs’ Mood and Sleep

Working Out Improves Insomniacs' Mood and Sleep

Sleep deprived? We thought you’d like this post from Ronnie Koenig at AOL Health.

We all know the benefits of doing cardio — a healthier heart, a smaller waistline and more energy. But did you know that doing an aerobic workout can also promote sleep, particularly for people over 55?

A new study from Northwestern Medicine, funded by the National Institute on Aging, showed that getting regular aerobic exercise was an effective, drug-free prescription for insomnia. The researchers looked at 23 sedentary adults, primarily women over the age of 55 who had difficulty falling asleep and whose lack of sleep interfered with daily tasks. The individuals were split into two groups — exercising and non-exercising. More »