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Knowing how to fall asleep easily is one of the keys to good health, and you don’t have to suffer full-blown insomnia to realize it. Studies abound confirming that knowing how to fall asleep naturally helps everything from weight loss to stress levels, and can lower risk of several related diseases. More
It’s not news that sleep deprivation may make you stressed, but a new study says that lack of sleep may actually have the same effect on your immune system as stress. If you’re confused, this means that sleep deprivation can affect your body negatively, in the same way that stress does. Basically, not sleeping = stress = a compromised immune system = even more motivation to get your nightly zzzs. At least, according to this study. More
We all want to be that woman–you know, the one who never lets a day pass without posting about her five zillion accomplishments on Facebook. The woman who got up at 5am, did a two-hour workout, dressed in her perfectly-pressed suit, worked all day (in heels, no less), stopped at the bank, the grocery store and Target on her way home, did a quickie change of clothes, met friends out for dinner and made it home just in time to pay some bills, do the laundry and read three more chapters of her favorite book before getting up the next day to do it all over again. More
This just in: Those with little to do, do less.
Rising unemployment rates may equate more time on our hands, but guess what people are doing with that time? According to a new study, they are sleeping and watching TV. More
Want to know what single thing can improve your athletic performance, fix your relationship woes, and help you eat better? No, it’s not a miracle drug (or cocaine), it’s sleep. Just sleep. Of course, it’s no revelation that sleep is important for health — any nutrition or workout program worth its salt at least pays it lip service by mentioning that everything goes better with at least eight hours of sleep. But more and more studies abound that prove it’s not just a nice supplement to our otherwise-healthy lifestyles; sleep is a powerful way to get your body (and life) back in shape. Since Monday, I’ve seen three new studies proving that point: 1)”Hey, Batter: How Your Sleep Affects Your Game,” 2)”Sleepiness Makes Fatty Foods Extra Tempting,” and 3)”When Wives Don’t Sleep, Marriage Suffers.” We took some issue with the last one (come on, now, relationship issues can’t all be women’s fault), but on the whole, the evidence is clear: You need your sleep. More
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
We’ve mentioned Arianna Huffington‘s obsession with sleep before; she told attendees of an event at Donna Karan‘s Urban Zen that she’s “on a crusade against sleep deprivation” a few weeks ago, and if her Twitter feed is any indication, she’s still going strong. Yesterday, she plied her followers with the promise that sleep aids weight loss, according to The Sleep Doctor: More
Arianna Huffington isn’t known for her mental health advice, but last week at an Urban Zen event, “The Politics of Sustainable Wellness,” put on by Donna Karan, the media mogul sounded off about what makes her happy and ultimately, keeps her in good mental and physical health. So what makes one of Forbes’ Most Influential Women in Media feel good? Sleep, mostly. And a few things she likes to call her “joy triggers,” too. More
At Blisstree, we’re all about trying to get happier and healthier in order to live better, and we hope to help you do the same every day. But, of course, it’s not always easy to know how to make that intangible dream of happiness a reality. And even if you do know how to do it, it’s pretty challenging to keep all the parts of your life in balance so that often-elusive health and happiness last as long as possible. So I asked M.D., board-certified psychiatrist, and Blisstree contributor Dale Archer to give us ten steps we can take to promote and achieve lasting happiness in our own lives (and these are tactics he actually shares with his patients). So what are we waiting for? Let’s get happy — and healthy.
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Meet Dr. Natasha Turner, a Naturopathic Doctor and founder of Clear Medicine, an integrated medicine wellness boutique in Toronto, who recently authored a ground-breaking wellness tome called The Hormone Diet: Lose Fat, Gain Strength, Live Younger Longer. Trust me: This is no diet book — it’s a clinical series of revelatory lifestyle changes based on the hormones that your body naturally produces (or doesn’t produce enough of, as the case may be), many of which will likely be very new to you, no matter how healthy you think you are. Soon, Dr. Turner will begin contributing weekly posts to Blisstree about health, wellness, Naturopathic Medicine, and how our hormones can help us (and we in turn can help our hormones). But in the meantime, I asked her a few questions about her very intriguing “non-diet” diet book. More
Our Kind Coma series is back to manipulate you into as many unintentional meditation sessions as you have the time and space to indulge. Last week we focused on the soothing voices of five yoga teachers on video that will send you into an extended state of savasana/nirvana faster than you can say namaste. This week we’re all about how-to-paint instructional videos and the exceedingly comforting vocal tones of their professional instructors. But don’t fret if you can’t draw a convincing stick figure; I can’t either. Luckily, there are no materials required for these unintentional meditation sessions — except maybe a dark, private place to get horizontal with your earbuds. And who better to start us off on our peace-seeking mental health break than the undisputed master himself? More
For all our chronic gripes about our monthly flow—pain, mood swings, excessive bloating, pimples—a period missed often signals a serious change in the body. Pregnancy is, of course, the most common cause for a cycle change, but there’s a bevy of reasons why your monthly bill may be a no-show. As you review our list of 12, it’s worth noting that they’re interconnected. In Western medicine, we often forget that the body is one constantly moving machine and that one malfunction can throw the whole thing off. When seeking diagnosis and treatment for irregular menses, it’s best to start with your PCP or gynecologist. After that, he or she may recommend that you visit a specialist such as a reproductive endocrinologist, a neurologist, a nutritionist, or even a psychiatrist or psychologist. You may not be preggers, but here are 12 reasons why you may save on tampons this month: More
I had a conversation with a coworker a few years ago that went something like this:
Me: You’re already at work? Usually I’m the only one who’s here this early.
Him: Yep. I always get in by 8 a.m.
Me: Wow, you must get like, no sleep.
Him: Yeah, but that’s what I call my competitive advantage. The less I sleep, the more hours I’m working when other people aren’t.
Me: Ha, ha.
Despite what seems like the obvious truth about sleep (that we need about eight hours hours of it nightly), tons of people still think like my coworker: The man who sleeps the least wants the least (and he’s stronger, smarter, and better, to boot). That’s garbage. Insomnia (or just choosing not to sleep) shouldn’t be considered a business asset any more than anorexia is; bodily functions aren’t something that careers should require you to forego. That’s why today’s Wall Street Journal article, The Sleepless Elite, seems about as wise as my coworker’s advice (did I mention that part of his competitive advantage seemed to be replacing sleep with Doritos and coke?). Perpetuating the myth of the sleepless elite is no better than telling young girls that they can diet in order to look like models; no one gets ahead in their career, looks, or happiness by treating their bodies like crap. More
Yesterday I mentioned Dr. Dale Archer (medical doctor and psychiatrist) in a post I wrote called Don’t Rely on Your GP for Advice About Ambien, as we’ve been talking about prescription drug addiction a lot lately on Blisstree. Turns out, Dr. Archer used to run a sleep disorder clinic for ten years. So I asked him for ten suggestions that he’d give his sleep-deprived patients about how to fall asleep (and stay asleep) the natural way without the use of prescription drugs. And I specifically asked him not to say chamomile tea! (But I’m not sold on his radical idea to give up naps. And no booze four hours before bed? Sheesh.)
Then I asked Blisstree’s resident nutritionist and Foodtrainers founder Lauren Slayton for her top ten natural sleep remedies to see how they’d compare and contrast to that of a medical doctor. (I like Lauren because she says I can eat carbs at dinner, but she definitely disagrees with Dr. Archer about the idea of reading in bed.) More
