Monthly Archives: April 2015

Boeing has long been known as a leader and innovator in flight technology, and now the company has applied for a patent for a new “Transport Vehicle Upright Sleep Support System” that it says will revolutionize air travel by providing a solution to the discomforts and difficulties of trying to sleep on a plane. Continue reading →

Read any article on insomnia and how to treat it and you’re likely to see that you should be spending at least some time each day out in the sunlight, and this is definitely true. Our bodies have evolved to respond to the specific wavelengths from the sun so that we are more alert during the day and drowsier at night. But very few of the articles that you read will also tell you about the need to be in the dark. That’s right, just as you need a certain amount of sun exposure, you also need to spend time away from the light so that your body will respond appropriately when you close your eyes. Our circadian rhythms, which are our internal body clocks, are set by the pattern of light and dark that we expose it to every day, and failure to properly expose ourselves to both aspects of day and night can lead to disrupted sleep and insomnia. Continue reading →

There are a lot of sleep aids available on the market that promise to help you get a good night sleep, but there’s a good chance that you can send yourself off to dreamland without spending a cent and barely moving a muscle. Next time you find yourself tossing and turning, try sticking your feet or hands out from under the warmth of the covers. Continue reading →

Food has become the stuff of science. Where once it seemed like it was just what we put into our mouths to abate hunger, food has now been classified into categories that denote all of its magical powers and elements – super foods, comfort foods, junk foods. Now sleep experts are telling us that there are certain foods that can be classified as sleep foods, and non-sleep foods — foods that either help us get a good night’s sleep or actively work against that happening. It’s all about the different nutrients they contain, their density, and whether they contain stimulants that makes the difference, and some of what has been discovered may seem like common knowledge. After all, we’ve all had the experience of catching ourselves falling asleep after we’ve eaten a big meal, or staring at the ceiling after making the mistake of being tempted by the cappuccino machine at the end of dinner at a fancy Italian restaurant. Continue reading →

I am a person who frequently struggles with falling asleep. That is not to say that I am sleep deprived - I have the luxury of making my own hours, so if I spend an hour or two tossing and turning and trying to find the cool side of the pillow, I am able to sleep in later and make up for lost rest. I’m lucky in this and I know it. Continue reading →

There are so many reasons why America is sleep deprived. One of the top culprits is our own refusal to make sleep a priority, putting work, family and social life ahead of our need for rest and adopting the “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” philosophy. Some people struggle with medical problems like obstructive sleep apnea that prevents them from getting restorative sleep, while others are drinking too much caffeine late in the day, alcohol late in the evening, or heavy food too close to bedtime. Continue reading →