A couple days ago, I explained the challenges of making sense of research and introduced 8 questions that will help readers evaluate evidence and relevance to their work, goals, and lives. As if to drive the point home, I just saw a tweet by an advocacy group demanding access to “science-based treatment.” That sounds great,…
A consumer’s guide to research on substance use disorders (part 3)
1. Don’t downgrade your dream just to fit your reality, upgrade your conviction to match your destiny. 2. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think. 3. You are confined only by the walls you build yourself. 4. The man who has confidence in himself gains the confidence […]
via 50+ Best Motivational Quotes To Overcome Life’s Challenges — The Powerful Living
You may or may not have heard of the mental health disorder they call BPD, but these ten facts are not known by most people, even those who suffer from it! I have fact-checked as much as I can to make sure these are accurate, truthful and as interesting as I could find… There…
It seems weird telling you this because it isn’t something I like talking about. It isn’t something I completely understand. And it’s something I learn more about each day, through my own life and my own research. Let me start by saying I am no expert in the field. I don’t know if this is […]
via What My Partner Needs To Know About My Anxiety. — Perfectly Imperfect Blogg
According to American Psychological Association, dogs can learn up to 250 words and gestures, which is equivalent to a toddler.
Two of their eyelids are visible and one is hidden. The third eyelid sits in the inner corner of a dog’s eyes and it has invisible tear glands.
The prehistoric dog was about the size of a shepherd dog with a wide, but short snout and a wider brain case than a wolf.
According to a study done by researchers at Cornell University, evidence suggests that littler dogs lift their legs at a higher angle when peeing as a way to trick bigger dogs into thinking they are bigger than they actually are.
Dogs don’t have cheeks, so they can’t create suction to drink like we can. Dogs move their tongues very quickly backwards to build up momentum which forces water into a column and up into their mouths.
If a pup sprawls out to sleep instead of curling up, it means they are simply hot or they feel very safe in their environment.
For reference, humans only have six. They can rotate and tilt their ears to listen to sound waves efficiently. Their ears can also move independently from each other, allowing them to hear sounds in different directions.
Dogs detect odors in parts per trillion. That is the equivalent of a dog finding one dirty sock in a pile of two million clean ones!
According to Pet MD, dogs have a type of sweat gland called merocrine glands, which are located in their paw pads. However, dogs rarely sweat through their paws.
In the human body, cancerous cells release different metabolic waste products than healthy cells. The difference is actually so significant that dogs are able to detect it. Dogs may also be able to sniff out cancer cells just by smelling someone’s breath.
Although dogs experience things like jealousy and envy, their emotions are not as complex as the emotions we feel as humans. According to the American Kennel Club, dogs are sensitive to fairness (for example, everyone being rewarded for their efforts), but not equity (for example, whether or not all of the rewards are equal).
Although greyhounds don’t run as fast as cheetahs (cheetahs can run up to 75 miles per hour), cheetahs can only run in sprints. So, in a long distance race, the greyhound would eventually outrun the cheetah.
Wet noses help dogs regulate their body temperature and cool them down because they don’t have normal sweat glands like people.
According to Web MD, a temperature of more than 103 degrees Fahrenheit is considered a fever for a dog.
Human brains and dog brains function similarly during sleep. We both have the same type of slow wave sleep and rapid eye movement (or REM). During the REM stage, dogs can dream just like humans. If you see your dog is sleeping and you see their paws moving or twitching, it they are most likely dreaming.
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental disorders in the United States. They affect nearly 30 percent of adults at some point in their lives.1 National polls also show that anxiety is on the rise.2 Such trends indicate there needs to be a greater emphasis on promoting healthy practices for anxiety management. The benefits of exercise…
via The Benefits of Exercise for Anxiety — World of Psychology
If you like the boy next door, you should read Naked by Gina Gordon. “Violet Walker has been hiding. Withdrawn after a terrible car accident, she is worried about going back to her high-pressure job, where she’s expected to project confidence and sleek refinement. Allowing herself a distraction, she’s been watching her sexy neighbor work…
Aries They live spontaneously. Adventurously. And they change their minds all the damn time. An Aries might think they’re madly in love with you one minute and then drop off the face of the planet without warning. You can rest assured their change of heart has nothing to do with you. They run from person to person…
via The 5 Zodiacs That Are Most Likely To Ghost You In 2020 — Thought Catalog
Author Article Here
By Elaine K. Howley
If you’ve ever lain awake at night wishing for sleep, then you’ve likely experienced some form of insomnia. For those who struggle with this common sleep disorder regularly, the feeling of missing out on sleep can be excruciating. And the paradox of it is that the more you try to sleep the further away the sweet embrace of slumber seems to slide.
As awful as sleeplessness might feel, if there is strength in numbers, then you can take some small comfort in the fact that you’re far from alone. “The data shows that between 20 and 30 percent of people will be affected with insomnia during the course of their lives,” says Dr. Alex Dimitriu, a sleep medicine specialist who’s double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in California.
Although we know that sleep is critical to maintaining health and wellness for all of us, in some people, the drive to sleep is weaker than in others. “Not everyone has the same propensity to go to sleep,” says Dr. Jerald H. Simmons, a neurologist who’s triple board-certified in neurology, epilepsy and sleep medicine and founder of Comprehensive Sleep Medicine Associates, a clinical practice with offices in Houston and Austin. This so-called sleep drive can vary, as does each individual person’s sleep rhythm. This is why some people are night owls while others are morning people. And in some people, a weaker sleep drive is easily disrupted by any number of factors, which can lead to the development of insomnia.
Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder, but not all cases of insomnia are the same. Generally speaking, there are two major categories of insomnia – difficulty falling asleep initially and difficulty staying asleep throughout the night. And the two may be quite different in how they’re addressed. “Don’t confuse going to sleep with staying asleep,” Simmons says. “You can’t lump them all into one category and say, ‘This is the medicine I use for insomnia patients.'” Rather, many people struggling with insomnia are going to need a treatment approach tailored to their specific problem.
“In most people who have insomnia, it’s caused by something,” says Dr. Jesse Mindel, assistant professor of medicine and neurology at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. And there are many factors that can cause both short-term and chronic insomnia including:
For many people, insomnia is a consequence of modern life. “A lot of insomnia is related to just being forced into a schedule that’s not natural,” Dimitriu says. Busy, stressful lives filled with electric lights and electronic devices that are constantly demanding attention and shedding blue light that disrupts the body’s natural signals to sleep are all implicated in our collective inability to just get some sleep. “LED lights produce a blue light that suppresses melatonin,” a hormone that governs when we feel sleepy, and this can impact your ability to both fall asleep and stay asleep. “There’s evidence that (after exposure to LED light) melatonin is suppressed through the whole night, so late-night phone play messes up the quality of the sleep for the whole night.”
The ubiquity of these screens and their ability to become a detriment to our sleep cycle is a growing problem for many people, especially those who are prone to insomnia. “We’re living in a very tech-heavy world with clocks and other built-in hard stops” to our natural rhythms. “We’re not adjusting to that,” and the evidence of that disconnect between the demands of the waking day and the inadequacy of sleep to meet those demands becomes vastly obvious when you look at the length of the line at your local coffee shop each morning, Dimitriu says.
Most people who have insomnia are well aware of the difficulties they’re having sleeping. Common symptoms include:
If you’re experiencing symptoms of sleeplessness, it might be time to visit your doctor for an evaluation. There can be a lot of factors contributing to your specific experience of insomnia, and your doctor will likely perform a physical exam and take a medical and sleep history to understand what’s going on.
You may also be administered a sleep test, which sometimes can be done at home but in other cases may need to be conducted in a sleep lab. These tests typically involve sleeping with sensors attached to your body to monitor your vital signs and look for other indications of physical disruption, such as changes in breathing or heart rate that could be causing you to wake up throughout the night. These tests monitor what you do in your sleep and are often helpful in diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome and other conditions that can disrupt sleep.
Ruling out underlying medical conditions should be a primary goal of any visit you make to a sleep specialist. “First and foremost, I want to rule out any other causes that could be feeding into the insomnia,” Dimitriu says. These other conditions may include:
“As a physician, first I need to eliminate all treatable medical issues. Then I look at substances” and other extenuating circumstances such as living too close to a source of late night noise or light. “Once you’ve eliminated those variables, you discover some people just have pure insomnia. This may be schedule-related or circadian rhythm related. Once we’ve eliminated all the scary stuff that could be treated medically, using a little medication or behavioral intervention can get people sleeping again,” Dimitriu says.
Treating insomnia and making sure that you’re getting enough sleep is an important aspect of overall health and wellness. While there are many things you can do to help ease yourself to sleep, one of the most important things is habituating your body to sleep and the ritual of sleep. “Rhythmicity is key, so having a regular bedtime and wake time and not deviating from that at all,” says Dimitriu. That, alas means “no sleeping in on the weekend, and no napping during the day.” The idea is that by forcing your body to stay awake during the day and adhering to a strict bedtime and wake time regardless of what else is going on, you can retrain your body to accept sleep when it’s most appropriate.
Simmons says many people who deal with insomnia have “poor sleep hygiene,” which means “they’re doing all the wrong things. They’re drinking caffeine in the evening. They’re taking naps in the middle of the day if they have the opportunity to,” and so on. Those sorts of actions “throw their biologic rhythm off. Those individuals need to wake up at a regular time in the morning. They shouldn’t sleep in and they need to get bright light exposure that will lower melatonin levels.” You want to increase the naturally occurring levels of melatonin in your brain at bedtime, and then help them drop in the morning when it’s time to get up and get going.
Other elements of good sleep hygiene include winding down from the day and creating a ritual around bedtime that helps your brain get ready to sleep. Switch off the television and step away from any other screens. Keep your bedroom cool, dark and quiet.
Simmons also recommends taking a hot bath shortly before bedtime to help you relax and get ready for sleep. “As we get drowsy our body temperature drops, and you’re going to sleep better in a cool room. So, if you take a hot bath before bed, that enhances that change in body temperature.” Just be sure to make it the last thing you do before bed. “That window of opportunity where the cooling will help is only 45 minutes to an hour,” he says.
If you’re still having trouble sleeping, it might be time to see a sleep specialist for further testing or more specific treatment. Simmons says that for some people, particularly those who engage in shift work, a consultation with a sleep specialist might help them develop a good strategy for dealing with or avoiding insomnia. “Seek out a consultation with a psychologist or physician who is well versed in sleep disorders to work on a unique plan that’s tailored to your needs,” he says.
Sleep medicine was only recognized as a specialty field of medicine in 2007. Although the science is still young it is expanding, and today there are a growing number of specialists who can help you with sleep problems with a variety of techniques. Simmons says some sleep specialists are now using cognitive behavioral therapy, an approach common in treating mental health problems that can retrain the brain to sleep properly.
Another technique called neurofeedback is a form of “biofeedback using brainwave activity (to) train someone to put themselves into a state conducive to falling asleep,” Simmons says. Using this approach, patients “learn how to relax and we train the brain through this feedback process on how to wind down and go to sleep without medication.” It’s a process that’s similar to meditation. In fact, Simmons says “I jokingly refer to it as meditation on steroids.”
Dimitriu uses similar CBT and meditation techniques to help patients retrain their bodies and brains to accept sleep. The challenge with some of these approaches is that they take time and practice. But tired people aren’t generally well known for being the most patient among us, especially when it comes to sleeping more. “A lot of people say, ‘I slept well last night, why am I still tired?’ The answer is sleep debt takes time to replenish – on the order of about one to two weeks.” That’s why it’s important to keep at it and not give up if you don’t seem to have solved your insomnia problem after just a few nights. Think of it like dieting – it takes a while for your efforts to add up to results, but if you stick with it, you’ll likely see an improvement.
That’s why Dimitriu says it’s important to keep practicing and trying to sleep without the assistance of medication as much as possible, especially when the stakes are low. “It’s easier to practice driving in the parking lot than to practice driving on the highway. By the time you have a big meeting the next day and you can’t fall asleep, meditation can help, but you’d better be good at it by then.” Therefore, he says it’s best to “practice when it’s easy” and you don’t have that pressure of getting to sleep immediately.
There’s a multitude of meditation and sleep-inducing apps and programs available online these days, or a sleep specialist can design a program specific to your needs. And remember to be patient. “If you can learn to meditate, you’re pretty likely to solve your insomnia problem, but that takes time and effort,” Dimitriu says.
