Humans need sleep like food. Much as with recipes, there are many elements that make for good, joyous sleep. Just as a checklist won’t make you a great chef, this checklist may not give make you a great sleeper. But every little bit helps. 1. My sleep place is as cool, comfy, dark, safe as […]
Night People in the Day World
What Happens When Biology Opposes Society Are you a night person (owl) or morning person (lark)? You may not be sure. The majority of people fall in-between, sometimes called sparrows or hummingbirds. But if you’re a true night person, beware. It’s not easy working in the Lark Work World. For owls, every work day can feel like […]
Happy Enemies of Sleep
Cellphones, televisions, pads, monitors, are not generally considered unwitting enemies of sleep, yet often are. We have great fun with electronic lights, but we are not built for light at night. At night we are designed to sleep. A recent study from Kenneth Wright’s group at the University of Colorado highlights for preschoolers what has long been […]
Different Way to Treat Depression
Depression: Failure to Learn Depression stops you. You can’t start. You can’t think. You want to rest but can’t sleep. Simple acts become unendurable. You retreat, then hide. You can’t burden others with what you are now – stuck. In previous centuries personality changes so abrupt led depressed people to be burned at the stake. Things […]
How to Treat Insomnia Part II (Including When You’re Older)
Insomnia afflicts the majority of Americans over 65. It makes many people miserable, but can be aided or even erased by relatively simple techniques. Insomnia’s causes are many and complex, including changes in body clocks, types of illnesses, effects of medications, and the process of aging itself (see part I.) Fortunately, most treatments of insomnia, […]