Snews

Making a conscious effort to trim some extra pounds is almost always a positive choice. That said, making large, sweeping lifestyle changes can keep you up at night. If you’re wondering if your weight loss journey is causing insomnia, chances are, it is. When it comes to weight loss, a calorie deficit is key. Calorie deficit insomnia is associated with cutting your caloric intake too low too soon. Exercising too intensely or late at night is also known to keep you awake, staring at the ceiling when you’re desperate for rest. Over time, sleep deprivation becomes extremely dangerous, increasing your risk for chronic conditions, depression, and lowered immune function. However, calling it quits on your weight loss journey isn’t the solution. We’ve gathered all the reasons why your weight loss journey is preventing quality sleep, along with simple tweaks and changes you can make to get the night’s rest you desperately need.

Food is fuel. It makes sense that the quality of our health is reflected in the quality of foods we choose to eat. But did you know that the foods you eat are directly tied to how you sleep? Some foods are known to irritate sleep, while others are known to help us fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. In patients with sleep disorders, nutrition may even be part of their treatment plan. Certain sleep apnea diets may help to manage the disorder, along with the use of a CPAP machine, for example. We’ve rounded up five foods that help with sleep that you can munch on before bed whether you suffer from an official sleep disorder or not. And some of the foods proven to boost sleep may surprise you!

Counting sheep doesn’t work for most. Not only do a huge number of people experience sleep disturbances and disorders, but we’re also chronically low on a number of vitamins and nutrients. Is there a link between the two? Researchers think so. For example, over one billion of us are deficient in vitamin D, while half of all Americans suffer from a magnesium deficiency. In theory, boosting vitamin D intake or taking magnesium oil for sleep should work, right? The answer isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. However, if you’re chronically low on a specific nutrient, supplementation is sure to boost your time spent sleeping and overall quality of life. That’s why we’ve gathered science-backed recommendations for the top ten supplements to try for improved sleep.

Sleep is weird. Why do we need to lay unconscious, unable to move for eight hours each night? We all sleep, but some people have a harder time than others. What purpose does sleep serve and why does it come easier to some than others? While we have many theories, we still don’t have one definitive answer that explains everything. Rather, there are several potential answers. Dr. Guy Leschziner provides many interpretations in his book “The Nocturnal Brain.” Each phase of sleep serves a specific purpose, and if we aren’t spending adequate amounts of time in each phase, our brains and bodies can’t restore themselves. However, these issues can’t go unaddressed. In severe cases, sleep deprivation is known to cause illness, inflammation, and disease. The neuroscience behind rest proves that if you’re not getting proper sleep, you need to address the issue sooner rather than later.

Imagine the feeling of TV static in your legs, similar to when a limb falls asleep after you’ve been sitting too long, but it won’t go away no matter what you do. No one wants to feel pins and needles, pain, itching, aching, throbbing, and creepy-crawly sensations up and down their legs. Those with restless leg syndrome suffer from these sensations each night. But what is restless leg syndrome? What causes these pesky, irritating, uncomfortable feelings in the legs? Why does it only happen at night or while at rest and what can you do to put an end to it for good? We’ve rounded up the top three causes of restless legs at night to help you better understand the condition and take action to improve your restless leg syndrome symptoms and get the quality night’s sleep you deserve.

Whether you dream often or very little, we’ve all had similar dreams about different situations and events throughout our lives. Dreams can be so intense that even moments after waking, they feel like a reality. Sometimes, realizing that it was “all just a dream” is distressing, especially if your dream was particularly happy. Other times, dreams themselves are distressing and anxiety-inducing, especially if you dream of a natural disaster, such as a tornado. So what is the meaning behind our dreams? Why do we have them in the first place and what purpose do they serve? Why do we have both happy dreams and terrifying dreams? These questions have puzzled philosophers and scientists for years. While we still don’t have one solid answer, many popular theories give an important peek into the potential purpose of dreams.

Our bodies are intricate, intuitive machines. Our hearts beat, our immune systems fend off germs, and we breathe in and out all without having to think about it. However, some of us have habitually become dysfunctional breathers and, as a result, dysfunctional sleepers. If you’re breathing in and out of your mouth, you’re not helping your body. In fact, you’re doing more harm than good. Conversely, the nose is nature’s air filter and most effective snoring solution. Breathing through the nose at night keeps the airway from collapsing in on itself, unlike mouth breathing, which leads to airway obstruction and disruptful snoring. Nasal breathing helps the body operate at equilibrium by detecting harm in the environment, filtering out harmful particles from the air, and adding nitric oxide to each breath.

Worldwide, over 100 million people suffer from sleep apnea. Many patients stop treatment due to the discomfort associated with CPAP use, such as waking up with a very dry mouth in the morning. Understanding what causes a dry mouth in the morning when using a CPAP is key to putting the discomfort to an end. A CPAP humidifier is a proven solution, but knowing how and when to use it proves challenging for many. Different machines offer different types of humidifiers with different settings, so it’s important to get the most out of your specific machine. Once you become familiar with your CPAP’s humidifier, you’ll wake up with moisturized airways and sleep without interruptions. We’ve gathered all of the facts about how and when to use your CPAP’s humidification and heat features so that you can wave goodbye to dry mouth and get your most effective CPAP therapy yet.

A sleep apnea diagnosis may seem like a life sentence that chains you down to uncomfortable sleep and a dry mouth every morning. However, if you don’t treat sleep apnea, it can seriously wreck your health. Hypertension, stroke, and diabetes are just a few examples of health risks associated with untreated sleep apnea. Although it’s harmful to leave sleep apnea untreated, many people never bother to pick up their machines. If they do, nearly half stop using it at some point due to the discomfort and dry mouth associated with use. Most people don’t know that there are solutions to prevent CPAP dry mouth that make sleep apnea treatment bearable. We’ve rounded up common CPAP dry mouth causes and their remedies so that you can get the CPAP therapy your body deserves and the comfortable night’s rest you’ve been craving for so long.

How many days per week do you wake up feeling completely revitalized, renewed, and ready to face whatever the day throws your way? On the flip side, how many days per week do you wake up with unquenchable thirst and fatigue that lasts most of the morning? The truth is, most of us wake up in a panicked, uncomfortable state, oftentimes feeling thirsty and fatigued. However, you don’t have to wake up feeling drained. Addressing morning thirst and dry mouth are extremely important to your overall sense of wellbeing. Without proper saliva levels in the mouth, your risk for cavities, bad breath, sore throat, and dehydration rise. Understanding and preventing what causes dry mouth while sleeping will take your health and sleep quality to new highs. That’s why we’ve gathered the main causes of morning thirst and fatigue, along with quick, simple solutions to fix the problem for good.

Just because you can breathe in and out from your mouth doesn’t mean that you should. Believe it or not, our mouths weren’t designed to adequately help us exchange oxygen. Our noses, however, are. Your nose features filtration, temperature control, and humidification that your mouth lacks. Moreover, our noses produce nitric oxide, an amazing molecule that boosts immunity, helps us relax, and places the body in a relaxed state. If our noses are the best method of breathing, why are so many of us chronic mouth breathers? Our soft diets have caused narrowed airways and poor tongue posture that makes nasal breathing harder to achieve than it should be. Furthermore, the more you mouth breathe, the harder it is to stop. Luckily, we’ve got a trick up our sleeve to help you switch from mouth breathing to nasal breathing: sleep with your mouth taped shut.

Snoring ruins the sleep of millions each night. Chances are, you’ve either kicked a snoring partner in their sleep or you’ve been kicked due to your snoring. Whether you’re the snoring partner or the one trying to get some much-needed rest that’s free from the sound of sawing logs, you need a snore aid in your life. Breathe Right snoring strips are boasted as a popular snoring prevention tool. But do they really work? Does science support the use of snoring strips, or are they just another useless gimmick? Find out what researchers had to say about Breathe Right strips, whether or not they can be used for more than just snoring, and if they’re truly worth trying to improve nasal breathing and stop open-mouth snoring at night.