Can’t Sleep a Wink? Eliminate the Drink… and Other Sleep Inhibitors

Don Draper Drinking in Bed

Image source: Madmed.com

People who sleep soundly often take the ubiquitous activity for granted. They are unfamiliar with the endless wakeful nights of the tormented insomniac. But most people have experienced insomnia at least once in their lives—a terrible night when no amount of tiredness can shut down an active brain. I’ve had many of these nights in my life. They often happen in times of stress, when my troubles occupy my thoughts. It took a few years of regular insomnia before I started really researching possible causes, from my diet to my brand of foam mattress. I was surprised to find some clear criminals among the commonly-used substances in my daily life. I didn’t realize that my lifestyle choices were sabotaging my sleep! They may be sabotaging yours too. Here are some common culprits.

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Don’t Lose Sleep Over Black Friday: 5 Important Shopping Tips

Black Friday in a Department Store

Image source: Csmonitor.com

Black Friday (and/or Cyber Monday) may be the best days in the whole year to buy a deluxe memory foam mattress… or anything else for that matter. The discounts are deeper than at any other time. Retailers are frantic about moving merchandise, so frantic that they might even be willing to haggle over already slashed prices. It’s a shopping bonanza! Of course, along with the frenzy of consumerism comes sleep’s number one nemesis: anxiety. Americans are already an anxious people. According to the World Health Organization, we’re the most anxious population of any country on Earth. It’s no secret that anxiety is dangerous—in addition to affecting sleep (or perhaps because it does), anxiety can lead to heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and depression. And the holidays are notoriously high-anxiety times already. So, before Black Friday washes over you in all its sale-y glory, protect your nerves with these five easy tips.

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Impaired: How Burning the Candle at Both Ends Affects a College Student’s Intellect

Sleepless in College: Students Miss Their Bedtime

Image source: Schools.com

Anyone who is or who has ever been in college knows it’s not the most restful place in the world. There are a million reasons why college kids sleep poorly: loud raucous dorms, late-night study sessions, parties that never end, board-like twin beds, early morning classes, caffeine, nicotine, all of the other illicit drugs in the world, stress, homesickness, and heartbreak, to name a few. It’s a time when sleep seems like the least important thing in the world and yet it’s probably the most important time for a young person to sleep. Intellectually, college is endlessly demanding. It requires focus, determination, and organization—skills that don’t necessarily come naturally. Then there are all of the emotional and social demands of college life: the new friends, romantic entanglements, and the inevitable dramas of both. Unfortunately, a lack of sleep can cause problems across the board. Here’s how.

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From the Slightly Quirky to the Blatantly Bizarre: The Strange Sleeping Habits of Hollywood

Sleeping Keira Knightley

Image source: Wallpaperpassion.com

Hollywood stars and starlets are known for their weird habits—from underarm botox, to wearing latex gloves 24/7 (I’m looking at you, Howie Mandel), to playing with Barbies (it got creepy when you turned 40, Johnny Depp). I guess their eccentricities are part of the reason we love them so much. After all, nobody wants to watch a reality show about a nine-to-fiver in a business suit who takes his kids to soccer practice. When it comes to sleeping habits, the stars are just as strange, and I wouldn’t expect anything less. Would you? Still, I keep wondering, if they just got good natural mattresses, if they’d have to be so extreme. Yes. The answer is yes.

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Tell Your Brain to Shut Up! 5 Secret Stress Busters for a Great Night’s Sleep

Woman Sleeping on a Train

Image source: Itsalyx.com

I am a terrible sleeper. My brain thinks when the lights go out it’s time to think. I’ve solved world hunger in my sleeplessness. I’ve rearranged the furniture to transform my thrift store apartment into a masterpiece of modern design. I’ve negotiated peace treaties between warring countries. I’ve balanced my checkbook from memory. Instead of resting, I exhaust myself. It would be ironic if it weren’t so terribly frustrating! The worst part is that I’m so tired during the day, I fall asleep in all sorts of weird places: on the train, at school, even standing up! Over the years, I have discovered a few tried and true secrets that help me sleep: mysterious tinctures and techniques that power down my head so I can drift off into dreamland like a normal stinkin’ person.

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Does Too Much Turkey Actually Make You Tired: How to Stay Awake this Thanksgiving

Junk food that makes you tired

Image source: BlogSpot.com

Every Thanksgiving, the rumor goes around that eating too much turkey will make you tired. While there is tryptophan in turkey, it seems that the bird gets an especially sleepy wrap. But is every American’s favorite meal really forcing you to hit the botanical latex mattress harder on Thanksgiving night? While most of us role our eyes and continue chowing down, when we hear this theory, it made us wonder if there was actually any truth to this old wives tale, and what you can do to stay awake this Thanksgiving.

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This Thanksgiving, Be Thankful for An All Natural Latex Mattress

Organic mattress comfort levels

Image source: OrganicBedroomInc.com

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, it’s hard not to think of everything we have in our lives to be thankful for. While the first things we should all be thankful for are our health, happiness, family, friends, safety and freedom, there are of course many other things you’d be hard pressed to living without. One thing that comes to my mind is my nice warm bed. Once you live life with an all natural latex mattress, it’s hard to imagine going to bed on anything but. Let’s find out the secret behind these great mattresses and why this Thanksgiving when people go around the table to say what they’re thankful for, latex mattresses will be at the top of the list.

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Sleeping While Stressed: Sleep Habits of Military Families

Sleeping disorders

Image source: BestDesignOptions.com

 

With Veteran’s Day passing yesterday, it’s interesting and helpful to discuss the difficulties servicemen and their families can have in completing everyday tasks that most of us don’t even think twice about. One of the basic needs of all humans is sleep, but for those who are under stress or have been through a traumatic event in the military, sleep isn’t always easy to come by. We’ve talked about the effects of PTSD on sleep, but let’s talk about how soldiers and the families of soldiers can get sleep despite their very stressful and unique lifestyle.

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Inside Celebrity Bedrooms: What Celeb Has the Best Bed Style?

Haylie Duff's bedroom

Image source: People.com

We’ve all wondered what the inside of our favorite celebrities’ houses look like, and today we have a chance to check out some celebrity bedrooms. We’ve gone over the sleep habits of celebrities and even how they put their children to bed at night, so let’s cover something new. The style and decoration of these bedrooms may surprise you and who knows, you might find some helpful tips when spicing up your own bedroom. Most styles of celebrities, especially styles for the home, can be found at affordable prices all over the world. Let’s see what comforters and duvet covers are on top of the botanical latex mattresses of Hollywood’s favorites.

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New Study Shows that Children with Autism Sleep Better with New Weighted Blankets

Weighted blanket

Image source: CheapDisabilityAids.com

When it comes to the research being conducted on autism, it seems that everyday reveals something new. Some experts say, sleeping with stuffed animals can be comforting for children with behavioral issues. There seems to be new techniques and preventive measures that parents can take to help their autistic child. One of the newest crazes are weighted blankets. These heavy blankets provide a calming sensation to children with behavioral issues such as autism, specifically Asperger syndrome. Sleeping on a natural bedding such as botanical latex and using a weighted blanket will ensure your child with autism gets the best night of sleep. There are many different types of weighted blankets out there, let’s try to find the best ones and why they will work for your kids.

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