Things Science Knows about Dreams

Recent research has uncovered how men and women’s dreams differ, why some people remember their dreams, and more.

Decoding Dreams

Sweet dreams, horrible nightmares, dreams forgotten before you open your eyes — researchers have been poring over dream journals and monitoring brain activity in attempts to understand what we dream about, why we dream, the emotions behind dreams and nightmares, and male and female differences in dreaming. Studies are just beginning to tap the vast science of dreaming, but here’s what ...

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15
FEB
0

World of Dreams

Do You Need a Smart Bed?

Today’s smart beds could have a higher IQ than the people sleeping on them. Use these tips to bone up on mattress shopping.

Move over, iPad and Galaxy — the latest entry in the smart technology market is your bed.

The Sleep Number X12, a mattress introduced at the 2014 International Consumer Electronics Show, promises to revolutionize sleep. The mattress responds to voice-activated commands to adjust firmness and elevation settings, can give you massage, and uses a non-invasive technology called SleepIQ to ...

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1
FEB
0

Mattresses 101

Best Pillows for Side Sleepers

Not all pillows are created equal. If you sleep on your side, these are the best pillows for you.

When it comes to pillows, one size does not fit all. Not only do different body types require different pillows, but your sleep style also makes a huge difference in the type of support you need from a pillow. And more specifically, if you’re someone who sleeps on your side, you need extra support to fill the space your shoulders create between ...

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15
JAN
0

Tips and Tricks

10 Reasons You’re So Tired

Here are 10 reasons why you feel sleepy, plus how to fix them.

If you’re regularly exhausted by mid-afternoon, you’re not getting enough sleep, according to John Garcia, MD, a sleep specialist at Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare in St. Paul, Minn. Lack of sleep can be dangerous: Tired people are more likely to have car accidents, and chronic tiredness can increase your chances of developing diabetes and hypertension. Surprisingly, you may be sabotaging your own efforts to get some rest. Here’s ...

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1
JAN
0

Other Sleep Disorders

Snacking While Asleep? The Truth About Nocturnal Eating Disorders

Do you wake in the night and eat? Sleep eating is more common than you think.

Sure, everyone likes a good bedtime snack, but for some people, nighttime eating stretches beyond that final bowl of ice cream before turning in. These people find themselves inadvertently snacking the night away, either knowing or unknowingly, in the form of nocturnal eating disorders, or NEDs.

There are two types of these eating disorders, nocturnal eating syndrome (NES) and sleep-related eating disorder (SRED). The main difference ...

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15
DEC
0

Other Sleep Disorders

Odd Things People Do in Their Sleep

Sleepwalking is actually a type of sleep disorder called a parasomnia. Learn even more uncommon things people do while asleep, from eating to having sex.

Some sleep disorders are actually quite common. Most people talk in their sleep, and some are prone to sleepwalking.

But other parasomnias are more unusual, like sleep sex or sleep crime. “Parasomnia is abnormal behavior that occurs during sleep,” says David A. Neumeyer, MD, a sleep specialist at the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Mass. “Some of ...

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1
DEC
0

World of Dreams

Seriously Amazing Reasons to Snag a Good Night’s Sleep

Seriously Amazing Reasons to Snag a Good Night’s Sleep

Chances are, someone in your life — a parent, a partner, a doctor — has told you to “get some sleep.” From cutting your heart attack risk to improving your complexion to boosting your memory, here’s why you should heed their advice tonight.

You know you feel great after a good night’s sleep. But do you know just how important good sleep is for your health? It may even save your life, according ...

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15
NOV
0

Sleepless Dangers

The Risks of Taking Sleeping Pills

Many drugs are available to treat insomnia, but their side effects can be risky. Find out about the dangers of sleeping pills.

On the surface, prescription sleep aids can seem like the perfect cure for insomnia: Take a pill, and a few minutes later you slip into a restful sleep. Though they do have legitimate uses, sleeping pills also come with significant risks and side effects, which many people don’t realize, says Marc Leavey, MD, a doctor of internal medicine at ...

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1
NOV
0

Doctors Orders

How to Stay Awake in Your Most Boring Meeting

Nodding off during the day can be embarrassing. Discover why this happens and how to prevent it.

It happens all the time and it happens to everyone, at least now and then: falling asleep in inappropriate places or at inopportune times. If you’re with friends, it can be funny. But sleeping in a meeting or in the middle of an important lecture can be mortifying.

The problem is more widespread than you might imagine. A 2009 survey conducted by state health departments ...

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15
OCT
0

Tips and Tricks

Things Sleep Doctors Want You to Know About Tracking Your Sleep

Should you trust the tracker data? Could it clue you in to underlying health conditions? Here’s what experts say about sleep-tracking devices.

Technology allows us to track more specific measurements of our health than ever before. Wearables can monitor daily steps, blood pressure, and now sleep. But experts warn that what you can learn from your sleep stats, at least currently, has its limits.

“The reality is that we live in an era in which we are obsessed with the notion ...

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1
OCT
0

Doctors Orders

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