A Simple Trick for Beating Insomnia Lessons from a chronic insomniac who finally learned how to sleep. Key points Insomnia is aggravated, paradoxically, by trying too hard to fall asleep. Thus, experts recommend healthy sleep hygiene habits that replace obsessive thoughts about insomnia. When sleep hygiene isn't enough, a simple trick for distracting your brain from sleep anxieties could work. “Your biggest problem falling asleep,” my doctor observed, “is your anxiety about falling asleep.” I’d been struggling for years with insomnia, and my …
Don’t Be a Light Sleeper
For an experience that commands a quarter to a third of our lives, surprisingly little is known about how our bodies and brains sense the need to sleep, then automatically adjust and discharge that need so that we can function day in and day out. At the center of it all is the circadian clock, a cluster of cells composing the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) tucked into the brain’s hypothalamus, that oscillates on a schedule that synchronizes our life—and all other life on the planet—with patterns of solar light. Each of us is born with this basic mechanism of predictability, which is built …
How “Cognitive Defusion” Can Help With Anxiety
How "Cognitive Defusion" Can Help With Anxiety Learn how recognizing and getting distance from thoughts helps soften anxiety Key points With anxiety, we often get so caught up in our thoughts that we don't even recognize they are just thoughts. "Cognitive defusion" means recognizing and gaining some distance from thoughts. Using this strategy tends to make thoughts less scary. One of the root causes of anxiety problems is how we treat our thoughts. But in order to treat your thoughts differently, you first have to recognize that they are thoughts in …
Mindful Walking
5 Tips on Habit Stacking and Mindful Walking Mindful walking is a simple strategy that can be easily integrated into daily life through "habit stacking." A new research study has found that mindful walking in nature or an urban environment improves sleep quality and mood. Researchers asked 104 participants who were having sleep issues to take regular daily 35-minute walks for a week in either a park or a more urban area of the city. Walking in both settings improved sleep quality, mood, and mindfulness. This means that even if you live in an urban area, mindful walking is a …
The Secret to a Happy, Healthy Life
An 80-year study finds warm relationships lead to health and happiness. What makes a happy life? In some ways, this feels like one of the most important questions a person can ask. To look for answers, researchers from Harvard University have been following two very different groups of men for more than 80 years—268 Harvard graduates and 456 men who grew up in inner-city Boston. This is the longest-running study ever of human life. Researchers were particularly interested in the social and psychological factors that impact health and well-being in later in life. The biggest take-home …
Ideas for Reducing Anxiety
Feeling anxious is common. Feelings can range from a little bit of worry to excessive amounts that results in a debilitating disorder. Here are a few tools to help you reduce anxiety. Mindfulness Are you anxious about a test as you sit down to take it? That’s normal! But often we feel anxiety about an event in the future, frequently with an uncertain outcome. Mindfulness refers to being present in the moment. To be mindful of the now and remind yourself that you are safe, gently tap the palm of your hand or press a finger gently in the soft spot behind your ear. When you have …
