Sleep paralysis is a terrifying and poorly understood phenomenon. Sufferers find themselves suddenly partially awake with their eyes open but unable to move as an evil and malevolent entity creeps toward their bed. Sleep paralysis isn’t the same as having a nightmare–sufferers are aware of their surroundings, sleeping position,…
168 hours. That is how many hours are in each week. Did you know that? I certainly did not; I never thought to do the math. Someone recently recommended the book, “I Know How She Does It” by Laura Vanderkam. Truthfully, it is written for a specific group of people…
Grieving the loss of a pet is never easy, but we can help our grief process and healing along with self-care and counseling. First, though, it’ll help to understand why grieving the loss of a pet is so difficult: For one, they aren’t just pets but family members. Our pain…
Biohackers and neurohackers are tech-inspired problem-solvers who want to find DIY ways to “upgrade” their biology and cognitive abilities. Biohacks run the gamut from the socially acceptable (exercise, coffee) to the extreme (hyperbaric chambers, microchips embedded under the skin). The concept of biohacking can make us explore what we value…
Ah, sleep. That tiny little window we get each night to rest and recharge. Only, not all of us get to experience that window as restfully as we’d like to. Some of us dread tucking into bed at night because we know what’s coming: a tossy-turny, stressful sleep inundated with…
Many couples choose to stop sharing a bed (i.e., get a sleep divorce) because their partner disturbs their sleep. But humans have a long history of sharing beds, and society can judge couples sleeping apart. Sleep studies show that we all get more rest when we sleep alone. Yet sleep…
Chronobiologists study how bodies can fall out of sync with the natural world’s circadian rhythms, a phenomenon called chronodisruption. Modern humans experience chronodisruption on a massive scale, thanks to artificial light pollution, social jet lag, late-night electronics, and other factors. This misalignment of natural cues can have adverse consequences for…
Click here to schedule online counseling at Thriveworks. Hi, my name is Emily Simonian and I’m a licensed clinician at Thriveworks in Washington DC. The question that was asked was, “Why am I having strange dreams during covid?” And that’s a great question because since the Coronavirus outbreak, I’m sure a lot…
A lucid dream is one in which the individual knows he or she is dreaming. According to sleep experts at Tuck.com, as many as 82% of people report having a lucid dream at least once in their lives. And while many wake up pretty quickly after making this strange realization,…
If you’ve ever flown across time zones, you’ve probably experienced jet lag—and you probably never want to experience it again. Here are 5 tips for preventing this temporary yet taxing sleep problem: One, move your bedtime. If you’re going east, start bumping your bedtime up. In the week leading up…
Sleep is crucial to our health, yet many of us don’t get enough of it. The good news is you can finally get some rest by making four changes to your sleep routine. One, make an effort to exercise during the day. Physical activity improves the quality and quantity of…
Many Americans don’t get enough sleep, nor do they consume enough vitamins and minerals. A new study conducted by Pharmavite LLC, a dietary supplements company, says the two might be connected. Researchers analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). They saw that US adults who got…