Did you know that we’re in the midst of National Sleep Awareness Week? This annual event, which kicked off March 3 and goes through March 10, is the National Sleep Foundation’s weeklong campaign to commemorate the health benefits of sleep. This year marks the 16th annual occasion. The week kicked off with the debut of the National Sleep Foundation ‘s Sleep in America® poll. This year, the poll observed the [...]
Most of us probably know that it’s not the best idea to let our canine or feline companion sleep in our bed at night. Sure, it may be comforting and cozy, but in reality, it does more harm than just tracking pet hair all over the duvet cover – it is downright bad for our sleep and ultimately, our health. First off, there are many benefits to having a pet, [...]
Have you ever awoken after a night’s slumber to find your mind filled with fresh ideas, answers to difficult decisions, inspiration for a project, or a new perspective on a problem? We’ve probably all experienced this at some point or another, but do you ever wonder why this happens? While we’re asleep, our brain relaxes and makes a switch – turning on the quiet voice in our head. This voice, [...]
I’m the parent of two school-age boys, and behavior and sleep are consistently two of the biggest challenges I face with them. Last summer, I was preparing to have my oldest son, who turns 5 in July, begin Kindergarten. He’s small for his age, and was the youngest in his kindergarten class. We had also recently moved to a new area, and he didn’t know anybody. Needless to say, we [...]
A recent article in Wired covers a discovery by Harvard sleep researchers that shows some people have a built-in mechanism for blocking noise and other environmental factor that would wake most normal people. What happens is that the Thalamus, a region of the brain that acts as a sort of switch board for sensory information such as sound and vision information, turns into a filter by creating special waves the [...]