Daily Heath

How Poor Sleep, Depression, and Chronic Pain Feed Each Other How we see the world shapes who we choose to be — and sharing compelling experiences can frame the way we treat each other, for the better. This is a powerful perspective. We all know how just one night of bad sleep can put us in a total funk. When you struggle getting restorative rest night after night, the effects can be devastating. I’ve spent much of my life lying awake in bed until the early morning, praying for sleep. With the help of a sleep specialist, I was finally able to connect my symptoms with a diagnosis:  delayed sleep phase syndrome , a disorder in which your preferred sleep time is at least two hours later than conventional bedtimes. In a perfect world, I’d fall asleep in the early morning hours and stay in bed until noon. But since this isn’t a perfect world, I have many sleep-deprived days. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , adults like me who sleep less than t...

The 6 Best Bedtime Teas That Help You Sleep Good sleep is crucial to your overall health. Unfortunately, about 30% of people suffer from insomnia, or the chronic inability to fall asleep, stay asleep or achieve restorative, high-quality sleep ( 1 ,  2 ). Herbal teas are popular beverage choices when it comes time to relax and unwind. For centuries, they have been used around the world as natural sleep remedies. Modern research also backs the use of herbal teas and their effectiveness as a sleep aid. This article explores 6 of the best bedtime teas for catching some z’s. 1. Chamomile For years,  chamomile tea  has been used as a natural remedy to reduce inflammation, decrease anxiety and treat insomnia. In fact, chamomile is commonly regarded as a mild tranquilizer or sleep inducer. Its calming effects may be attributed to an antioxidant called apigenin, which is found in abundance in chamomile tea. Apigenin binds to specific receptors in yo...

Why Do We Dream? Overview Dreams are hallucinations that occur during  certain stages of sleep . They’re strongest during REM sleep, or the rapid eye movement stage, when you may be less likely to recall your dream. Much is known about the  role of sleep  in regulating our metabolism, blood pressure, brain function, and other aspects of health. But it’s been harder for researchers to explain the role of dreams. When you’re awake, your thoughts have a certain logic to them. When you sleep, your brain is still active, but your thoughts or dreams often make little or no sense. This may be because the emotional centers of the brain trigger dreams, rather than the logical regions. Though there’s no definitive proof, dreams are usually autobiographical thoughts based on your recent activities, conversations, or other issues in your life. However, there are some popular theories on the role of dreams. The role of dreams Researchers still don’t entirely a...