alcohol & insomnia
Do Night-Caps Work? So what’s the scoop? Is alcohol a reasonable tool to help treat insomnia? Unfortunately for insomnia sufferers, the best professional opinion says no. It is true that a drink or two can help us fall asleep initially, but invariably we pay for it later. After three hours of sleep, the alcohol in […]
night eating
Do you awaken at night to raid the ice-box—not once, but maybe two or three or even four times a night? If so, you suffer from a type of insomnia—because you’re eating when you’re supposed to be in bed asleep! But which part of this equation do you think causes the other? Do we eat […]
white noise
“White noise” can be soothing… For some people with insomnia, any sound at all during sleep—or rather, during those times when one is trying to get to sleep—drives them crazy. But for others, “white noise” is the cure. “White noise” ranges from the steady sound of a fan blowing to the soft hum of an […]
relaxation tapes
Insomnia Busters! Calling all insomniacs! Have you visted our sponsor—Centerpointe—’s website? Centerpointe has developed a powerful, natural aid for sleep induction, based on the principles of brain activity during sleep. When we naturally fall asleep at night, our brainwaves slow down: the slower the waveform, the deeper the sleep. Centerpointe has developed a series of […]
aromatherapy
Aromatherapy: Does it Work? We read a lot about aromatherapy these days, and most of us probably have scented candles in our homes. While we all agree that candles smell nice and lend a certain “ambience” when lit—the question remains: Do certain smells really help us relax? Enough so that they may be effective in […]
melatonin
We hear a lot about Melatonin these days—but how do we separate the hype from the facts? Melatonin has been promoted as a mood enhancer, as a powerful anti-oxidant, as a longevity miracle drug, and—last but not least—as a sleep aid. Of the four qualities listed above, only one has earned significant scientific concensus: melatonin […]
breathing to fall asleep
As I lie in bed, I breathe in deeply filling my abdomen with air to a count of four or five, then breathe out slowly to the same count. As I am expelling the air, I try to relax any tense muscles. I accomplish this by concentrating on the area around my mouth, jaw, teeth […]
i can’t sleep!
I am a 17 year old boy who has had problems sleeping all of my life. Even as a child I wanted to sleep during the day, and stay awake all night. Within the last few years I have been thinking about this, and I was wondering if you could help me. I have developed […]
frozen
I have had the same type of dream now for the past 10 years where I find myself in a state of absolute paralasis, always still aware that I’m in bed & also aware that I’m asleep. It is always accompanied by an awful feeling of fear or dread and I seem to have an […]
phantom of the night
Hi Peter – “Intruder” dreams are some of the most frightening nighttime experiences we can have. The common theme, in all of them, is a terrifying sense of vulnerability. You have asked the key question that all people who have these dreams want to know: What is their psychological significance? Is the dreamer recalling a […]
can’t hit!
Hi Bob – Welcome to one of the strangest dreams of all. Just when we’re really mad and want to throw a punch in a dream, it seems like we can’t move at all. What’s the meaning? Do we need to go to the gym and work to build new muscles? Because the human body […]
haunted by a ghost!
Hi Evelyn— The first good news I can tell you is I don’t think your ex is coming back to haunt you! The second good news is that you most likely are experiencing a very common sleep event, called “sleep paralysis.” Sleep paralysis is frightening — and it gives us all a scare now and […]