Many older adults feel that a good night’s sleep is more elusive than it once was. You may feel tired earlier in the evening, but then sleep for less total hours than you used to. Perhaps you wake frequently during the night, or wake early in the morning and struggle to fall asleep again. People sometimes say they just don’t need as much...
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Imagine trying to fall asleep after a tiring shift at work. You’re just starting to doze off when the doorbell rings. Bleary-eyed, you quickly get dressed, stumble to the front door, and discover a delivery person standing in beaming sunlight asking you to sign for a package. It’s not what you want when you’re trying to sleep, yet...
Depression is a serious mental health condition that can impact every part of your life. It can also seriously affect your sleep; it can take longer to fall asleep, you might wake much earlier or later than you’d like, and the overall quality of your sleep often suffers. Paradoxically, it can also make you just want to curl up in bed and shut...
I’ve been using earplugs at night off and on for many years now. The sound of a dripping tap in the bathroom is enough to keep me awake, so if I can hear snoring or traffic, I’m doomed to a sleepless night without earplugs. In 2017, I did an extensive review of the best sleep earplugs, and in doing so discovered that there are some...
Think back to a time you had to sleep in a difficult or unusual place. Was it outside in harsh weather conditions? Were you travelling? Was it too noisy, hot, cold or uncomfortable? Were you alone, and did you feel safe? A striking memory for me is of a sailing trip across the English channel in unexpectedly stormy seas, 25 years ago as a young...
After working for many years in England, when I spent some time in a small town in the south of Spain, the change to my workday hours was as much of a shock as the unbearably hot weather. In London, I’d never take more than 30 minutes for my lunch, sometimes even choosing to eat a sandwich at my desk. It made the afternoon a bit of a slog at...
Unless you’re blessed with eternal youth, you might relate to the following experience: you wake up after a bad night’s sleep and stumble into the bathroom. You catch a glimpse of your face in the mirror. It’s a dispiriting sight; the skin around your eyes has turned a few shades darker, maybe even bloated and puffy. Is it just the...
Picture the face of someone you know yawning when you’re talking to them. Their face goes through a series of distinct changes – a gaping jaw, eyes squeezing closed and a deep intake of breath followed by a short exhalation. All in the space of just 4 to 7 seconds. They might try and hide the fact that they’re yawning; or embrace...