Search Results for: blog counting sheep may not work after all

Losing Sleep to Popcorn Brain

Do you ever find your mind too active to sleep? Maybe you’re turning one problem over and over in your head… or maybe your thoughts are pinging from one topic to another, racing along merrily while the rest of you desperately wants to rest. I like to call that hopping from one thought to another “popcorn brain”. Pop! A thought goes off over here. Pop! A totally different thought goes off over there! And if you imagine your head like a popcorn popper, it can quickly fill up with thoughts, leaving you very little space in which to calm down … Continue reading →

Animals in Historical Mysteries: An Interview with Mary Reed (and Eric Mayer)

Another author who recently humored my request for an interview is Mary Reed, who co-authors the John the Eunuch series with Eric Mayer. And actually I got double my money this go around because this dynamic duo is also a married one as well. I’m going to keep my intro short because in reading their answers you’ll come to see how much they not only love animals (especially cats), but also use animals in their work and have a lot of fun with it. Courtney Mroch: What kind of things do you write about? Mary Reed/Eric Mayer: We write historical … Continue reading →

What Does Exhaustion Do to You?

This is a totally subjective question. What does exhaustion do to you? Here’s what it does to me: Exhaustion makes me cranky. I tend to get very short tempered with people when I’m over-tired. Things come out much more sharply than I intend. I am brisk with friends and family. Exhaustion makes me clumsy. Yesterday, I dropped a full pitcher of iced tea (that I had just made) in the sink. No more iced tea! I’ve also made the mistake of taking a glass class — making pendants on a torch — when I was over-tired. I ended up dropping … Continue reading →

Another Look at Natural Sleep Aids

Despite being really tired, I slept very poorly last night. I knew I had to get up early for a conference call and was worried that I would oversleep or miss my alarm. Instead, I spent the night dozing lightly and tossing and turning. I must have looked at the clock a hundred times! At least… that’s what it felt like. My bad luck — I have another early morning call tomorrow. I’m hoping I’ll sleep easier tonight, but I wouldn’t mind some help, either. And I’m sure I wasn’t alone in my sleeplessness last night — insomnia is a … Continue reading →

Sleep On It!

How many times do I need to repeat this? Sleep is good for you. Apparently I have to repeat it a lot… a recent survey by Prevention magazine found that more than 50% of all busy women (that includes stay at home moms, ladies with full time jobs, business owners, and more) make sleep the first thing to go when the pressure is on. But sleep is good for you! Really! A study from Harvard Medical School is demonstrating (once again) that a good night’s sleep can make your brain function better. Folks who volunteered for the study were divided … Continue reading →

Hops

You may have only heard of hops in regards with brewing beer. Its use in beer making has given this plant a huge significance around the world! But hops have more than just the one purpose in life. In the earliest days of culinary history, hops were used as a kitchen herb. The young shoots are edible, but the plant’s purpose soon changed. By the ninth and tenth century, brewers in France and Germany were using hops as a preservative. Beers brewed using the plant could survive longer in storage. Hops crossed the Atlantic Ocean in the 1600s; the plant … Continue reading →

The 108th Sheep – Ayano Imai

Emma is having a very hard time going to sleep. She’s tried everything. She’s had a nice glass of warm milk. She’s even read a whole stack of books (a girl after my own heart) but the exciting stories only made her feel more awake. Finally, she has an idea – she’ll count sheep. That should do the trick. But Emma’s counting doesn’t seem to work, either. When she reaches one hundred, she is still awake. So she keeps counting – but when she reaches one hundred and eight, the 108th sheep doesn’t appear. Instead, she feels a bump, and … Continue reading →

Restless Legs Syndrome: Treatment

Movement can bring temporary relief to people with restless legs syndrome. However, some cases of RLS can be controlled by finding and treating any underlying disorders, like neuropathy, arthritis, or diabetes. In patients without an underlying disorder, treatment focuses on relieving symptoms. Preventing restless legs syndrome symptoms: Decrease the consumption of caffeine and alcohol. Reduce tobacco use. Correct iron deficiencies with diet and supplements. Correct other deficiencies — like folate or magnesium — with diet and supplements. Maintain a regular sleep pattern. Some patients find that sticking to a regular schedule can help reduce symptoms. Others find that symptoms are … Continue reading →

Counting Sheep May Not Work After All

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The next time you have trouble sleeping, you might not want to bother calling out the mental sheep. A recent study from Oxford University in England studied the effectiveness of sheep-counting and found the technique lacking. Fifty insomniacs participated in the sleep study, which focused on distraction techniques. One group counted sheep; a second group was asked to visualize a relaxing, peaceful scene. A third group was given no instructions at all. Who fell asleep the fastest? The visualization group was the first in dreamland, by an average of twenty minutes. Why did the good old counting sheep let the … Continue reading →