9 Top Solutions For Sleepless Nights

Sleep, interrupted

Your eyes pop open at 2 or 3 AM, and try as you might, you just can't fall back asleep. Sound familiar? "Everyone has an occasional restless night," says Timothy Morgenthaler, MD, president-elect of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. "But if you regularly find it hard to get back to sleep within 15 or 20 minutes, or if you wake up more than two or three times per night, that can cause disruption in your daily life and is worth addressing."

I need to get some sleep!

Why it happens

A normal night's sleep includes many seconds-long mini-arousals—from 3 to 15 per hour—as a result of changes in brain wave activity. Most of the time we aren't even aware of them, and they don't affect sleep quality. But as we age, these mini-arousals happen more frequently and can become full-fledged awakenings for all sorts of reasons: stress, alcohol, noise, light—you name it. Try these tips to get you clear through the night.

Hypnotize yourself

Deep breathing and mental imagery techniques can help you sleep through the night or return to sleep after you wake up. "Focusing on a positive experience—like imagining a beautiful beach—allows stress to fade into the background," says Gary Elkins, PhD, director of the Mind-Body Research Program at Baylor University and the author of the new book Hypnotic Relaxation Therapy. Patients with insomnia meet with him weekly for five to eight hourly sessions to learn self-hypnosis. They get an audio recording of sessions and practice self-hypnosis daily at home. People tend to see results within 2 to 4 weeks, Dr. Elkins says.

Try Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

CBT-I has been found to be as effective as medication is for inducing sleep. "In people with sleep problems, confidence in the ability to sleep erodes," says Ryan Wetzler, PsyD, of Sleep Medicine Specialists in Louisville. "We teach people what they might be doing wrong and how to reset the biological systems that regulate their sleep."

You can read some books

Meditate

Eliminating anxiety about getting back to sleep can go a long way. "People who meditate are more relaxed, so when they wake up during the night, they may not get as upset," says Ramadevi Gourineni, MD, associate professor in neurology at Northwestern University. As a result, they soon drift off again. Dr. Gourineni found that when insomniacs practiced Kriya yoga meditation for 15 to 20 minutes twice a day for 2 months, the time they spent awake in the middle of the night dropped from 75 minutes to 25. Other types of meditation and yoga might help as well—and even if you don't have 30 minutes a day, a consistent practice of any length is likely to help. 

Meditate

Heartburn

More than a third of Americans have acid reflux, and a majority are awakened by it. Your first lines of defense: Don't eat within 3 hours of bedtime; try lifting your head 45 degrees to keep acid down; and avoid citrus, onion, carbonated drinks, mint, alcohol, and smoking. If these strategies don't help, prescription proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) may.

Minimize bathroom breaks

"Patients often tell me, 'When I was a college student, I could drink fluids up until I went to sleep, and now all of a sudden it's a problem,' " says Ariana Smith, MD, assistant professor of urology at the University of Pennsylvania. That's likely because vasopressin, a hormone that suppresses urine production, declines as we age. If your sleep is being sabotaged by trips to the loo, try some simple lifestyle changes. Use the toilet before you go to bed, don't drink within 2 to 3 hours of bedtime, and steer clear of alcohol and caffeine, which are diuretics. If these don't help and you're using the bathroom more than once a night, see a doctor, because this could signal a medical condition.

Bathroom break interrupts your sleep

Exercise

Insomniacs who did 16 weeks of aerobic exercise—walking outside or using a treadmill or stationary bike—for 30 to 40 minutes four times a week slept an extra 75 minutes per night, finds a recent study published inSleep Medicine. That's more than other nondrug therapies have achieved, likely because exercise improves metabolism and decreases inflammation—both of which can enhance sleep quality and reduce daytime fatigue.

Stay away from "Sound Pollution"

Be smart about booze

A nightcap can certainly make drifting off to sleep easy, but as soon as that alcohol gets metabolized, you may wake up. Drink before sleep and you'll get less REM sleep, the deep dream state that we need for good rest. Another thing to know: Levels of alcohol high enough to impair sleep differ among individuals—so your mate may sleep like a log after hoisting a drink or two, while you may toss and turn. Your best bet is to schedule last call 2 or 3 hours before heading to bed.

Do not have a heavy meal before sleep

Lights out

People exposed to light at night had shallower sleep and were more likely to experience mini-arousals during the night in a 2013 study in the journalSleep Medicine. "Melatonin levels are suppressed by even low levels of light, and that in turn is associated with disturbed sleep," says Phyllis Zee, MD, director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Northwestern University. If you read on a tablet, switch from a white background with black font to a black background with white font, which emits less light. Also, dim your device to half brightness or less, and hold it 14 inches away from your eyes.

Do not take long nap

Soak up the sun

Exposure to natural light during the day can improve your sleep. Researchers at Northwestern recently found that people whose workplaces had windows got 173% more light exposure during the day and slept an average of 47 more minutes per night than their windowless coworkers. Natural daylight may enhance melatonin production come nightfall—one key to a solid night's slumber.

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10 Surprising Benefits Of Dragon Fruit You Never Knew

Dragon what? No, this is not a medieval-times myth where knights save princesses from fire-breathing dragons and win the coveted dragon fruit from a magical tree. That said, real dragon fruit does contain some pretty magical benefits that can make you feel like a beautiful princess or a knight in shining armor.

Dragon fruits

In tropical and subtropical regions in South America and Asia, the dragon fruit flourishes and grows in abundance. Appropriately named, the dragon fruit’s outer skin is cactus-like, resembling that of the scales of a mythical dragon. Considered a cactus plant, its vibrant green and reddish-pink hues indicate that the fruit is full of nutrients, while the creamy white flesh spotted with black seeds gives way to many rich and natural properties.

Also known as pitaya, these fun-looking fruits contain around 60 calories each and are rich in vitamin C, B1, B2 and B3, and minerals such as iron, calcium, and phosphorus. And that’s not all. This is definitely one of the best “super fruits” out there.

1. Better Than Cheerios

Dragon fruit has an extremely low amount of cholesterol, which ultimately helps the body break down this fruit quickly, keeping you happy and healthy. It’s the perfect fruit to maintain your weight and satisfy your sweet tooth.

2. Keep Your Heart Healthy

Americans have increasing problems maintaining cardiovascular health. Fortunately, this fruit has an amazing superpower that helps decrease bad cholesterol levels and replenish good levels. Dragon fruit is an excellent source of monounsaturated fats, helping the heart stay in great condition.

3. Fill Up On Fiber

To clean up your digestive system, eat a dragon fruit. They have a high fiber content, which can assist with poor digestion and constipation. Eating the flesh and seeds, which contain good protein, will keep your body fortified and satisfied.

Dragon Fruits have high fiber content

4. Active Antioxidants

To rid the body of free radicals and cancer-producing properties, you can eat foods that contain antioxidants. Believe it or not, dragon fruit is giving acai berries a run for their money.

5. Fights Diabetes

The high amount of fiber in dragon fruit can ultimately help regulate diabetes, as it can stabilize blood sugar levels by suppressing sugar spikes. However, with any dietary changes or modifications, always consult your doctor to make sure this is a good food for you.

The White color meat of Dragon Fruits are said to help fighting diabetes

6. Reduces Signs of Aging

Eating a dragon fruit with its rich antioxidants can keep the skin tight and young. You can even make a face mask using the fruit combined with honey as a natural alternative to anti-aging masks.

7. Treating Colored Hair

Dragon fruit juice is an excellent agent for treating colored hair. By simply putting the juice or a conditioner containing dragon fruit on your scalp, you can protect your chemically treated or colored hair. This will keep the hair follicles open, allowing your hair to breathe and remain healthy and smooth.

8. Suppresses Arthritis

Arthritis directly affects the joints and causes severe irritation and immobility. Adding dragon fruit to your diet can help you fight these ailments. Dragon fruit’s benefits for people suffering from arthritis are so great that it’s commonly referred to as the “anti-inflammatory fruit.”

9. Avoiding Acne

This treatment is not just for teenagers. Rich in vitamin C, this fruit becomes a great topical ointment. Turn a slice of dragon fruit into a paste and apply it to your reddened areas on your face or skin, then rinse with water. For best results, use twice daily.

10. Soothe Sunburned Skin

By combining dragon fruit with cucumber juice and honey, you can create a compound much like aloe that can soothe burned skin. Abundant in vitamin B3, dragon fruit can moisturize sunburned skin and release heat from the affected area.

Dragon fruits makes a nice desserts

How Can You Make Dragon Fruit a Part of Your Daily Routine?

Tired of the everyday apple or banana? Go ahead, you get permission to pick up the exotic fruit because it’s so good it should be forbidden. Dragon fruit is so easy to eat that all you need is a spoon to dig out its goodness, similar to a kiwi. Or, you can easily bite it right off of the peel for a quick fix. One dragon fruit will suffice as a snack, but soon you’ll be craving more.

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7 Things Only People With Anxiety Would Understand

If you're one of the 40 million adults in the U.S. with an anxiety disorder (that’s 18% of the U.S. population, by the way), you likely get reminded of these truths every day.

Anxiety attacks

1. Anxiety Hurts.

We're talking about actual physical pain. The source can vary depending on the individual, but many people with anxiety suffer from "somatic" symptoms—headaches, muscle pain, rapid heart rate, stomach pain, acid reflux, and excessive sweating, says Royce Lee, MD, a psychiatrist and associate professor of psychiatry at University of Chicago.

Somatic symptoms result from chronic stress. When you’re tense, your body's sympathetic nervous system goes on high alert: muscles contract, pulse rises, blood pressure soars. In the short term, that’s no problem. But for people with anxiety disorders, the arousal occurs too often or it can be too strong, Lee says, and that leads to physical pain. "The stress response stops being helpful and it gets in the way"—in other words, it hurts.

It just not right!

2. You can't control it.

Telling yourself to calm down (or having someone tell you to calm down) doesn't help. Anxiety is a signal from the brain that something is wrong, telling your body to stay alert and protect itself. It’s an automatic emotional function of the brain that's beyond your own control, Lee explains. Telling yourself to stop being nervous or don't have a panic attack can actually make anxiety worse. "It's just like someone can't tell themselves they are not hungry if they are; if you're experiencing anxiety, it's real." In fact, recognizing and accepting the times you feel anxious can sometimes help you cope, Lee notes.

It is out of control

3. Anxiety wrecks your sleep.

Restless nights are very common for anxiety sufferers, Lee says—and it impacts life in a big way. "When you can't sleep, it becomes difficult to go to work or family functions because you're so tired." Poor sleep can lead to a host of other physical symptoms, such as pain (particularly in pressure points and joints), fatigue, headaches, and weight gain.

I cant sleep!

4. There's more to anxiety than just stress.

Many of the symptoms of an anxiety disorder overlap with normal reactions to stress—such as changes in appetite, feeling nervous and irritable, trouble sleeping, Lee says. The difference with an anxiety disorder is the size of the person's response, he explains. "It's an anxiety disorder when the response is disproportionate to the problem—or if the stress response continues even though the trigger is no longer present."

Stress

5. Medicine Aren't Always Helpful.

The current medications for anxiety are far from perfect. Benzodiazepines (Xanax, Ativan, Valium, and others) are used to treat acute bouts of anxiety. However, they can become less effective with repeated use; worse, they're addictive for some patients, Lee says. Typically, doctors prescribe the drugs for patients to use in specific stressful situations—for people who suffer anxiety over dental procedures or flying, for example. Antidepressants (Zoloft, Prozac, Paxil, and others) work well for long-term treatment of anxiety—and they're not addictive. However, they do have side effects, such as upset stomach, decreased sex drive, and weight gain.

Medicinal abuse

6. Sometimes you can't identify the source.

For some sufferers, anxiety triggers can be obvious; for others, the source can be a mystery, Lee says. Your brain is constantly processing information about your environment and preparing the body to react to various stimuli, he explains. If you're afraid of snakes, for example, your brain may trigger an anxious reaction to things like grass and rocks—places where a snake might hide—without you even realizing it. It all happens outside of your awareness, says Lee: "It's entirely possible for the brain to start the fear reaction based on stimuli in the world that you have barely noticed."

What is happening to me?

7. There's a lot of silent suffering.

People with anxiety generally experience it often—most of the day, every day. That makes it difficult to kick back, relax, and have a good time, Lee adds. "People may rarely complain about feeling anxious to family and friends, but the symptoms can be present most of the day, nearly every day."

The world is gonna end

While there's no cure for anxiety, experts do consider it to be treatable. Psychotherapy, behavioral therapy, and medication can all be effective in relieving symptoms—all you have to do is seek help.

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