List of Sleep Posts:
- Sleep Series – Part 8: The Power Nap September 7, 2016
Introduction to the Power Nap
As I write this, I am brimming with mental energy. I don’t have this sort of mental energy all day long, so I have to take advantage of it when I do. As long as I got a good sleep and am healthy, I have this kind of energy about an hour ... - Sleep Series – Part 7: 7 Nutritional Strategies for Better Sleep August 21, 2014
Our focus on cortisol started with Sleep Series Part 4 which laid out the science of what cortisol is, its cycle, and how it affects sleep. In the following post, we looked at a few reasons why evening cortisol might be high. The last post presented methods for lowering evening cortisol levels such as finding ways to laugh, meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, listening ... - Sleep Series – Part 6: 6 Ways to Relax and Reduce Evening Cortisol August 14, 2014
The last post in the Sleep Series focused on several common reasons why cortisol, which should be low in the evening before sleep, can be high and decrease the quality of your sleep. Well, now we know that a sleep deficit, ruminating negative thoughts, a noisy environment, prolonged intense exercise in the evening, caffeine, and ... - Sleep Series – Part 5: 6 Factors that Increase Evening Cortisol Levels July 31, 2014
Time for another installment in the Sleep Series! We already learned about high-quality sleep and why days are supposed to be bright, while nights should be dark. The last post introduced the stress hormone cortisol, and its effect on sleep. In an ideal situation, cortisol is naturally high in the morning and tapers off throughout the ... - Sleep Series – Part 4: Cortisol and Sleep July 9, 2014
Introduction:
The last post in this series discussed how light influences your circadian rhythm, and the health effects of blue-light exposure during the day and its negative effects at night (which was discussed in Sleep Series Part 2). This post will look at the effect of the hormone cortisol and how it gives us energy and focus through the ... - Sleep Series – Part 3: Serotonin, Melatonin, and your Circadian Rhythm May 13, 2014
Introduction – Your Circadian Rhythm:
My previous post explained what sleep scientists have measured during sleep using EEG, and scientists’
current state of interpretations. Included in that post was my definition of objective sleep quality: going through the proper sequence of sleep cycles during the night with sufficient amounts of both stage 3 sleep (slow-wave sleep) and ... - Sleep Series – Part 2: Defining Sleep Quality with Sleep Architecture April 9, 2014
Featured image courtesy of Regine Debatty.
Introduction:
What is sleep? As human beings, we all obviously have some intuitive understanding that we get tired and get the urge to sleep with some regularity, and after sleeping we (generally) feel recharged. As I mentioned in the first part of this series, however, not all sleep is created equal.
There ... - Sleep Series: Part 1 – Introduction January 24, 2014
Featured image courtesy of Sean MacEntee.
Introduction
There are two versions of Graham Ballachey. It’s something of a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde dichotomy. I can be either of the following: 1. A positive, energetic, intelligent, friendly, patient, and adaptable man who handles (most) stress with ease; or
2. A grumpy, irritable, anxious, slow-witted, anti-social primate who ...
Featured photo courtesy of reonis.
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