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When embarking on a journey, especially when it’s your first, careful consideration of several factors is essential to guarantee an enjoyable experience without unexpected hurdles. Regardless of your mode of transportation—be it bus, train, or airplane—the discomfort of being confined in a limited space for extended periods is a common challenge. While your mind might be filled with images of stunning landscapes and the anticipation of meeting new people, overlooking the intricacies of the journey could lead to complications if not adequately prepared for.

If you’ve traveled even once, you know not to leave the house without some essentials, and a few adjustable, extra items on the side. These can vary depending on how you travel and for how long, but besides the passport, include things like your favorite book, an insulated water bottle, a layer of clothing in addition to what you are wearing, etc. However, experienced travelers know that some preparation time before the trip goes a long way, and is just as important as the journey in terms of maintaining good health, and staying on top of things over the entire period you spend away. 

How Difficult Can It Be?

Is it really that hard to sleep on a plane? Well, more than just remembering to bring your ticket and finding your seat. Not to scare you out of it, but there’s plenty that can go wrong at virtually every point of the journey you make. Not surprising, since there are so many necessary steps to take, leaving that much room for mistakes. First, remembering to make a reservation in time to avoid the expensive last-minute deals. Then, doing all the administration correctly, making sure you have your travel permit if necessary, checking the expiration date of your passport, and following the procedure to get your ticket. Moving onto your luggage: checking if you have everything you need, buying whatever’s missing, then weighing the bags and suitcases to fit into the requirements. Picking out a comfortable outfit and preparing some pastime activities to do on the road. But we’re missing something. You!

A common trap many people fall into is obsessing about the vacation stuff they need to bring with them, such as bathing suits or new sunglasses, and forgetting to evaluate how they will feel inside and out during the entire journey from the moment they’re out the door. Wanting to look stylish is great, but is it really worth the discomfort to spend eight hours in tight over-the-knee boots? Are you considering the health aspects of traveling, and possible issues, such as jet lag? Did you do all the homework or are you just assuming you will be able to sleep five hours straight despite the noises like people talking or the roaring engine? Don’t worry. You’ve come to the right place. After finishing this article, you can rest assured that you are well-prepared and exponentially more likely to return from your travels in minty fresh shape.

Sleep Quality: Plane vs. Ground

Generally, while traveling, it’s sensible to expect your body to have some issues. As you get out of your home city, the one your body is used to and considers its comfort zone, you will encounter microbes and substances you haven’t come into contact with before. As your immune system didn’t get the chance to learn about them and overcome their potentially harmful effects, it’s ill-equipped to protect you from sickness. Sleep is one of the most significant factors in keeping such situations manageable. However, it’s also one of the first things that get inhibited when we go on a trip due to quite a few reasons: excitement, falling out of healthy routines, eating high-fat food and lots of it in the evening, often combined with alcohol, the immune system falling short of keeping us safe and sound, cramped or uncomfortable space in the plane or train, excessive noise around you, etc. Some of these are the reasons why sleeping may be particularly troublesome on a plain.

You may have had trouble falling asleep in-flight before, or felt it goes harder than it should. You’re not wrong. According to this study, not only does it take longer to onset sleep during the flight, but its quality is also impaired. In the flight crew partaking this study, sleep stages switched differently when they rested in the air than in a hotel. They spent more time in NREM stages of sleep, a change that occurs when you have a cold, or some other display of weakened immunity. Further, they had more WASO (Wakefulness After Sleep Onset) episodes than they usually would, and the overall duration of their naps was shorter.

Although this study is quite limited when it comes to diversity and their small subject numbers, it gives a neat picture of sleep’s complexity and proves many people’s doubts regarding snoozing on the plane. It also goes to show you need to be extra prepared to ensure you don’t end up completely sleep deprived during your travels. Though your rest in the air will never be as good as on the ground, it’s still a preferable option to not sleeping at all. You don’t want to land on your destination excessively sleepy, and grumpy because of the bad flight. There are ways to manage this, but we’ll get to them a bit later.

Jet Lag

Jet lag is characterized by feeling constant fatigue and the inability to synchronize with your new surroundings relatively shortly after arriving. It is prompted by the fast switching of time zones as often happens when you fly out, and it’s actually classified as a sleep disorder. Jet lag in its essence is just your body’s temporary inability to adjust to the changed day-night timing compared to the zone you live in. The one to blame is your circadian rhythm working the way it was tuned before you completely changed the scenery and messed up its job.

See, your circadian rhythm is a system that regulates other processes in your body so as to schedule specific times for each of them when it’s deemed appropriate in regards to the external light-dark cycle. It estimates when you need to eat or sleep based on the light levels detected by your photoreceptors, synchronizing your bedtime with the night, and alertness with the morning.

The problem arises when the setting changes and your internal clock doesn’t match the external one anymore – your circadian rhythm is expecting nightfall and inducing sleep, but in your current reality, it’s still daytime and nowhere near time for rest. Because you moved across the time zones so quickly, your body didn’t have the time to adjust. The symptoms of this disorder include the inability to fall asleep at the desired time, fatigue, decreased cognitive performance and focus, feeling out of place, moodiness, GI issues, daytime sleepiness, etc. They can last a couple of days, even weeks in bad cases. It seems to be more challenging to switch zones eastwards than it is westwards, as in the east you need to wake up earlier, and many people would rather take staying up some hours later than they’re used to instead. However, this also depends on what kind of sleeper you are in general; if you like waking up early, traveling to the east may be more suitable for your sleep cycle.

What You Can Do: Preparations

Let’s get right into solving the potential problems. The most significant thing you can do for your journey to go well usually starts about a few weeks earlier. Here’s what we mean:

To make jet lag less of a problem later, start adapting to your destination’s time as soon as you can before getting on the plane. You can move your schedule by a bit every day; go to bed and wake up earlier each morning at least a week in advance, ideally even more. To boost your strategy, you can use blue lights as assistance, as these lights raise your alertness levels and postpone sleep onset. Don’t worry; you don’t need a special device for this. Your phone screen will do just fine. You have to time it smartly and combine it with daylight exposure avoiding: if you’re headed to the west, your sleep needs to be postponed to match the destination.

You can do this by using bright lights in the evening, to delay sleep onset by tricking your circadian rhythm into thinking it’s daytime. You also need to avoid sunlight exposure too early in the morning, before it’s your destination’s morning time, so shut the drapes and wait a few hours to leave the house after you wake up. If you’re going eastwards, the same strategy applies, but at different times of day: as daylight comes sooner to the east, you will have to wake up earlier, with the help of artificial lights and a cup of coffee, perhaps. However, you also have to end the exposure to sunlight before it sets, so get home in time and light-proof the house, including lamps and screens inside your bedroom. Finally, if you can’t fall asleep sooner, it is possible to get some milder melatonin supplements prescribed by your doctor or even over the counter, but we strongly advise you don’t do that unless absolutely necessary and with professional assistance.

Exercise. It doesn’t sound like it has much to do with sleep and your journey unless you’re trying to get a slim figure for your vacation. But exercising is known to boost your health, and not by a little. Both your sleep and immune system need help to stay wired in the next period, with the changing time zones and encountering new environments and their microbes. To do this, you don’t have to exhaust yourself, just do what you find enjoyable in other times. If you usually lead a sedentary lifestyle, it’s ok, start anywhere: running, checking out your local gym, doing bodyweight exercises at home – it doesn’t matter. Start small, don’t be ashamed if you’re not in shape, and see where it gets you. A few times a week is a good start and a big help for your organism. Eventually, when your journey starts, do your best to stay active. Most people already do this naturally as they go swimming in the ocean or hike, but don’t forget about it even if you’re just on a business trip in the city center.

Prepare and pack for the time abroad, but also for the trip. Sleeping on the plane may get very awkward and annoying if you forget to bring some essentials. Bright lights, children crying, neck pain, the inability to stretch your legs? Common issues, but often manageable. Here’s what you’ll do: pack a travel pillow, earplugs, and a mask for your eyes. If possible, bring a blanket or even a sleeping bag; it may sound ridiculous at first, but it has saved lives in flights over eight hours long. You will need all the help you can get to make your seat feel cozier for napping. If you don’t want earplugs, you may use noise cancellation headphones. Lastly, don’t forget to pick out a loose, comfortable outfit ahead of time – sleeping in tight jeans would probably be difficult even in your bed.

Ask your airline ahead of time what kind of food you will be having (if any) so that you know what to count on, or ask for an adjustment if necessary. If you can afford to, take a first class or business seat. You can also check if it’s possible to pay extra for a regular seat with more space for the legs, essential feature for tall people. Additionally, pick a window seat for extra support when leaning on your side, and to avoid other passengers disturbing or bumping into you on their way to the restroom. If you know you won’t be able to sleep on the plane no matter what, take a flight that will have you arrive in the evening instead, and bring entertainment to keep yourself wide awake during the trip.

On The Plane

Packing well done. Now onto the plane!

Make yourself at home. Slip off your shoes, put on some music, or read a book. Unless your flight will take over five hours, try to limit your sleep time to 20-30 minutes to avoid sinking into deep sleep and being drowsy later on. Also time it appropriately with the destination in mind. If you’re traveling during the destination’s nighttime, go ahead and sleep, but don’t overdo it if it’s midday, except for a short nap if needed.

When you do decide to sleep, you can use all the items you’ve packed to cancel out noises and lights, or get warmer if needed. A good tip is to have your seatbelt visibly buckled so that you don’t get woken up due to mild turbulence. Avoid caffeine and other stimulants if you’re traveling at night. If you’re expected to arrive in the evening, don’t sleep – listen to your music, read a book, watch a movie, or simply chat with the person sitting next to you. You may also indulge in a cup of coffee in this case.

Find a good position for sleep. If you brought a pillow, leaning against the window or sitting upright shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Don’t cross your legs, as this will limit the circulation and make you uncomfortable. Also, don’t put your arms over your head to avoid them becoming numb or painful. If leaning back doesn’t seem to work well enough, try leaning forwards. Use the tray in front of you in combination with your pillow, but remember to keep your spine as straight as possible. You don’t need to wake up stiff and with back pain later, so make sure you’re doing everything in your power to position yourself properly.

If you’re scared of flying, try doing some breathing exercises to calm down. Letting your “neighbor” know about it may also help you calm down a bit. Try to make up tasks for yourself to keep busy and leave less room for panic, and definitely avoid coffee. If there’s anything else you need during the flight that we haven’t covered here, don’t be afraid to ask for it. Your health, physical and mental, comes before everything else.

After You Arrive/Before You Return

The hardest part is done, but you need to make an effort to ensure your health stays good.

• Be careful when trying out new foods. You may experience adverse effects, especially if you happen to be allergic to something you encounter.
• Stay active: walk around, see the tourist spots in town, find some nature, swim, dance, whatever is accessible in your destination. Not only will you have a lot of fun, but your health will thank you. However, try not to stay up too late, as you can still mess up your sleep cycle and have issues on your way back home.
• Do the same thing you did when preparing for your journey there: plan out your sleep and slowly adjust it back to your home’s clock. You don’t have to do this so gradually or way ahead as you did before; you don’t want to ruin your time and miss out on opportunities to see something new or take that one last swim. However, you can try to time it in your advantage, as far as the opportunities allow you.

Travel Pillows

If you don’t have one and plan on traveling a lot more this year, now is the time to invest in a travel pillow. The main considerations you need to mull over are as following:

• Whether you want an inflatable or non-inflatable pillow
• How soft it needs to be
• How long will it be usable
• What’s the price

Inflatable pillows tend to be cheaper, costing around $10-$20. They get their volume from the oxygen they’re inflated with, but come with a flaw of deflating after a couple of hours of use. They are compact, so that you can pack them easily, and their surface is usually on the colder side, to the joy of hot sleepers.

Non-inflatable pillows aren’t as adjustable as the inflatable ones, but if you know how to pick one that fits you, you won’t need to change the loft later on. Try it in the store to make sure you’re not wasting your money, as these pillows come at a steeper price than their inflatable competition – $40-$50 is not considered too expensive when it comes to non-inflatable travel pillows. As far as materials go, you are most likely to find a memory foam cushion to conform around you and support your neck as much as possible during your travels. However, keep in mind that memory foam tends to trap heat, especially if you’re traveling during summer – bringing a cushion only to wake up sweating over it is the last thing you need.

Here’s a toast to the caregivers. The commendable, altruistic individuals who embrace the duty of being perpetually available for others in distress. Here’s to those dedicating endless hours in support of their close ones.

While we truly appreciate what you do for your loved ones, we have a question for you – If you spend countless hours helping out, when are you sleeping? 

With all of your other responsibilities, hobbies, and plans, we bet your sleep and sleeping patterns are utterly destroyed. To find the time to sleep seems intangible. You need to be relaxed enough to fall asleep. Do you find your caregiving responsibilities hindering your ability to relax? 

In our quest to promote healthy sleep, we set out to arm ourselves with knowledge about how caregiving negatively impacts your sleep causing fatigue, stress, and what is commonly referred to as ‘caregiver burnout’. We’ve read up on some studies to try and understand the challenges that you’re facing and what you’re going through, and we’ve taken the time to prepare some useful tips on what to do when the caregiving life starts taking its toll on your sleep. 

So, without further ado, let’s dive right into it. 

What the studies say? 

Oh, the number of studies (like this one or this one over here) exploring the idea that caregiving is linked to how good you sleep all say the same thing – Caregiving is undoubtedly characterized by a lot less sleep and longer time to fall asleep. People not only report poorer sleep but greater fatigue, stress, and symptoms of depression. 

Let’s give attention to the stress caregiving comes with. The idea of holistic health is to have every part of your life very well balanced. And when you are in a position to care for a loved that’s suffering from dementia or cancer, the balance quickly dissipates. The primary reason? It’s so darn stressful! Add the fact that a lot of caregiving is done at night to the mix, and you’ll begin to understand why you complain about your sleep deprived self. Continuously waking up at night directly impacts your sleep-wake cycles and when this turns into a habit, the quality of your sleep starts to deteriorate exponentially. 

We’ve drifted a little bit. Let’s get back to the stress part. While caregivers report high spiritual well-being and social support, they also report stress so particularly intense that it finds its own term in the medicinal vocabulary – caregiver burden. 

What’s more concerning is that a fifth of caregivers turn to smoking, liquor or sleep meds to help them cope with everything that’s going on, and all of that leads to addiction all too often. 

It’s a never-ending cycle. Stress leads to sleep deprivation and insomnia, caregiving becomes more challenging due to the impact on your overall health. All of that leads to even more stress which in turn creates even more difficulty in maintaining sleep. Complete the cycle a few times and watch as you begin to feel the symptoms of caregiver burnout. 

Caregivers, beware of sleep deprivation 

Make a habit of not getting enough sleep for too long, and watch as you slowly get sucked into the realm of chronic sleep deprivation. What’s even more troubling is that if you let sleep deprivation hit you on your forehead, you will put your loved one at risk. 

You see, the sleep-deprived not only have trouble focusing, but their reaction times also get all slow and sluggish. Hell, you might even start forgetting where you put your keys, let alone trying to take care of a loved one properly. Sleep deprivation is a sort of caregivers’ hell – especially if your to-do list contains something important as administering medication. Research after research clearly shows that healthcare professionals who do their job while they’ve had an hour of sleep the last 4 nights are more likely to make mistakes and put their patients at risk. 

Let’s connect all of it now. Think of it like this. Less and poorer quality sleep equals emotional instability. Being sleep deprived means affecting the REM phase that helps your subconscious process all the things that had an emotional impact you the day before. Without balanced REM sleep, you basically turn into emotional wreckage. Your fuse will become shorter and shorter, you will find yourself throwing anger tantrums, oh and you will cry over the smallest of setbacks. 

While REM regulates emotions, deep sleep regulates your physique. During the deep sleep phase, your body does the much-needed restorative work from the physical efforts the day before. Since being a caregiver is a job that involves emotional stability as much as physical health, going through the phase of deep sleep is incredibly important. 

Further down the road of sleep deprivation comes weight gain. Getting into the habit of missing out on your sleep dysregulates leptin production – the hormone responsible for regulating your appetite. It’s interesting how sleep deprivation plays tricks on you and overproduce ghrelin instead – ghrelin is the criminal hormone that makes us crave fatty, sugary food. Fast forward this scenario a month or two, and we’re certain you are already 10 pounds overweight, wishing you’d never got into caregiving. Woah, let’s not go there, what you are doing is selfless and noble – always remember that. 

Let’s get back on the subject. We’ve got sleep deprivation affecting your REM, your deep sleep, your weight gain, so what’s next on the agenda? 

Your immune system. The more you are sleep deprived, the less you are well-rested, resulting in the probability that you will catch a cold going through the roof and up into the skies! If you’re sick, you can’t properly care for someone else, now can you? 

All of this sounds incredibly intimidating, but not as intimidating as long-term sleep deprivation. The kind that turns one restless night into hundreds, the kind that has you on the ropes of serious health issues like cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, endocrine disorders, kidney disease, altered immune functioning and full-blown depression.

To top it all off, not scheduling some “me” time that includes lots of sleep means you are missing out on all sorts of other activities that make life worth living. Let’s see how you answer a few questions. When’s the last time you’ve spent some quality time friends with family? When’s the last time you’ve read a book or enjoyed a movie? When’s the last time you had a good night’s sleep? And let us tell you – being able to answer positively on all these questions starts with a good night’s sleep. 

Counting sheep’s advice for caregivers 

How much sleep does one need exactly? While the recommended amount for adults ranges from 7 to 8 hours per night, most caregivers sleep less than that. 

It’s a problem you should tackle head on, caregivers. Get better sleep, we beg of you. Start devising a plan to achieve it right now. Both you and your loved ones will be grateful for it. Not only will you feel better, but you’ll also do your job better, and you’ll do it with a smirk on your face. 

Since we desperately want to lend you a helping hand, we’ve prepared several pieces of advice and tips on how to get your overall holistic health back through better sleep. So, here we go. 

Seek assistance 

Remember Lord of the Rings? Frodo was given a duty to fulfill, but over the course of the plot, we find out that he couldn’t have done it without the help of his friends. It’s the same with caregiving. It’s just too much of a burden to bear for one person. That’s why it’s a good idea to seek assistance. Reach out to professional caregivers, look for respite care services, maybe even discuss moving to assisted living facilities with your loved one. Other than that, form an emotional support system around you. Your family members and friends are there to lend a helping hand. See what they can do for you. They could take on a shift once a week. Even if it’s something small as going to the supermarket or walking your dog for you, it will make the exhausting burden of caregiving just a little more bearable. 

Bedroom is the room you sleep in

We often think of bedrooms as sacred temples reserved for sleep, restoration, and recovery only. You should too. What this means is that you should avoid doing anything other than sleep in your bedroom. No activities. No work. No worries. No stress. And especially no caregiving. In fact, go the distance to devoid all the clutter in your bedroom reminding you of work or responsibilities. 

When we said to think of your bedroom as a sacred temple, we weren’t kidding. Make an effort to keep your bedroom cool, quiet, and dark. Invest in a mattress that’s cozy and comfy. Buy incense sticks or essential oils to help soothe you when you go to sleep. Get a houseplant that can purify the air and help induce sleep. 

Maintain a good sleeping hygiene 

Quality sleep begins with quality habits. Think about it – would heavy meals or heavy exercise right before bedtime help you to have a good night’s sleep? Will liquor and coffee do your sleeping hygiene any good after hours? 

Don’t stop there, though. Make absolutely sure you turn off any tech and electrical gadgetry before dream time. Electrical devices emit blue light that your brain transcodes as sunlight itself. In simpler words, blue light makes you think it’s daytime which will make a lot harder to fall asleep. 

Maintain a tight sleep schedule 

As we’ve already discussed – good habits equal good sleep. A tight sleep schedule is imperative for maintaining regular sleeping patterns. Make going to bed and waking up at the same time every day your habit. The more you practice this, the easier it will be to wake up and fall asleep at pre-set times. 

Make your days stress-free

This can be tough to squeeze in with all your responsibilities, but daytime exercise can help you de-stress and release negative energy. The ideal time for a workout that will help improve your sleep is in the morning. 

Another thing you can do to unwind and decompose during the day is yoga. Not only will you stay fit and flexible, but you will learn all the breathing exercises that go a long way in eliminating stress. 

Make your nights stress-free 

We will say it yet again. The third time’s the charm – good habits equal good life. Following this golden nugget, make a routine before bedtime too. Give soothing activities a go before bed. Take a bubble bath. Meditate your stress away. Put the breathing exercises you learned at yoga to good use. As you practice these activities, you will find your mind and body slowly starting to relax and get into a state where falling asleep is a piece of cake. 

Journal your worries away 

Journaling is that one-takes-care-of-all-things method of de-stressing. Not only will you find resolutions to your problems through writing, but you will also have a way to emotionally vent. Think about it as a medium in which you can express worry, anger, and frustration instead of throwing tantrums at other people. You will also have the opportunity to reflect on your experiences and challenges as a caregiver. To top off all of these benefits, journaling also provides a well-deserved break. Seriously, every time you feel like you are going to implode, take just 10 minutes a day to journal your stresses away.

Our cat companions continually astonish us. Similar to numerous others, you’ve undoubtedly dedicated hours to viewing cat videos at some point. Cats captivate us due to their humorous and peculiar behaviors, coupled with their apparent indifference to the opinions of others, sparking our immense fascination with them.

Even though cats seem to do pretty okay on their own, many owners are worried about taking proper care of them; whether they are eating right, staying active, or sleeping properly, everybody wants the best for their pet. Their sleep patterns are different than ours, as they appear to be running around at times when we usually prepare to go to bed or are in deep sleep. Cats often decide to snooze in the most bizarre places during the day, including your laptop when you are supposed to work, or a book you were planning to read.

An in-depth look into biology and history of cats offers us a better understanding of the behavior that may appear unusual to us. Read on to learn more about how cats sleep, why their sleeping pattern look the way they look, and what can you do to make sure your furry friend is getting as much sleep as they need.

What Are Circadian Rhythms?

Without the sun, there would be no life on Earth. It gives the necessary solar energy that plants use in photosynthesis to make sugars which are at the base of the food chain in nature. It also warms up the whole planet and ensures the needed conditions to sustain life.

Besides this, the sun is probably the most significant factor for all living things. Almost every organism is influenced by it, with small exceptions of some cave-dwelling fish and some deep sea creatures. All living beings have learned to adapt to day and night cycle, thanks to internal clocks. For birds, mammals, and reptiles, this it is located in the hypothalamus, which is a part of the brain responsible for many vital functions, including reproduction, heart, and respiratory rate. This internal clock is synchronized with the outside world, and it dictates all things that are done daily. These are called circadian rhythms, and the most obvious one is sleep and wake cycle. Even though this inner clock has a strong genetic background, it is also heavily impacted by external cues like exposure to light, temperature, and feeding time.

If you have ever wondered how do animals know when to go to sleep, the circadian rhythm is your answer. When there starts to be less light in the evening, the brain perceives it as a signal to begin producing certain chemicals like melatonin, which is essential to regulating sleep and wake cycle. That is true for most animals, but not all, since many species are active at night and sleeping in the daytime instead. Different species have evolved several strategies to adapt to day and night cycle, and now we recognize three main types based on when the activity happens: diurnal, nocturnal, and crepuscular.

Are Cats Nocturnal?

Everybody who has ever owned a cat knows how they love to start running around chasing invisible things during the night. That is why most people assume that cats are nocturnal animals, but that is not true, as they are classified as crepuscular.

Crepuscular animals are active during twilight when the lower atmosphere is illuminated, but the sun is not visible in the sky. That happens in dusk and dawn, and many animals use this time since there is less light so the predators can’t easily spot them, but they can still manage to look for food. Even though there aren’t as many crepuscular predators, cats are one of them. That describes while you often find them especially active in the evening and at dawn, and why it might seem that they are nocturnal animals.

Nocturnal animals stay hidden and inactive during the day, and then they come out at night. They are usually small animals that try to avoid predators by using the time of the day when they are less visible. However, predators have developed many strategies to improve the ability to hunt during the night. Many have an exceptional sense of smell and hearing, and there are even some rare ones that have an infrared vision.

In contrast, diurnal animals are active during the day and sleep at night. We are also one of the species with this lifestyle, as it has many advantages. Most animals that are active during the day rely on their excellent vision whether to locate food, the danger of predators, or hunt their prey. 

There are also animals that are only active in the evening (vespertine) or the morning (matutinal), and these are both subtypes of crepuscular lifestyle. It appears that this brings less competition and more access to resources, as they become active before diurnal and nocturnal animals, which are highest in numbers.

How Much Do Cats Sleep?

Cats are pretty flexible sleepers, and they usually sleep between 12 to 16 hours each day. That number goes even higher for kittens as they can snooze up to 20 hours, and senior cats that can spend as much as 18 hours resting. That is the reason why cats have earned a title as one of the sleepiest animals on Earth.

Our resting patterns consist of one big chunk of sleep each night that should ideally last between 7 and 9 hours and an occasional nap during the day. This routine is known as monophasic sleep pattern, where rest mostly happens at once, with several sleep cycles in a row without any breaks between them. For cats, it is a lot different, as they are classified as polyphasic sleepers. That means that they don’t necessarily have an extended period where they are entirely cut out from the world but can instead sleep in several smaller periods to adjust to changing outside conditions.

Keep in mind that sleeping time depends on many other factors like activity and character of your cat. Even though their routines can change with age, you shouldn’t be worried about it as it is entirely normal. If your cat seems to be active and happy, that means that it is getting enough sleep, and you shouldn’t worry about it. The reason for concern is when they suddenly change their sleeping patterns, by resting unusually short or long. That is when it’s the time to consult the vet, as it may imply that some underlying condition is causing sleep problems.

Why Do Cats Sleep So Much?

It’s hard to picture your fluff ball as a predator, but that is exactly what your cat is. Before being domesticated, they used to hunt, and they were very feared. Just picture lions, tigers, or feral cats, and you can begin to understand that these little creatures love hunting. Even though they no longer need to do so, there is still an instinct in them that tells them to be active in the dusk and down, when they would typically scout for food.

Being a predator has a lot of benefits. Not having to worry about whether something will hunt you down, you can sleep whenever you want. Since pray will do everything not to be eaten, that means that hunters need to outrun, overpower, or surprise their prey. All of that requires an extraordinary amount of energy that is burned in a short interval during the hunt. That is the core reason why cats are sleeping so much, as they need to conserve energy for the action time. And when their needs are met, it is only reasonable to go to sleep as that is a period when slightly less energy is needed for the body’s maintenance.

Cats are known for hunting smaller prey like mice, and naps are a perfect way to fill the time between searching for food. But this resting state is much different when what we think about when we say sleep. For us, it’s deep slumber during which we are almost cut off from our surroundings, and it’s harder for us to wake up, but cats stay very aware of the environment, and they are ready to strike within seconds if the opportunity arrives.

Do Cats Experience Same Sleep Stages as Humans?

People experience rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM sleep. The first stage of non-REM sleep is the shortest, and it’s a transition between wakefulness and sleep. Phase 2 lasts the longest, and it’s described as light sleep. After that comes restorative deep wave sleep, and finally REM sleep characterized by quick eyeball movement under closed eyelids. This cycle in humans last anywhere from 90 to 120 minutes, and we experience several of them each night, usually four to six.

For cats, it is a bit different, although they experience both REM and non-REM stages. Their cycles are much shorter lasting about 30 minutes before entering the REM phase, which lasts around 6 minutes. Non-REM sleep mostly consists of the light stage, where cats are pretty aware of their surroundings and ready to strike at any time. They mostly rely on smell and hearing, but you may have also noticed that they don’t fully close their eyelids, so they can still detect a nearby movement. They can even snooze in an upright or sitting position by tensing their muscles.

Do Cats Dream?

Dreams are one of the most mysterious things about sleep. While we have grasped the idea of how they are happening, we still aren’t sure about a purpose they might have. Scientists have long hypothesized about it, and at the moment we know that they play at least a small part in memory processing and consolidation, as well as learning. Most dreams in humans happen during the REM stage, which we can often recognize by fast movements of eyeballs.

And it appears that it is the same with cats, as they experience REM sleep as well. You can recognize it by whiskers or paw twitching, and when you see that, there is a good chance that your cat is dreaming. However, what they are dreaming about we may never know. It is most likely about chasing things and hunting mice, but there is no way we can tell for sure. 

Is My Cat Sleeping Too Much?

Some people become worried when they first come in contact with feline sleeping habits as they don’t quite understand that they sleep twice as much as we do. 12 to 16 hours is a lot, so it’s best to observe their behavior for some time, and if everything seems to be okay, there is nothing to worry about.

Keep in mind that our feline friends are very flexible when it comes to rest, and just like dogs, they can adapt to their human companion’s sleeping habits. That means that they are going to snooze while you are away so that they can be active when you are around. They can also sleep out of boredom, so if they don’t find anything interesting to do, they might decide to nod off instead. Sleeping more is also linked to being overweight, and because of that, it is essential to feed your cat a leaner good quality food, which will make it more energized. And don’t forget to play and keep them active, as it’s harder to gain weight when you are always running around.

What should raise your concerns is a sudden change in your cat’s sleeping patterns or behavior. If it seems to be sleeping a lot longer or shorter than usual, or it is lethargic and not interested in their otherwise favorite activities, there may be something wrong with them. You should immediately visit a vet and see it this change of behavior is not caused by a condition such as anemia, hyperthyroidism, or arthritis.

Snoring is usually a symptom of some underlying disorders in humans, but it appears in cats as well. It happens when the skin at the end of the soft palate obstructs the airway. But don’t worry, as it is generally not a sign of anything serious, and it just means that your cat is relaxed and sleeping deeply. It mostly occurs in breeds with shorter noses such as Persian, Himalayan, and other exotic flat faced cats.

How to Help Your Cat Sleep Better

Even though cats are flexible sleepers, it doesn’t mean that there is nothing you can do to help them. Here are some things you can try to help them get better rest, but also to prevent them from waking you up during the night chasing things around or asking for food:

• Feed them a healthy leaner diet. Always check labels to see what ingredients are used, as cheaper foods tend to be less nutrient packed. However, that is not true for every single brand, so the best way to make sure is to read the label. Better food should lead to more restful sleep. You should also try feeding them at night, right when you are about to go to sleep. Cats seem to be sleeping well after they have eaten, so this little trick can prevent them from running around the house during your bedtime. If your cat tends to bother you for food during the night, you can get a timed bowl that should keep their eating schedule without having to disturb you.
• Do not give in to your cat bothering you at night. They might feel like it is appropriate timing to play, but it is not. It is best to ignore your cat as if you give in and start playing, that could be seen as positive reinforcement, so they are more likely to repeat that behavior next time.
• Decide whether you want your cat to sleep with you or not and stick with it. There is a lot of debate going on whether it is good to sleep with your pet, and while some owners never allow hopping in bed, others wouldn’t fall asleep without cuddling with their furry friend. The most important thing is to be consistent as cats are creatures of habit, so if you allow them to sleep in your bed a few times, and then you don’t want them to jump in anymore, they might get confused. If you decide that co-sleeping is for you, make sure to get a mattress that is big enough so that everybody has enough room. It’s also smart to choose a model with excellent motion isolation, as it is likely that your cat will get up and come back again, and you don’t want to wake every time they move.
• Another essential thing is to keep your cat engaged and have a lot of playtime together. There are plenty of toys that can keep them active, and you should also consider some that are specially designed to keep them engaged during the night when their owner is asleep. Playing together is not only great for staying simulated, but it’s also perfect for showing affection and bonding with your pet.

A significant number of individuals struggle with sleep-related breathing conditions that interfere with their ability to get a restful night of sleep. Sleep apnea is the most common of these disorders and is believed to impact millions in the United States alone. Inadequate breathing at night means your body doesn’t receive the essential oxygen it needs, and simultaneously, it fails to expel carbon dioxide produced during cellular metabolism, leading to potentially harmful accumulations in the body. Snoring often serves as the initial indicator of these sleep-related breathing issues. Additionally, individuals commonly report feeling excessively sleepy during the day, experiencing fatigue, diminished memory and focus, and they face higher chances of developing cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes.

Good news is that adequate oxygen or positive air pressure (PAP) therapy are proven to be very effective with these conditions. They might not cure the disorders, but they significantly improve the symptoms, and people feel better rested after sleeping, and exhibit higher energy and oxygen blood levels during the day. Read on to learn more about the similarities and differences between continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP) therapy.

What Conditions Can CPAP and BiPAP Treat?

Both CPAP and BiPAP are types of noninvasive ventilation therapy that are prescribed to help with symptoms of sleep apnea and other respiratory disorders that disturb sleep.

• Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep-related breathing disorder characterized by full or partial cessation of breath during sleep. Complete stoppage of inspiration is called apnea, while partial one is called hypopnea. These episodes can repeat many times each hour, and the severity of the condition is determined by the apnea-hypopnea index which describes the repetitiveness of these events per hour. The obstruction of the airway can be caused by excess fatty tissue in the throat, enlarged tongue or tonsils, and other conditions that might narrow the upper airway. Snoring is the most common symptom of OSA, while others include waking up in the middle of the night gasping for air, not feeling well rested in the morning, and daytime sleepiness and fatigue. OSA affects males more than females; huge risk factors are smoking, obesity, bigger neck size, and it also seems to affect the elderly more, probably due to the relaxation of muscles and tissues in their throats. OSA is the most prevalent of the following disorders.
• Central sleep apnea (CSA) is also characterized by apneas and hypopneas during the night, but unlike OSA, the problem is not an obstruction of the airway. In this disorder, the brain is not sending the proper signals to the muscles, and the results are irregular breathing patterns or too shallow inspirations. CSA is a lot less frequent than OSA, and it accounts for about 20% of all sleep apnea cases.
• Mixed or complex sleep apnea is described as a combination of both OSA and CSA. It is a rare condition, and it is often diagnosed after the initial CPAP treatment wasn’t successful. The individual would often first develop OSA, and then after not responding well to the CPAP therapy, some symptoms of CSA would appear leading to mixed sleep apnea.
• Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a chronic condition where the heart fails to pump enough blood to power the needs that rest of the body requires. There are many causes of this disorder, and since it is chronic and progressive, it requires lifelong treatment.
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) is a chronic lung disease where the inflammation causes obstructed airflow from the lungs. The most frequent causes for this condition are smoking, exposure to other pollutants and irritants such as fumes by burning fossil fuel for cooking, and improper home ventilation.
• Other pulmonary or neuromuscular disorders such as Parkinson’s disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

One thing that all of these conditions have in common is that people have a hard time to maintain proper breathing during sleep, which leads to disrupted blood flow and oxygen blood levels. If left untreated, these disorders can lead to a lot of sleep disturbances and many health conditions, that can drastically shorten a person’s lifespan. That is why adequate CPAP and BiPAP treatment is essential in improving symptoms in the affected population.

What Is CPAP?

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is usually the first treatment for OSA. It is widely successful in people with mild to moderate OSA symptoms. CPAP machine a steady, continuous flow of air, set at a defined pressure based on your needs. The device consists of a body that is the main powerhouse, and it is usually placed next to a patients bed. It works by sucking in the air from the room, which then goes through a specific filter to remove all the particles and impurities that may have a negative impact. The device then pressurizes the air to a certain degree that has been determined and set to suit an individual patient. Most of the machines also have a humidifier to prevent possible irritations such as the dry mouth and nasal cavity. The device usually comes with a setting that allows you to start at a lower than prescribed pressure, and then slowly increasing it to help you adjust to CPAP treatment. CPAP therapy requires some getting used to, and the person will usually adapt to it fully within the first few weeks.

The hose is carrying the pressurized air from the machine, and its diameters might vary, but the length is usually standard 6 feet. CPAP masks come in a variety of shapes and sizes to better suit the needs of every patient. However, there are three basic models: nasal masks, nasal pillow, and full face masks. First go over your nose, second rest comfortably in your nostrils, while the third one goes over your mouth and nose. Full face masks are a good option for people suffering from allergies, as their nose can often be congested, which prevents proper breathing and can also worsen symptoms of OSA.

CPAP devices use the constant flow of pressurized air, and that is one of the most common complaints among patients since many have a hard time breathing out with continuous flow. That is why newer CPAP models have a variable pressure setting such as AFLEX, C-FLEX, Bi FLEX, SenseAwake or EPR, depending on the manufacturer. This feature reduces pressure while exhaling, making it more comfortable to use. Some patients won’t ever need this setting, others will find it sufficient, while others might feel like CPAP is uncomfortable even with this feature. They might turn to an alternative of BiPAP, which is often prescribed if people have a hard time with CPAP treatment.

How is CPAP Pressure Determined?

The diagnosis of sleep apnea or other mentioned conditions is usually made in a sleep clinic where technicians do an overnight sleep study called polysomnography. After you have been diagnosed with a specific disease, the doctor will order a CPAP titration study to determine the appropriate pressure of your CPAP machine. This test might even be done on the same night that the polysomnography takes place.

First, a sleep technician fits a CPAP mask on your face, and you can decide between three standard designs. Full face masks are usually a good option for people with allergies. Nasal pillows are suitable for people with a lot of facial hair, or those who are somewhat uncomfortable with putting a mask over their face, while nasal ones are somewhere in the middle, being stable enough for people who toss and turn at night, but less bulky than the full face ones. After picking the right mask, you will go to sleep, and sleep technician will change the pressure during this time to find the best option for you.

What is APAP?

Auto-titrating positive airway pressure (APAP) functions similarly to CPAP. The difference is that the machine can sense subtle changes in breathing patterns, and automatically adjust a pressure setting according to a range from a titration study.

APAP is often prescribed to people who experience apneas during REM sleep, when they have allergies, or when they are sleeping on their backs. For example, when you are sleeping on your back, your tongue may fall back and obstruct the airway, which leads to longer and more frequent episodes. People with allergies may need a higher pressure to clear nasal congestion.

What Is BiPAP?

Bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP) is prescribed to people suffering from central sleep apnea, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, congestive heart failure, and other lung or neuromuscular disorders. It can also be prescribed for obstructive sleep apnea if CPAP therapy showed ineffective. That often happens in people with severe OSA, complex sleep apnea, or those who simply don’t respond well to CPAP therapy. For example, the most common complaint is that people find it hard to exhale with constant air pressure, and that is why BiPAP is a better option.

The way that BiPAP works is somewhat similar to CPAP. It delivers pressurized air to the user, but in this case, there are two distinct pressures, a higher one during the inhalation, and a lower one during exhalation. Most BiPAP devices also come with a feature that measures an optimal amount of breaths per minute. If you miss an inspiration in your sleep, the machine increases the air pressure and forces you to take a breath, therefore providing optimal airflow and oxygen blood levels.

Adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV) is an alternative option for those who don’t respond well to BiPAP therapy. These devices are more advanced and versatile as they can change the pressure, the volume, as well as the speed at which the air is being delivered, based on your needs.

CPAP And Bipap – Pros and Cons

Advantages of CPAP:

1. It is the most cost-effective method of treating sleep apnea.
2. Newer models have settings that allow lower pressure during expiration.
3. It provides users with far better quality sleep, lessening the apnea events if used as prescribed.
4. It prevents snoring.
5. The use of CPAP lowers blood pressure, which prevents other heart-related issues from happening.
6. Affected person’s sleeping partner also gets a better night’s rest due to fewer disruptions caused by snoring and apnea events.
7. Lower stress levels, better mood, more energy and motivation during the day, and less daytime sleepiness.

Drawbacks of CPAP:

1. The biggest one is getting used to CPAP treatment as some people may feel claustrophobic and uncomfortable upon exhaling. The result of this discomfort is infrequent use of a CPAP machine, which makes the treatment far less effective.
2. The pressure setting is fixed.
3. Wearing a mask can cause skin irritation, rashes, and itching.
4. Some people may experience dry mouth.
5. The fixed setting can become too weak or strong, depending on the changes in the user’s weight.
6. Bloating.

Advantages of BiPAP:

1. It is very effective in treating people with severe sleep apnea and other health conditions.
2. There are two different pressure settings, allowing users to exhale more comfortably against a lower pressure.
3. The machine can force you to take a breath if you haven’t inspired in a certain period.

Drawbacks of BiPAP:

1. It is more expensive than CPAP.
2. You need to show insurance companies proof of prior use of a CPAP machine, to receive the approval for BiPAP.
3. Bloating.
4. Eye irritation.
5. Sinus problems.
6. The development of complex sleep apnea in some cases where only OSA was present.

It is hard to determine which one is a better option. They both have strengths and drawbacks, but the good news is that both CPAP and BiPAP are highly effective in treating sleep-related breathing disorders. Keep in mind that BiPAP machines cost more to buy or rent and that the parts are also more expensive if something breaks down. The best way to decide which option is the best for you is to talk to your doctor. They can tell you more about your condition, and how to treat it, so stick with their prescription. If you don’t feel comfortable or notice that some other symptoms are developing, tell them right away, and help them figure out the best treatment for you.

Camping serves as a fantastic choice for those looking to escape the daily grind and stress, offering an opportunity to disconnect from the hustle and bustle for a few days. It provides an ideal setting for quality solo or group time amidst nature, embracing serenity and tranquility. When the aim is to rejuvenate and take a break from the worries, even if it’s just momentarily, and to recalibrate your biological clock, heading out to camp with friends can be just what you need. Nevertheless, it’s important to remember that your sleeping arrangements can significantly influence the overall enjoyment of your trip. Many struggle to find comfortable sleep in a campground for various reasons. Despite camping‘s ability to facilitate memorable moments with dear ones, it doesn’t guarantee restful sleep away from your own bed. If you’re aiming for a restful night’s sleep while enjoying the great outdoors and waking up refreshed under the stars, we have some advice that can help achieve this.

Be Careful When Choosing Your Campsite 

If you decide to go camping, you need to keep in mind that the right choice of the campsite is crucial when setting up your tent, and it can not only affect your sleep but your entire trip as well. It is crucial to find a flat space for your tent, and if it is not possible and you have a slight hill, your head should always be uphill. Also, make sure to clean the ground from twigs and rocks, as if you don’t do it, you will feel these things beneath your tent, which is often far from comfortable. You should also opt for softer grounds, such as pine needles and grass, and if you notice any large rocks, be sure to remove them. Another thing that you should avoid is pitching your tent too close to bushes and trees, as they may brush against them during a breeze, which not only sounds annoying but can also damage your tent and prevent you from getting the rest that you deserve. Remember that the choice of the campsite can have a huge impact on your sleep quality.  

Be Wise When Choosing Your Tentmates 

You should know that the choice of people you go on a camping trip with can significantly influence your sleep, especially if you all stay in the same tent. It doesn’t take long for a tent to become overcrowded, and relaxing and being able to sleep easily in this environment can be a bit tricky. Things get even worse if your tentmates can’t stop talking in the evening, and prevent you from getting enough shut-eye by doing so. Snoring tentmates also contribute to poor sleep, and so does tossing and turning frequently during the night. Sleeping only a few inches from snoring people who toss and turn a lot probably won’t result in restful shut-eye. If you want to sleep well while camping, you need to know everything about the sleep habits of your friends or consider resting solo and pitching your tent far away from your friends. You can also convince your spouse to go camping with you as you are already used to sleeping in the same bed and already know everything about each other’s sleep and pre-sleep habits. 

Pick the Right Tent 

If you want to enjoy the benefits of restful nights when camping, your choice of tents can be crucial. Many different models are available on the market with various features, and you should pick a model that fits your wishes and needs. A critical thing that you need to take into consideration is the size. Different sizes are available, from those that fit one person to large tents that can accommodate up to 15 people. However, whatever you want in a tent, you should go for one size larger. For example, if you are planning to go camping only with your spouse, you should get a model made for three sleepers, as it will ensure that you have extra space for your belongings, or to sprawl out more comfortably. Materials used are also vital when it comes to choosing the right tent, and you should go for a weatherproof model. Make sure that your tent is well-ventilated, especially if you are going on a trip during the summer, and insulated, which is critical when camping during colder months.  

Choose the Right Sleeping Bag 

People who want to go camping can’t buy just any sleeping bag as not all of them are the same. It is not a good idea to buy the first one that you see in a store. If you have the right model that is ideal for your sleeping habits, situation, and temperature, it will help you sleep well. Keep in mind that sleeping bags differ in ratings, and you should pick the one that fits your needs and is the right choice for temperatures that you are expecting. However, this rating can vary depending on the manufacturer, and it is the best idea to check reviews to see what others have to say about it. Another thing that you should consider is the size of a sleeping bag, and it depends on your sleeping habits. For example, if you turn over a lot per night, a standard size may lack room, and if this is the case, you should opt for larger sizes that have enough space for movement. 

Don’t Forget to Bring the Right Bedding 

A wide variety of options is available when it comes to tent bedding products. If you want to rest comfortably throughout the night and have the proper bed cushioning, you should opt for some type of sleep platforms. The most popular type are air mattresses. They are an ideal and deluxe option for this type of trips, and they are very comfortable and resemble home mattresses. The right camping mattress can improve your sleep a lot. However, air models can be heavy, which is not always a perfect solution, and you should also have a pump to inflate them. Self-inflating foam pads are compressible mattresses that have a spongy foam, and the shell is made of nylon that is waterproof. When you twist the valve, the vacuum will fill and expand the foam. These pads are very lightweight, compactable, and offer extra comfort. A regular foam tent sleeping pad is excellent for sleeping on cold or frozen ground and can be used on rough surfaces (as opposed to inflatable pads). These models are light, budget-friendly, and have excellent insulation, but they can be a bit bulky. Finally, air pads are lightweight and comfortable, but they don’t come with auto-inflation. If you want to know how to make tent camping comfortable, you should keep in mind that having the right pillow is vital. The most popular solution is choosing inflatable pillows as they are very comfortable and lightweight. You can also bring the pillow that you use in your bedroom. Down pillows and memory foam pillows are excellent for camping as they are very comfortable and will help you sleep better. If you, by any chance, don’t forget to bring a pillow, you can always use a substitute. 

Warm Your Sleeping Bag 

The idea of getting into a cold bed is not appealing to most people, and if you want to avoid something like this on a trip, you should warm up your sleeping bag before going to sleep. These bags are not warm on their own and they take heat from the body instead and hold it thanks to their insulation. If you want to crawl into a warm sleeping bag in the evening, one of the ways to do this is to boil a pot of water an hour before bedtime, let it cool a bit, and pour it into a heat-resistant water bottle. You should put this bottle into your sleeping bag as it will warm it up. Be sure to check if it is closed tightly first. Another thing to try is to use sleeping bag liners or stuff in extra clothing into your bag. 

Wear Proper Clothes 

Choosing the right clothes for your camping trip is equally important as picking the right sleeping bag. If you are going on this trip during the summer, the last thing you want is to be sweaty while inside your sleeping bag. That’s why you should plan ahead and never go unprepared. It is the best idea to sleep in loose and light clothing in warm weather, and if you are still hot, you should sleep in your underwear. It is up to you to choose the most suitable option.  

On the other hand, if you are camping in cold weather, you surely don’t want to strip down to your underwear and spend the entire night like that. Instead, you need to opt for thicker clothes that will help you stay warm. Just make sure you don’t wear too many layers as something like this will not only restrict your movements but it also won’t help you sleep better at night. The best choice for cold weather is a sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants of medium thickness. No matter the weather, always make sure that you sleep in clean PJs and clothes, as dirty clothes are not ideal for sleeping and it won’t help you feel fresh in the morning. 

Bring Earplugs 

Some campers prefer drifting off to dreamland to the sounds of nature, while others can’t stand the sound of bugs, animals, and other camping noises at night, and can’t relax properly. If you fall into the second category, you can block this noise with earplugs. They will also help you if your camping buddies are chatting until the late hours, or snoring while sleeping. Many different sounds are around when camping, and they can disrupt your sleep. Luckily, earplugs can help you prevent something like this. They are a very cheap and small solution that can be found in supermarkets. Thanks to them, you will enjoy a good night’s rest without having to worry about whether the outside noise will wake you up or not. 

Be Active During the Day 

If you want to sleep better at night, you will increase your chances of achieving this goal if you go hiking, paddling, fishing, or do whatever else comes to mind, instead of sitting around the campfire the entire day eating hot dogs and marshmallows. Wearing yourself with physical activity during the day will tire your body and help you drift off to sleep easier in the evening. Breathing in fresh air will also improve your sleep. When the evening comes, you will sleep like a baby because of the exhaustion from daily physical activity. 

Stick to Your Normal Sleep Schedule 

If you want to sleep better at night, it is the best idea to stick to your at-home schedule. One of the things that contribute to poor sleep is a routine that is constantly changing. If you want to get enough good night’s rest, you need to maintain a consistent schedule even when going camping. It means that, if you are used to going to bed at 10 p.m. you should go to sleep at the same time, even if you are on a trip. In case you decide to go to bed earlier, you may not be able to drift off to dreamland because of your circadian rhythms. Luckily, you don’t have to go to work in the morning, which means that you can sleep late. 

Drink Herbal Tea by the Campfire 

Many people love drinking hot chocolate and eating marshmallows at a campfire, but the caffeine and sugar that chocolate contains may affect your sleep in a negative way. That’s why it is a much better idea to opt for herbal teas that will relax your body and mind and prepare you for bed, especially chamomile tea. However, don’t forget to limit the fluid intake close to bedtime, as the last thing you want is to wake up in the middle of the night with a full bladder in need of a toilet. Something like this certainly won’t help your sleep. 

One moment you’re snoozing peacefully, and the next, you’re wide-eyed and unable to drift back into sleep—an experience as frustrating as it is unpleasant. You find yourself lying awake, in the still and dark of the night, hoping to slip back into dreams, but it just doesn’t come to fruition. To make matters worse, the following day holds significant importance, with a schedule packed with meetings and deadlines. To face the day with focus and productivity, being well-rested is essential, yet rest eludes you as you spend the night tossing and turning. Yet, fear not; you’re in good company, for many have faced this form of insomnia before. Occasional sleeplessness is manageable and common across the globe. However, if it becomes a frequent occurrence, it’s crucial to address it.Research indicates that a third of the US population experience waking up at night, a tendency that grows with age, and 43% of these individuals struggle to return to sleep. If you’re seeking ways to conquer sleeplessness and reclaim a restful night, we have several tips that can guide you towards the restful sleep you deserve. 

Relax Your Mind and Body 

If you want to fall back asleep faster, you should relax your body and mind. You can do this by giving your mind something to focus on, instead of worrying about how to fall asleep. If you want to relax your body, progressive muscle relaxation can help you. It is done by first tensing your muscles for five seconds and then relaxing them as you lie in bed. You should do this over and over again for different muscle groups throughout the body, starting with your feet, and working your way up. Something like this will relax your body enough to go back to sleep, and it will give your mind something to focus on. 

Another thing that you should try is doing deep breathing exercises. Close your eyes, relax, and start taking slow and deep breaths. Deep breathing will prepare your body for sleep. Visualization technique can also help, and it is done by closing your eyes and picturing yourself in a peaceful place, far away from stress and worries. You can picture fantastic beaches or mountains, and imagine the sounds and scents of this peaceful place to make the entire experience more vivid.  

Avoid Looking at Your Clock 

When we wake up in the middle of the night, the first instinct that most of us have is to take a look at the clock to see what time it is. Most of us have no idea that this habit can harm our sleep. Worrying about the time when we are trying to fall back to sleep will only increase our stress. Counting the minutes that we have been awake, and hours before we need to get up in the morning will probably backfire as we will start being stressed about losing sleep, which will make it more difficult to drift off to dreamland again. You shouldn’t worry about the time as it is out of your control. Instead, you should turn the clock away from you so that you don’t see it, or simply ignore it if you can. If these things don’t help you can remove it from your bedroom. 

Stay Away from Electronic Devices 

Maybe you are not aware of this, but the soft blue light that comes from your favorite electronic devices is the worst enemy of sleep. This light suppresses the melatonin receptors and disrupts your sleep cycles. It will energize your brain and trick it into thinking that it is daytime, which means that, the longer you look at their screens, the more awake you will feel, and you won’t be able to return to sleep easily after using them. The noise coming from these devices can also prevent you from getting enough rest. Text alerts and the ringtone when someone is calling you can disrupt you, and your sleep will suffer even if call and message notifications are set to vibrate. 

Turn Down the Heat 

If you want to sleep comfortably throughout the night, the temperature in your bedroom should be between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit as it is the best temperature for sleep. When our bodies start powering down for the night, our body core temperature drops, and it helps us enter and stay in REM sleep. If we turn down the heat in our bedroom, it will make us feel sleepy, and it will encourage the sleep onset. No matter how cozy it feels to be in a warm bedroom, especially during cold winter months, it can inhibit your sleep. In case you tend to wake up from night sweats during the night, you should also try to sleep naked. 

Get Out of Bed 

In case you can’t seem to fall back to sleep, you should get out of your bed and do something. However, it doesn’t mean that you should do this immediately after you wake up. It is the best idea to stay in your bed for 15-20 minutes, and if you are still not asleep after this period of wakefulness, you should get out of bed and go to another room to do something relaxing, such as listening to soothing music or an audiobook, doing yoga nidra, or reading a book. Something like this will prevent you from stressing about not being able to sleep, and associating your bed with not sleeping well. However, make sure you don’t do anything exciting, such as working out, watching Netflix, playing video games, scrolling through social media, etc. as it will only wake you up and you won’t feel sleepy anymore. The point is to do something boring that won’t overstimulate you. Also, while doing unexciting things in a different room, you should avoid turning too many lights on.  

Put on Cozy Socks 

We already mentioned that cooler bedroom temperatures are ideal for quality sleep, so this tip may not make sense, but it certainly helps. Here is how it works – when you put on a pair of socks, they will warm your feet, which will draw blood flow to this part of your body, and lower your core body temperature. In other words – if you wear socks, you will fall asleep faster. However, many people have reservations when it comes to wearing socks to bed, and they simply don’t like it, whereas others consider this normal. If you can’t stand the thought of sleeping with socks on, you can use a heating pad at your feet as it will also do the trick. 

Use Essential Oils 

Essential oils have many different purposes, and they can do wonders when it comes to helping you fall asleep faster. Some essential oils, especially lavender, are miracle workers that can have a positive impact on your sleep. They will put you into an increased state of relaxation and prepare you for getting enough ZZZs. All you need to do is to use an essential oil diffuser or add a few drops on your pillowcase, and you will sleep better. 

Create a To-Do List 

We live in a fast-paced world, and we often don’t have enough time to relax and do everything that we are supposed to do because of our obligations and tasks. As a result, we often have to wait until going to bed to have some time to relax and think. Many people start thinking about everything that they have to do after they get in bed to sleep. Something like this can be very stressful, especially if we think about them excessively, and this stress can keep us awake at night and prevent us from falling back to sleep. If you want to avoid something like this, you should write everything down as soon as you wake up in the middle of the night, if you can’t fall asleep again. You should get a pen and a paper, and create a to-do list as it will clear your mind. You won’t have to stress about things that await you and think about them excessively when you have already written them on your to-do list.  

Reasons Why You are Waking Up Mid-Sleep 

Millions of adults have sleep difficulties. Even if they can fall asleep easily in the evening, some people have troubles staying asleep throughout the night. Although they are tired and drift off to dreamland quickly, they sometimes find themselves wide awake at 2 a.m. tossing and turning and not being able to sleep again. We all know that getting sufficient shut-eye is the key to feeling refreshed and being ready for new challenges that await us the next day. When our sleep is interrupted, we are likely to feel sleepy and tired. Some things that interfere with our ability to get enough shut-eye at night include: 

You Drink Too Much Caffeine 

We all know that caffeine is a stimulant that energizes us, and that’s why we drink it. However, it can also interfere with our ability to fall asleep if we consume it in the late afternoon or evening, and it can lead to poor quality sleep and waking up in the middle of the night. It takes around six hours for our body to get rid of half the caffeine that you consumed, which means that you will feel its effects several hours after the consumption. If you tend to wake up regularly at night, you should cut down on caffeine, especially within a few hours before bedtime. 

You Drink Alcohol in the Evening 

Having a couple of drinks in the evening can make it easy to drift off to dreamland, but it also causes restless sleep. As the alcohol that we consumed metabolizes, its effects wear off, and it prevents deep sleep and contributes to restless nights. If you are looking for quality rest, you should limit the alcohol consumption to a few hours before going to bed. Of course, everyone metabolizes alcohol differently, based on different factors including weight, genetics, and diet, but you should allow your body at least a few hours to process it until you decide to hit the sack.  

You Have Anxiety 

People with anxiety tend to wake up at night occasionally. Difficulties sleeping is one of the most common symptoms of an anxiety disorder. When people are anxious, their heartbeat tends to rise, which makes it difficult to relax and stay asleep. Anxiety can also contribute to nightmares, and it can cause nocturnal panic attacks, which are the episodes of intense panic that wake people up from their sleep. If your anxiety wakes you up frequently in the middle of the night, you should consult your doctor. 

Your Bladder Can’t Wait 

If your bladder can’t wait until the morning, and you need to go to pee at least once during the night, this condition is called nocturia, and it is more common than you think. Some of the causes of this condition include bladder obstruction, sleep disorders, and drinking too much fluid before going to bed. It occurs in both women and men, and it becomes more common as we age. You should restrict your fluid intake a couple of hours before bedtime and see if it will reduce the number of nightly bathroom trips. If restricting fluids doesn’t help, you should consult a doctor for explanations and potential treatment. 

You Eat Too Late 

If you are hungry before sleep, you should have a light snack before going to bed. Eating heavy meals close to bedtime is a terrible idea as you will toss and turn during the night, and it can lead to acid reflux and indigestion. If you want to avoid waking up at night without being able to fall back asleep, you should stay away from greasy and spicy foods before bed. 

As you can see, there are numerous reasons why you are waking up at night, some of which are easily changeable. 

Numerous pairs, particularly those struggling to find restful slumber in each other’s company, may ponder whether it’s more beneficial to sleep solo or alongside their significant other. The response to this inquiry isn’t straightforwardly affirmative or negative. To reach a solid verdict, we’ve opted to evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of sleeping independently versus sharing the bed with your partner. Let’s first explore the benefits of slumbering next to your loved one.

Why Should You Sleep with Your Sweetheart?

No many studies have been conducted on the subject, but most of them show that sharing your bed with someone has a positive influence on your health and sleep quality. For example, a study carried out at the University of Pittsburgh in 2009 by a professor of psychiatry and psychology, showed that women with partners sleep better than single women. The study specifically suggested that women in happy relationships and long-term marriages experience fewer sleep disturbances than single woman. It is also interesting to mention that generally, all the research we could found on the topic indicates that the psychological benefits of sleeping with a partner outweigh common co-sleeping troubles.

A recent study indicated that people who share their sleeping space (either by snoozing together in a bed or the same room) feel safer and less anxious. However, the science behind this research is still new, and there are yet a lot of things that need to thoroughly checked and examined before making such a conclusion. What we know so far is that sharing your sleeping space lowers the levels of the stress hormone cortisol, and maybe even reduces the levels of cytokines in the body which are responsible for inflammation. Co-sleeping may also boost your levels of oxytocin, known as the love hormone.

Health Benefits of Sleeping Next to Someone You Love

It helps you fall asleep faster. When you are alone in mind, it’s more challenging to relax. For example, if you had a hard day at work, when laying alone in bed, you could quickly start overthinking. However, when you’re sharing the bed with someone you love, it gives you a sense of security, allowing your body to relax much easier.

It lessens your stress levels. As mentioned in the beginning, studies have shown that when you’re sharing a bed with your bae, your cortisol levels drop, and oxytocin levels increase. Apart from relaxing and drifting off to the dreamland faster, lower stress levels reduce the risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, and other severe chronic illnesses.

It reduces body inflammation. We also briefly mentioned that research suggested the levels of cytokines in your body also decreases. Cytokines, apart from causing inflammation, also cause pain. Therefore, another warm body in bed and a bit of cuddling is a natural pain reliever.

It lowers your blood pressure. Researchers from the University of North California have found out that women who slept and received regular cuddles from their partners had increased oxytocin levels and lower blood pressure. According to dr. David Hamilton, oxytocin works as a natural angina medication and helps to minimize the constriction in the blood vessels.

It promotes ideal sleeping conditions. If you tend to get chilly at night, the warmth of your bae can help keep you snug as a bug. When you have the perfect sleeping conditions with someone next to you, you can also enjoy the best quality of sleep. Waking up refreshed in the morning will make you feel more positive and ready to face the day ahead.

It improves your immune system. Sleeping with your partner and making love boost your immune system. According to the experts from Wilkes University in Pennsylvania, couples who are regularly intimate have a stronger immune system and have better chances of fighting the flu or common colds because they release more antibodies that make them healthier.

It slows down aging. Scottish neuropsychologist Dr. David Weeks has conducted a research and found out that regular quality cuddle time and lovemaking can make you look ten years younger.

You become in sync with your partner. If you and your bae go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, your circadian rhythms will sync, and you will basically become each other’s social timekeepers. According to studies, this synchronicity shows how much couples are satisfied in their relationship.

The physical closeness improves your relationship. Lastly, research carried out at the University of Hertfordshire that studies the effects of physical contact during sleep among couples concluded close physical relationship, cuddling and lying in bed close to one another strengthens couple’s relationship and helps them to bond.

Couple Sleep Problems

Most sleeping problems experienced by couples can, fortunately, be settled if you communicate well and respect each other sleeping needs. So, what are the biggest struggles couples face when snoozing together? According to our research, most partners have troubles sharing a bed due to different sleep habits, different sleep patterns, and different sleep needs. For example, issues can quickly arise if a deep sleep and a light sleep share a bed, or if a night owl is dating an early bird. One partner’s health issues may affect the sleep quality of another partner. Basically, all of the couples’ differences can cause problems when sleeping together.

When you have been sleeping for a long time alone, suddenly sharing a bed may be troublesome. However, although it seems hard, you should be able to adapt to share your blanket and learn how to sleep with someone again.

Now let’s take a look at some of the most common couple sleep problems and how to solve them.

A Snoring bedmate. Snoring is definitely the most common problem partner face when sharing a bed. Depending on what causes it, solutions may vary. If your sweetheart suffers from sleep apnea, he or she must get appropriate treatment.

Simple snoring is often positional, so waking up your partner to change his or her sleep position may help. For example, sleeping on your back will more likely cause snoring, while sleeping on the side should open up the crowded oropharynx and ensure proper breathing.

Using a special pillow, a neti pot, or anti-snoring mouthguard may also help both partners to sleep better and healthier. Losing excess weight and limiting alcohol consumption for the snoring partner is also recommended.

If that doesn’t help, allowing the non-snoring partner to fall asleep first might help (unless he or she isn’t a light sleeper). Earplugs, fans, white noise machines, or noise-canceling headphones could also be a lifesaver.

Tossing and turning. Tossing and turning barely happens without reason, so before kicking your bae out of bed, you should try to get to the root of the restlessness. This issue may be caused due to stress, anxiety, medication or even some sleep disorder such as restless legs syndrome. Rarely, restlessness is just that person’s normal sleep pattern. If that is your case, buying a special mattress that minimizes movement and eliminates noise should help. Also, it’s essential that you have a big bed. The bigger the bed, the fewer the chances you are to disturb your partner.

Stealing the covers. This problem is easily solved – just use separate covers. In case your sheets slide to the other side in the middle of the night, you could buy two beds and slide them next to each other, but make sure each one has its own pair of sheets. You can also place a big comforter over both of you, but in the middle of the night, your sheets won’t move. Problem solved.

Night Owl vs. early riser. If you and your significant other simply have different sleep patterns, and sleep/wake schedule, you shouldn’t force each other to sleep at the same time if one of you isn’t ready. The biggest problem is that this way you are missing a very important time in your relationship and that is spending time together in bed, cuddling and simply enjoying each other’s presence. Since this is an essential part of a healthy relationship, you should commit to these activities before the first partner is ready for sleep. Once your significant other drifts into the dreamland, you, the night owl, can get out of the bed and resume your nightly activities.

In order to successfully overcome this issue, you should really have a conversation about it. People are very protective of their sleep, and when they are not sleeping well, they are not feeling good. A small change of habits such as using an eye mask (for the early bird) or using a night light (for the night owl) can significantly help.

Nighttime tech use. Your bedroom should a sleep sanctuary and a haven for couples, meaning there is no place for electronics and nighttime tech use. Having smartphones, computers, TVs and similar tech in the bedroom and interacting with them close to bedtime may severely disturb your sleep in two ways – by stimulating your brain, and suppressing the production of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin. If you like to use electronics before bed, set up a docking station for your gadgets that’s outside the bedroom.

Don’t forget that you need a buffer between work and bed and that work-related activities and technology on your nightstand brings work and stress into the bedroom, making peaceful sleep more challenging to come than it should.

Sleep Temperature Preferences. Generally speaking, it’s healthier to sleep in a comfortably cool than warm environment. Although most people prefer to sleep in chillier bedrooms, some like to keep it toasty. If one partner is shivering while the other one is sweating, this is a major issue.  

So, how can you solve this issue? According to experts, the recommended temperature for sleep is somewhere between 68 and 72 degrees in the evenings. Your bedroom temperature should be set to the cooler rather than the warmer side for a simple reason – because it’s easier to get warmer than to get cooler. If you are the partner that gets chilly at night, try warming yourself up by wearing socks, using a thicker blanker or even getting a heating pad for your side of the bed.

If you are a hot sleeper, the best way to stay cool without affecting your bae is to sleep with your feet outside of the blankets. If that doesn’t help, try sleeping naked or put a fan on your side on the bed.

Mattress preferences. Finding a perfect mattress for yourself is definitely not easy. Now imagining the double trouble when you have to find a bed that suits both you and your significant other. Depending on your body type, sleeping position and style, you are going to have different needs.

Similarly, to the problem with room temperature, it’s easier to make your mattress softer than it is to make it harder. So, opt for a firmer mattress, and when you get home, modify it by adding a foam topper to the one side. Fortunately, many mattress industries have recognized this common couple sleep problem and developed special mattresses for couples, which include adjustable and multiple firmness levels.

Sleeping with pets. Can’t sleep without cuddling your pet? This can be a problem if your bae doesn’t share the same attitude. If one person just can’t stand animals in the bed while the other person can’t sleep without their pet, you have a real problem. The solution for this issue lies in quality communication and compromise within the relationship. Both sides need to understand each other and adapt. For example, if you have to sleep with your pet, instead of cuddling with it, train them to stay at the end of the bed, so they don’t disturb your partner’s sleep. Trying to get your little furry friend to sleep in a pet bed or on the floor rather than sleeping with you and your significant other is also a viable solution.

Keep in mind that sleeping with your pet may have mental health benefits for you, but’s it’s not good for your physical health and it’s not hygienic. Change sheets at least every week and keep good airflow in the room to eliminate pet dander, bad smells and reduce the risk of allergies.

Sleeping naked – A Big Yes or a No-No? Sure, getting naked in bed with your significant other sounds great because it indicates standard sexy time protocol. However, not everyone likes to sleep naked. While some people enjoy sleeping au natural, others aren’t so enthusiastic about seeing a bare booty first thing in the morning. Like in the previous case, the solution is to talk with your partner, especially if one of you truly feel uncomfortable. Sleeping naked brings multiple benefits to your mental and physical health, so you should be encouraged to try it out. If you are concerned about hygiene, regularly change your sheets and take a shower before climbing into bed in your birthday suit.

How to Peacefully Sleep with Your Partner?

The benefits of sleeping next to someone you love outweigh the drawbacks, but that doesn’t mean your sleep quality should suffer if you can’t come to an agreement or solution. When nothing really works, you should consider sleeping in different beds or rooms. For many couples, the time right before sleep is most vital to a relationship, and not the slumber itself. In case you have to snooze separately, don’t forget to nurture this part of your relationship and find a way to maintain the closeness and intimacy in that interval right between day and night.

Have you ever found yourself waking up suddenly, only to discover that both your pajamas and sheets are soaked through with sweat? This sensation of wetness makes you so uncomfortable that you’re compelled to change your clothes and bedding immediately. Anxiety then sets in, making it seem nearly impossible to fall back asleep, leading to a night of inadequate rest. This is a scenario many have faced at least once, often attributed to a sweltering summer evening, non-breathable fabrics, or excessive bedding. The concern arises when these episodes become regular and cannot be linked to the temperature of the environment, indicating that the night sweats may be a symptom of an underlying medical condition.

Although night sweats are fairly common in both men and women, there are some things you can do to prevent them from happening. They include adapting your sleeping environment to better suit your needs, keeping a healthy diet, exercising, and having regular medical examinations to check if there is any underlying health problem that might be causing the excessive sweating during the night.

What Are Night Sweats?

True night sweats are also known as sleep hyperhidrosis, and they refer to persistent sweating throughout the night that drenches your pajamas and bedding, interferes with your sleep, and it is not related to environmental factors such as a bedroom that is too warm. That last part is crucial as it is a difference between night sweats that are benign and that can be resolved easily, and symptoms of a more serious condition.

It is also important to note that the flushing (redness and warmth) of face and trunk can be hard to distinguish from actual night sweats. Even though flushing can appear on its own, it is a condition that often accompanies night sweats. Many disorders can cause these events, so doctors usually need to check your medical history and medication use to find out what might be the reason for these sleep disturbances.

Causes of Night Sweats

There are many causes of night sweats, but warm pajamas and bedding, high bedroom temperature, and temporary illness such as a cold, are not one of them. True night sweats can be a result of:

• Menopause
• Hormone imbalances
• Anxiety disorders
• Obesity
• Untreated sleep apnea
• Infections
• Hypoglycemia
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Idiopathic hyperhidrosis
• Cancer
• Neurological disorders
• Cardiovascular disorders
• Substance abuse, especially alcohol, cocaine, and heroin

In additions, many medications such as antidepressants, hormones, pain relievers, diabetes medications, and steroids can be the cause of night sweats. Some commonly prescribed meds with this side effect are:

• Acyclovir
• Albuterol
• Bupropion
• Buspirone
• Esomeprazole
• Hydrocodone
• Insulin
• Lisinopril
• Naproxen sodium
• Nicotine replacement
• Paroxetine
• Sertraline
• Tadalafil
• Trazodone
• Zolpidem

Individuals who are using certain medications should talk to their physicians or pharmacist about the possible side effects, and consider an alternative if the treatment is causing problems.

Menopause is one of the most common causes of night sweats in women. Hormones are fluctuating during this period, and reduced estrogen and progesterone are causing many symptoms including hot flashes, chills, irregular or absent periods, vaginal dryness, mood changes, thinning hair, slower metabolism and many more. Women enter menopause at age 51 on average, but it can happen at any point in a person’s 50s, 40s, even earlier. However, it is estimated that only 1% of women have menopause before their 40s, so if you are younger than that, menopause is most likely not the cause of your night sweats. Menopause is an entirely natural condition, and it usually doesn’t require treatment. However, if the symptoms are severe, or your night sweats are causing too many sleep disturbances, you can talk to your physician about hormone replacement therapy. This treatment can help battle a lot of symptoms connected to the menopause, so be free to speak with your doctor about it.

Hormone imbalances like menopause can cause flushing and sweating. For instance, pregnancy is the time when the hormones are going wild, and night sweats are pretty frequent during this time. Some adolescents can experience them as puberty is a time when hormones are all over the place. Hormone disorders like hyperthyroidism, carcinoma syndrome, and pheochromocytoma can be to blame for night sweats as well.
Hyperthyroidism is a condition when your thyroid gland that plays a role in how your body uses energy produces too much thyroxine. That can lead to night sweats, unintentional weight changes, increased appetite, racing heartbeat, anxiety, and more. A doctor can offer many treatments if this condition causes your problems, one of which includes beta blockers to slow down your heart. Carcinoid syndrome is caused by too much of some hormones, that are the result of tumors in the lungs and gastrointestinal system. Pheochromocytoma is a condition when tumors appear on adrenal glands that produce hormones called catecholamines. Adrenaline and cortisol play a lot of roles in our bodies, and their disbalances can cause excessive sweating, rapid heartbeat, headaches, paleness, tremors, shortness of breath and many more. Good news is that this condition is extremely rare and fairly treatable with either meds or surgery.

Anxiety disorders are much more than feeling worry and fear, as these emotions can trigger many physical consequences. They include sweating too much, fatigue, muscle tension, breathing problems, racing heartbeat, stomach issues like diarrhea and nausea, and many more. Most common conditions under this range are a panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. If the night sweats are frequent, mention it to your therapist or a physician so that they can figure out how to battle the symptoms.

Obesity is simply bad for your health. It leads to several health disruptions, and it impairs your sleep. It also increases chances of developing certain sleep conditions like obstructive sleep apnea, that can additionally cause night sweats if it’s left untreated. Furthermore, additional fat prevents proper thermoregulation, so you retain more heat, which causes your body to sweat excessively while trying to cool itself down.

Obstructive sleep apnea is a sleep-related breathing disorder that causes full or partial cessation of breath during sleep. This results in snoring, choking, or waking up gasping for air. Proper ventilation is essential for thermoregulation, so if the affected individuals don’t seek out appropriate treatment, they are at risk at sweating excessively during the night among other things. CPAP and BiPAP treatments include wearing a mask during the night that provides a continuous flow of pressurized air, which enables the patient to get the needed oxygen during the night.

Infections, whether they are viral or bacterial can cause night sweats. Tuberculosis is the most common infection connected to excess nocturnal sweating, but there are many others including  HIV, endocarditis, osteomyelitis, and brucellosis. These are all serious diseases that need proper medical treatment. Endocarditis is inflammation of the heart valves, while osteomyelitis represents inflammation of the bones due to infection.
It might seem that tuberculosis is not around anymore, but it is very much present, and it can attack your lungs, kidneys, and parts of brain and spine. It leads to various symptoms including fever that contributes to chills and night sweats, loss of weight and appetite, and a cough that lasts for three weeks or more. It is transmitted by getting in contact with the infected person, but the good news is that it is treatable with the course of antibiotics prescribed by physicians.
Brucellosis is an infection picked up from animal, usually by using unpasteurized dairy products, but it can also be from contact with an infected animal. The symptoms of the disease include fever, chills, sweating, fatigue, joint, muscle and back pain, headaches, loss of appetite and more. Brucellosis is pretty rare in the United States, but if you are traveling somewhere abroad, you should make sure to stay safe. Treatment includes six weeks of antibiotics prescribed by the doctor to eliminate the bacteria from your system, along with any additional measurement to fight the rest of the symptoms.
HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is estimated to affect 1.1 million Americans. It is spread through bodily fluids including semen, blood, vaginal and rectal fluids, and breast milk. The virus attacks a person’s immune system by damaging their T cells, which are in charge of fighting off infection. When left untreated, it develops into AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) which makes you vulnerable to many diseases. Your immune system is so weak at this point that things that were easily fought off before can now lead to fatal consequences. After a month or two after contracting an HIV, people experience flu-like symptoms including rash, fever, muscle and joint pain, headaches, swollen lymph glands, and sore throat. Fever causes night sweats, and people with AIDS may experience them often, along with chronic diarrhea, fatigue, unintended weight loss, and more. Good news is that medicine has come a long way, and people can now lead normal long lives, even after contracting the virus. But that is not an excuse to be irresponsible, so always practice protected sex! There are also preventive drugs like PrEP, which people can take if they are at a higher risk of obtaining the virus, like having a partner that is HIV positive.

Hypoglycemia or low blood sugar can have night sweats as a side effect. People who take insulin and other oral diabetes medication can often experience drops in blood sugar levels during the night, which leads to night sweats.

Idiopathic hyperhidrosis is a condition that induces excess sweating in individuals, but doctors do not understand the cause of it. It usually involves key areas like your forehead, armpits, soles of your feet, and palms of your hands

Cancers could be to blame for night sweats as well, as they are one of the first signs of lymphoma, leukemia, prostate, and thyroid cancer. There are always other symptoms accompanying it like unexplained weight loss and fever.

Neurologic disorders although rare can be the cause of night sweats. They include posttraumatic syringomyelia, autonomic neuropathy, stroke, and autonomic dysreflexia.

When to Be Concerned About Night Sweats?

Night sweats are one of the most common complaints in people. They can affect anybody, men and women, children and elderly. Changes in sleepwear or bedroom environment can often resolve them, but if they are persistent, you should see a doctor. Other symptoms such as an unexpected weight loss can be a sign of a more serious underlying condition, and you should see a doctor right away if they appear. They will give you a physical exam, as well as blood and other tests if needed to diagnose the cause of night sweats. Most night sweats are resolved by getting appropriate treatment for the disease that’s causing them, but there are some things you can do to prevent them from happening.

How To Stop Night Sweats?

These tips can help you prevent excessive nocturnal sweating, or at least lessen them.

• Lower your bedroom temperature. Our bodies prefer bedroom temperature at around mid-60s degrees Fahrenheit. If you are prone to sleeping hot, you can even go a few degrees lower.

• Get a bedroom fan. Light breeze with a combination of lower temperature is an excellent environment for sleeping cooler.

• Reduce sleepwear or try sleeping naked. Sleeping naked is good for you, but if you are not comfortable with that, wear light sleepwear made from a breathable material.

• Use less bedding. Fewer layers made from a breathable material like linen or cotton will help your body regulate its temperature better.

• Get a cooling mattress. Memory foam mattresses tend to trap heat, and they are not suitable for hot sleepers. Instead try latex mattresses, innersprings, or a hybrid mattress, with a top layer made out of the cooling gel. You can also consider getting a cooling pillow or a cool comforter.

• Eat well and exercise. Proper diet and regular exercise, along with a good night’s rest are essential for health. Gaining weight ads extra fat layers that trap body heat, and cause excess sweating. Also, avoid eating spicy foods or drinking alcohol before bed, as they can cause night sweats and disturb your sleep. Consider leaving a glass of cold water on the night table for refreshment, if you wake up feeling hot during the night.

• Reduce stress. Stress sends your nervous system into overdrive, and anxiety is just terrible for refreshing rest. It can increase the frequency of night sweats so try practicing a relaxing activity before bed, such as reading, listening to soothing music, light yoga, meditation, or a warm bath. Regular exercise also keeps stress levels low, but make sure not to do it too close to bedtime, as it can be counterproductive.

Engaging in conversation, bursting out in laughter, rising from bed, or consuming food while asleep might seem unusual but is actually normal for a small subset of individuals, including a larger number of children globally. These uncontrolled and unintended actions, if they become chronic, are categorized under a sleep disorder known as parasomnias. Although the term might seem intimidating, not every disorder under this category is considered harmful, especially when compared to severe sleep disorders, such as intense cases of sleep apnea. Nonetheless, these disorders can cause discomfort not only to those who have them but also to others in their household. Many people can recall a humorous incident of speaking during sleep or waking up to navigate through the house, often surprising a family member en route to the restroom. Someone who frequently yells or screams while sleeping can be difficult to share a sleeping space with. However, even more concerning is the risk of injury for sleepwalkers who often leave their beds to engage in activities, even without interacting with dangerous objects or inadvertently activating appliances. The mere act of stumbling or tripping over something poses a significant risk of injury.

Other types of parasomnia pose different risks. The primary disorders classified under this category are sleepwalking, sleep terrors, disorders of arousal, sleep-related eating disorder, REM sleep behavior disorder, and isolated sleep paralysis. They are commonly divided into subcategories based on the sleep stage they most often occur in (REM or NREM), and not rarely have further variations of their own.

The group we are focusing on, the confusional arousals, belong to the arousal disorders’ category and have some similarities with sleep inertia. Below, we will clarify the terminology and distinction of these events. But for this whole puzzle to properly fit together, let’s briefly cover the different sleep stages first.

Sleep Stages

The most general distinction of sleep stages separates REM (rapid eye movement) from NREM (non-REM) sleep. NREM stage is then divided into three or sometimes four phases. All of these sleep cycles have different effects and purposes amongst one another. It works like this:

Stage 1 NREM sleep is the transition from wakefulness to sleep, lasting only a couple of minutes. In this short time window, your brain wave activity, heart rhythm, respiratory rate, and eye movements begin to slow down from their wakeful tempo, and your muscles relax (with the possibility of a twitch or kick here and there).

Stage 2 NREM sleep is the stage that usually follows the first NREM phase of sleep and introduces the first occurrence of the third stage. In this limbo phase, your body relaxes and slows down even more, your eye movements completely stop, and the core body temperature drops.

Stage 3 NREM sleep is the deep, slow-wave sleep that is most restorative and needs to happen in order for you to feel well rested in the morning. In this stage, your heart and respiratory rate hit their slowest. It usually occurs in longer periods in the first portion of your slumber and is the most easily compromised sleep phase – an individual spends less and less time in stage 3 NREM as they age, and some stimuli like alcohol can disrupt it, too.

REM stage occurs typically about an hour and a half after you fall asleep. During this state, your eyes move from side to side, and your body is at an alertness level almost reaching the wakeful state. Most of the dreaming in an individual’s sleep happens in this stage, and their limbs’ muscles are paralyzed, so as to stop them from enacting the dreams. This stage is vital for memory consolidation.

REM Parasomnias

This sleep stage may include parasomnias such as REM-sleep behavior disorder, nightmares or hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations.

REM-sleep behavior disorder (RBD) happens when a person’s muscles don’t get paralyzed the way they usually would during REM sleep. This results in the individual punching, kicking, jerking, swearing, shouting, etc. in their sleep. The behaviors displayed in most cases enact the more violent versions of a person’s common dream, and the high muscular activity happens due to them feeling threatened or angered. The treatment of this disorder will count on a thorough environmental “baby-proofing” session to ensure the patient will have minimal risk of injuries. This will involve covering up sharp edges, placing another mattress on the floor, next to the bed, locking away cooking knives, and so forth. In persistent cases, medication might be prescribed.

Nightmares are disturbing, frightening dreams that get scarier as they unfold. They frequently cause the person to wake up during the night out of fear, and the person remembers the content of the dreams and doesn’t feel disoriented or confused. A streak of nightmares many nights in a row might cause insomnia or evolve into night terrors. Nightmares are usually caused by stressful, traumatic events, substance or from substance abuse withdrawal. They may be connected to a person’s existing medical condition, or occur in completely healthy people. Treatments include identifying and neutralizing stressors, psychotherapy, introducing good sleep hygiene and reducing the use of stimulants.

Hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations happen at the onset or offset of sleep, believed to be due to the interference of one’s REM stage in the process of awakening. A person may hallucinate shadows, animals, colors and people in the room, as well as some sounds, melodies, voices. Furthermore, one might experience floating, or seeing their own body from above, and such events may be felt as scary or enjoyable. The episodes may be interrupted by a limb jerk, and after the person learns the hallucination isn’t real, it often disappears on its own.

NREM Parasomnias

The disorders in this group include arousal disorders and sleep-wake transition disorders. Sleep inertia is a good example of a sleep-wake transition disorder. It marks a state in which one is halfway between being asleep and awake. That is, their body is alerted and woken up, but the sleep continues, sometimes for a couple of hours. In this state, a person’s vigilance level is lower than their daytime average, they might be a bit disoriented and their performance impaired. This may then extend into sleep drunkenness.

Arousal disorders consist of confusional arousals, sleepwalking and sleep terrors. The difference between these disorders and the sleep-wake transition disorders is that they happen during the night when you transition between different stages of sleep. Much like with sleep inertia, the result of these disorders is a state that combines wakefulness and sleep.

Disorders of arousal are highly prevalent in children, and have a familial tendency, with the other exacerbating factors including certain depressants, sleep deprivation recovery, pain, fever, stress, environmental sounds, shift work and sleep apnea, to name a few.

Sleepwalking (somnambulism) is a universally recognized behavior during sleep where one gets up from the bed and leaves the room and engages in different activities. Among the listed risk factors, this disorder, in particular, has also been linked with the use of Zolpidem, a conventional sleep medication.

Sleep terrors are second or minute long episodes of screaming and extreme fear during sleep, often coming hand in hand with sleepwalking. They differ from nightmares due to the fact that the person won’t remember them in the morning, or won’t have a clear, accurate memory of the event, much like with other arousal disorders. These parasomnias affect about 40% of children and, although frightening, aren’t a reason for much concern, as the children who experience this problem often grow out of it.

Confusional Arousals

These events cause a person to partially wake up in the first third of the night, usually for under ten minutes. One may seem awake but confused, slow, disoriented and unable to properly respond when being talked to or instructed to go back to sleep. They might perform some low-difficulty activities like pulling on the blankets, moving limbs or even mumbling or saying something, but all slurred, without sense and not to the extent of actually getting out of bed. The following morning, the entire episode is frequently forgotten. Confusional arousals occur in 6% of the under-24-years-old population and affect only over 1% of people who are 65 or older.

Confusional arousals are, in their nature, completely benign and don’t pose much risk for the person who experiences them. If the issue doesn’t go away on its own, it may over time evolve into sleepwalking or night terrors. Other than that, a person who keeps waking up from deep sleep might have issues with high vigilance requiring tasks as the most restorative part of their sleep has been disrupted, resulting in sleep deprivation and daytime sleepiness. Confusional arousals may happen caused by another disorder or condition, or due to heightened stress, opioid intake, anxiety, etc.

Diagnosis and Treatment

The diagnosing of this disorder starts by a doctor requesting a medical history and a sleep pattern overview – best from a sleep diary. To rule out or confirm a primary disorder like restless leg syndrome, periodic limb movement disorder or obstructive sleep apnea, an overnight laboratory-based sleep study called polysomnography might be ordered.

If the confusional arousal is a consequence of another disorder, the therapy involves treating that. When not too invasive, this disorder doesn’t require treatment, other than staying away from triggers like stimuli or sleep deprivation and sticking to a good bedtime routine. Parents and bed partners are only to reassure the individual who experiences the confusional disorder, not interrupt the episode.

As we are dreaming, regardless of the clarity of our dreams, they remain purely psychological experiences since our physical bodies remain inactive. Nonetheless, individuals suffering from REM behavior disorder (RBD) show physical movement in response to their dreams by moving their limbs while asleep. This condition, known as Rapid Eye Movement sleep behavior disorder, falls under parasomnias, a category of sleep disorders, and is marked by the lack of muscle paralysis that is normally present during REM sleep.

So, whatever is going on in the dream world of patients with RBD, they will try acting it out, which can be painful for their partners because it would not only disrupt their sleep but also hurt them physically since people can be kicked, punched or even pushed out of bed by their unconscious partner. Somehow people with RBD do not usually have a problem with more mild dreams, their dreams are always dynamic, intense, there is a lot of screaming or fighting, so it can represent a significant problem for them and their partner or roommate. However, it is important to mention that the combination of RBD and extremely violently behavior is rare since it occurs in only 0.5 of the RBD cases.

Sleep talking and sleepwalking can also occur, which is why the RBD is often mixed with these disorders or wrongly diagnosed. The difference is that RBD is a more severe form which combines various symptoms, but the good news is that it can be treated successfully.

Brief History of RBD

To understand how this disorder was recognized and diagnosed, we have to go back to 1958. when several cases of RBD were described for the first time. Two doctors of medicine from the University of Minnesota, Carlos Schenck and Mark Mahowald, pointed out a few case histories of people who suffered from RBD. Doctors described several cases of people mostly older than 50 years, who all have had similar stories, people behaved violently during sleep, they were jumping out of bed, hitting their partner because they believed they were attacked, a war veteran even injured himself during an episode of fighting in his dream, etc.

Patients did not have any pleasant dreams, they all had vivid nightmares in which they were fighting against criminals, snakes, army or monsters. But, they were dealing with their “imaginary” problem in the real world, and sometimes they hurt themselves or others, and that is when it becomes a problem.

The doctors reported that all the men were very friendly and calm individuals during the day and that they did not have any neurological or psychiatric issues. And that is the case with most RBD patients, they are peaceful and “normal,” so their often violent behavior during sleep has nothing to do with their character or any other individual feature. Doctors concluded that RBD strikes mostly men and that it is more common among the elderly population, people who are 50 or older are at higher risk, although there have been a few cases of children with RBD, but that is more of an exception than a rule. They also noticed that many patients show occasional rhythmic movements in their legs, while they are in non-REM sleep phase.

Mahowald and Schenck also did a telephone survey which included more than 4900 people, from 15 to 100 years old, they found out that around 2% of the respondents experienced violent behavior during sleep, however, they estimated that probably only one quarter of them owes it to RBD, which lead to their conclusion that 0,5% of the US population struggles with RBD.

REM Sleep Behavior Disorder Symptoms

People with RBD are unable to remain still while they are dreaming, which means that they physically act out everything they are going through in their dreams or nightmares. This disorder can show up all of a sudden, or it can gradually progress until it reaches its final form. The frequency of these episodes varies; they can occasionally occur like once in a week or month, but they can also happen multiple times during one night, there is no rule or a way to predict them.

Some of the most common symptoms of RBD include:

• Movements, such as hitting, kicking, punching, jumping out of bed, etc. all in response to those action-packed, intense dreams in which people are usually fighting for their life in fights, battles, or being chased.
• Sounds, such as shouting, talking, cursing, emotional outcries, and so on, are also typical symptoms of RBD.
• People with RBD are able to recall those episodes even if they are awakened during it.

If during those nighttime physical activities people injure themselves or their bed partners, that is usually a clear signal that they need to seek professional help.

RBD Causes and Risk Factors

Most parasomnias are more common among children, and they can be easily outgrown, however, RBD affects mainly adults. Symptoms of RBD can appear at any age, but people who are in their fifties or sixties are at the highest risk of experiencing RBD disorder, and when it comes to sex, the vast majority of people affected by it are men.

A genetic link for the RBD is not identified, so it is not officially confirmed that it can be passed on genetically and the exact cause of RBD is unknown, but it can be triggered and worsen due to some other sleep disorders, sleep deprivation, medications, alcohol, traumas or post-traumatic stress disorder.

Besides that, there seems to be a connection between RBD and some neurological problems, since many people with them tend to develop RBD also. For example, around 33% of people who suffer from Parkinson’s disease will get RBD, and also 90% of those who have multiple system atrophy. And vice versa, people with RBD can develop Parkinson’s disease even after many years, so they should pay attention to Parkinson’s key symptoms such as tremor, rigidity, issues with posture or walking, etc. In some cases, the RBD occurred even 50 years prior to the symptoms of other neurological diseases. The researchers still do not know why such a significant amount of people with RBD has a strong predisposition for Parkinson’s disease. Considering the statistics, it is understandable why people with RBD are concerned about the possibility and risks for the parkinsonian disorder. Regular visits to a neurologist and early diagnosis with proper treatment are currently the only solution that science has to offer.

Patients suffering from RBD can sometimes struggle to understand what is going on, especially if they unintentionally hurt someone dear to them, that is when they develop hypnophobia. This phobia represents a fear of falling asleep since people are afraid of they might do, they feel ashamed and uncomfortable because they cannot control what will they do once they fall asleep, so they rather avoid it and stay awake as long as possible.

When it comes to other sleep disorders, people suffering from RBD have a higher risk for a few others:

• Narcolepsy – the first described case of a patient with both narcolepsy and RBD, dated back in 1992. According to study, there is a strong relationship between RBD and narcolepsy. Around 15% of narcoleptic patients have RBD, and although their features are the same with the patients who have RBD only, the episodes are not so frequent. 
• Sleep apnea – RBD and obstructive sleep apnea are the most common sleep disorders among patients with Parkinson’s disease. A study showed that RBD could mitigate the severity of OSA, but together they can only aggravate cognitive impairment among patients with Parkinson.
• Periodic limb movement disorder – the repetitive movements usually affect legs, but they can rarely impact the arms too. Patients who have a severe form of PLMS have higher chances to experience some of the RBD symptoms such as unpleasant dreams followed by abnormal sleep behavior.

Treatment and Tips for RBD

If it is not treated correctly, RBD tends to get worse over time. However, the good news is that RBD is not a permanent state and it can be treated successfully with drugs. RBD responds well to medications such as clonazepam, which is also often used for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. Clonazepam is a benzodiazepine, and it successfully eliminates the RBD symptoms 90% of the time, another advantage of this medication is that people rarely develop tolerance to it, even if they have been using it for years. Clonazepam will relax the body and suppress muscle activity during sleep. In case that clonazepam is not working, as an alternative people go for melatonin or antidepressants as they also keep violent behavior under control. People who suffer from sleep apnea, gait disorder or dementia should be very cautious when using clonazepam and follow the instructions and prescribed dosage.

We mentioned that clonazepam is also used for Parkinson’s disease, but, that does not mean that people who take it for RBD will prevent the development of PD. There are theories that RBD is in fact, an early symptom of PD, MS, or dementia with Lewy bodies, but the studies have not confirmed that yet since not everyone will RBD will later have some of these disorders.

When the symptoms and nocturnal behavior are not so severe, a few simple things may secure a more safe sleep environment, so you can try out these tips first before you start using medications, but often the combination of lifestyle changes and drugs works the best.

• The first thing you need to do is to remove almost everything around your bed. That includes your nightstand, a lamp, sharp or fragile objects, anything that can potentially injure you when you start moving your hands. If you fell out of the bed before, try placing some padded or cushioned barriers around it or place something soft like a mattress topper next to your bed, to cushion your fall. Another option is to place your mattress on the floor or some lower mattress foundation. You should also move your bed away from the window.
• People with RBD should stick to a certain sleep routine, and avoid all-nighters or going late to bed because sleep deprivation can only aggravate their symptoms.
• Pay a visit to a sleep clinic. There you will be involved in a sleep study to diagnose precisely which type of sleep disorder you have, and you will get proper instructions for your treatment. Usually, the performed study will be an overnight polysomnographic video recording, which will record any odd behavior during sleep.
• Alcohol should be avoided as well as certain medications which can increase RBD, so do not take any drugs on your own without checking the side effects or consulting with your doctor.
• You should do annual checkups and monitoring for any neurological symptoms. Also if you already have symptoms of some other sleep disorder start treating it immediately.
• It is recommended that your bed partner sleeps in another room until the RBD symptoms are put under control. It will prevent accidental injuries, arguments and it will give your partner a chance to sleep without disruption. Partners of people with RBD usually have an essential role in their treatment, since they are the only ones that can describe what was going on exactly and point out the key symptoms or help with tracking the history of the disorder.