I haven’t been a good sleeper for a long time. I often lay awake worrying about what happened that day or what might happen tomorrow. Then, even after I’ve finally fallen asleep, I’ll suddenly wake up and be unable to get back to sleep because my thoughts start racing. I kept hearing that cutting out … Read more
Insomnia and I are old friends (well, frenemies). It’s been my uneasy companion through college and grad school, marriage, two pregnancies, postpartum, and a pandemic. In addition to struggling to fall asleep, I often wake up during the night and can’t fall back asleep. Then, when I get up in the morning, I feel less than … Read more
I’m in a stressful season of my life—and I’m sure I’m not alone. I’m in the midst of studying for my board licensing exam, working on a large personal writing project, and navigating an overall constriction of my time, resulting in some pretty substantial stress. I also have a guilty pleasure that I’m ashamed of: … Read more
As a mom of two who has struggled with lifelong anxiety, the idea of sleeping through the night has always felt insurmountable. Whether it’s been a nagging worry, a growing to-do list, or a little one’s cry, something has always kept me from a restful night’s sleep. Over the years, I’ve learned to dread bedtime, filled … Read more
I’ve never been a great sleeper. Sometimes I’ll experience occasional bouts of insomnia that keep me up most of the night. None of this is helped by the fact that I also sleep with my spouse, who has her own sleep schedule, and—don’t tell her I told you—sometimes snores. What’s more, all too frequently, our toddler and … Read more
Dreaming about death can be disturbing and unsettling. Whether the dream is about your death or someone else’s, you may wonder what it means and what it says about your life. If you’ve had a dream about death, you’re not alone. It’s common to experience dreams about death, says Shelby Harris, PsyD, director of sleep health at Sleepopolis. … Read more
While we may know how important sleep is to our health and well-being, most of us hardly get enough. According to a National Sleep Foundation poll taken in 2020, more than one-third of U.S. adults aren’t getting the recommended amount of sleep and feel tired during the day for at least half the week.1 The … Read more
Do certain sounds—like whispering, tapping, shushing, light scratching—give you a warm, tingling feeling? Does the idea of someone playing with your hair or turning pages gently in a book sound super relaxing? If so, you may be the type of person who experiences something called autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR), which is when people have “tingly” and … Read more
Recently, I was visiting a newly married friend. They were beyond excited about their partner and had recently moved into a new home. It had much more space than their original apartment and as they gave me a tour, they breezed past two separate bedrooms: One where they slept and another where their partner slept. “We … Read more
Dreaming about someone who died can be intense and chilling. For many people, the dreams are extremely vivid and the person you’re dreaming about seems very much alive. These dreams can be joyful, but also scary or disturbing. Whatever your experience, you should know that dreaming about someone you lost is actually super common. “Dreams about loved … Read more