How Long Should I Nap? Five Tips to Effective Napping

Taking a nap midday is still common in many Mediterranean and European countries. As children we frequently napped, whether we wanted to or not. As adults in the United States, we’d love to take a midday break, but rarely take the time for this important practice. With busy lives and schedules, super stress, and our […]
Spring Clean Your Brain

Spring is a time of renewal and cleansing. We watch new buds form. We spruce up our gardens and flowerbeds. We clean our homes to make things fresh and new. Drawing inspiration from experts like Marie Kondo, spring encourages us to simplify. We find ourselves with excess clutter and have the urge to streamline our […]
The Sleep Detox

Detoxing is all the rage these days. Everyone’s got a detox for your gut or for your skin, but new research is showing that sleep may be the best detox for your brain. Slow Wave Sleep REM sleep is a valuable tool in resting and revitalizing our bodies, but science is finding that it may […]
The Most Wonderful Time of the Year?

Personally, I love Christmas. For me and my family it really is the most wonderful time of the year. I love the hustle and bustle of shopping and baking and decorating, seeing family and friends, the bright lights, and Christmas songs on the radio. But for many people, the holidays and the stress that ensues […]
Coping With Grief This Holiday Season

October has passed and the festive Halloween decorations have been stowed away until next year. The Thanksgiving turkey and cranberry sauce has been enjoyed and the house is quiet once again. For many, the turn of the seasons from October to December is filled with sadness as they contemplate spending the holidays without the ones […]
Belly Fat and Brain Health: How They’re Connected

Without question, one of the most common New Year’s resolutions made annually is weight loss. Many of us begin the year focused on our health and well-being. We are enthusiastic about the possibility of change and fully committed to creating new habits for a new season. We capitalize on that momentum, filling our refrigerators with […]
Are you genetically wired for a daily nap?

By: Patrick K. Porter, Ph.D. Are you one of those people who loves to crawl under a blanket in the middle of the day for a quick refresher? I’m not. In fact, I have difficulty napping during the day. My daughter, on the other hand, loves to nap. Give her 20 minutes and nothing else […]
New Study Uncovers Link Between Sleep Deprivation and Loneliness

Are you frequently cranky and emotional or just feel off kilter? Do you feel lonely and isolated from your friends and family? The answer may not be what you think. Many people suffer from a lack of good, quality sleep, and according to new research out of UC Berkley, lack of sleep makes you feel […]
Survey shows teens are more stressed than the average adult. Here’s what you can do about it…

Rates of anxiety and depression in high school kids have been on the rise every year since 2012. In an annual survey published by the American Psychological Association teens reported their stress level was 5.8 on a10-point scale compared with 5.1 for adults. Teens also say their school-year stress levels are far higher than they think is […]
National poll on healthy aging finds 1 in 12 people, 65 and older, take prescription sleep medications

Falling asleep is a frequent concern for nearly half of Americans over the age of 65, and more than a third have resorted to some sort of medication to help them doze off at night, according to a report published this week by the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation. Trouble Falling […]