Does ASMR Help You Fall Asleep?
I first encountered ASMR by accident while searching for sleep aids late one night. A video of someone whispering and tapping on objects sounded strange, but it also made my scalp […]
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Common Sleep Questions
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Why Can't I Sleep?
Before Bed & Routine
Caffeine, Alcohol & Substances
Environment & Bedroom
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How I Calm Night-Time Anxiety Before Bed
Night-time anxiety used to ambush me the moment I turned off the lights. During the day, I could distract myself with work and errands. At night, there was nothing left to do but t […]
Different Types of Insomnia and What They Mean
When I first started having trouble sleeping, I assumed all insomnia was the same. Either you could not fall asleep, or you could not stay asleep. But insomnia is more nuanced than […]
Mattress Toppers: Are They Worth It for Better Sleep?
My mattress was too firm, but I was not ready to spend money on a new one. A friend suggested a mattress topper as a middle ground. I bought a two-inch memory foam topper and, afte […]
Why I Stopped Hitting Snooze (And You Should Too)
Hitting snooze used to feel like a small luxury. Ten more minutes. Then ten more. Then suddenly I was late and groggier than when the first alarm went off. I told myself I was gett […]
How Cortisol Wrecked My Sleep (And How I Lowered It)
For months I could not figure out why I woke up at 4 a.m. with my heart racing. I was not having nightmares. My room was dark and quiet. Eventually, a doctor explained that my cort […]
How to Sleep Better with Chronic Pain
Chronic pain and sleep have a cruel relationship. Pain makes it hard to sleep, and poor sleep makes pain feel worse. I know this cycle well from dealing with lower back pain that f […]
Sleep-Friendly Lighting: What to Use After Sunset
I used to think lighting only mattered for reading and avoiding stubbed toes. Then I learned that light is one of the strongest signals controlling the human body clock. The wrong […]
Can a Sleep Tracker Actually Improve Your Sleep?
I bought my first sleep tracker hoping it would reveal the secret to my poor sleep. For weeks, I studied the graphs: deep sleep, REM sleep, heart rate, and sleep score. Some of tha […]
Mindfulness Meditation for Better Sleep
My mind used to treat bedtime like a problem-solving marathon. The moment I lay down, my brain would replay conversations, plan tomorrow, and worry about things I could not control […]