Category: Mental Health
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How To Improve Sleep Hygiene For Optimal Sleep Health
What is sleep hygiene? Sleep hygiene refers to best practices for behaviours and environmental factors that are most conducive to sleep (Stepansky & Wyatt, 2003). Specifically, they are a list of things we can do in our lives to reduce possible disruptions in our sleep and make sure that the environment is a good place…
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What Makes Teens Constantly Tired? A Sleep Science Perspective
Many parents and teachers may hold the belief that teens can be somewhat lazy. Teens seem to sleep in all the time on weekends, may act tired all the time, and it’s often a hassle to get them out of bed for school on time. The common culprit that people run to for an explanation…
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Helpful Strategies To Reduce Test Anxiety
Introduction Tests can be a huge source of anxiety for many students. Although some anxiety is adaptive and can help facilitate our desire to prepare for exams, too much anxiety can impact our performance and can affect our health. For example, excessive anxiety can lead to deficits in working memory and ability to reason (MacLoed…
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Why Can I Sleep Anywhere Except On My Bed?
Introduction People with chronic insomnia often go to bed sleepy. However, the moment their head hits the pillow, the brain begins to go into hyperdrive mode, and they end up wide awake. There’s a saying that people with insomnia actually can sleep. It’s just that they can sleep anywhere except their own bed. I often…
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Is Hitting The Snooze Button A Bad Idea: A Sleep Science Perspective
It’s nighttime and you have work tomorrow at 9:00am. You set the alarm for 7:00am thinking maybe you can get your day started a little earlier and have some time to make breakfast and get a short work out in. 7:00am rolls around and you are jolted awake by the familiar obnoxious buzzing of the…
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4 Evidence-Based Strategies To Stop Racing Thoughts At Night
Racing and intrusive thoughts at bedtime Some people go to bed feeling right and ready for sleep. However, when their head hits the pillow, racing thoughts start enveloping their minds and they begin to feel wide awake. To counter these thoughts, they may engage in a bunch of different strategies: suppressing thoughts, distracting themselves, counting…
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Why Mondays Are So Hard: From A Sleep Science Perspective
A case of the Monday mornings Mondays are tough. It can feel like we have been hit by a truck when we wake up in the morning. Usually we’re a lot more tired, it’s harder to get up out of the bed, and we are particularly irritated seeing others’ cheery smiles. But why is this?…
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Five Benefits Of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy For Insomnia
CBT for Insomnia as the first line treatment Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is considered the gold standard for treatment of insomnia. It is the preferred first-line treatment method compared to medication for chronic insomnia for reasons discussed in the post CBT-I works by leveraging our sleep systems to address the causes of insomnia.…
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The Different Types Of Insomnia In Adulthood
Insomnia: An Overview According to a study by Ohayon (2002), anywhere from 5 to 50% of the population suffers from some form of insomnia depending on your define insomnia. Insomnia can be short-term or long-term, and people can experience specific sub-types of insomnia. As a general definition, insomnia can be defined as difficulty falling asleep,…
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When Is Social Anxiety A Problem? A Therapist Perspective
Shyness vs Social Anxiety Disorder People who are naturally shy may come to eventually question whether their social anxiety is a problem. At what point does normal shyness become social anxiety disorder? Shyness can manifest itself in many ways. For some, it may be striking conversation with peers. For others, it may be getting up…
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