Sleep Expert Voices Today

How Cool is Your Sleep?

When I was a little boy and happened not to be feeling well, my mother would ask me three questions. Having grown up in an old world village, she clung to simpler, traditional views of health, including her folksy health assessment. Her first question was, "What did you eat?" Today, more than ever, we are aware of the impact our diets have upon our health. Despite this, much of the modern world remains overfed, yet simultaneously undernourished. We simply consume too many empty, high-glycemic calories that provide quick energy, but limited nutrition. Such eating habits have been strongly linked to chronic inflammation -- one of the most overlooked issues in our disturbed sleep epidemic. More…

The War Against Insomnia

When it comes to conversations about insomnia, one might think we were at war. This isn't all that surprising, since we typically approach health challenges in this way. We fight disease, combat infections, kill germs, and go to battle with our symptoms. These kinds of fighting words are integral to the sleep disorders culture as well. We've had it with the scourge of insomnia. We're fed up with being worn down and ready for a fight. How does such a warring posture toward our insomnia symptoms affect us? More…

The Lost Art (and Science) of Dreaming

I believe that dreaming is among the most critical misunderstood and overlooked factors in our health, well-being and spiritual development. In contrast to waking, which is usually about an intentional, concrete and active relationship with the world around us, dreaming is more about a receptive, expansive, ephemeral and dynamic relationship with the world within us. Dreaming plays a critical role in learning and the formation of certain kinds of memory. Dreaming also helps us heal from emotional losses. People who don't dream well can suffer memory loss. And people who dream well heal from emotional loss more quickly. Yoga for the Soul More…

A Wolf In Sleep’s Clothing: The Truth About Sleeping Pills

Prescriptions for hypnotics, or so-called sleeping pills, exceeded 56 million in 2008, representing a record 54% increase in just four years. The term hypnotic, like hypnosis, is derived from Hypnos, the sweet-natured Greek god of sleep. Hypnosis, however, is not about sleep. It is, in fact, a heightened state of waking consciousness. Hypnosis derived its name from Hypnos simply because hypnotized people look like they are asleep. But they are not. The same can be said of people on hypnotics. They just look like they're asleep. I think Hypnos would turn over in his grave because the drugs that are his namesake do not provide true sleep. At best, they produce a kind of faux sleep -- a chemical knock out with potentially serious health consequences. More…

Post-Dramatic Stress? A Hidden Cause of Sleeplessness

Most of us are keenly aware of the notion of PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder. A key symptom of PTSD, of course, is sleeplessness. I believe there is a subtler condition that negatively impacts the sleep of millions more -- what I call post-dramatic stress disorder. We live in an age where drama is so ubiquitous, we are often unaware of its pernicious impact on our well-being. Whether in the guise of news, entertainment or reading material, drama abounds. I think that most of us are less traumatized, but more dramatized. More…

Have Trouble Sleeping?

I have always had some trouble sleeping - can't turn off my mind. The worst part is that I get the least amount of sleep when I need it most. If I need to get up early, I set the alarm. It NEVER goes off. Why? I am up many times during the night and invariably am awake before the alarm goes off. More…