I hate plane journeys, particularly overnight ones. Sleeping on a plane for a 6 foot 2, long legged human like me is awkward and uncomfortable. If you can afford first class, then great. But for economy flyers like me, sitting up straight and trying to sleep is almost impossible. At first I try pushing my Read More…

All living beings, including humans, animals and plants naturally live by circadian rhythms. Circadian rhythms consist of a 24 hour physiological cycle that is modulated by our environment and external cues such as sunlight and temperature. Circadian rhythms are important because they determine when to sleep and eat. Brain wave activity, the hormones we produce, Read More…

The majority of articles on how to cure daytime sleepiness teach you how to use hacks to get over the slump. This is pretty easy to do because all you have to do is increase adrenaline, which can be done with a burst of exercise, a cup of coffee, by eating some quality protein and Read More…

Jet lag is a real problem for those with existing sleeping troubles. Crossing over timezones on a flight completely throws the sleeping pattern off. Jet lag occurs because the body maintains the sleep characteristics of the departure destination on arrival. This is because air travel allows no natural time for the body to adjust to Read More…

A friend and I were recently discussing sleep, and he told me that once in a while he slips a few drops of Skullcap into his herbal tea before bedtime. Being a writer who sometimes works up until midnight on his laptop, he uses Skullcap to help induce a better sleep. So I thought it would Read More…

I have received a number of enquiries from people asking about sleep herbs and whether there are any herbal sleep aids they can take. I have experience of three herbs in particular that are regularly prescribed as holistic alternatives to sleeping pills and over the counter sleep aids, so here is a brief overview of each herb and Read More…

Caffeine can be really damaging to sleep quality, and we need sleep to help rejuvenate the body. In short, lack of sleep makes you age quicker. Drinking green tea in the late afternoon/early evening is also problematic because of its high caffeine content, again affecting sleep. The thing is,  a lot of people who sleep badly ditch coffee Read More…

As far back as I can remember I was always told that the scent of lavender in a room, or a dab of lavender oil on a pillow, helps induce sleep. But is this just an old wive’s tale or does it really work? I had pretty much forgotten about the link between lavender and sleep Read More…

Some people say they don’t have trouble sleeping, claiming only to “have an overactive mind” that keeps them awake until the small hours a few days a week. But in reality it’s the same thing. The truth is that the mind shouldn’t be overactive at the time you are preparing to sleep; it should be calm, Read More…