Tag: sleep

How To Nap At Work Like A Pro

Filmmaker and actor Taika Waititi has been caught napping on the job multiple times – and he’s more than happy to tell the world about it.

The 44-year-old shared a thread posted by a fan account, aptly named Taika Naptiti, and urged others with “Taika sleeping photos” to come forward and share theirs, too.

The photos show the Jojo Rabbit and Thor: Ragnarok director stacking Zzzs in various positions – including on a chair with no headrest, his head leaning so far back it looks like his neck might snap.

He’s also been papped napping in a pushchair, on benches, on the floor with his legs on a chair (classic), and in various vehicles. If day-sleeping was an Olympic sport, this man would grab gold.

Taika Waititi at the Oscars earlier this month.

taika naptiti: a thread pic.twitter.com/NgeRkDWr1C

— taika naptiti (@mcuwaititi) February 24, 2020

Napping at work may be frowned upon for some of us – but there’s definitely a case for doing it. One study found people who nap are more likely to be productive, happier and confident people – so it could actually benefit your output at work. A quick 30-minutes on your lunch break? Yes please.

James Wilson, a sleep behaviour and environment expert also known as The Sleep Geek, is a firm supporter of the work nap. He’s worked with organisations where groups of 40 people head to their cars for naps midway through the working day. “People are becoming more aware of it, there’s a clamour for things like nap rooms and nap pods,” he tells HuffPost UK. “I think it should be socially acceptable.”

Wilson is, however, cautious about telling everyone to nap throughout the working day, because it could disrupt nighttime sleep for some. So, the questions you need to ask yourself are: does a nap affect your sleep at night? And are you tired during the day? If the answer is no, then yes – you’ve passed the test. You’re fit for a work nap. 

You might want to nap at work if you’re working long shifts to get projects delivered, or if you work unsociable hours, says Wilson. Or you might want to have a quick snooze if you’re feeling unwell. Night owls who struggle to adhere to the typical 9-5pm working day may also feel the need to nap more, he adds.

Naps can be beneficial if you tend to exercise later in the day, or you’re off on a big night out.

So, how can you make the most of a work nap? 

Don’t nap for more than 30 minutes, says Wilson, otherwise you may enter a deeper stage of sleep and wake up feeling worse than when you started. Not ideal when you’re at work. “Naps should be short,” he adds. “It’s about alertness and productivity, it’s a quick energy boost.”

Aim to nap before 2-3pm because the closer you nap to bedtime, the harder it’ll be to go to sleep at night. If your workplace isn’t nap friendly (yet), grab 40 winks on your lunch break. But if they encourage flexible working, you might be able to settle in for a quick snooze after lunch – or whenever suits you.

Make sure you’ve got a good location to nap in. This could be your car if there’s not any space in your office to sleep, or a meeting room you book out for 30 minutes. Wilson used to nap in the toilet cubicles at work – a routine he managed for almost a year. A comfortable spot is probably best, though – Wilson recommends tracking down a sofa with low arms. Pointing out Waititi’s unusual sleeping posture in some of the photos shared online, he adds: “We don’t want to be waking up feeling like we’ve gone 10 rounds with Tyson. You could be napping and end up spending a fortune on chiropractors.” Investing in a turtle wrap pillow could be handy, allowing you to nap on-the-go (planes, cars, trains) or at work – wherever the mood takes you.

You also need to make sure the atmosphere is right to nap in. Take specific sleep tools with you to help you drift off quickly, suggests Wilson. This could be a blanket with a partner’s perfume on, an eye mask (if you usually sleep with one), or some headphones so you can listen to sleep meditation or music. “Create a bit of a routine that says to your body: I’d like to nap now,” he adds.

If you can’t nap at work, get outdoors on your lunch break and do some light exercise – even if that’s just walking around the park. It can help you push past that afternoon slump. And if you try to nap, but can’t seem to fall asleep, don’t beat yourself up about it, says Wilson. It probably means you’re getting enough sleep at night.

Stop Reading Into Your Sex Dreams – And Start Enjoying Them

You’re reading How To Get Off, our series celebrating bodies, pleasure and fantasy.

Sex dreams can be fun, thrilling and occasionally mortifying – particularly if you wake up and realise you dreamt about someone off limits. But, as BACP-accredited counsellor Deshara Pariag says, “it’s completely normal to dream about sex, because sex is a normal part of life”. 

There’s also science behind it. The neural firings in the brain – which happen when we sleep – can fire up our libido, says therapist Pam Custers, prompting various bodily responses: wet dreams, sleep orgasms or, as Sex Education’s Dr Jean Milburn (Otis’ mum) calls them, nocturnal emissions. “Because our brain is firing, we can get aroused in our dreams,” says Custers. 

Studies have shown men and women experience increased blood flow to their genitals during REM sleep. A healthy man has up to five erections per night, with each one lasting 25 to 35 minutes. And a study found women could orgasm in their sleep simply by thinking about touching their clitoris – one woman’s heart rate increased from 50 to 100 beats per minute, respiration from 12 to 22 breaths per minute, and she had a “marked” increase in vaginal blood flow. 

When we’re dreaming, the emotional (limbic) part of the brain goes into overdrive, while the dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex – which controls executive functions like working memory and cognitive flexibility – is under-activated. 

As a result, the cognitions we experience during dreams are “highly emotional, visually vivid, but often illogical, disconnected and sometimes bizarre,” Patrick McNamara, a neurologist at Boston University School of Medicine, told Time. Chances are, many of us have had some truly baffling sex dreams.

So, should we pay attention to them? They’re very rarely a reflection of our awake state, says Custers. In fact, we may dream about someone we don’t want to dream about in that way at all – a study of 3,500 people found 20% of women and 14% of men had sex dreams about a person who was off limits.

Just because you’ve dreamt about having sex with your boss or next door neighbour, it doesn’t mean you suddenly fancy them. “It simply means that part of a snippet of your experience is being integrated into this REM sleep, which is like a soup of hormones and psychological processing,” explains Custers, who is a member of Counselling Directory.

Because our brain is firing, we can get aroused in our dreams and that’s perfectly normal.Therapist Pam Custers

A lot of the time, sex dreams generally mean nothing at all, and many people will wake up, laugh it off, and take it with a pinch of salt. But that’s not to say people never read into them – it varies from person to person. 

Some believe there can be underlying meanings to these dreams – if you know where to look. Dream analyst Lauri Loewenberg believes if you have a sex dream about someone, it’s not necessarily because you desire them, but more that you want to be like them. “Sex in a dream isn’t as much about a physical union you want, as it is about a psychological union you need,” she told Bustle. “When you dream of someone in that way, there is likely [to be] something about them you need to incorporate into your own life or into your own behaviour.”

Counsellor Deshara Pariag acknowledges there may be times you might want to reflect on your sex dreams a little more – when you feel deeply impacted by the dream, perhaps. For example, you might be dreaming about having sex with a stranger if you’re not satisfied with your sex life, or sex with an ex if you have unresolved issues. You may also keep having a recurring sex dream.

If this is the case, it might be useful to unpack what’s going on in your dream. One way to do this, says Pariag, is to write an email to the person you had sex with in your dream, not to send it to them, but to express what’s going on for you in the dream. This can be a good way to get things out of your brain and help you push forward with why you might feel this way.

Dreams about sex might leave some people feeling vulnerable. This can especially be the case for those who’ve experienced abuse – disturbing dreams or flashbacks can be a symptom of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Ammanda Major, from the charity Relate, says if your dreams become disturbing, it may be helpful to explore why with a therapist or counsellor.

Ultimately, though, your sex dream could mean anything – and it could mean nothing. “For the vast majority of people, sex dreams aren’t anything to worry about,” Major adds, suggesting there’s a tendency for people to “overanalyse” what their dreams mean. “They’re a healthy expression of something – and what that something is might be quite hard to determine.” 

Moral of the story? Enjoy those sex dreams, and stop stressing. 

How To Get Off is our answer to Valentine’s Day, celebrating bodies, pleasure and fantasy – whatever your relationship status. We’ll be exploring what really gets us off in 2020, looking at sexual awakenings, toys and erotica, and real-life experience.

Your Child Is Having Their First Sleepover. Here’s How To Boss It

My daughter turned eight last weekend. She celebrated with her first sleepover. 

I know. The phrase every parent said to me as they dropped their child off that afternoon (delightedly, might I add – because they were then heading out for dinner and wine) was: “You’re brave. Good luck.”

I did stop, for a moment, to wonder exactly what I was thinking when I agreed to host six seven-year-olds for an entire Saturday night, from 4pm until 10am the next morning. But the tradition of a sleepover is a rite of passage. I vividly remember the fun, excitement and sugar-highs of going to friends’ houses 30 years ago, and that’s something I want my kids to experience, too – even with the very real risk of at least one child crying and wanting to go home. 

I was 10 years old when I had my first sleepover. Unlike my daughter, who chose to do ‘makeovers’ in her bedroom with her friends, my mum blindfolded us all to play a game called ‘Nelson’s Grave’, in which you hand around innocuous items like peeled grapes and cold spaghetti. You’re then told a spooky story that makes you believe you’re holding body parts like eyeballs and intestines. Only… unlucky for my friends, my uncle was a butcher. We really were holding cold intestines – and a pig’s nipple. 

Understandably, perhaps, I’ve never forgotten my first sleepover – and I’m sure my daughter won’t either. Not least because she had some very firm ideas for what it was going to entail. She created a 38-point plan – yes, 38! – of activities, ranging from “wake up” and “have a disco” to “read books and tell each other things about the book” – all before 6.30am. 

There was also the (frankly adorable) point 36 – “my friends go home” – followed by 37, “wave out of the window”, winding up with 38: “Sleepover accomplished”. 

Sleepover accomplished.

In fact, she was so excited at the prospect of her friends coming over for an entire night that she created her own calendar countdown; carefully writing out the days and dates next to tiny squares and diligently ‘ticking off’ every morning for two weeks leading up to the big day. 

And that’s the thing about sleepovers – or more accurately, about being a kid: there’s beauty in the simple things. It’s something us grown-ups often forget, because we’re so bone-achingly tired all the time, beaten down by the pressures of life. 

For my daughter, though, the promise of a sleepover was inextricably linked to the prospect of fun, laughter and friendship.

On the night itself – because that’s what you really want to know about, isn’t it? – there was so much joy. From the pleasure of sharing pizza, popcorn, a ‘midnight feast’ (at 9pm) and a cacophony of giggling; to the childlike hysteria over a ‘kissing’ scene in the PG-rated family film, and a gentle fight over who got to cuddle ‘Kevin’, the giant carrot. 

When it was time for bed, they spent hours cackling in the bedroom until they exhausted themselves in the early hours of Sunday morning. And while the reality of it may also have involved grown-ups getting increasingly grumpy after midnight – with various threats to send everybody home and strict rules on absolute silence – it’s a joy I know my daughter will always remember.  

There was even joy in the tears and tiredness the day after. A bittersweet recognition of having experienced something wonderful, amidst the sadness that what she had looked forward to for so long was now over. 

Point 38 was right. Sleepover accomplished – even if at times it felt like nobody would ever sleep again. 

If that hasn’t put you off, and your child is having their first sleepover soon, don’t make the mistakes I did. Here’s how to survive the first all-night party. 

Don’t give them too much sugar. 

Some sugar is inevitable, of course. My daughter had popcorn and a packet of Oreos to share with her friends as the token ‘midnight feast’. But tread carefully. That way sleepless hysteria, lies. Extra tip: make the ‘midnight feast’ a lot earlier than midnight. Say, 9pm. 

Don’t expect anyone to go to sleep before 1am. 

We tried to foolishly impose a ‘no talking quiet zone’ at 11pm. Mistake. They were still giggling and chatting at 12.30. Choose the latest time you can handle, set that as the boundary, and stick to it. 

Keep the other parents on speed-dial.

It didn’t happen to me, but I’ve heard lots of stories from other parents of kids getting teary-eyed and wanting to go home at bedtime. So keep the other parents on speed-dial – or, at least, warn them not to drink too many cocktails, as they may need to come and pick their child up. 

Prepare yourself for a very early start.

It doesn’t matter how late they finally give in and go to sleep, they will still wake up at the crack of dawn. Best thing to do? Tell them the night before they can go downstairs and watch TV by themselves “as a treat”, allowing you to grab a few extra minutes in bed. It’ll all add to their sense of fun and independence.

Accept there will be tears.

There will be tears on the night itself (there will also, probably, be a couple of arguments) and the day after, once your child realises it’s all over – until next year. Get tissues. Be gentle. Steel yourself. 

Know that the next day will be a write-off.

Don’t plan anything for the day after a sleepover. Your child will be a demon. Stick to a film and something low-key – preferably nothing that involves them having a tantrum, in public – and an early night. 

And, as the parents said to me: you’re brave. Good luck. 

We Tested Common Happiness Advice. Here’s What Actually Worked

For years, experts have been recommending the same healthy lifestyle habits to reduce stress and improve your mood. (In fact, we published a list of them recently.) The advice stands the test of time for a good reason: Studies show they work over and over again.

But we live in 2020, when our lives are directed by our phones, busy schedules, the news cycle and more. We’re so burned out at work that it’s become an official medical diagnosis. The pressure to have it all, and to balance it once you do, is immense.

All of this makes some of the most common happiness tips ― like meditating or setting aside 10 minutes of your day to go for a walk ― feel kind of… impossible?

So, we decided to sort through a few of the suggestions and give you a list of which happiness habits are worth trying and which were a bit more difficult. Several people in the HuffPost newsroom volunteered to practice one habit for a month.

Here’s how it went:

What Definitely Worked

Getting outdoors can really boost your mood.

Doing a quick daily meditation.

Research shows meditation can alleviate stress and increase your overall mood. One of our editorial directors committed to the practice this month by using the Headspace app and doing a three- to five-minute meditation each day. His conclusion? “I was surprised at how much it helped me.”

“The more I did it, the better I felt ― and not just when I was meditating,” he said. “By spending a little time each day trying to quiet ― or just slow down ― my mind, I began to try it when I wasn’t meditating. Like, if something was driving me crazy at work or I had a frustratingly slow commute, I’d stop, take a second, do some deep breathing and I was shocked at how much better I instantly felt.”

Walking outside for 10 minutes a day.

Studies show that getting outside and around greenery, even if only briefly, can make you happier. But we often stay chained to our desks or get lost in our weekend tasks instead of taking a real break. A senior culture reporter on our team decided to take on the challenge of spending time outside as a way to give his mind a reprieve.

“Being a New York resident working in digital media, I’m aware I spend far too much of my time indoors ― my doctor tells me I have a Vitamin D deficiency, even ― and am completely reliant on screens,” he said.

But the habit worked ― and even provided an added benefit.

“To my surprise, I felt the biggest shift in management of my weekend time, and found my productivity went up substantially,” he said. “Given the mild weather we’ve experienced in the Northeast thus far this winter, I found it easy to [extend] my 10-minute outdoor commitments beyond that time frame. Often, I’d feel compelled to talk a longer walk, visit a new neighbourhood or run a much-overdue errand.”

Practising grounding exercises.

Similar to meditation, grounding exercises make you more mindful in the moment and help quell anxiety during stressful times. Experts recommend engaging your senses: Pick five things you see, four things you can physically feel, three different sounds you hear, two things you can smell and one thing you can taste.

A senior audience editor tried practicing this exercise over the past month. He squeezed it in whenever he had a few moments waiting in line or commuting. 

“The few times I did it on the subway was quite calming — I found myself noticing little things like conversations going on between old friends or couples in my car, the slight noise bleed from a podcast someone is listening to, even the clickety-clack of the wheel on the track,” he said. “It made me feel more connected to the city and reminded me to pay attention to things around me a bit more.”

The main problem he found was that a few minutes didn’t feel like enough, and that longer meditation sessions might be more useful. Still, not bad for a quick trick.

Reading before bed.

There are a host of happiness-related perks that come with reading a physical book ― especially before you go to bed, since it gets you away from sleep-destroying screens. 

Our executive editor tried reading every night before bed to reap some of these benefits, because she felt she didn’t read enough last year (and because she wanted to increase her happiness, obviously). She succeeded.

“I read three books in January, which is more than the last six months of last year,” she said. “And I felt better about myself at bedtime because I wasn’t lamely clicking around Netflix, Hulu, Amazon or all three, in search of I don’t know what.”

Practicing the habit didn’t come without its challenges, including a struggle to keep up with it consistently and the need to spend time processing a book (which is difficult right before you turn the lights out). That said, she’s excited to continue reading before getting that shut-eye. Win.

Finding a therapist.

Talking to a professional can do a great deal to improve your wellbeing. You don’t need to be dealing with a crisis or a severe mental health issue to go to therapy (but, of course, the process definitely helps with those things, and there’s nothing wrong with seeking assistance for them).

A senior reporter in the newsroom decided 2020 was going to be the year he tried therapy as a way to navigate some major stressors in his life. The result?

“It definitely, definitely helped me,” he said. “I think one of the biggest barriers to people getting therapy or other mental health help is how intimidating the process can feel.”

That said, not everyone can get access to therapy. (“One of the biggest limitations, of course, is cost and insurance. It can be a tricky thing to navigate,” the reporter said.) Programs like Talkspace and BetterHelp aim to alleviate some of those problems, and there are also other ways to make mental health help less expensive.

What Was A Struggle

Establishing a good sleep routine is important, but a challenge.

Establishing a solid sleep routine.

You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who has never been slangry (that is, angry from a lack of sleep). Sleep can alter our moods drastically. Experts stress that it’s vital to create a solid, consistent rest routine where you get six to eight hours of sleep each night. One of our front-page editors volunteered for this task.

“To do this, I tracked my sleep using a Fitbit Blaze,” she said. “That helped me to realise that I sleep so much better ― longer and more soundly ― on the weekends. During the week, I’m so stressed out by work and the news that I sleep less and wake up more often.”

Unfortunately, with major stories like the Australia wildfires, impeachment and the coronavirus ― just to name a few ― the news in January was hardly kind to our mental health. (Shout-out to the masses of people who are also too buzzed by the news to sleep: People in media feel your pain.) That made it difficult for our editor to get her sleep in check.

“By the end of the month, I was neither more rested nor happier. In fact, the opposite was true,” she said. “However, I was more educated about my sleep cycle. Since I could see the benefits, I am determined to keep trying.”

Reading self-development books.

Reading a book by someone you admire or someone who overcame struggles can help you reframe your own perspective. An audience editor put this theory to the test by turning the pages of self-help books. It ultimately didn’t go so well.

“I learned that most self-development books aren’t totally my style,” she said. “I tried to read a few of the popular ones, like ‘The Four Agreements,’ but found the books to be a bit lofty.”

“However, I was able to find one that resonated, ‘Find Your Fuckyeah: Stop Censoring Who You Are and Discover What You Really Want’ by Alexis Rockley,” she continued. “I realise that this book probably said all of the same things as the other self-help books that I tossed, but it felt more grounded in science and facts, which I appreciated.”

Countering negative thoughts.

Many experts recommend pushing back against automatic negative thoughts to improve your happiness. You can do this by asking yourself a simple question in the moment: Does what I’m thinking accurately capture what’s really going on?

One of our audience editors said she often ruminates on worrisome thoughts and potentially catastrophic outcomes, which is why she was up for this particular challenge. And while it did work, it wasn’t necessarily the easiest habit to stick to.

“It was exhausting at times to recognise and challenge every single negative thought throughout the day for a month, so there were times when I would just intentionally not practice the habit,” she said. “When I did recognise I was having a negative thought, sometimes I would beat myself up for thinking that way to begin with. Over the month, I tried to be more patient, consistent and accepting of the process.”

Overall, she’s hoping to be more vigilant about how she talks to herself, and she said the exercise did help with that. But as a general tip, it is a little lofty. Plus, some mental health experts say it’s important to let yourself feel all your feelings ― including the crappy ones. Pushing aside every single negative one might not be completely beneficial.

That said, this doesn’t mean these tips don’t work. Happiness is not one-size-fits-all, so the habits that stick won’t totally be that way, either. However, it was nice to get a sense of what was realistic and what was more of a challenge. Hey, we’ll try anything in the name of joy (and journalism).

Also on HuffPost

How To Stop Coughing At Night, With Doctor-Approved Tips

There’s nothing worse than being left with the world’s most persistent cough after a bad cold. You know, the one that disappears during the day, then rears its incredibly annoying head as soon as you hit the hay.Not only is it painful,…

Your Kid’s Having Nightmares. Here’s How Not To Freak Out, Too

flat editable illustration

There are few sounds more heartbreaking than a toddler having a scary dream – even within the confines of a pretty sheltered existence when the scariest thing their tiny brain can conjure up is someone taking their toys away or a super-sized teddy on the rampage. 

However much we protect our children during their waking hours, all bets are off when they’re asleep. A sleeping child shouting “I don’t want to!” is horrible because it sets your mind racing about the things they might be made to do against their will – when odds are they’re dreaming about being told to tidy up or, ironically, go to sleep.

Nightmares and night terrors are two forms of parasomnia, explains Professor Dieter Wolke, a developmental psychologist at the University of Warwick.

“Nightmares take place during the rapid-eye-movement, or REM, stage of sleep,” he explains. “REM sleep also involves paralysis, which is important, because if you were acting out your nightmares, well, Ikea would be pretty happy, because you’d destroy your bedroom. And, sometimes a nightmare wakes you up and you’ll remember details of it.”

Children require a lot more REM sleep than adults – up to 40% of their sleep falls into this category as it matters for their brain development (the figure is nearer 20% in adults). As morning approaches, there is more REM sleep, making nightmares more likely in the early hours.

Some other elements can increase the chance of nightmares. Children are more likely to have bad dreams if they aren’t getting enough sleep, for instance, or have irregular sleep patterns, or if they are exposed to violent, scary or just overexciting imagery right before bed. In some cases, anxiety and trauma can be the culprits – a child waking up terrified every night may be experiencing bullying during their waking hours or, in more extreme cases, violence. 

Wolke did a study a few years ago that found correlations between nightmares in childhood and psychotic traits later in life. It sounds terrifying, until he points out that three-quarters of the population have nightmares during childhood while only 7-8% of people ever display psychotic traits. So your child having nightmares does not mean they’re going to grow up to experience psychosis.

Then there are night terrors, which affect about 20% of children aged between three to seven and “take place in the deep sleep stage, in which memories and learning are consolidated and we are not paralysed,” says Wolke.

“Kids will wake up screaming, moving about, looking through glassy eyes, and really concern their parents. Then after a few minutes they’ll go back to sleep, and wake up later with no memory of the episode at all.” Parents have no need to worry if their children experience night terrors, he says – just make sure they are in a safe environment where they can’t hurt themselves thrashing about. In the vast majority of cases, the terrors will stop by the time they’re seven.

When you think about nightmares, which we all have some experience of, especially in childhood – they’re an odd capacity for human beings to have developed. Extraordinarily complex cognitive processes honed over millions of years of evolution, and what are they doing? Freaking us out in the dead of night. That doesn’t seem like an incredibly useful trait, you know?

 

The imagery in the dream might not immediately suggest what the real-world threat might be.

“One possible answer is that sometimes there are things in our life that are actually quite terrifying, frightening and threatening, and they prey on our minds,” says Professor Roderick Orner from the University of Lincoln.

“One of the fascinating things about dreams is that while sometimes it’s really clear to us what a nightmare is about in terms of threat, sometimes, with how dreams work and the way experience is processed, the imagery in the dream might not immediately suggest what the real-world threat might be,” he says. “Even if the manifested dream imagery is very strange, there can be themes in there which speak of what is going on in the person’s life.”

So, a dream about someone nicking your dinner might not actually be about someone nicking your dinner. In therapy, dream interpretation involves looking at the imagery of dreams and considering what it might represent – with your mind essentially presenting you with a symbol or metaphor that stands in for something you might not be consciously aware is preying on you.

Professor Orner says: “Each person’s circumstances are different. A child’s dream about food being taken away might actually pertain to another threat in their life – a worry that someone close to them is going to leave, for instance.”

This means that bad dreams aren’t necessarily bad things – and there mauy be insights to glean from them about stresses, concerns and worries that are affecting us in ways we’re not consciously aware of. 

We can’t muscle into our children’s subconsciouses and battle the monster, retrieve the picnic or make everything better, but we can try to use them as cues to figure out sources of stress. They might be things you can do something about, and they might not – life is pretty big and scary, and childhood is a bonkers time with loads of enormous mad lessons to process. It’s natural for kids to be a bit freaked out by things now and then.

All you can do as a parent is listen, soothe – and try not to lose sleep over it. 

Why You Sometimes Twitch Awake Right Before You Fall Asleep

Your thoughts begin to gently drift off the plane of reality and you’re about to transition from that dreamy state to complete sleep. Then — suddenly — a part of your body twitches and you’re dramatically jerked awake. Sound familiar?

What you’re most likely experiencing is something called a “hypnic jerk,” according to Ellen Wermter, a family nurse practitioner and Better Sleep Council spokesperson.

A hypnic jerk is a form of myoclonus, which is essentially just “a fancy way of saying ‘muscle twitch,’” Wermter told HuffPost. (Another form of myoclonus is the hiccups.)

“These twitches are not voluntary, and are very short and sudden, often occurring in stage 1 sleep ― a very light transitory stage between wake and deeper sleep,” she added.

During this drowsy phase of sleep, your muscles relax. Your brain sometimes interprets this sensation as “falling,” so it then triggers a muscle contraction. Hypnic jerks, also called “sleep starts,” can happen for no reason and sometimes stem from an underlying issue.

Hypnic jerks right before sleep are a version of a muscle twitch.

There are certain factors that increase the probability of experiencing a hypnic jerk. These include stress, heavy workouts and certain medications like serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

Sleep starts are common in healthy people, but can be exacerbated by fatigue, sleep deprivation or stimulant use (caffeine and beyond), added Alex Dimitriu, a double board-certified expert in psychiatry and sleep medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine. 

For the most part, hypnic jerks are benign and nothing to worry about. But if they’re happening regularly and preventing you from falling asleep easily, it’s worth talking to your doctor, Dimitriu told HuffPost.

In rare cases, sleep starts may be a sign of an underlying medical disorder, according to Wermter, which is why it’s always a good idea to check on something that’s abnormal and persistent. For example, sleep apnea ― a disorder where your breathing repeatedly stops during sleep ― can sometimes cause muscle contractions.

“When the airway is blocked and blood oxygen levels dip, the brain sends an arousal signal, sometimes in the form of a muscle twitch,” Wermter said. 

There’s no tried and true way to prevent these nighttime muscle twitches, but you can decrease their likelihood by keeping a regular sleep schedule and keeping yourself in a quiet and comfortable environment, Wermter said.

Controlling your stress levels and being mindful of your caffeine consumption can also be helpful. If you are an afternoon coffee sipper, try to cut back on your midday drink. You might find it helps reduce your hypnic jerks, Dimitriu added.

Try altering your habits or checking in with a professional and see if you sleep tight ― without twitches.

This Is What Binge-Watching TV Does To Your Brain And Body

The weather is dreary, we’re still skint from Christmas and we’ve got Netflix, BritBox, Amazon Prime and now a new series of Love Island to choose from. Yep, we’re well and truly into binge-watching season.But while we …

Ian ‘H’ Watkins Reveals Life-Long Battle With Insomnia: ‘I’ve Tried Everything’

Ian ‘H’ Watkins may have gained his nickname due to his “hyperactive” personality in Steps, but he’s actually almost always tired, having suffered from insomnia since childhood. 

“Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and can be wide awake for two hours, then by the time I fall back to sleep, it’s time to get back up again,” he tells HuffPost UK, “so I feel pretty wrecked in the morning.”

He’s never been a good sleeper, but H believes it got worse when he joined Steps, due to the group’s hectic touring schedule. “We were literally in a different time zone every day,” he says. 

“It really did screw with my body clock for years and years, and I think that pattern has just settled with me now – it’s not great.”

The singer and current Dancing on Ice star says he’s “tried everything” to solve the problem, including visiting a sleep clinic several years ago where clinicians attached probes to his head to monitor his sleep. But the process didn’t offer a solution.

Now, he uses the Headspace or Calm app at night when he’s struggling, recommended by a friend. This hasn’t cured his insomnia, but it’s made it more manageable. 

“It settles me and calms my breathing down,” he says, adding that his issues with sleep “absolutely” have an impact on his mental health and wellbeing. 

“When you have a busy life or you have kids, you don’t come first, they come first, so I end up burying a lot of those feelings, I guess,” he says. “Then when you do the Calm or Headspace app, it brings things to the surface.” 

Ian 'H' Watkins and Dancing on Ice professional partner Matt Evers. 

H has had a turbulent career. The end of Steps led to the formation of duo H and Claire, but it had little chart success. Some acting, musical theatre and panto followed – but now, when he’s not on the ice, H is a busy dad to twins Macsen and Cybi, who are almost four.

Managing childcare, as well as the usual life stresses of “bills to pay, deadlines to meet”, leaves him with very little downtime. “I’ve been a single dad for nearly three and a half years now and that was never my life plan,” he says. “There have been times when I thought I couldn’t cope, but you deal with the things that are thrown at you.”

To get through tough days, H reminds himself of the saying ‘feelings are not facts’. And when he does have time to unwind, he’ll squeeze in a painting session.

The singer attended art school before he began performing and decided to dust off his paintbrushes a few years ago as a way to de-stress. He’s since had several exhibitions in north Wales, and enjoys the fact most gallery visitors don’t realise the paintings are by him.

“It’s my form of meditation, I guess, my way of relaxing [where] I just lose myself,” he says, adding that his favourite time to paint is just after the hectic school run. 

Mental resilience has been key for H in recent weeks, when his first Dancing on Ice performance with professional partner, Matt Evers, received a mixed reception.  

The pair made history by performing the first same-sex skate on the show. But despite the huge wave of support online from the LGBTQ community and beyond, the performance received 16 Ofcom complaints and homophobic comments online. 

“A lot of the comments were overwhelmingly supportive, but when people call you hideous names and say things like ‘it’s not natural’ or ‘you’re a f****t’, all of those awful names are a dagger in my heart,” he says. 

“I think the world has progressed and changed so much, but those kinds of people still exist and will come into contact with my children. And those bigots will breed more bigots and we’re bigger and better than that now, as a society.”

H is determined not to let the small number of negative comments overshadow the joy he’s getting from the show, though. If there’s one lesson he’s learned throughout his career, it’s to enjoy the here and now.

“I would always worry about the future… about what’s coming next instead of living in the moment,” he says. “[But] if you’re having a tough time, it’s about taking one day at a time. It’s about dealing with today and not worrying about tomorrow.

“It’s a saying everybody knows, but I should practise it more: ’Enjoy the journey, not the destination’”. 

In ‘What Works For Me’ – a series of articles considering how we can find balance in our lives – we talk to people about their self-care strategies.

Coverless Duvets Promise Sweet Dreams. Do They Live Up To The Hype?

John Lewis

Is there anything better than snuggling under a freshly-washed duvet? Soft sheets coupled with the gentle scent of fabric softener make me feel like I’m sleeping on a cloud.

But there’s one thing standing in between me and my lovely, fresh bedding: changing the bed. It’s one of the worst parts of my week. A wrestling match I’d almost avoid if it wasn’t for the lovely feeling that awaited me post-struggle – and, y’know, cleanliness.

So when I first heard about coverless duvets, I was eager to find out whether I could I get the best of both worlds.

The Night Owl range from The Fine Bedding Company promises to be quick-drying in just 90 minutes – meaning you can wash and dry before bedtime. Ideal. 

The 10.5 tog duvets have a lightweight fibre filling, while block colour design means there’s no need for a separate duvet cover. So does it live up to the appeal? I tested it for a week to find out.

First impressions

The pink duvet arrives in a soft drawstring bag, and I’m surprised as to how light it is. Compared to my usual duvet, it’s pretty thin, even though it looks thick. It feels more like the cover I’d want in the summer, rather than the depths of winter.

The light pink design is slightly textured, it’s giving me quilted throw vibes (in a good way).

But I can’t help but think it won’t keep me warm, especially as my house feels like the Arctic at times. There’s just something about having a weighty duvet on top of you in the winter which is comforting.

 

 

The cosiness test

On my first night with the duvet, my fears of being too cold in the night get the better of me. I chicken out and reach for my trusty thick duvet cover after an hour or so. The following night, I’m more successful.

The duvet keeps me warm all night, just as warm as my regular duvet. But I miss the cosiness of a heavy cover over the top of me, particularly with it being so chilly out. (Perhaps there’s something to be said for the benefits of weighted blankets.) 

The big moment

After a week of using my duvet, the big day finally arrives – it’s time to wash the duvet. But will it meet my lofty expectations?

As it’s filled with compressible fibres, it’s easy to squeeze into the machine drum – so I put it on a quick wash one week in. When I take it out and hang it to dry, it doesn’t feel soaking wet – and very quickly returns to its original plump and fluffy state.

A few hours later, after going out for dinner and coming back, the duvet is completely dry. Even in my cold flat. It’s ready to use on the back of my bed that night. 10/10 for ease of washing. 

The verdict

I’m impressed with the duvet – my only drawback is how light it is, reducing the cosiness factor slightly. It’ll be a duvet for the spring and summer months for me, for sure. For now, I’m doubling up my duvets to get through the chilly winter. 

Buy It Now: Fine Bedding Company Night Owl Coverless Duvet, John Lewis, from £35

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