Tag: sleep

Think You’re Tired As A New Parent? Spare A Thought For The Bees

If you thought you were suffering from sleep deprivation as a new parent, you’re not alone. Bees feel it too.

Caring for newborns is seemingly as tough for bees as it is for humans, new research shows. Worker bees tending to the young get less sleep compared to their hive mates – such as drones (male bees) and queen bees.

The team say their findings, published in the journal Current Biology, add to emerging evidence that animals are able to give up sleep if the need arises.

Parents know that feeling well, right?

Worker bees are sterile females who make up the largest percentage of bees in a hive. They begin their lives as nurse bees, caring for and cleaning up after the queen, before moving on to the role of caring for the entire colony.

The scientists studied brood-tending bumble bees and analysed their sleep behaviour by performing sleep disturbance experiments and looking at their response thresholds. 

They found that the nurse bees not only sacrificed their shuteye to look after the larvae, their lack of sleep continued when the brood moved on to their pupal stage – the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages – and did not need to be fed.

Moshe Nagari, a postdoctoral fellow at Hebrew University and lead author, added: “The fact that the nursing bees sleep so little, even when caring for pupae that do not need to be fed, was the most surprising.”

The researchers say other animals – such as birds and fish – have shown the ability to give up sleep in specific circumstances. Birds sleep less during their seasonal migrations, for instance, while some cavefish have evolved to sleep less than their counterparts that live in open water habitats. 

Guy Bloch, a professor at Hebrew University and study co-author, said the rules around sleep are “less rigid” than we thought. “With bees, if there is no cost for sleep loss, it means that the brood-tending bees have a mechanism that allows them to significantly reduce sleep without a cost to their brain or other tissue.”

Erm, can we have that too – please?

This Glow-In-The-Dark PJs Hack Will Make Bedtime With Kids So Much Calmer

If there’s one thing I say to my children more than any other, it’s asking them – sometimes with my hands clasped together in desperate prayer – to “dial it down”. 

They’re small and very excitable. They’re usually so keen to tell me something that they’ll interrupt whatever else is going on and jump up and down, both shouting at once. And while it’s fun, it can also be utterly exhausting. Most days, I want nothing more than five minutes of peace and quiet.

Thankfully, I now have one more trick to add to my parenting arsenal to help me achieve that dream – thanks to mum Jessica D’Entremont. 

She came up with a genius way to distract her kids and posted it on Facebook, where it’s been shared more than 115,000 times. And the best thing is: all you need are a couple of pairs of glow-in-the-dark pyjamas. 

D’Entremont, from Poughkeepsie, New York, wrote: “Looking for a way to keep your kids still? Buy them glow-in-the-dark PJs. Tell them they have to lie really still under the light to ‘charge’ them. I’m not even sorry.”

The mum added that to “expand on the trickery”, she started putting her daughters’ pyjamas back into their drawer when they get dressed in the morning.

“Unexposed to light all day, they dim and do not glow in the dark,” she said. “They tried to test me last night, until they laid down again.” As D’Entremont said, this reinforces the need to lie quietly under the light before bed.

The mum said both her daughters have sensory processing difficulties – so finding downtime is crucial for their family. Explaining how it affects their day-to-day lives, she tells HuffPost UK: “They need increased stimulation to function. So we have to incorporate that – things like jumping, swinging, spinning.

“The biggest thing is sensory meltdowns. To the untrained eye it looks like the most horrific tantrum you’ve ever seen – kids can make so much noise and physically hurt themselves. 

“So we also have to be careful when we see it’s too much, to have a plan for decreased stimuli for them – a tent or quiet, dim place. It’s all about knowing and watching and reading your child.”

Thank goodness it’s Halloween soon. Glow-in-the-dark pyjamas are everywhere – but hurry. We’re betting that as soon as parents cotton on to this simple trick, demand will be sky-high. 

Here’s What Causes Muscle Spasms In The Night (And How To Get Rid Of Them)

If you’ve ever woken up in the middle of the night with a charley horse – a.k.a muscle spasm – then you know what a pain these leg cramps can be.

Charley horse is a colloquial term for a sudden, intense muscle contraction that often occurs in the calf, thigh or foot during sleep. More than half of adults report they have experienced these spasms at night, which can last anywhere from a few seconds to several excruciating minutes. 

“Even if it’s only 10 seconds, it feels like 20 years until it goes away,” Nicole Haas, a physical therapist told HuffPost. 

Charley horses can also happen while you’re awake (like during or after exercise), and in other parts of the body, but here we’ll be focusing on the nocturnal variety. We talked to an orthopaedic surgeon and two physical therapists to learn more about the dreaded, middle-of-the-night charley horse. 

What causes charley horses?

Your sleeping position may have something to do with why you get charley horses at night. 

It’s not entirely understood what causes charley horses, though a number of factors could be at work.

For many years, experts believed muscle cramping was linked to dehydration and a loss of electrolytes (which creates an imbalance of minerals like magnesium and potassium in the body), though research now suggests it may have more to do with muscle fatigue and nerve dysfunction.

“It is believed that such muscle contractions are due to involuntary repetitive firing of the nerve rather than originating from within the muscle itself,” said Nabil Ebraheim, chair of the department of orthopaedic surgery at the University of Toledo Medical Center. “The most common cause is straining or overusing the muscle.” 

Other factors that may increase the likelihood of muscle cramping include long periods of sitting or standing, poor circulation, certain medications like diuretics, a sedentary lifestyle and exercise without proper stretching. Pregnant women, athletes, older adults and people who are overweight may be especially prone to such cramps. 

Why they happen at night

It’s also not totally clear why charley horses often happen during sleep, but experts have some theories. 

“At the end of the day, fatigue of the muscles due to poor posture, prolonged sitting or inefficient biomechanics during exercises can create the tightness or spasm,” said Jonathan Meltzer, a physical therapist at Rausch Physical Therapy in Laguna Niguel, California. 

Also, consider how your body is positioned during sleep, as it could be encouraging cramping. If you’re sleeping on your back and your feet are pointed downward — known as “plantar flexion” — for a long time, it can cause a tightness in your calf muscle, Haas said. Same goes for those who sleep on their stomachs. 

“I see that a lot when winter starts to roll in and the heavy covers come out,” Haas said. “When you point your toes, you’re using your calf. But if you have your toes held down, like by a heavy blanket, you’re also in a shortened position of your calf muscle.”

How to prevent charley horses

There are a few ways you can prevent and ease the pain of charley horses, according to the experts. They recommend:

  • Incorporating good habits, like stretching, foam-rolling or using a muscle roller stick to loosen tight muscles. “Muscles need to be stretched regularly to function properly,” Ebraheim said. “Stretch before going to bed, particularly the calves and feet.”

  • Staying active, but not to the point of overexertion. Regularly change positions throughout the day so you’re not seated or standing for too long. “Adjust posture on a regular basis at work and home,” Meltzer said. “Sitting is not bad, but for a prolonged period of time it is. Make sure on the hour you stand up, walk around and focus on an upright sitting posture.” 

  • Though research on the link between hydration and muscle cramps is mixed, there are really no downsides to making sure you’re drinking enough water. “We don’t know for sure that it helps, but it definitely can’t hurt,” Haas said.

  • Adjust your sleeping position. If you like sleeping on your back with a comforter, Haas recommends rolling up a towel at the end of the bed to create a little canopy of space over your feet. You can also rest the bottom of your feet against the towel, so your feet never go all the way into a pointed position. Another option? Sleep on your side. 

How to relieve the pain if you get a nighttime cramp

You probably can’t stop a charley horse in its tracks once it starts. However, you may be able to reduce the duration of pain. 

When people get a charley horse, they often lay there frozen ― and, if you’re me, on the verge of shouting an expletive ― not knowing what the heck to do.

  • Next time it happens, try flexing your foot (i.e. pull toes toward your body, not away from it) to get some relief. “If you get a little tension in the calf muscle, that will hopefully get it to release and let go,” Haas said. “If that’s not enough, some people do need to stand up to do a calf stretch. I think it’s helpful to have toes up on something if you can, even if it’s a book or a towel rolled up.”

  • Afterward, you may experience some residual soreness in the muscle. You can try a heating pad, a massage or ice to ease the pain, Ebraheim said. If the pain persists, ibuprofen may help. 

The occasional charley horse is unpleasant, but pretty harmless. However, if they’re happening frequently, tell your doctor to rule out the possibility of a more serious health issue. 

My Lumie SunriseAlarm Clock Has Transformed My Mornings (And Evenings)

‘Honestly, it’s life changing’ is a regular series where we talk about the weird and wonderful possessions we can’t imagine life without. Think of it as an ode to the mundane, bizarre and, sometimes, wholly unnecessary products in our lives.

I know what you’re thinking – £75 is a lot of money to spend on an alarm clock when you could just use your phone (or get an analog alarm for a fiver). But hear me out.

Making the switch earlier this year has not only transformed my mornings, but also my evenings. Sleep has never been better. Really. 

For years I’d been relying on the shrill chime of my iPhone to wake me up in the mornings. Its abrupt morning summons would repeat every five minutes for about half an hour (yes, I’m one of those people), while I eventually managed to open one eye and frown.

As a freelancer who works part-time in an office and the rest of the week from home, my sleep is a bit all over the place. Sometimes I get up at 6am, others not til 8am and if I’m not doing anything on the weekend it can be as late as 2pm. Don’t judge me, I like sleep.

These inconsistent mornings are coupled with the fact that I’ve never been able to fall asleep easily; if I nod off in an hour, I’d consider that success. I’m under no illusion as to why this is: my phone. I scroll through Instagram, Twitter, Youtube and repeat, endlessly – and while saying I’m “addicted” to my screen seems excessive, it is certainly a bad habit. 

By the time I put my phone down my eyes are blurry and every morning I feel knackered. 

Louise/HuffPost UK

Enter: Lumie, a brand specialising in wakeup lights, which my friend has been close to evangelical about. The aim of its products is to help people go to sleep and wake up with the help of light, rather than just an alarm noise.

I opt for the mid-range Bodyclock Spark 100 (RRP £74.99), but there are more basic lights for cheaper and more high tech versions at a higher cost.  

Once out the box and plugged in, getting it to work is simple. I just adjusted my alarm time, set the brightness level for when the alarm goes off and picked a volume from one to five for the sound. I pick four, a loud enough beeping to rouse me mid-snooze, but not so loud I wake up pissed off.

I also played around with the sunset setting, a  30 minute feature that makes the light of the alarm (that giant dome bit) gradually fade through pink, orange and red then turns itself off, which is supposed to signal your body to ready for sleep and make you drowsy. 

The first morning I used it, I woke up to the alarm was game-changing. There was no blaring bleeping that jolted me out of my sleep and when its winter and you wake up in a dark room, it gradually gets lighter with what I can only describe as a glow and the alarm sound gradually gets louder too so its not disruptive. To snooze it only takes a light tap on the dome, so easy to do without looking at it when you’re buried under your duvet.

But best of all, it stops me from looking at my phone as the last thing I do before I go to bed and the first thing I do when I wake up. I’d got so used to squinting blearily at my screen, trying to turn off the alarm, and its brightness left me feeling more awake than sleepy when I tried to go to bed. Because it’s so gradual, with both sound and light, I now wake up feeling more rested and in a better mood and that’s only continued throughout using it. 

I love how it looks on my bedside too, it’s minimal and clean, not to mention easy to clean too. It doesn’t take up a huge amount of space but is plenty big enough to replace your bedside lamp, as when its set on full brightness, can light up a whole room.

Lumie Bodyclock Spark 100 Wake up to Daylight SAD Light, Amazon, RRP £74.99

We all work hard to earn our money – so it shouldn’t feel like hard work to spend it well. At HuffPost Finds we’ll help you find the best stuff that deserves your cash, from the ultimate lipstick to a durable iron to replace the one that broke (RIP). All our choices are completely independent but we may earn a small commission if you click a link and make a purchase.

Why Can Some People Nap And Others Can’t? We Asked A Sleep Expert

There are two camps when it comes to napping: those who can (and take great pleasure from it) and those who, despite their best attempts, just can’t.

While one study in rodents suggests this difference might be down to genetics, James Wilson, a sleep behavioural expert also known as The Sleep Geek, has another theory. 

“My normal response is: You probably can’t nap because you’re not sleep deprived,” he says.

From his experience, he also suggests people may struggle to nap because in the past, rather than having the standard 30 minutes, they may have slept for longer and woken up groggy – also known as sleep inertia. As a result, they don’t nap again.

Or, someone might be more likely to take 40 winks because of their sleeping pattern. In Wilson’s experience, night owls are more likely to take naps as the working day doesn’t tend to suit them, and therefore they need the energy boost to help them through.

Generally, Wilson says these are the reasons some people may be able to have a short sleep in the day, but he noted that more research is needed to look into the great napping divide.

So, what other wisdom can he share on the science behind a good ol’ nap?

Why do we nap?

Wilson likens napping to having a sip of a drink. “It’s a bit like thirst, you have a drink of water and that will relieve the thirst, but you’re probably not properly hydrated,” he explains.

“A nap is very similar, you’ve not had enough sleep and a little bit of a nap will relieve that sleep deprivation but it’s probably not enough.”

Naps can give us an energy boost. Wilson suggests they make us more productive, active and alert. And there’s evidence to prove it: a study at NASA on military pilots and astronauts found that a 40-minute nap improved performance by 34% and alertness by 100%.

But they’re not essential for health, like a deep sleep is. Although, a recent study begs to differ – it suggested short and additional daytime sleeps, once or twice a week, could cut the risk of heart attack and stroke by almost half.

How long should we nap for?

If you feel tired during the day – and have the chance to nap – there’s no harm in doing it occasionally. The optimum time to nap is 30 minutes, says Wilson, who considers anything over that a “proper sleep” as you enter a different stage in the sleep cycle, which is why you then wake up groggy.

But you should reduce any naps you have in the day if you’re struggling to sleep at night, as it’s likely they’re impacting your sleep pattern. “We’re all different and we need to make sure what we’re doing actually works for us,” he says.

What are the perfect conditions for a nap?

Wherever you choose to nap – whether that’s in a ‘nap room’ at work, on your sofa at home, or on a plane – Wilson says you should try to make the area as much like your bedroom as possible.

If you’re in a relationship, take something with your partner’s smell on it, he suggests, or bring a pillow case from home so it’s more familiar.

You should also ensure the place is dark and cool – essential elements for a good 40 winks. 

“We will fall asleep when we feel emotionally and physically secure,” Wilson adds.

Can The Sound-Reducing Sleeep Pro Ear Plugs Help Me Sleep Through The Night?

I’ve worn ear plugs every night for as long as I can remember. I’m a light-sleeper and super sensitive to noise, so sharing a room with my sister as a child proved too much at times. One day, with a daughter driven to despair over sleeplessness, my dad bought some bright yellow foam ear plugs to try.

Fast-forward 15 years and I haven’t looked back: I live in a shared flat in the city and the plugs are still my bedtime companion. They’re cheap and cheerful, but also disposable – meaning I get through about one pair per week. I bulk buy them every few months to save cash, but recently have been thinking about how much more environmentally-friendly it would be to have a reusable pair. 

I decide to try Flare Audio’s Sleeep Pro ear plugs, promisingly described as “revolutionary” and designed specifically for “all-night comfort and blocking irritating noises”. On paper they sound perfect, but how do they fare in real life?

The plugs use metal to block sound, rather than absorbing it like my beloved foam ear plugs, according to the website. When I open the box there are two metal shafts (one for each ear) alongside varying-sized pieces of black foam, which you attach to each size of the metal depending on your ear canal size, I guess. 

Night one: ‘They take a big of wiggling around to get in right’

I’ve been putting plugs in my ears for longer than a decade and I’ve never struggled to get them in, but the Sleeep plugs take a bit of getting used to. This is mainly because of the rigid metal core with foam pieces on each side (unlike my usual ones that can be squished in any position or direction). 

I follow the instructions on how to slot them into your ear comfortably on the pack, and it takes a bit of wiggling until they slot in and the sound around me becomes muffled. For the first night, I use the medium-sized buds. The pack says to start with the small versions, but I already feel like the small-ish looking ones won’t filter noise enough for me – trust me, I could hear a feather dropped on a carpet. 

When I go to bed, I can hear the muffled voices of my neighbours in their living room, which I don’t usually hear. I’m stressed about not falling asleep quickly because I have an alarm set for 5.45am the next morning, so I switch back to my usual ear foam ear plugs and squish them right in. The sounds are gone and I fall to sleep. 

Night two: ‘I realise how aware I am that they’re in my ears’

I’m not ready to give up just yet. The next night I move on to the bigger ear plugs – yes, that’s a size large. I wiggle them around until I can feel they’re positioned in the right spot and push them in further than the previous night. The sounds of my flatmates are muffled and near non-existent, but as I try and fall asleep I realise how aware I am that they are in my ears.

Considering I sleep with ear plugs every night, it’s a strange feeling. I know it’s down to how rigid they are. The metal means they aren’t as soft in my ear and it sort-of feels like they are throbbing. Alas, I fall asleep with them in and they do block out sound. I wake up in the morning and they still aren’t comfortable. Some might say the noise reduction makes up for the discomfort – but my foam ear plugs do both. 

Night three: ‘They’re more comfortable the less you push them in’

I try the bigger ear plugs again, but don’t push them in as far. I’m lucky this night, because my neighbours are quiet and my flatmates are out, too – so there aren’t many irritating sounds to block out (aside from the weird boiler tick in my radiator). They work fine and I wake up in the morning after a peaceful night’s sleep. They’re more comfortable the less you push them in, but this also blocks out less noise. 

I try them sporadically over the next few nights – some nights they seem fine and others I swap them out last minute with my trusty yellow foam pair. 

The verdict?

The ear plugs do block out noises – but they’re not better (and perhaps even not as good) as my trusty foam plugs. This is probably because the foam ones, without a rigid centre, allow me to push them in at an angle quite far. 

I know I’m incredibly sensitive to noise, so I can’t help but think I’m being too fussy – but I wouldn’t be spending my cash on these for sure.

Buy It Now: Sleeep Pro Ear Plugs, Flare Audio, £47.99 

10 Modern Lullabies To Send Your Kid Off To Sleep – From Lizzo to Lewis Capaldi,

Tried everything you can think of to get your baby to sleep? Here’s one more idea: play one of the top 10 modern lullabies to help them drift off. 

We’re not talking Hush Little Baby or Twinkle Twinkle Little Star here, this list is a little more… up to date.

Researchers at furniture company, Cuckooland, decided to look into what modern pop songs could also work as a lullaby. Firstly, with the help of data sourced from Spotify, they analysed 4,500 songs from playlists that included the word ‘lullaby’ and found the top 10 of most common classic lullabies.

Using these findings, they then set out to find the average beats per minute (BPM), most common key and time signatures of the top ten lullabies to calculate the ‘perfect’ formula for a lullaby – BPM – 91; key – C; time signature – 4/4.

“When we matched this formula against the songs featured recently in the UK Top 40 charts and the Billboard Hot 100, we were able to create the top 10 modern lullabies,” they wrote.

The methodology might be a bit, erm, sketchy, but hey – it’s worth a shot!

Top 10 modern lullabies:

:: Jonas Brothers – Only Human

:: Taylor Swift – You Need to Calm Down

:: Lizzo – Good As Hell

:: Khalid – Better

:: Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved

:: Nicki Minaj – Hot Girl Summer

:: Lil Nas X – Old Town Road

:: Dermot Kennedy – Outnumbered

:: Sean Paul, David Guetta – Mad Love

:: Lil Nas X – Wrangler

If you’re not into these songs, listen to the top 10 classical lullabies on Spotify here. Or, try one of our HuffPost UK readers’ recommendations:

It’s All About You by McFly 😊

— MommyMaynes (@gail_maynes) September 12, 2019

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine🎶☀️

— Felicity Bub Mumma (@FelicityBub) September 12, 2019

A song from Barney called ‘I love you’ and a song from Doc McStuffins called ‘Time to go to bed now’ – even at 9, if I hum the tune her eyelids start to droop, it’s definitely a sleep trigger 🙂

— Janine Pipe (@disneynine) September 12, 2019

@Headspace headspace sleep music 👍🏻

— carl rautenbach (@Barkie) September 12, 2019

Sunshine on my Shoulders – soothed all four of mine to sleep with it. They’re really not fond of it now as teens though, the heathens.

— Laura LittleStuff (@littlestuff) September 12, 2019

Google AI Baby Monitor Could Warn Parents 10 Minutes Before Their Baby Wakes Up

Baby monitors get fancier and fancier. There are app-enabled ones, night-vision cameras, and all sorts of clever bells and whistles to let you know every movement your sleeping child makes.

But Google might take it one step further, with plans for a baby monitor that, rather than simply letting you know your baby has woken up, will let you know when they’re considering it.

The tech giant has filed for a patent on AI technology that would use eye-tracking, audio cues and an ever-growing database of other babies’ behaviours to predict up to 10 minutes before Junior is likely to wake up. 

The recent patent filing states, according to NBC: “While a baby’s cry may alert his parents to the baby being in distress, sometimes a baby will not audibly indicate his distress. For example, if the baby is tossing in his sleep, is awake and moving around when the baby is expected to be asleep, or worse, is choking, tangled in bedding, or otherwise is in a dangerous position, the baby is in distress but may not be crying. Therefore, in some circumstances, a parent may wish to be alerted to the occurrence of such a worrisome situation.”

While this is obviously incredibly clever, and likely to be welcomed by some parents (particularly if their children are unwell or have conditions which require additional monitoring), there may be some discomfort around the idea of a machine studying your child as they sleep – until it knows their patterns perfectly. 

Google patents a lot of technology – some of which ends up making it to market and some which doesn’t. Realistically, even if it does end up bringing this out, there’ll be a few years of development before it hits shelves. 

Is it ingenious or creepy? Or… both? We seem to be slowly filling our homes with devices designed to respond to everything we do – but it is pretty great to shout commands into your kitchen and receive immediate help from a virtual assistant. What if the AI in this sleep monitor could go further though, and learn how to soothe your baby? The future truly is bonkers.

When asked about the patent, a spokesperson for Google told CNN: “We file patent applications on a variety of ideas that our employees come up with. Some of those ideas later mature into real products or services, some don’t. Prospective product announcements should not necessarily be inferred from our patent applications.”

Taking A Nap Once Or Twice A Week Could Save Your Life

Getty

Are you falling asleep in meetings or curling up under your desk to catch forty winks? Your boss might not be happy with you – but you’re doing wonders for your health, according to a new study.

New research has found short and additional daytime sleeps, one or twice a week, could cut the risk of heart attack and stroke by almost half.

The team from University Hospital Lausanne in Switzerland looked at 3,462 people aged between 35 and 75. They followed the group for an average of five years and asked them to record how many naps they took.

Of the people being studied: 58% did not nap, 19% had taken one to two naps during the previous week, and 12% had taken three to five. Some people (11%) took as many as six to seven naps per week.

The researchers found those who napped once or twice in a seven-day period – for between roughly five minutes and an hour – were 48% less likely to suffer a heart attack, stroke or heart failure compared to those who did not nap at all.  This benefit remained even when other factors like smoking were taken into account. 

No other associations were found. The findings, published in the journal Heart, saw in the five-year follow-up that there were 155 cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke within the group. 

The effects of napping is one of the least studied areas in the field of sleep, the researchers say, however they believe the practice may benefit cardiovascular health because it relieves stress. 

But they’re unclear as to whether daytime napping is good for reducing blood pressure. Some argue that the act of waking up produces a surge of blood pressure, while others have suggested a positive longer-term effect.

Vanessa Smith, senior cardiac nurse for the British Heart Foundation, said: “Many of us might aim to grab an extra 40 winks here and there, but more evidence is needed before we can say that regular napping can help to reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke.

“However, there are many other lifestyle changes you can make which we know help to keep your heart and blood vessels healthy.”

Smith recommended doing 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week and eating a Mediterranean-based diet to reduce your risk of heart attack or stroke.

Struggling To Sleep? Turns Out Many Of Us Are Online Shopping Between Midnight And 6am

When shoppers were first introduced to buying stuff online, there was some hesitation. How will we know if it fits? What if we’re being scammed? And how can anything replace the joy of a Saturday afternoon mooching in town?

Now, more than a decade later, online purchases have soared to around 20% of all sales, and it’s predicted that by 2028 – when the generation who don’t remember life without the web will have salaries to spend – more than half of retail sales will be made on the internet.

We can shop 24/7, whenever it takes our fancy – and it seems we’re seizing that opportunity. Data from John Lewis has found one in 15 purchases are made online between the hours of midnight and 6am. And the number of late-night shoppers has risen 25% in the period 2018-19.

Whether that’s because Brexit is giving us all insomnia, none of us could sleep during the hottest bank holidays on record, or we’ve all learned to love the impulse drunk buy – we’re splashing the cash when we should be asleep.

Customers shopping between midnight and 6am spend the most money on holidays, followed by general retailers and supermarkets, according to data from the John Lewis Partnership Card. 

Travel agencies, hotels and airlines topped the list for total spending, and shoppers buying flights or holiday accommodation in the middle of the night spend an average of £529.  

Women are twice as likely as men to be shopping between 12am and 6am, the research found (perhaps it’s because they’re getting up to deal with restless children or babies?). But when men shop, they spend slightly more than women – an average of £37 per transaction compared to £34 for women.

Separate analysis from John Lewis on customers’ online searches found people are looking for sofa beds and headphones in the middle of the night – perhaps trying to escape snoring partners.

The 10 most popular searches on John Lewis at this time are: duvet covers, televisions, laptops, mobile phones, fridges and freezers, headphones, sofas or sofa beds, wallpaper, beds and cameras.

Mike Jackson, partner and director of financial services at John Lewis and Partners, said: “Our research suggests shopping is now a 24-hour activity.

“More customers are shopping on their smartphones and tablet computers and it would appear many are using this technology to shop from the comfort of their own beds.” 

If your online shopping is a result of you struggling to sleep, try this sleep hygiene guide, or turn your bedroom into a relaxing haven. 

Young Black Bear Sneaks Into Hotel Bathroom For A Nap

A black bear cub was found napping in the toilet sinks of a lodge in Montana, USA. The young animal managed to sneak in through an open window before sprawling out across the counter to go for a quick snooze. The Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office and Mo…

Asda Little Angels Vapour Bath Review: Is This Truly A ‘Miracle’ Product That Can Get Babies To Sleep?

I’ve never had much luck with getting my children to sleep.

You know how some parents say their baby “started sleeping through the night” at six weeks old? Yeah, thanks for rubbing it in. And those who say parenting through the night is “not as bad as they’d expected”? Not me. It’s been worse than I expected – far, far worse. 

My daughter is seven now and, for probably the first time in her life, she’s finally ‘sleeping through’… until 7am. Lucky me. 

The trouble is, I also have a three-year-old. His idea of a restful night is toddling into my bedroom at midnight, where he clambers up beside me and proceeds to kick and punch me in his sleep for the next five hours. 

So when I heard talk of the Asda ‘Little Angels Vapour Bath’ – a “miracle” that apparently helped children sleep for a solid nine hours – I wanted in. 

The only issue? So did every other parent.

Asda

Naively, I headed to my local Asda to buy some, only to find it had sold out completely. No sign as to when they’d be getting more in, either. I can only imagine the scores of exhausted parents who must’ve scoured the shelves before me in search of a good night’s sleep. 

Eventually, miraculously perhaps, I was handed a bottle by my editor to review – and I couldn’t have been more excited.

My first thoughts were: it’s cheap (87p), bright, and smells good – like a softer, less stringent version of Olbas Oil. My kids noticed the scent straight away, and it definitely helped clear their sniffly noses (is it just me or do all small children have permanently sniffly noses?).

It has a good bubble count, too, which is useful for pretending you have a beard. On those counts – cost, look and smell – it’s check, check, check. 

The one thing it didn’t do, for me at least, was make any noticeable difference to my kids’ sleep. I wanted it to – I really did – but I’d be lying if I said my children did anything but their usual routine: one up past 9pm reading, then up at 7am; the other joining me at midnight to thrash around in bed until 5 or 6am. 

I tried it for a few weeks, in fact, and not much changed. It wasn’t quite the “miracle” product I’d hoped for. I’ll keep using it at bath-time, but I’m giving up hope of a solid nine hours – for another four years, at least. 

But perhaps it’s worth mentioning that some parents swear by the product – for their kids and themselves. One pregnant mum called it “amazing” and another five-star review online read: “I brought this for my seven-week-old daughter, and after having a bath with it, she slept a full nights sleep (nine hours!).”

Guess it’s worth a try seeing as it’s under a quid. Get it online here. 

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