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Tag: sleep

  • We Tested Travel Pillows on Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. These Are Our Favorites

    Cabeau’s Evolution Earth neck pillow is covered in RPET, a super-soft, washable fabric made with recycled plastic bottles. The pillow offers excellent, high sides and a comfortable, firm fit. Like some other pillows in this guide, it can be tricky to use this pillow with over-ear headphones. The back is flat, so in theory it could sit flush against a headrest, though I found it a bit awkward based on my height when I tried it on a bus and plane. (Seat backs rarely work as intended for me.) There’s a chin strap that prevents your head from falling forward.

    It took me many attempts to get this “HeadCatch” technology to work, and I didn’t find it super comfortable once it was strapped under my chin, but if you’re a forward-leaner, it’s a nice touch. (I, thankfully, am not.) I wish it came with a travel case, though you can pay an extra $5 to get one included. These caveats aside, once I got the pillow adjusted to where I wanted it, I was able to fall asleep. It was nice and firm without being too stiff, and I woke up feeling refreshed despite having spent the past hour on a bus.
    Materials Memory foam, RPET cover
    Washable? Yes (cover)

    Louryn Strampe

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  • Another Benefit for Cannabis Users

    Joining thousands of mom-and-pop businesses and American households, cannabis is another industry hit hard by the shutdown

    As more Americans reexamine their relationship with alcohol, a growing number are discovering another benefit from cannabis users.  The green plant might offer a surprising nighttime benefit — better, more restful sleep. While both substances can make you feel relaxed, the way they affect your body and brain overnight couldn’t be more different. For many users, the difference is showing up as deeper sleep, clearer mornings, and better mental health overall.

    RELATED: Making Your Cannabis Dollars Stretch During The Shutdown

    When you drink alcohol, it can initially make you drowsy and help you fall asleep faster. But studies show alcohol disrupts normal sleep cycles — particularly the REM (rapid eye movement) stage vital for memory, mood, and brain restoration. As alcohol is metabolized, it can cause restless tossing, dehydration, and frequent awakenings throughout the night. The result? You might “sleep” for eight hours but wake up feeling like you barely rested.

    Cannabis, on the other hand, tends to work differently. Certain cannabinoids, particularly THC and CBD, interact with the body’s endocannabinoid system — the network that regulates stress, pain, and sleep. THC can help shorten the time it takes to fall asleep and extend deep, slow-wave sleep, the stage associated with physical repair. Meanwhile, CBD, the non-intoxicating compound, can ease anxiety and reduce nighttime rumination, two of the biggest barriers to drifting off. Unlike alcohol, cannabis does not interrupt REM sleep in the same way, and users often report waking up feeling more refreshed and alert.

    Of course, not all strains or consumption methods affect sleep equally. Heavy THC use or stimulating sativa strains may have the opposite effect, increasing alertness or vivid dreams. Experts recommend lower doses and indica-dominant or balanced strains for bedtime.

    RELATED: The Feds Foul Play Around Cannabis

    The growing interest in cannabis as an alcohol alternative ties into a broader trend: the prioritization of mental wellness and recovery. Quality sleep is foundational to health — it improves immune function, mood regulation, memory, and even metabolism. When people trade late-night drinks for mindful cannabis use, they may not only avoid the hangover but gain one of life’s most underrated luxuries: truly restorative rest.

    Amy Hansen

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  • Scientists Uncover Yet Another Reason to Sleep in Total Darkness

    It turns out that your annoying friend who insists on closing all of the window blinds and covering all of the glowing electronics in a bedroom in order to sleep in total darkness is onto something. New research bolsters the well-established theory linking nighttime light to adverse health impacts.

    A preliminary analysis set to be presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2025, starting Friday, suggests that the state of darkness while we sleep plays a crucial role in our overall health. The results link more artificial light at night, also known as artificial nighttime light pollution, with higher brain stress signals, inflamed blood vessels, and greater risk of heart disease—a broad term for different heart problems.

    “We know that environmental factors, such as air and noise pollution, can lead to heart disease by affecting our nerves and blood vessels through stress. Light pollution is very common; however, we don’t know much about how it affects the heart,” Shady Abohashem, head of cardiac PET/CT imaging trials at Massachusetts General Hospital and senior author of the yet-unpublished study, said in a statement by the American Heart Association.

    Artificial nighttime brightness at home

    In the observational study, Abohashem and his colleagues reviewed the health data of 466 adults who had undergone the same combined Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) scan at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston between 2005 and 2008 to identify stress signals in the brain and evidence of artery inflammation. They also investigated the adults’ exposure to artificial nighttime brightness at their homes via the 2016 New World Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness.

    The researchers found that people who experienced greater amounts of nighttime artificial light had higher brain stress activity, blood vessel inflammation, and a greater chance of developing heart disease. Unsurprisingly, the risk of heart issues was increased among participants who lived in areas with additional stress factors like significant traffic noise or lower neighborhood income. By the end of 2018, 17% of the adults had experienced significant heart problems.

    “We found a nearly linear relationship between nighttime light and heart disease: the more night-light exposure, the higher the risk. Even modest increases in night-time light were linked with higher brain and artery stress,” Abohashem explained. The correlation remained even after researchers adjusted for known heart risk factors and other socio-environmental stresses.

    “When the brain perceives stress, it activates signals that can trigger an immune response and inflame the blood vessels,” he added. “Over time, this process can contribute to hardening of the arteries and increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.”

    Put the phone down

    So what can we do about it? Cities could diminish unnecessary external lighting, and individuals could lessen indoor nighttime light before going to bed, according to Abohashem. That includes screens, which means no more scrolling on TikTok before snoozing.

    “We know too much exposure to artificial light at night can harm your health, particularly increasing the risk of heart disease. However, we did not know how this harm happened,” said Julio Fernandez-Mendoza, who is director of behavioral sleep medicine at Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine and was not involved in the study. “This study has investigated one of several possible causes, which is how our brains respond to stress. This response seems to play a big role in linking artificial light at night to heart disease.”

    However, the study has some limitations, according to the statement. For example, the participants were drawn from a single hospital system, so the group may lack diversity, and the results might not reflect the broader population. Furthermore, because of the nature of an observational study, it can’t prove that the associations are causal.

    “We want to expand this work in larger, more diverse populations, test interventions that reduce nighttime light, and explore how reducing light exposure might improve heart health,” Abohashem concluded.

    Margherita Bassi

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  • What to know about melatonin use and heart failure

    (CNN) — Long-term use of melatonin supplements may be linked with a higher risk of heart failure, according to new research — but does that mean people taking it as a sleep aid should stop using it now?

    In a review of electronic medical records, thousands of adults who had chronic insomnia and took melatonin for a year or longer had a 90% higher chance of heart failure over the next five years, compared with participants who had the same health factors but didn’t take melatonin. Melatonin users were also more than three times as likely to be hospitalized for heart failure and about twice as likely to die from any cause.

    But experts suggest holding off on seeing melatonin as a definite danger. The research had significant limitations, was not designed to be able to prove cause and effect, and contradicts previous studies that indicated positives for heart health.

    The research also hasn’t yet been peer-reviewed or published in a journal but will be presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2025 meeting taking place November 7-10.

    “Melatonin supplements are widely thought of as a safe and ‘natural’ option to support better sleep, so it was striking to see such consistent and significant increases in serious health outcomes, even after balancing for many factors,” Dr. Ekenedilichukwu Nnadi, lead research author and chief resident in internal medicine at SUNY Downstate/Kings County Primary Care in Brooklyn, said in a news release.

    However, “while the association we found raises safety concerns about the widely used supplement, our study cannot prove a direct cause-and-effect relationship,” Nnadi said. “This means more research is needed to test melatonin’s safety for the heart.”

    Naturally occurring melatonin in the brain is a hormone produced by the pineal gland in response to darkness, to help the body wind down for sleep.

    The melatonin in supplements can be extracted from the pineal glands of animals or synthetically produced via a chemical process.

    In the United States, because melatonin is sold as a dietary supplement, manufacturers aren’t subject to the level of scrutiny involved in the US Food and Drug Administration’s safety measures and approval processes for drugs. This means melatonin supplements can contain significantly more of the active ingredient than advertised or necessary, as well as harmful hidden additives.

    Chronic insomnia, experienced by 10% of the global population, is defined by taking more than 30 minutes to fall asleep or fall back to sleep up to three times weekly for more than three months. It can lead to problems with memory, daytime energy, mood, thinking and concentration, work or school performance, and one’s social life.

    A doctor can help one determine whether insomnia is occurring on its own or because of an underlying factor, such as a medical condition or stressful life circumstance, and therefore determine the best ways to treat it — whether that’s adjusting your sleep routine, undergoing therapy for mental or emotional distress or cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, taking medication, or treating a medical condition.

    Melatonin use and heart health

    Melatonin supplements are often marketed as a safe sleep aid, but there hasn’t been sufficient data on long-term safety for cardiovascular health, the authors said.

    The research team assessed more than 130,000 adults with health records in the TriNetX Global Research Network, a large international electronic database. They were about 55 years old on average, and 61.4% were women. Participants with melatonin use documented in medication entries in their health records for more than a year were classified as the melatonin group, whereas those without any record of melatonin use were in the “non-melatonin group.”

    These factors lend themselves to a few important limitations, the authors and independent experts pointed out.

    The database includes patients in countries that require a prescription for melatonin, such as the United Kingdom, and those that don’t, including the United States — so the control group may unknowingly include adults who take melatonin without a prescription, which wouldn’t be reflected in their medical records, Dr. Carlos Egea, who wasn’t involved in the research, said in a statement provided by the Science Media Centre. Egea is president of the Spanish Federation of Sleep Medicine Societies.

    The researchers also didn’t have details on the severity of participants’ insomnia or whether they had any mental health issues, both of which can influence melatonin use and heart health risks, Nnadi said.

    Insomnia has been associated with a higher risk of having a heart attack or stroke. Disrupted circadian rhythms — our body clocks in which melatonin plays a role — and insufficient sleep have been linked with greater odds of cardiovascular issues including heart failure.

    Other limitations include a lack of information on dosage, the Council for Responsible Nutrition, a trade association for the dietary supplement and functional food industry, said in a statement. “Decades of consumer experience and multiple clinical studies indicate that low-dose, short-term supplementation is safe for healthy adults when used as directed,” the association added.

    The research challenges previous studies, including a March analysis of four studies that found melatonin supplementation improved heart failure patients’ quality of life and cardiac function, Egea said.

    Melatonin is also an antioxidant, and antioxidants help protect against damage to DNA by oxidative stress, an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants in the body.

    Before you take sleep aids

    Many people turn to melatonin as a short- or long-term solution to sleep woes. But for some people, the supplement has been linked to various side effects including headaches, nausea, dizziness, drowsiness, stomach aches, confusion or disorientation, tremors, low blood pressure, irritability, mild anxiety and depression.

    Before resorting to supplements, “speak to your doctor first about, for one, getting a proper diagnosis for your sleep difficulty and then discussing the appropriate course of treatment,” Dr. Marie-Pierre St-Onge, director of the Center of Excellence for Sleep & Circadian Research in the department of medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, said in the American Heart Association news release. “People should be aware that (melatonin) should not be taken chronically without a proper indication.”

    Healthy sleep hygiene involves limiting light exposure, screen time and consumption of food and alcohol in the few hours before bed. Your bedroom should be dark, cool and quiet.

    If you still choose to supplement melatonin, pharmaceutical grade melatonin is best, experts told CNN in a 2022 report — look for a stamp showing that the independent nonprofit US Pharmacopoeia’s Dietary Supplement Verification Program has tested the product.

    Kristen Rogers and CNN

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  • Want To Be Happier? Research On Sleep Says To Do This

    As the study’s lead author, Cara Palmer, Ph.D., explains in a news release, “This study represents the most comprehensive synthesis of experimental sleep and emotion research to date, and provides strong evidence that periods of extended wakefulness, shortened sleep duration, and nighttime awakenings adversely influence human emotional functioning.”

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  • Your Medication Might Be Giving You Nightmares

    If you’ve been having frequent disturbing dreams and there isn’t an obvious link to what’s happening in your waking life, it may be time to check your medicine cabinet. Many people aren’t aware that common medications can have a negative influence on their dreams.

    Certain antidepressants, beta blockers to treat high blood pressure, statins to treat cholesterol abnormalities, psychostimulants for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dopamine agonists for Parkinson’s disease, and acetylcholinesterase inhibitors to treat neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s are all among the medications that have been linked to causing or aggravating distressing dreams.

    Unusually vivid dreams and nightmares are also recognized side effects of other prescription medications and even some over-the-counter drugs such as sedating antihistamines. 

    “There are a lot of medications that can cause nightmares or bad dreams,” says Dr. Clete Kushida, division chief and medical director of Stanford Sleep Medicine. “Even melatonin and medications that are used for short-term insomnia such as Ambien, Sonata, and Lunesta can be associated with more bad dreams, but we don’t know the mechanisms.” The newer GLP-1 drugs (like Ozempic and Mounjaro) that are used to treat Type 2 diabetes or promote weight loss have also been linked to disturbing dream content, Kushida adds.

    Why do some medications affect dreams?

    When medications are associated with an increase in bad dreams or nightmares, the cause isn’t always clear. In the case of some drugs like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants, the medications may change the levels of neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, in the brain, which can affect dreams and nightmares. “SSRIs inhibit the reuptake of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that’s involved in sleep regulation, so more serotonin is floating around [in the brain],” Kushida says.

    Research has found that while older tricyclic antidepressants “induce more positive dream emotions,” use of SSRIs and serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) is associated with more intense dreaming and the possibility of more frequent nightmares. Withdrawal from tricyclic antidepressants may also lead to nightmares, while withdrawal from SSRIs and SNRIs seems to intensify dreaming.

    By contrast, “dopamine agonists are thought to impact nightmares directly through their activity on dopamine receptors,” explains Dr. Swetha Gogineni, a sleep specialist and pulmonary physician at UCLA Health.

    Read More: Why You Should Never Shower While Wearing Contacts

    Other drugs may have a more direct impact on sleep architecture, the structure of different sleep stages during the night. For example, drugs that are used to treat Alzheimer’s (such as Aricept) can lead to REM sleep behavior disorder, which can cause intense, often bad dreams and may even lead people to act out their dreams, Kushida says.

    Meanwhile, beta blocker medications tend to reduce REM sleep, which is when most dreaming occurs, but research has found that they are associated with an increase in nightmares. Use of some fluoroquinolone antibiotics, such as ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin, has also been linked with a higher risk of nightmares.

    Sometimes it’s not entirely clear what’s triggering the bad dreams. For example, an underlying sleep disorder like sleep apnea could be affecting someone’s dreams when they are taking a dream-affecting drug such as an antidepressant. “Many people who have depression suffer disturbing dreams,” says Dr. Barry Krakow, a sleep medicine specialist in Savannah, Georgia, who runs a sleep-health coaching service. “Many people with depression need a sleep study because they have a sleep disorder like sleep apnea.” Obstructive sleep apnea on its own is associated with increased nightmares; treating it with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) has been shown to reduce bad dreams.

    How to handle nightmarish side effects

    When people experience dream-related side effects from medications, their responses can vary significantly. Some people simply notice that their dreams are more intense and shrug them off. “Others report sleep fragmentation, palpitations, and a panicked sensation upon awakening,” says Gogineni. “Some individuals can develop insomnia due to fears regarding sleeping and nightmares. For some, the nightmares can go on to impact their ability to function at work or in different social settings.”

    So what should you do if you suspect a medication is wreaking havoc on your dreams? The first step is to discuss your symptoms and concerns with your primary care physician. “Nightmares can significantly impact someone’s sleep and overall quality of life,” says Gogineni. “It is vital that [your] physician know if this is happening.”

    Read More: Why Strength Training Is the Best Anti-Ager

    It’s important not to  just stop taking a medication without first talking to your doctor, because that could have negative effects on the health condition being treated. Also, “an abrupt discontinuation of these medications can sometimes lead to worsening of nightmares,” Gogineni says. 

    Depending on both the medical condition and the medicine, several solutions may help. “Your doctor may suggest altering the dose or the time of day the medication is being taken,” Kushida says.

    In some instances, your doctor may suggest trying a different medication in the same class or a different type of drug altogether to treat your health condition, says Gogineni.

    It’s an important conversation to have, starting with your primary doctor—and if that isn’t sufficiently helpful, with a sleep specialist. The quality of your rest, including your dreams, can affect your well-being day and night, so it’s worth taking steps to sleep peacefully.

    Stacey Colino

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  • Best Sleep Gifts 2025: Editor-Tested & Loved

    Despite the tiny size—about the size of a golf ball—this white noise machine packs surprisingly big sound. With 15 non-looping tracks, including white, pink, and brown noise, rain, ocean waves, campfire, and more, it blocks out hotel, plane, and train noise so users can actually sleep anywhere. Plus, the rechargeable battery lasts up to 8 hours with built-in timers.

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  • Chronic Melatonin Use May Raise Risk of Heart Failure, Study Suggests

    Melatonin is a well-known go-to sleep aid, but researchers are still teasing out the supplement’s side effects, especially as long-term use becomes increasingly common. And now, a preliminary study out today suggests taking melatonin for more than a year may be linked to heart problems and early death.

    Researchers studied the medical records of people with chronic insomnia, finding that those who were prescribed melatonin for at least a year were more likely to develop heart failure and more likely to die from any cause. The study has important limitations, the authors note, but the findings are motivation for scientists to look further into melatonin’s potential health risks.

    “These findings challenge the perception of melatonin as a benign chronic therapy and underscore the need for
    randomized trials to clarify its cardiovascular safety profile,” the researchers wrote in the study.

    A hidden danger?

    Our bodies naturally produce melatonin. Among other things, the hormone helps regulate our sleep-wake cycle.

    In some countries like the U.K., officials have approved a synthetic version of melatonin for treating insomnia in people over 55, while in the U.S., melatonin is widely available over-the-counter as a supplement. Using melatonin for a night or two—say to beat jet lag— seems to be generally safe for adults (although not necessarily for children). But scientists know little about its long-term safety, particularly when it comes to the heart.

    The authors analyzed data from the TriNetX Global Research Network, a large, international database containing tens of thousands of medical records. They specifically focused on adults diagnosed with chronic insomnia who were prescribed melatonin for a year or more—some 60,000 people. They then compared this group to similar people who had insomnia but who were not prescribed the sleep aid.

    Over a five-year follow-up period, about 4.6% of melatonin patients developed heart failure, compared to 2.7% of non-melatonin patients—almost double the odds. People on melatonin also had a higher risk of being hospitalized for heart failure and were nearly twice as likely to die in general.

    Caveats and caution

    The team’s findings are set to be presented this week at the American Heart Association’s annual Scientific Sessions conference, but it carries some significant limitations.

    The study is still preliminary, and it hasn’t gone through the typical peer review process. It is also observational and retrospective, meaning it can only demonstrate a correlation between chronic melatonin use and heart disease. And though the authors did try to control for important variables like where a patient lived, there are potential pitfalls in the data.

    The database used in the study covers multiple countries, including places like the U.S. where melatonin is widely available over the counter. As a result, the authors admit that it’s entirely possible that some patients who weren’t prescribed melatonin were taking the supplement regardless, muddying the findings.

    This research is far from a smoking gun proving the dangers of chronic melatonin use. But studies like this can build the case for more definitive research—ideally randomized and controlled trials—to find out for sure.

    Ed Cara

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  • Can Cannabis Help You Survive Daylight Savings Time

    Can cannabis help you survive Daylight Savings Time? Discover how it eases sleep, stress, and sluggish mornings

    Twice a year, millions of Americans grumble as the clocks shift for Daylight Savings Time (DST). This weekend marks the annual “fall back,” when most of the country gains an hour of sleep, but our internal clocks aren’t always so quick to reset. From sluggish mornings to restless nights, the change can wreak havoc on mood, energy, and sleep. But can cannabis help you survive daylight savings time?

    RELATED: Cannabis Helps The Young And Old Sleep

    Daylight Savings Time was first proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1784 as a way to save candles and make better use of daylight. The U.S. formally adopted it during World War I to conserve fuel and again in World War II. Today, nearly every state observes it (except Hawaii and most of Arizona). Originally meant to save energy and increase productivity, DST has become controversial, with studies suggesting it can actually disrupt human health and safety more than it helps.

    Photo by underworld111/Getty Images

    Human bodies run on a 24-hour circadian rhythm — a natural sleep-wake cycle driven by light exposure. When we shift the clocks, even by an hour, that rhythm gets out of sync. The result? Fatigue, mood swings, increased stress hormones, and, for some, higher risks of heart attacks and car accidents immediately following the time change. Sleep experts say it can take several days — sometimes up to two weeks — for the body to fully adjust.

    Cannabis may offer a modern tool for this age-old annoyance. Studies suggest certain cannabinoids, especially CBD (cannabidiol) and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), can influence the body’s endocannabinoid system — the internal network regulating sleep, appetite, and mood.

    CBD, known for its calming and anti-anxiety properties, can help reduce stress and promote better-quality rest without the intoxicating effects of THC. Meanwhile, low to moderate doses of THC can help users fall asleep faster and experience deeper sleep cycles, particularly for those who suffer from insomnia or restless nights.

    RELATED: The Connection Between Country Music And Cannabis

    Experts recommend timing and dosage carefully. CBD is often best taken an hour before bedtime to relax the body, while THC may work better for those who need to initiate sleep. Cannabis users should avoid heavy consumption or overly potent strains, which can cause grogginess or interfere with REM sleep.

    Beyond cannabis, good sleep hygiene helps the transition. Limiting screen time, avoiding caffeine after noon, and exposing yourself to natural morning light can all help the circadian system realign.

    As Americans continue to debate whether Daylight Savings Time should stay or go, one thing is certain, the grogginess is real. For those looking for a natural way to rebalance their body clock, cannabis might just make “falling back” a little easier.

    Sarah Johns

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  • Christian Influencers Are Throwing Their Hatch Clocks in the Trash

    Treasure to Trash and Back Again

    According to Erin Merani, Hatch’s vice president of marketing, this series of events was not, in fact, a planned marketing stunt, and Hatch is still figuring out the ramifications of the demon discourse. While Merani is glad the ads and programming “caught people’s attention,” she wants to clarify they were all meant for fun, and she’s heartened by how many users have rushed in to defend Hatch.

    “We saw a lot of community jumping into the comments and saying, ‘Wait a minute, we missed the plot here!’” she says. “This is a Halloween-themed ad about their adult—not baby—product actually being the thing that will save you from the real evil: your phone. Your phone is actually keeping you up at night.’” To be clear, Hatch makes two devices, one specifically for kids and the other for adults. Any pop culture references, like Twilight, are exclusive to adults only via Hatch’s Restore 2 and 3 devices—they can’t be accessed on the Hatch Baby.

    Then, a new trending topic arose about 48 hours later: “If you’re going to throw your Hatch device away, send it to me.”

    Hatch took it and ran with it. “We used the cues of the community and sort of rode that wave with this idea of, ‘Hey, we know this is happening, and we wanted to address this while also pointing at having a little bit of fun with it,” Merani says.

    Enter Hatch’s new “RePossession Program.” “We saw this overwhelming outreach of people who wanted to be ‘repossessed,’” Merani says, “so we were able to point people to our refurbishment program, to be able to keep those devices out of landfills and send ‘repossessed’ units out.”

    So far, Hatch has had more than 10,000 related social media inquiries about receiving “repossessed Hatch devices,” and only 10 requests to send Hatch devices back to the company.

    Ultimately, if you have a Hatch device and would like to send it back, you can contact customer service to arrange a return. On the other hand, you can now purchase refurbished machines (from the repossessed campaign and otherwise) here. No matter what side of the conversation you find yourself on, we can all agree on one thing: sleep is important, and you should definitely spend less time on your phone.

    Julia Forbes

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  • Cannabis Helps The Young And Old Sleep

    From Gen Z to Boomers, cannabis helps the young and old sleep better — here’s what science says.

    New research from University of Michigan (U-M) is adding nuance — and a dose of caution — to an increasingly popular trend: using marijuana to help you sleep. But what is interesting is cannabis helps the young and old sleep.  Yes, whether you’re a 20-something struggling with late-night screen time or a 60-plus professional battling early-morning wake-ups, they are turning toward the green plant to help with a sound snooze.

    RELATED: Gen Z Is Ditching Relationship Labels While Millennials

    According to the U-M’s psychiatry department, initial results suggest that cannabis may help people fall asleep faster and improve sleep quality in the early part of the night. But the benefit doesn’t necessarily carry through the whole night. The research points to more awakenings and fragmented sleep in the latter part of the night for some users. Yes, cannabis appears to help some people sleep, at least initially, but the story is far from straightforward. The U-M team emphasize the evidence is still in its infancy; usage has raced ahead of science.

    Photo by Kindel Media from Pexels

    For Gen Z or Millennials juggling business and baby-boom-aged parents, sleep is often elusive. Older adults, meanwhile, may contend with chronic pain, insomnia or medication-side-effects. That’s why the notion of a plant-based sleep aid is appealing across the age spectrum.
    The U-M research suggests those with chronic pain, anxiety or certain sleep disorders may experience more noticeable benefit. But for otherwise healthy sleepers, the upside may be limited, and in some cases, temporary.

    But like most sleep aids, what works at first may wear off. Routine cannabis use for sleep may lead to diminished benefit over time, and insomnia can return — sometimes when use is stopped abruptly.
    The mode of use matters too: inhaling cannabis may bring faster onset of sleepiness, while edibles act more slowly but last longer.

    Generational take-away: what each age group should know:

    • Younger adults (20s-40s): If you’re using cannabis to deal with irregular sleep patterns, late-night tech use or social jet-lag, it may help you get to sleep — but it’s not guaranteed to fix sleep quality or cycles long term.
    • Middle-aged adults (40s-60s): Those dealing with stress, pain or changing sleep rhythms might see a benefit — but must watch for dependence and tolerance.
    • Older adults (65+): If sleep disruptions stem from pain, sleep-apnoea or medications, cannabis might help but should be used under medical supervision. Long-term effects and interactions (e.g., with heart- or blood-pressure meds) are less well studied.
      Across all ages: better sleep hygiene (consistent bedtimes, reduced screen time, calming routines) remains foundational.

    RELATED: Cannabis Is Way Better And Safer Than A Honey Pack

    The U-M researchers urge caution: consult your doctor before using cannabis as a sleep aid. The sleep-inducing effect may not last, side-effects are still being mapped, and the optimal dosage/administration method is unclear. medicine.umich.edu
    For those who use cannabis for sleep, experts suggest treating it as a bridge, helping you establish better sleep patterns, rather than a permanent substitute for good habits.
    As one U-M sleep psychologist put it: “The research is still in its infancy, the availability of marijuana has really out-paced the science.”

    whether you’re young or old, cannabis can help you sleep. But it’s no silver bullet. The short-term benefits may exist, but they are often offset by fragmented sleep later at night, possible next-day fatigue, and diminished return over time. In real terms: if you lean on it nightly, you may trade off one sleep problem for another.

    The best approach? Use it cautiously, pair it with solid sleep hygiene, and keep an eye on how your sleep — and overall daily alertness — really responds.

    Amy Hansen

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  • Zoning Out From Poor Sleep? A New Study Says It Can Be a Good Thing

    It turns out that when you’re running low on sleep, your brain is actually working overtime. A new MIT study shows that when sleep deprived, the brain periodically releases cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the same process that normally happens during deep sleep. Researchers found that these waves of fluid are what’s causing lapses in attention.  

    Typically, CSF flow during sleep helps get rid of built-up waste from the day. Scientists wanted to know how it might be affected by sleep deprivation, so they recruited 26 volunteers to perform tasks both during the morning after a good night’s sleep and again when sleep deprived.

    The tasks tested reaction times while participants stared at an image of a cross on a screen. The first task asked them to press a button each time they noticed the cross change to a square. The second required a response to a beep sound rather than a visual transformation. 

    During the task, subjects wore electroencephalogram (EEG) caps to record brain waves while inside a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanner. The setup allowed scientists to measure blood oxygenation in the brain, the flow of CSF to and from the brain, and the participant’s heart rate, breathing rate, and pupil diameter.  

    Unsurprisingly, the sleep-deprived volunteers performed worse. They had slower response times, sometimes not registering a change at all.  

    But researchers noticed that CSF was flowing out of the brain at the same time as these attention lapses. And when attention recovered, the fluid flowed back in. They hypothesized that it was a sign of the brain working to catch up on cleansing that should have happened overnight.

    “One way to think about those events is because your brain is so in need of sleep, it tries its best to enter into a sleep-like state to restore some cognitive functions,” MIT postdoctoral associate and lead author Zinong Yang says, according to a press release. “Your brain’s fluid system is trying to restore function by pushing the brain to iterate between high-attention and high-flow states.”

    And it isn’t just the brain experiencing these psychological changes. Scientists found that pupils constricted around 12 seconds ahead of the CSF flow, and dilated again afterwards. Breathing rate and heart rate declined during attention lapses. 

    So, it seems there’s a strong connection between our ability to stay alert and the brain’s recovery process. Without enough sleep you’ll likely be slower to complete daily tasks, but it’s comforting to know your brain is really working to catch you up to speed. 

    Keep Reading:

    Ava Levinson

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  • A Bedtime Snack That’s Actually Good for You? Yes, It’s True

    For 12 weeks, participants ate about two ounces of pistachios as their bedtime snack, roughly two small handfuls. In another 12-week phase, the same participants swapped the pistachios for a typical carb-based snack, like crackers or toast (and yes, your beloved bedtime cookies fall into that category).

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  • These supplements are my secret to an uninterrupted eight hours

    What are the benefits of taking a sleep supplement?

    Hopefully, a better night’s sleep. For context, there are two different types of sleep: rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM sleep. While deep sleep (the latter) is vital for physical restoration, REM sleep is linked to cognitive functions and emotional processing, so you need cycles of both for different aspects of your physical and mental health.

    “I believe that good sleep is the foundation of overall wellbeing — it’s when the body restores, repairs and rebalances,” says Jessica Sepel, expert nutritionist and founder of JSHealth Vitamins. “For those who need a little extra support to switch off, the right nutrients and herbs at therapeutic doses can make all the difference.”

    “They aren’t a magic fix, but they can absolutely help to calm the nervous system and support melatonin production for sleep,” adds Amy Clarke, in-house Qualified Nutrition Coach at Bettervits. ”With only 37% of Brits getting the recommended 7 hours sleep per night, sleep supplements, along with a mindful bedtime routine, could help you get longer, more restful sleep”.

    But what are the wider benefits of a good night’s sleep? The Mental Health Foundation cites various physical and mental benefits, including better heart health, a strengthened immune system, as well as improved focus, memory and mood. Unfortunately, one in five people in the UK isn’t getting enough sleep, while another 66% of adolescents say poor sleep negatively impacts their mental health.

    What should I look for in a sleep supplement?

    “5-HTP is a natural precursor to melatonin, while calming herbs like chamomile and lemon balm have soothed for centuries,” advises Clarke. “I always recommend looking for science-backed and traditionally used ingredients that are known to support sleep, relaxation and nervous system health,” adds Sepel.

    Magnesium for sleep is another key ingredient to look out for in a supplement. “My go-tos are quality forms of magnesium (especially magnesium glycinate), lavender and passionflower. I also advise seeking out supplements created by a qualified wellness expert with clean, purposeful formulas that follow the research.” Preach.

    How should I be taking a sleep supplement?

    The number one rule with natural sleep aid supplements — after checking with your GP or a healthcare professional that your chosen dose won’t interact with any other medication or allergies — is that you’ve got to be consistent. This is because some nutrients (AKA water-soluble vitamins), consistent intake is crucial as the body doesn’t store them and needs a regular supply.

    “I suggest taking a sleep supplement about 30-60 minutes before bed, paired with a calming evening routine — think switching off devices, dimming the lights and practising deep breathing,” suggests Sepel. “Good sleep hygiene is also key, such as keeping the room cool and dark while aiming to go to bed and rise at about the same time each day. It’s not just about taking the supplement; it’s about creating a sleep-supportive environment and lifestyle practices to maximise its benefits.”

    Are there any side effects to taking sleep supplements?

    “When used as directed, quality, natural sleep supplements are generally very well tolerated,” assures Sepel. “However, everyone is different. Always take the recommended dose and speak to a healthcare professional for guidance — especially if you’re pregnant, breastfeeding or taking other medications.”

    Meet the experts:

    Sophie Donovan, Cat Hufton

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  • This Common Habit Is Making Your Insomnia Way Worse

    More people than ever have a hard time getting adequate rest, with an estimated 50 to 70 million Americans1 having an issue with either falling or staying asleep. Insomnia, which is characterized by the inability to fall asleep or maintain sleep, is one of the most common sleep disorders.

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  • If You Like Thuma’s Frames, You Might Want to Look Into Thuma’s Mattress

    The Thuma Hybrid offers three firmness options: Plush, Medium, and Firm. I chose Medium because my partner and I (mainly me) fluctuate between different sleeping positions. We both are side sleepers for the most part, but often, I revert to being a stomach sleeper sometime in the night. Both of these sleeping positions require more lumbar support to prevent back pain. But from the first night of testing, it was undeniable that this mattress had a firmer feel. In my experience, beds with medium firmness typically range between a 5 and 6.5 on a scale of 10, with 10 being the firmest setting available on a bed. With Thuma Hybrid’s innerspring pocketed coils and firmer Dunlop latex, I would rank it as a 7 out of 10. In fact, I would guess that the “Firm” Thuma Hybrid may be comparable to the Plank Firm, one of the firmest mattresses our team has ever tested.

    As time went on and my body adjusted to the mattress’s feel, I could sense a slight increase in softness and sink around my body. But in terms of pressure relief, I did notice slight tension around my hips and shoulders. It was nothing that disrupted my sleep, but I could easily see it doing so for those with joint pain in these areas.

    But that doesn’t take away who I really think this bed is a star for: couples, stomach sleepers, and heavy-bodied sleepers. Couples, especially ones who are interested in the best mattress for sex, may find a firm mattress to help not only with differing sleep positions, but also support for other positions. Stomach sleepers (and back sleepers who prefer a firmer bed) require a bed that provides adequate lumbar support. Lastly, heavy-bodied sleepers, or those with larger frames who weigh over 250 pounds, may be happy with this mattress’s level of firmness. This is because with more body mass, the bed has more give. A too-soft bed can also contribute to the development of back pain over time, as the spine sinks out of alignment. The high-end materials that compose the Thuma Hybrid should enhance overall support and durability and help prevent back pain.

    Touchdown, Thuma

    Photograph: Julia Forbes

    In the end, the Thuma Hybrid will likely be a classic case of “give your body time to get used to it”—particularly if you’re someone with a smaller- to average-weight frame. Heavier-bodied sleepers may be good to go from the jump. Would I personally classify the Thuma Hybrid as more of a medium-firm, rather than a medium? No, especially since mattresses typically soften up over time. However, the reality is that people generally aren’t in the mood to wait that long—there’s a reason most brands, Thuma included, require all 30 nights in the sleep trial to elapse before a return is allowed.

    However, for stomach sleeping, couples, and sex, this mattress is a star—especially when paired with a Thuma bed frame. My next project will be getting my dogs on board with their own Thuma setup, as the brand has recently launched its own dog bed. But it’s safe to say that I’ve joined my teammates as the new member of the (unofficial, but we can make T-shirts) Thuma fan club.

    Julia Forbes

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  • Late-Night Weekends May Harm Gut Health, Study Shows

    We can live very different lives during the same week. A weekday version of you may go to a 9-to-5 office job, hit up a yoga class after work, and be tucked into bed at a reasonable hour (so you can do it all again tomorrow). On weekends, you may have a more sporadic schedule filled with social events that keep you up late. 

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  • What’s the Best Mattress for Sex? Our Reviewers Lay It Out for You

    People take a lot of pride in their bedroom abilities. Saatva takes great pride in crafting luxurious, handmade mattresses. To maintain the good work in both situations, the Saatva Classic features an innerspring construction very conducive to lovemaking. There are actually two coil types at play here: pocketed coils beneath the pillow top, and firmer traditional coils at the base. Pocketed coils are better at responding to the situation above them, as they can provide individualized support that homes in on high-weight areas. Whether that’s your lower back while you’re sleeping, or your hands and knees when you’re more active, pocketed coils are adaptable. Traditional coils are interwoven, so they compress together. While the overall support isn’t as targeted, it still has its merits in terms of durability, edge support, full-body pushback, and airflow, particularly when things get hot and heavy. Together, they create a surface that’s easy to move around on and gives you some bounce to work with, which you’ll appreciate more in the moment as opposed to sinking too much. Use that bounce to your advantage.

    Buyers can choose from Plush Soft, Luxury Firm, or Firm. I’d recommend you stick to the firmer options to avoid overt sinking, which can be a buzzkill. You can also select your ideal mattress height, with options of either 11.5 inches or 14.5 inches. The variance in firmness and height also opens up this mattress for all kinds of couples to enjoy, not just for sex but for sleeping as well. Couples with different body types and sleeping positions can find an option that works for both, such as Luxury Firm, which would suit both side sleepers and stomach sleepers. Every Saatva Classic comes with an extra lumbar support layer and quilting, regardless of height or firmness. For added coziness, the Classic features an organic cotton pillow top that gently hugs the body.

    The Saatva Classic ranges from $1,399 for a twin mattress to $3,078 for a split California king.
    Mattress type Innerspring hybrid
    Firmness Plush Soft, Luxury Firm, Firm
    Height 11.5 or 14.5 inches
    Trial period 365 nights
    Warranty Lifetime

    Julia Forbes

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  • I’m A Longevity MD: 3 Things I Wish I Did For My Health In My 20s

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  • Science Says How You Sleep Affects How You Eat, and Vice Versa: the Virtuous (and Vicious) Cycle of Sleep and Diet

    You probably wish you got more sleep, if only for the performance benefits. A study published in Sleep says if you only sleep for five to six hours you’re 19 percent less productive than people who regularly sleep for seven to eight hours, and if you only sleep five hours a night you’re nearly 30 percent less productive.

    That seems especially true for aspiring entrepreneurs: a study published in Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice found that lack of sleep makes people more likely to start a business on impulse or whim rather than on a solid, well-considered idea. More broadly, a study published in Journal of Business Venturing found that lack of sleep causes you to come up with worse ideas, and to think those bad ideas are actually good ones. ​

    But if you’re also hoping to eat better, getting enough sleep is crucial. Research shows the two create a vicious circle: lack of sleep leads to a poorer diet, and a poorer diet leads to lack of sleep.

    That premise probably resonates, but here’s some science to back it up. A study published in Sleep found that reduced sleep leads to a significant increase in eating. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found lack of sleep causes increased activity in your brain’s reward centers specific to food. Lack of sleep also change some of the hormones that signal when you’re full.

    So, yeah: If you don’t get enough sleep, your diet almost surely suffers, as anyone who stays up late and finds themselves craving junk food the next day can attest. 

    But then there’s this: A study published in Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that diet has an effect on the quality and amount of sleep you get: Eating more fiber — whole grains, beans, certain vegetables and fruits, etc. — and less sugar and saturated fat results in better sleep at night. 

    And if you adopt the Mediterranean diet (lots of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fish, poultry) a 2018 Sleep study indicates you’ll be one-third as likely to suffer from insomnia and nearly 1.5 times more likely to get a good night’s sleep. 

    Add it all up, and whether you start with the chicken or the egg, the cycle is the same. Don’t get enough sleep and you’re likely to eat more poorly, which makes it harder for you to get more sleep, and therefore more likely to eat poorly. The same is true if you eat poorly; getting enough sleep is harder, which will make it harder to eat healthier and to get enough sleep.

    What about supplements, you ask? Plenty of people take melatonin to help them fall asleep. And that does work; a study published in Sleep Medicine Reviews found that people who take melatonin supplements tend to fall asleep around four minutes faster than those who don’t.

    Which is great… except a more recent study found that maintaining a Mediterranean diet cut the time to fall asleep by 12 minutes, and led to significantly better sleep quality.  

    In short, supplements help.

    But lifestyle changes help more. 

    So turn your diet and sleep into a virtuous rather than vicious cycle. Tonight, pick a time you will go to bed. Not go to sleep (because that’s harder to control), but go to bed. See bedtime not as the time you will definitely fall asleep, but the earliest time you  go to sleep. (Unless you’re totally exhausted, you won’t fall asleep right away.)

    Then just relax. Let your mind wander. Don’t think about going to sleep. Don’t to go to sleep. Just chill. If you want, try the Military Method to fall asleep faster. Or the 4-7-8 Method. Or spend 5 minutes writing tomorrow’s to-do list. All are science-backed ways to fall asleep faster.

    And if it takes you a long time to fall asleep, that’s okay. Don’t take a nap the next day. Just go to bed at the same time. Again, see it as bed time, not sleep time, and just chill.

    In time, your body (and more importantly, your mind) will start to adapt. You’ll start to get more and better, sleep.

    Especially if you focus on eating healthier as well, because when you do that, you’ll naturally start to sleep better.

    Which will make it a lot easier to keep eating healthier.

    And turn sleep and diet into a virtuous cycle.

    The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

    Jeff Haden

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